Are solar panels worth it?
Imogen works for Good Energy. She is a supply customer, and she had solar panels installed at her family home by Good Energy in July 2023.
In this article, she shares her insight into how much money her solar panels have saved, and whether she believes solar panels are worth it.
About Imogen’s solar array
We have 12 solar panels installed on our rooftop with a total installed capacity of 4.4kW. They are split across two solar arrays – one pointing South East and one pointing South West.
We have a 5.2kW battery to store our excess solar energy, and a 3.6kW inverter. This means that our home can only draw 3.6kW of energy at any one time from our solar panels and battery before it will need to use energy from the grid.
How much have solar panels saved us on our energy bill?
I’ve used 12 months of data from 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2024 to calculate our solar panel savings so far.
In this period, my family of four used 789.71kWh of solar electricity directly from our solar panels as it was being generated.
We used a further 769.61kWh of solar electricity from our battery. In total this is 1559.32kWh of power that we haven’t needed to draw from the grid.
Our solar panels and battery have saved us an impressive £432.05 on our electricity bill over the year – which takes into account our unit rate moving from 30p to 24p in April 2024.
| Energy source | kWh used | Savings |
| Solar panels | 789.71 kWh | £215.03 |
| Battery | 769.61 kWh | £217.02 |
| Total | 1559.32 kWh | £432.05 |
How much have we earned through an export tariff?
We are on Good Energy’s Solar Savings Exclusive export tariff which paid 20p/kWh throughout the year.
This tariff is exclusively available to customers that chose Good Energy Solar to install their solar panels and battery; and has now increased to 40p/kWh (variable) for a 12 month term.
Between 1 August and 31 July, we exported 2320.65 kWh of renewable electricity to the grid. This earned us a total of £464.13, with the earnings added monthly as a credit to our energy account.
| kWh generated by solar panels | Price per kWh | Total | |
| Savings from using our own solar power | 1559.32 kWh | 30p / 24p | £432.05 |
| Earnings from export tariff | 2320.65 kWh | 20p | £464.13 |
| Total savings in 12 months | £896.18 |
So are solar panels worth it?
In one year, our solar panels and battery have saved us £896.18 – much more than the upfront expenditure would have earned us in a savings account.
I feel a huge sense of relief that the electricity we are using is low carbon and that our home is part of the solution to a greener electricity grid. What’s more, solar panels have made our home ready for other low-carbon electrified upgrades in the future, like an electric car or a heat pump.
So in my opinion, if you can afford the initial cost and you’re confident you’re getting a good price and service from your chosen installer, solar panels are absolutely worth it.
