Bob and Jan’s story: Installing solar on their renewable home
We caught up with Bob and Jan, who after watching energy bills rise year after year, wanted more certainty in retirement.
Today, their home runs largely on renewable electricity, giving them greater peace of mind, lower reliance on the grid, and the feeling they’re doing something positive for the future.
Key stats
✅ Set up: 4.19 kWp solar array, 2× SolarEdge 10 kWh storage batteries, SolarEdge Home Hub inverter, SolarEdge Optimisers
☀️ Projected annual generation: 4122 KWh
💰 Annual savings: Around £1800*
An ambition to become self sufficient
Bob and Janet heat their home with a heat pump, making them higher than average electricity consumers, using around 5 MWh of electricity every year.
Their new solar system generates around 4MWh a year – generating more than they need in the spring and summer – when they export up to 25kWh of their power to the grid daily.
In winter, the system still pulls its weight; generating enough to power a significant portion of the home directly, with their battery capacity enabling them to store around 80% of their peak daily demand too.
The result? A system that works hard all year round, reducing bills in winter and generating returns in summer.
The couple are constantly looking at more ways to cut their carbon footprint, considering a Plug-In Hybrid EV in the future too.
Why Good Energy?
After a disappointing experience with a previous potential supplier, Bob and Jan visited the National Self Build & Renovation Centre in Swindon to find someone they could genuinely trust with their plans for a fully renewable home.
Good Energy stood out as the right fit because we met every priority:
- They felt reassured. We walked them through how the system would work and why it was designed that way.
- Their anxiety dropped. Instead of vague promises, they got clear explanations, realistic expectations and honest answers about performance and longevity.
- They trusted our people. We talked about sustainability, matched their own values and made the decision feel safe.
- They felt supported for the future. Knowing they’d have ongoing help, fair renewable focused tariffs, and a company committed to green energy made them feel they were making the right choice not just for today, but for years ahead.
How did they find the installation?
The installation was professional and respectful with genuinely nice people all around. The design process was thorough and detailed, and appropriate changes were suggested at the design stage, which enhanced the system to our satisfaction. We would recommend a site visit to ensure there are no surprises during installation.
How did installing solar made them feel?
Before installing solar, rising energy prices made it difficult to feel confident about future household costs. Now, Bob and Jan feel more in control of their energy use and more confident about the long-term running costs of their home.
“We like the satisfaction that we are doing our bit for the future. We have a low carbon home and it will stand out when it comes to be sold. We are seriously investigating putting some of our system savings in to getting heat pumps and solar / battery systems for our children and grandchildren.”
*Annual savings figure provided by the customer, based on energy bill savings and export tariff earnings.