Electricity Use With Solar Panels

Oh it is a mess.

Rules and rates have changed like the wind in the last 12 years - some people are on very good rates, other far less so.

9p /kwhr was typical pre FIT which kicked off slowly in in 2008.


The rates for small photovoltaic installations started at  43.3p/kWh generated, regardless of exported or local use,  then as demand outstripped the budget these were reduced to 21 pence/kWh. in 2011. However folk with the higher paying  25 year agreement retain the higher level.

On top of this 4-5 p per unit is paid for electricity exported. The 25 year period was then reduced to 20.

At the same time the maximum number of registrations per month was capped, so there has been a backlog of systems installed months previous  waiting to register ever since.

Although it is closed to new systems, anything that has been waiting to be registered and was installed before last May can still try and register for FIT before April.

Then there are other rates for non-domestic systems.


The practical upshot - some folk who put panels in before 2008 have never had a feed in tarrif, just lower bills due to home consumption, others about 9p /unit  some who installed 2008-2010 have already paid back their investment many times,  (or actually in a lot of cases the 'we rent your roof, and in 20 years the clapped out solar panels are free' mob have been paid many times, the householder just gets reduced bills due to using less )


Those put in since 2012 have been doing less well, and if you are considering installing now, you are on your own completely, there is no more govt subsidy to be had, you need to ask and  see if your supplier will pay you for export. Probably that 4p or 5p per unit ?

Perhaps unsurprisingly rate of new installs have dropped, and some of the more lightweight 'free' solar companies that relied on the tarrif to keep them afloat have ceased trading or merged.

Oh it is a mess.

Rules and rates have changed like the wind in the last 12 years - some people are on very good rates, other far less so.

9p /kwhr was typical pre FIT which kicked off slowly in in 2008.


The rates for small photovoltaic installations started at  43.3p/kWh generated, regardless of exported or local use,  then as demand outstripped the budget these were reduced to 21 pence/kWh. in 2011. However folk with the higher paying  25 year agreement retain the higher level.

On top of this 4-5 p per unit is paid for electricity exported. The 25 year period was then reduced to 20.

At the same time the maximum number of registrations per month was capped, so there has been a backlog of systems installed months previous  waiting to register ever since.

Although it is closed to new systems, anything that has been waiting to be registered and was installed before last May can still try and register for FIT before April.

Then there are other rates for non-domestic systems.


The practical upshot - some folk who put panels in before 2008 have never had a feed in tarrif, just lower bills due to home consumption, others about 9p /unit  some who installed 2008-2010 have already paid back their investment many times,  (or actually in a lot of cases the 'we rent your roof, and in 20 years the clapped out solar panels are free' mob have been paid many times, the householder just gets reduced bills due to using less )


Those put in since 2012 have been doing less well, and if you are considering installing now, you are on your own completely, there is no more govt subsidy to be had, you need to ask and  see if your supplier will pay you for export. Probably that 4p or 5p per unit ?

Perhaps unsurprisingly rate of new installs have dropped, and some of the more lightweight 'free' solar companies that relied on the tarrif to keep them afloat have ceased trading or merged.