Q. Is my home suitable for Solar Photovoltaic panels?

A. For Solar PV to be effective the only requirements are that you have a reasonably south facing roof or area, which is free from overshadowing from trees and other buildings etc, west facing and east facing roof spaces are still adequate, south facing is just better.. It is also essential that area to mount the panels is suitable to withstand the weight and stresses of the panels.
You can check the position of your roof using the map at the bottom of the page, to do so just enter your postcode in the "search the map" field and check the orientation of your home using the compass in the top left corner.

Q. Can I get a grant to cover the costs of installation?

A. The grants for solar pv have been phased out and replaced by a new feed in tariff with better rates of pay per unit of energy generated, meaning that payback of the system occurs much sooner than previously was the case under the grants schemes. For more information on the feed in tariff why not check out the Feed in Tariff page above.

Q. Do I need planning permission?

A. Recently the government has made the process of installing renewable technologies much simpler, and as such most solar pv installations do not require planning, although there are exceptions, such as conservation areas & listed buildings etc.
It is always worth checking with your local planning office before going ahead, or as part of our project management service we can do it for you.

Q. Is Solar PV a viable investment?

A.YES! annually you can expect around a 9% return on your investment with our systems, the following is an example based on a typical 2.4 kWp system:

Q. How much do solar panels cost?

A. This depends on the size and scale of the install, but the average cost of install is between £8,000 - £14,000, although we can design a system to suit any budget and scale.

Q. How are the panels installed?

A. Standard panels utilise a mounting system which comprises roof anchors which are secured to the roof, rails are then attached to these anchors, and the solar pv panels are then mounted to these rails. At every point of the install the integrity of the roof is maintained using tried and tested methods, ensuring the your property remains watertight.

Q. I've seen solar where the panels dont stand on a mounting system, what are they?

A. Integrated Solar Tiles, these are integrated as a roof tile so are less noticeable than a standard panel, they are generally less efficient than a standard panel, but may be more suitable in some situations, such as where planning restricts the use of standard panels or in a new build where the look and feel of a building would not suit standard panels but solar pv was wanted.

Q. What would I have to do?

A. As little or as much as you like, here at JSC we like to keep our customers involved so if you would like to have input in the design, be present when the system is installed or just hand everything over to us then it’s your call, were as happy explaining the steps were taking and how things work as we are just getting on with the job. Our project management from start to finish allows you the freedom to rest assured that no matter how involved you are the job gets done.

Q. So will you just fill my roof full of panels?

A. Each system is different and we design ours around realistic needs and aims, we take each project on a case by case basis and as such we install what is needed, it is not always the case that bigger is better as our clients are all different and we respect that.