Find a Solar Panel Installer you can trust in Bradford.

Solar panels can be pretty expensive, so require an initial investment. However, a quality solar panel installation can be very financially beneficial, saving you money in the long run. It does this in two main ways.

Firstly, using electricity generated by your solar panels means that you have to use less power from the national grid. Once you’ve bought your solar panels, your solar electricity is essentially free, meaning that you’re saving money by using this instead of power supplied by your energy company. If you want to maximise these savings, invest in a solar battery so you can store unused solar electricity ready for when you need it.

You can also earn money with your commercial solar panels through the Smart Export Guarantee [https://solar-panels.quotatis.co.uk/smart-export-guarantee/]. This is a government scheme that says that all licenced energy suppliers with 150,000 customers or more have to offer a tariff to renewable energy generators. When you generate solar electricity but don’t use it immediately it gets fed back to the grid – the tariff pays you for every kWh of this.

At the moment there’s no minimum tariff that an energy company has to offer – it only has to be above zero. However, many energy companies are competing to offer the best deal, so you can definitely find a tariff that will pay you for all the unused solar electricity you generate.

It’s vital to purchase a solar panel system that suits your property. If you’re investing in a solar panel system, it makes the most financial sense to get the biggest one possible. However, whether you can do this or not depends on budget and space.

Here’s an idea of how much roof or ground space you’ll need to install a few different sizes of commercial solar panel system.

Solar panel system size, No. of solar panels, Approximate area required

11kW, 44, 64m²

20kW, 80, 116m²

30kW, 120, 173m²

40kW, 160, 231m²

50kW, 200, 288m²

There are a few trusted companies in the UK that make solar panels. While there are other solar thermal panels out there that are made by Chinese and American companies, we’ll focus on the brands with a longstanding presence in the UK since these are the panels MCS-registered solar companies are likely to recommend to you.

Viessmann, Worcester Bosch, Solar UK and Dimplex make some of the best solar thermal panels in the UK. Dimplex and Viessmann offer both flat plate and evacuated tube solar panels, while Solar UK only offers evacuated tubes. Worcester Bosch’s Greenskies range are all flat plate collectors. Viessmann’s panels come with a 5-year warranty, while Worcester Bosch and Dimplex offer extensive 10-year warranties. However, Solar UK offer a comprehensive 25-year warranty and guarantee that the panels will deliver the same level of performance for 25 years!

We’d recommend choosing evacuated tube solar thermal panels because they are the most efficient. While there won’t be much difference between evacuated tubes and flat plates in the summer, in the winter evacuated tubes are much better at taking heat from the sun than flat plates. Since our winters are long and cold with few daylight hours, we think it makes sense to go with evacuated tubes. However, if your priority is looks over maximising efficiency, you might want to choose flat plate collectors since they sit flat on the roof and look more like solar PV panels, whereas the evacuated tubes will stick out.

If you want to test your solar panel system to see if it’s working properly or just to see what output it’s giving, you can do this using a multimeter to measure current, or amps, and voltage.

Before you start, you’ll need to find the voltage (v) and current (A) ratings of your panel. You should be able to find them on the back of the panel. You should also make sure that it’s a nice clear, sunny day to get the best readings out of your panel. You should also check that it’s safe to be up on your roof!

To measure open circuit voltage, you’ll need to make sure that your solar panel is completely disconnected from your system’s regulator and battery (if you have one). Angle the panel towards the sun, and ensure that your multimeter is set to measure volts. Measure the voltage between the positive and negative terminals by connecting the negative contact on the voltmeter to the negative on the panel and the positive contact on the voltmeter to the positive on the panel.

Then, you can move on to the short circuit current. Follow the same steps as the open circuit voltage, but ensure that your multimeter is set at 10A to start with.

Only try to test your solar panel if it’s safe to do so. If your roof isn’t accessible without scaffolding or specialist equipment, consider speaking to an MCS-registered solar company about your concerns. They may recommend that they come to service your solar panel system.

It’s important to get the right size solar panel system for your commercial property. Solar panels are usually installed on pitched roofs, although they can be fitted on stands on the ground if you have some unused outdoor space. The more panels you install, the more power you’ll generate, but there’s no point buying more panels than you have space for.

Solar panel system sizes are measured in kW. 4-10kW solar panel systems are usually too big for domestic properties but are ideal for smaller commercial properties. Here’s an idea of how many panels and space you’ll need for a few different system sizes:

System size, Number of panels, Area required (approximate)

4kW, 16, 23m²

6kW, 24, 35m²

8kW, 32, 46m²

10kw, 40, 58m²

Bear in mind that solar panels can’t be less than 30cm away from a roof edge, so you’ll need more space than the area that the panels take up.

Installing solar panels for your business operations can provide you with a number of impressive benefits. It is not only capable of helping you minimize your business’ environmental footprint but it can also go a long way to help you save money. Irrespective of your company’s size, whether big or small, it can still benefit immensely by making use of solar panels. If you’re currently planning to install solar panels in your business environment, then you’d probably want to know just how much it’ll cost to complete the project. In this post, we aim to give you a good insight into commercial solar panel pricing so as to help you make the best informed decisions possible . Let’s take a look!

In truth, there’s no single and accurate answer to this question as there are a number of factors that can influence the cost of commercial solar panels. These factors include the size of the roof, the amount of energy that’s generated as well as the number incorporated. To give you a general idea, the price of solar panels for commercial property is usually within the range of £16000 to £70000 for small to mid-sized companies. For a more accurate estimate, you’ll need to get in touch with a professional with your unique needs.

There is also a need to evaluate the cost of solar panels so as to determine whether or not they’re a feasible option for your business. In order to determine the amount of energy your company uses per month, simply take a closer look at your utility bill.  This should indicate just how much energy you use per month as well as how much the utility company charges per kW. In general, most small to medium sized companies will incorporate 30,000 to 50,000 kWh annually and you can expect the cost to differ based on your location and the size of your system. The rule of thumb with larger systems is to calculate using £1000 per kW, plus VAT as the yardstick.

Yes – solar thermal can be used for central heating. Solar thermal panels work by collecting heat from the sun, either through evacuated tubes or flat plate collectors, and transferring that to a heat transfer liquid that heats your hot water. This can then be used to preheat your central heating.

You’ll need a hot water cylinder to store the water that your solar thermal panels heat up. It’s likely that you’ll need an immersion heater or boiler to heat the water further so you can use it for your central heating, and as a back-up during the longest winter months since the solar panels won’t be able to generate as much heat.

In our opinion, it’s best to use your solar thermal panels for hot water rather than your central heating. That’s because you use hot water all year round, whereas you probably won’t have your central heating on in the spring and summer, when the panels can generate the most heat. For central heating, air- or ground-source heat pumps are a great renewable option, and you can even power them with electricity from solar PV panels if you want to be as eco-friendly as possible.