Solar Without Sunshine

It’s a sunny day! Somewhat of a rare occurrence in the United Kingdom but my word it is a welcome change. That being said, we are British so I expect to hear the complaints to mount as the mercury rises. “It’s too hot!”

Not for those who have solar panels on their roofs and batteries in their house though. They are rubbing their hands and grinning as their renewable energy contribution to the grid increases, their cars charge for free and their houses run on something other than fossilised trees. 

So hurray for sunshine and export tariffs. But what about the dark days of winter, autumn, spring and probably the rest of summer if British weather is anything to go by?

Solar without sunshine.

It doesn’t work right? Well actually it does. Solar panels soak up ambient light as well as direct sunlight. Photons are still hitting your panels in the same way that light is hitting the plants in your garden and allowing them to photosynthesise which allows them to grow. Now your plants don’t grow quickly and they are not as lush in the winter but for anyone who has had to mow their lawn despite it being soaking wet can attest, they run on solar too.

So is it worthwhile having a solar system fitted to your house when the weather here is mostly grey and soggy. The answer to that is yes, if your system is designed specifically for you and the numbers add up. So the first place to start is with the survey.

Get a proper, in person survey.

Every home is different, every roof, every attic, garage and garden office. This means that an online form isn’t going to cut it. How the building is situated, the angle and size of the roof, whether there are trees or tall buildings around casting shadows on your roof and many other factors affect the viability of your panels in the darker months. 

So get it right and get a proper, in person survey. ASK renewables never send you a salesman, only an expert engineer will visit to go through all of those factors for you. These factors affect the choice of panels, inverter and battery system that is right for you to ensure the maximum benefit to your home.

Make life simple

We make life simple by giving you an engineering report on what system will work for you personally and your specific situation. It will include a breakdown of what you can expect to receive from your solar system and an estimate of how long it will take to pay for itself. Our calculations will always take weather in the UK into account and any shading issues, giving you a solid idea of when and by how much you will benefit. We then leave you with the numbers and wait for your decision. No hassle.

If the numbers don’t add up to a financial benefit, we will tell you! We don’t want to fit systems that don’t help. We’d rather fit a system that has you smiling when you see your electricity bill.

Now you might not be fitting a renewable energy system for financial reasons. We have many people who fit their systems simply because it is better for the environment and their communities. Our customers who have fitted solar for green reasons have been constantly surprised by the energy savings though, so it’s a win win for them.

So ‘Weather’ it is a sunny day like today or a dingy British sunday afternoon in January, you’ll know that the system you chose is working for you, reducing the bills, and protecting the environment. Maybe even charging your electric mower. Good luck with the wet lawn in January!

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