Solar doesn’t need bright sunlight to operate the worlds solar leader is Germany which has a similar climate to the UK
Is my house suitable for PV?
Orientation of your roof
One of the first things we ask when someone states an interest in solar is the orientation of their roof. In an ideal world your roof would be south facing. However, if it’s SW or SE the losses compared with a south facing roof will only be about 4%. If your roof is East or West facing the losses could reach about 13-14% which is still very much worth considering.
The following chart calculates likely losses depending on the orientation of your roof. Your surveyor will determine this for you when they come to visit your property.
Click here to download a larger version of the chart.
Planning permission
Planning permission is only required when your property is either listed, or in a conservation area where your installation is going to be visible from the road. In most cases, fixing solar panels to your roof is a ‘permitted development’. The development will not be permitted however if:
- The solar PV system protrudes more than 200mm beyond the plane that it is mounted to
- If it would result in the highest part of the solar PV system being above the highest part of the roof
- In the case of land in a conservation area or world heritage site, the solar PV system cannot be installed if it is visible from a highway or on a principle side of the building.
- We cannot install on listed buildings
The space needed
A typical domestic sized 4 kWp solar system will require 27m2 of un-shaded roof space. For every kWp we install we will need about 7m2. Your surveyor will measure the size of your roof when they come to visit your property, which will allow them to identify the size of system you will be looking to install on the space you have available.
Pitch
The typical domestic roof in the UK has an optimal pitch of around 30-40◦. The percentage losses on a roof that is 60◦ will reduce the performance by about 7%, or on a roof with a 10◦ pitch the performance of your system will be about 4% lower than optimum. The orientation chart above also demonstrates these variables.
The strength of your building
Fortunately solar systems are reasonably light at around 20Kg a panel, and distributed across a large roof space most roofs can withstand the installation. Your surveyor will however assess the structure for its ability to withstand both the load and wind forces. If we’re in doubt we will contract a chartered surveyor to do the loading calculations.
Energy efficiency of your property
To maximise the potential of your solar system, reducing your energy bills and the demand on polluting sources, we encourage you to think about our top 12 energy saving tips (link to save the planet page and before you install) before you install.
If you’re in doubt about the suitability of your property for installing a solar system, do get in touch today and we will be happy to assist you.
Your Next Step:
2. Survey
We will pop round for a no obligation site survey.
We aim to be as efficient as possible, minimising any disturbance to you.
