'We got solar panels and pay NO bills': Green energy enquiries surge as households fear price spike
- Iran war also leads households to consider heat pumps and electric vehicles
The number of Britons considering switching to greener power sources has surged as concerns about rising energy bills and petrol prices mount due to the continuing conflict in the Middle East.
Supplier Octopus Energy said it had its best month ever for solar panel sales in March, up 54 per cent on the year before.
Sales of heat pumps also climbed 51 per cent, while there was a 20 per cent rise in those getting electric vehicle chargers fitted.
Energy customers are protected from rising prices at the moment because of Ofgem's energy price cap, which will set the maximum bill for a home with average usage to £1,641 per year from April to June, lower than it was in the previous three months.
However, forecaster Cornwall Insight predicts this could jump to £1,973 per year from July if the conflict continues. Fixed deals are also vanishing or rising in price.
This is because gas and oil prices are rising due to disruption in the key shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz.
While the upfront cost of solar panels and heat pumps is high, households stand to make savings on their energy bills over many years and eventually make a return on their investment.
One couple told This is Money how they now pay nothing for their energy, and some months even earn as much as £178.
Sunny side up: Lewis Rogers, 70, and his wife Veronica, had solar panels fitted at their home in Devon and say they pay nothing for energy most months - even in the winter
This is because households with solar panels can sell excess solar power they generate back to the National Grid at times of high demand.
Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, chief product officer at Octopus Energy, said: 'We are seeing a massive shift as people stop just asking and start acting. British families are tired of being held hostage by global fossil fuel prices.
'By switching to solar and heat pumps, they are becoming their own power stations – locking in low costs and protecting their wallets for the long term.'
Google Trends shows searches for solar are up 20 per cent, and heat pumps are up 30 per cent.
We have solar panels and pay NOTHING for energy... one month we even made £178
Lewis Rogers, 70, a retired accountant and his wife Veronica, 66, who live in south Devon told This is Money their only regret about having solar panels installed was not doing it earlier.
After talking about solar power with their oldest son, who has a degree in climate science, the couple had 19 solar panels installed on the roof of their west-facing bungalow by Octopus in October 2024, along with a battery and an electric car charger.
Share this article
They were helped by a Premium Bonds windfall, which they put towards the £13,700 total cost.
Living in an area blessed with more sunshine than most, they pay nothing for their energy most months, including in the winter. This is down from about £140 a month when they used mains electric and gas.
Lewis said: 'We moved down to south Devon in 2017, and solar panels just make sense when you look at where the sun is. It all stacks up.'
Saving about £1,800 per year, it will take them eight years to recoup the cost of fitting the panels - though this doesn't take into account the money they make selling energy back to the National Grid when their panels generate more than they can use.
In one month alone last summer, they made £178 from this.
They are able to track how much solar energy their home is using at any one time, and how much is being exported, using the Octopus app.
Veronica added: 'We have worked out that, each day, we need about five or six kilowatts of electricity to run the house. Yesterday we generated 24 kilowatts, and exported 18 of those.'
They don't have an electric car at the moment, having installed the charger as a future-proofing measure. However, they are now thinking about getting one as a way to make use of all the excess power their home produces.
Surge in interest: Online searches for solar panels are up 20% since start of Iran conflict
How much do solar panels cost?
The cost of getting solar panels depends on how many panels you need, and whether you also have a battery installed.
A battery allows you to store solar energy and use it later, meaning that you don't need to revert back to your gas boiler (or other heat source) when the sun isn't out.
George Frost is the UK head of Switch Together, which runs a group buying scheme enabling homeowners to secure discounts on solar panels if they join up with other households.
For one household going it alone, he says the typical cost is £7,500 for 12 solar panels, which would cover a typical three-bed home.
This would also include a 5 kilowatt-hour battery. Without a battery, it could cost £5,000.
Octopus told This is Money that a panel-only installation with two panels starts at £6,163.
An eight-panel installation with a 5 kilowatt-hour battery included costs £8,518 with a smart battery, or £9,691 with an optimised battery.
An optimised battery allows individual solar panels to work independently from each other. This means that if one panel is in the shade temporarily, it doesn't affect the performance of the whole unit.
Octopus said 95 per cent of its customers opt for a battery of some sort.
Frost also warns potential customers against focusing on price over quality.
'Obviously, cost is a factor but caution should be advised on trying to get "cheap" solar,' he says.
'Our advice is for people to seek a competitive price for a quality installation which includes the equipment, the workmanship and the consumer protections such as warranties.'
What are the downsides of solar panels?
Aside from the cost, another snag comes in the form of less power being able to be generated when it is not sunny.
Lewis and Veronica say they are a bit more careful with their energy use in the winter for this reason.
'We are more conscious about what we use,' Lewis says. 'The dishwasher goes on between 2am and 5am in the winter because it's cheaper.'
The money they save on bills is more than welcome, especially in their retirement. However, they say the main motivation was environmental.
Price: A panel-only installation with two panels starts at £6,163, according to Octopus
'We knew we could do something to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels,' Lewis said.
'Looking on social media, we saw that in Europe they install solar panels everywhere, even on top of car parks.
'A lot of people still pooh-pooh it, but you can see the difference climate change has made even in our lifetimes.
'I remember in the winter of 1962 to 1963, we had snow on the ground for three months. That wouldn't happen now.'
Prices could also come down if more people choose to switch like Lewis and Veronica, according to Frost.
'Over the years we have seen PV and battery installations become more affordable and this is driven by increasing demand,' he says.
'As uptake grows, suppliers scale, competition intensifies, and efficiencies are passed on to consumers by way of keener pricing.'
Have you had solar panels fitted? Get in touch: editor@thisismoney.co.uk
SAVE MONEY, MAKE MONEY
Affiliate links: If you take out a product This is Money may earn a commission. These deals are chosen by our editorial team, as we think they are worth highlighting. This does not affect our editorial independence. Terms and conditions apply on all offers.
