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Solar, how we can help.

Solar PV (photovoltaic) is still one of the easiest ways to add a renewable source of generation to your home or business.

Wagner Renewables is a solar distributor and installer based in West Sussex. With years of experience in the renewables industry we aim to help local homeowners and businesses go green and save money on utility bills. We are a fully MCS accredited installer and use MCS 012 approved products, essential for being able to claim the Feed-In-Tariff incentive. The core of our business has been distribution across the UK and even internationally however we also offer local installations and advice around West Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey, supporting a local drive to Go-Green.

How does Solar Work?

Solar panels are made up of multiple cells, usually 60, these react in sunlight and produce an electrical current. This is combined and fed into your main distribution board. The energy produced is used in your home first then fed back into the grid, many electricity companies pay you for the exported energy (these payments are separate from the FIT).
The solar panels are held in place on your roof using a mounting system, this will usually comprise of roof brackets screwed into the rafters of your roof and rails attached to these brackets. The panels are clamped onto the rail. The mounting systems we use are very strong, and our technical design team ensure that every system is individually dimensioned to withstand high winds, and even large snow fall amounts! To ensure that your roof stays waterproof we use specially designed flashing kits which fit underneath your tiles. Flat roof and garden/ field ground mounted systems are also available.
Most solar arrays are ‘grid tied’ this means they are connected to the national grid, if the grid goes down then the solar automatically shuts off for safety, we do offer options for ‘off grid’ however in most cases this is not the best option, see our blog Should I Go Off Grid? for more information.

What is the Government Feed-In-Tariff scheme?

The Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) was introduced as an incentive for homeowners and businesses to install solar PV, separate schemes were also introduced for other green technologies, some of these also still exist.
The general mis-conception was that in 2011 the incentive was completely removed and no longer available, this isn’t the case, however there have been gradual reductions in the amounts available leading up to the end of the scheme at the end of March 2019 (this is based on the last report released and could still be revised to add longevity to the scheme). Currently the FIT rate for standard solar PV receiving the middle rate is 3.61 p/kWh (pence per Kilowatt hour) the rates can be found on the Ofgem website.
The conditions for receiving the FIT is that the installer is MCS registered and use MCS 012 approved products, this is all there for your protection, ensuring that the install is carried out to set standards and the products used have been tested to ensure they are suitable for installing on a roof. All the modules and mounting we use are MCS 012 certified. Your system will be registered by us as part of the service we offer, and once complete you will receive a handover pack which contains all the information about your system and the FIT registration paperwork.

Other benefits of installing solar

As well as the FIT other benefits of installing solar include reduced energy bills, the possibility of paid export and a reduced carbon footprint.
As solar produces electricity this is fed into your household where it is used by electrical appliances, during the day time if no one is at home this could cover or at least heavily offset any electricity you import from the national grid; electricity that you would ordinarily be paying for. With some organisation and planning this can go a long way to reducing your household bills, for example using the washing machine during the day when no-one is at home.
Any electricity that is produced but not used in the home is automatically fed back into the grid many suppliers will pay you for this energy, ‘Paid Export’. Although the amount an electricity company will pay you for energy is not as much as you pay for it, this is another additional source of ‘income’ from your solar PV. However there are other options for using this energy, we will look at these later on in the blog.
Another great benefit of installing a renewable generation source such as solar PV is the ‘Green’ aspect of it. With climate change becoming a daily aspect of life that affects us all installing solar can be another way of doing your bit for the environment and reducing your carbon footprint.

What else can I install to help solar do more for me?

As well as a ‘basic’ solar PV system we have a range of other products that are effectively ‘add-ons’. Not essential to make your solar PV work these devices can help you to use the energy you produce rather than sending it back to the grid and having to buy it back later at a higher price than you would get paid for it.
For properties with an immersion heater for hot water we can add an immersion control device. This is one of the most cost effective and simplest ways of using the energy you produce, any surplus energy will be automatically sent to heat your hot water.

Battery storage; the next step in renewable energy systems. Battery storage works simply by storing any surplus energy that you have produced for when you need it. There are many different systems available on the market, we stock a range of battery storage devices working in different ways. Our showroom has a selection of these available for you to come and see, details can also be found on our website. Slightly different to battery storage is the battery storage and back-up systems available. Rather than just storing the energy available we can also offer a ‘back-up’ system, this will allow you to keep using a limited amount of electrical appliances, such as lights, in the case of the grid failure.

Electric vehicle charging. Relatively new to the renewables industry is the ability to charge electric vehicles from your solar PV array. Much like other add-on items these EV chargers automatically divert any surplus energy to charge your car. All the above devices can be used together to give you maximum self-consumption from your renewables generation. There are other add on items we can also supply, for more information please discuss what you would like with one of our team and we will do all that we can to provide the best system for you!

What’s the next step?

If you’re interested in Going-Green and getting solar then give us a call, or contact us through our webpage. One of our friendly team can come and visit you to discuss what you would like and the options available, at the same time we will also have a quick look at your roof and electrical supply, this ensures that when we provide a quote it is correct and we provide the right products suitable for you. We don’t do cold calling so we will only come and visit by appointment. When we provide a quote you will see what we are quoting for, set out clearly. We don’t like nasty surprises and we are sure our customers don’t either!
If you would like to see or learn more about the products and services we offer you can arrange to visit our showroom, just give us a call and we will make sure one of the installation team are here to talk you through everything. You can also check out some of our recent installations; Epsom, Chichester, Waterlooville, more case studies can be found at the bottom of our installations page.

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