With the ever-growing price of energy bills, homeowners and business owners are looking for ways to reduce their energy bills. For homeowners, aside from the traditional option of fitting solar panels to the roof of the house or business, an increasingly viable option to further reduce energy bills is fitting to garages, sheds, outhouses, and office gardens.
Installation locations for solar panels
Solar panels are traditionally installed on the roof of a house or business. Installing solar panels on the roof is typically a good option as a roof has minimal shadowing and is often unused space. However, some consider solar panels fitted to a roof to be an eyesore and therefore look for more aesthetic ways to achieve the same result.
Solar panels are versatile and can be fitted to several locations, including on outbuilds, garages, walls, roofs, the ground or even on poles for solar tracking. One consideration when installing solar panels is the additional weight that is added when solar panels are fitted. For example, if you’re considering installing solar panels on the roof of a shed, additional support for the roof may be required to hold the additional weight. When conducting a home survey, our team will assess the structural integrity of the installation location to ensure that the installation is safe and secure.
Electricity Generation Amount
The typical variables that determine solar panel electricity generation are also applicable to that of solar panels installed on a shed, garage, or outbuilding. Typically, the space available on garages, sheds and outbuildings is much more limited than that of the roof of a house, so ensuring that the output is sufficient to cover the electricity usage will be important if the building is off-grid. A further consideration is whether the array installed on the outbuilding or garage is connected to the house, allowing any electricity generation from the solar system to be used within the house or business.
Aside from the limited space available, several other factors determine electricity generation output, including:
- Number of solar panels installed
- Quality and output of the panels
- External factors such as shading on the solar panels
- Orientation of the panels
Quantity of solar panels required
The number of solar panels required typically is determined by the intended use of the system or building upon which the panels will be fitted. If the solar panels are fitted to a shed and the only intended use is to power or charge a small number of low voltage appliances, installing a smaller number of solar panels may be sufficient. Typical energy usages from common appliances are:
- Laptop – 50w
- LCD TV – 200w
- Halogen Light – 100w
- Printer – 400w
- Phone Charger – 5w
However, for those looking to power a larger number of higher voltage appliances, installing more solar panels may be required. In both cases, depending on when the energy from the panels is required, a solar battery (otherwise known as a home energy battery) may be required. As an example, if an outbuilding is being used during the evening when electricity generation from the panels is low, the solar batteries may be required to ensure the energy usage is being met, especially when the building is off-grid.
If the intention is to connect the solar panels on the outbuilding back to the house, this can often be a way to boost the potential output from a solar system. Installation costs are typically a consideration, as fitting solar panels to buildings that are directly connected to the house will typically incur higher installation costs.
Cost of solar panels on sheds and outbuildings
The cost of solar panels on sheds and outbuildings can vary depending on the size, quality, complexity of the solar array and location of the panels. Despite these variables, the cost of installing solar panels on a shed or outbuilding will be the same as installing them on a traditional house roof.
If the intention is to install a smaller solar system to offset the electricity usage within the house that is typically drawn from the grid, smaller systems start from upwards of £2,500.
To get a personalised quote, call or enquire online today and one of our expert team will be able to provide an online survey to assess the feasibility of the solar system and provide a quote for installation.