SOLAR PANELS – STILL A GREAT INVESTMENT

If you have been thinking about investing in solar panels for your home, then you are probably aware of the proposed changes to the feed-in tariff (FITs) for new Solar Photovoltaic (PV) installations.

As part of the review consultation, the proposal is that if you install Solar PV and your solar panel installation is not registered with your utility provider on or before 12th December 2011 you could be affected by the proposed changes, which are broadly as set out here:

It is true that these figures are still under discussion and review, but if you are considering installing solar panels for your home after 12th December 2011 then it is recommended that you base your decision on the lower rates of feed in tariff.

In terms of deciding whether to install solar panels (setting the environmental considerations aside) the potential financial returns from investing are possibly the biggest influencing factor – do solar panels still represent a good investment?

As is clearly demonstrated by this example, double digit tax free returns are still realistically achievable, (even lower installation prices have been quoted to the writer) due in part to the significant reductions in cost for the hardware