We can fit solar panels on roofs of all shapes and sizes, however fitting solar photovoltaic panels on a north facing roof may not give you the full benefit of the system.

Solar panels require daylight to work, not direct sunlight. This means even during cloudy days, your panels will still work.

It depends how much of your roof is shaded. Panels are installed in “strings” – they are all connected to each other. If there is shading, it can affect the perfomance of the other panels, not just the one that is shaded. If there is shading, we can install the panels in areas that aren't shaded and install microinverters - these are individual inverters on each panel, connecting to a central unit.

Solar thermal systems require cylinders with 2 individual coils so unless there is one already on-site it is likely the cylinder will need to be changed.

Whilst not ideal as performance is reduced when the sun isn't radiating directly onto the panel, it is not as critical with a solar thermal system as it is with a PV solar system (electricity). Solar thermal systems will still generate energy with non-direct sunlight.

A solar thermal system will typically save an average household around 2,000-3000kWh of energy per annum. This could be from £60 - £150 per annum for those heating water with a gas boiler, or £200 - £300 for those heating water electrically.

Whilst a south-facing roof is an ideal location, it's not absolutely essential to have one. Anywhere between south east and south west is also acceptable. An east-facing roof collects solar energy mainly in the morning, whilst a west-facing roof collects solar energy in the afternoon. With solar thermal installed on east and west roofs you can either accept slightly lower efficiencies, or increase the collector area to compensate.

Combi boilers, which provide instantaneous hot water as soon as a hot water tap is opened and central heating without a storage tank, are now very popular in the UK. In short, the answer is yes, but it is not a typical approach as to generate hot water from a solar thermal system requires a hot water storage tank. It is possible to install a solar thermal system with an unvented cylinder or thermal store, suitable for providing pre-heated water to a combi boiler. Unfortunately the vast majority of existing combi boilers in the UK will not accept the pre-heated hot water from a solar system so further investigation is required to check if the boiler in place is suitable.

You might be wondering if there is need for planning permission in order to have a solar system installed. In the majority of cases, it is generally considered as a ‘permitted development’ therefore planning is not required. However, there are a few restrictions and conditions which must be followed before the installation can take place. These limitations relate to issues such as size, if your home is a listed building for example or if your home is in an area of natural outstanding beauty (AONB). To be absolutely sure, it is always good practice to check first with a local authority's planning officer.

No. Solar thermal systems need to be backed up with another heat source such as a heat pump, biomass boiler, electric immersion heater or a traditional fossil fuel boiler.