SSE have announced a freeze in their domestic electricity and gas prices until 2016.  Following on from the controversial price increase seen across the Big 6 energy suppliers, SSE have taken a leap and frozen their tariffs from further increase for the next 2 years.

The decision has been welcomed by energy secretary Ed Davey, especially as it should prompt the other large players to do likewise. SSE have stated that the price freeze would lower profits but that they were taking steps to “streamline” the business to cover shortfall. The move has echoes of the popular labour policy of price freezing for energy companies and whilst popular with consumers, SSE’s choice has been criticized by many in the industry. Read the rest of this entry »

Getting solar panels installed onto your commercial real estate is going to be a much smoother process if you know what to expect. The various solar energy companies out there will have their own unique approach, but when it comes down to it the outline of what you can expect is the same

The On-site Survey

To begin proceedings the solar panel installation service needs to make a visit in order to provide you with an accurate quote of what the job will cost, or even give you a proposal for what the job will cost. Getting an upfront proposal where you get to pay in advance might be to your benefit, because it means there will be no nasty surprises in the form if unexpected fees. Some companies might even offer you a free on-site evaluation, and this is what you ideally want because that will allow you to get evaluations from several companies without any investment. Read the rest of this entry »

1,000,000 Rooftops in the UK will have Solar panels by 2015

Latest Government figures estimate that UK Solar Installers will have delivered one million rooftops by 2015 and recently reached the 500,000 mark.

This only measures those signed up to the feed in Tariff and so the numbers may be larger and it also doesn’t take into account Commercial Solar Installations either which has been on the increase over the last couple of years.

This is not only great for the industry and Government, who look set to reach their targets, but its also great for those property owners that are taking advantage of earning money from the energy they produce as well as enjoying free or greatly reduced energy bills.
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It is a real misconception that Solar only really works during the summer months, this is completely untrue. In fact Solar panels are often more efficient in colder weather and produce more energy.

The downside to the winter months is that it’s darker for longer and with less hours of sunshine, less energy can be produced, so it’s a balancing act between the two. But what if it snows?

Removing Snow from your Solar panels

The best thing to do is, drum roll ………..

Nothing, do not touch them. Read the rest of this entry »

The best things in life are free. Isn’t that what they always say? Solar panels allow you to take all of that lovely free sunshine and convert it into Solar power – the ultimate renewable energy source. The great thing about sunshine is that you can’t use it up, it won’t run out, the sun arrives every morning like clockwork, okay, so maybe you can’t always see it behind the heavy cloud cover but it’s still there.

Using the sunshine to generate power is just one method of using renewable energy to create electricity without using up any more of the earth’s valuable resources, and while reducing your energy bills. It’s high time that everyone started to take the subject of renewable energy seriously too; experts estimate that the world’s oil reserves will only last for another 30 or 40 years which will be here before we know it. The sunshine lasts forever . . . Read the rest of this entry »

Ensure that your business is protected against the ever increasing energy costs with a Commercial Solar PV installation from Carmichael Browns, an experienced commercial engineering business, working to bring sustainable energy to the UK commercial sector.

Commercial is one of the biggest energy saving industries that can make a big impact on energy usage.  By changing to a more economic and sustainable energy source you can not only save yourself money long term but you can also be confident in the knowledge you are helping save the planet.

There are many benefits to having Commercial Solar PV Panels installed with key benefits available to your business include the following : Read the rest of this entry »

Having just passed the Summer solstice on June 21 and the midway point of the UK’s solar-based calendar,  this would seem an apt time to reflect on how the industry is faring now that 2013 is six months old.

June has not just been bright for the PV market in terms of panel output, but the latest statistics from DECC show a healthy return in installed capacity to a rate not seen since last October.

In the week ending June 23, over 3,000 installations were registered in the sub 50kW band with a cumulative capacity of more than 13MW.   Whilst this is still a far cry from the heady days of 2011 before Read the rest of this entry »

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has finally confirmed that Green Deal finance can be used to part-fund the cost of a Solar PV installation.

They have issued a document which clearly sets out in detail how the two schemes work together following an uncertain period when the scheme was originally launched.

According to the document, the amount of Green Deal finance available will depend on how much money a proposed Solar array will save homeowners on their electricity bill.  Crucially, even if the amount saved is not enough to fund the entire cost of the installation, with Green Deal finance being able to be used to pay for part of the cost. Read the rest of this entry »

London based Solar PV generators may soon be able to sell the electricity they generate to the at an increased rate following an application for a Licence Lite by the city.  The Greater London Authority is the very first authority to apply to Ofgem for the new type of electricity supply license.   The license will initially allow the GLA to buy excess electricity produced by London’s boroughs and public bodies before able to sell it on, at cost price, to other public sector organizations such as Transport for London, the Met Police and NHS hospitals.

However, London Mayor Boris Johnson is currently actively exploring the possibility of widening the license to include private sector small energy producers as well, including Solar PV arrays. Read the rest of this entry »

Eight in ten people surveyed as part of a report published by the government support the UK using renewable energy scheme to generate electricity, fuel and heat and save money on their energy bills.

2,107 people were polled in December and January and just four per cent were opposed to using renewable energy.  This number has remained relatively consistent across the previous three surveys conducted by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

Solar energy was found to have the highest levels of support, with 82% favoring this type of technology, followed by offshore wind with an approval rating of 72% and wave and tidal arrays with a 71% rating. Read the rest of this entry »