Shell Energy has partnered with Sonnen to launch a Solar Storage Tariff that can help solar panel owners lower their energy bills even further.
Through the Solar Storage Tariff, solar panel owners earn credits that can be used to reduce their energy bills by up to £150 during the winter months.
Credits are earned when excess energy is exported from the solar panels to the National Grid. This happens when the panels are generating more energy than can be used by the property, which is most of the time, especially during the summer months. By building up credits for exporting excess energy through the summer, they can then be used to reduce energy bills in winter when there are fewer daylight hours.
How much solar energy do homes actually use?
Typically, only 30% of solar energy generated by a solar PV system is used by the property. The addition of a sonnenBatterie, which stores excess energy for use in the evening or night, can increase usage to 75%. The Solar Storage Tariff from Shell and Sonnen helps to increase solar usage beyond 75%.
Shell Energy have stated that the tariff could benefit around 825,000 UK homes who have invested in or are considering solar panels.
How much could you save with solar PV panels?
Solar PV panels convert solar energy into electricity that can be used to power the electrical appliances around a property. Generating your own renewable energy in this way will see your demand for electricity from a supplier decrease. And your energy bills will go do as a result.
Many homes have seen their energy bills drop by as much as 50% since installing solar panels. The Energy Saving Trust estimate that by installing a 4 kilowatt-peak (kWp) system – well suited to homes with 3 to 4 bedrooms – energy bills could reduce by £85-£220 annually. Add the annual £150 saving through the Solar Storage Tariff to those reduced energy bills and you could soon see a return on your investment.
How do solar batteries work?
Sonnen are a German manufacturer of solar batteries. By adding a solar battery to a solar PV system, excess generated energy can be stored for use during the evening or at night once the sun has gone down. This allows homeowners to continue using solar energy even when the panels aren’t able to generate. The sonnenBatterie hybrid can store between 5 kWh and 15 kWh depending on the model. To put this into context, the average UK home uses 8.5 – 10 kWh each day.
Shell and Sonnen comment on the Solar Storage Tariff
Speaking about the benefits that the Solar Storage Tariff will bring to solar panels owners, Shell Energy Retail CEO, Colin Crooks said: “The benefit of a solar panel on your home’s roof increases when you add a home battery, and again when you add a smart tariff like this. It ensures no electricity is wasted and the owner of the solar panel gets the maximum benefit. In effect customers will be loaning out excess electricity in the summer and claiming it back, through bill credits, when they need it in the winter.”
Meanwhile, Sonnen Country Director, Gavin Stokes said: “The partnership between sonnen and Shell Energy Retail comes at the perfect time as customers in the UK are recognising that renewable energy starts at home.
“The sonnenBatterie combined with the Solar Battery Tariff will allow customers to benefit from reduced electricity bills and become less reliant on the grid. Thousands of homes in Britain have been using solar panels for years but now they can reap the benefits in winter, which is a first in the UK.”
