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Our solar panels are doing great. And they could work for you, too!

AS previously mentioned on this blog (http://thatsgreen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/a-shade-greener-now-generating-power-on.html) we have had solar panels installed by a Shade Greener.

It has cost us nothing. In fact, it is saving us electricity by turning the space over our roof into a mini green power station, running on free solar energy that previously went to waste.

To find out how you can get your own free mini green power station please take a look at this link:

I've generated an incredible £83 worth of free electricity with @ashadegreener solar panels! http://ashadegreener.co.uk/apply-now?ref=BUFT05554 … #ASG #FreeSolar

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A Shade Greener now generating power on our roof

The whole process from the initial contact to the final installation was a relatively pain-free experience.

We had an initial visit from a surveyor who informed us that as we were only a few degrees off due south, that we would be ideal for an installation of solar cells.

A couple of weeks later we had a visit for us to sign the necessary paperwork and less than a week later a team of experienced scaffold erectors put the scaffolding up in the rear garden in preparation for the solar panel team to come several days later.

On Saturday the solar panel team arrived at about 9am and they set to work putting up the mounts for the solar panels.

Mid-morning they began to place the solar panels on the roof and soon the specialist electrician arrived and started to do his thing.

By just after 1pm all was done, the panels were installed, the wiring and control systems were operational and the solar panels were already producing electrical power.

So the That's Green Solar Power Station is already operational and feeding green energy into the National Grid.

And the total cost to us? Zero. That's right, not a penny and we can use the electricity or roof's solar panels is generating.

And as my wife remarks: "We weren't using our roof for anything, so why not rent it out for someone to generate electricity with?"

Want to know how you can own your own rooftop solar power station for free? Please email afj_uk@yahoo.com and we will tell you how.

Solar panels on our roof? That's a Shade Greener, then!

Research by one of the UKs top free solar installer A Shade Greener shows that solar could be the answer to rising energy bills.

Research shows that energy prices doubled from 1990 to 2011.

This had had an impact on many consumers,  leaving them struggling to pay their energy bills along with rising food prices, etc.

So, what can be done? A typical solar electric system has been shown to cut a households electric bill by an average of 37% (http://ashadegreener.co.uk/energy-study) reducing the typical UK energy bill by £197 based on 2011 DECC figures.

The current availability of free solar, the drop in solar costs over recent years and and the Government Green Deal means consumers have a range of options to use solar PV at home.

Energy costs are predicted to rise significantly over the next 25 years, the typical household electricity bill is expected to break the eye watering £1,000 mark before then.

Stewart Davies, Director of A Shade Greener said: "Energy bills are only going to get more expensive and we need to be helping households that spend a large proportion of their household income on energy. Solar can help insulate those families against these inevitable price rises."

Stewart went on to say: "According to our figures a typical household could save nearly £5,000 on their energy bills over a typical 25 year solar pv system lifetime based on 2011 figures provided by DECC. Our customers are currently saving a combined 1.7 million pounds a year on their electricity bills."

Intrigued by the offers of A Shade Greener, That's Green has decided to put this whole thing to the test.

We have had the initial survey by A Shade Greener undertaken  (a painless and highly professional experience)  and with the news that out roof is only 6 degrees off due south, we decided to take the plunge and lease the space above our roof to A Shade Greener.

My wife shrugged her shoulders and said: "I have never been on our roof, I have never used our roof, so why not let someone else make use if it to generate free electricity?"

We spoke with someone who lives in a house nearby who has also had A Shade Greener fit a solar system. He reports that the work was undertaken with no fuss and no mess in a very short period of time.

We will report back to readers of That's Green and let you know how we get on.

Ecotricity announces energy price freeze until New Year

Ecotricity, Britain’s first green energy company, is today announcing a price freeze on their electricity and gas tariffs until the New Year, with reports that the Big Six energy companies are going to boost their prices by 8%.

The Gloucestershire-based firm had already revealed it would cut the price of its 100% Green Electricity tariff from Tuesday 1st October, to undercut the standard tariffs of the Big Six energy companies, which until now it had always price matched.

Now Ecotricity are going one step further and promising their 100% Green Electricity tariff and Green Gas tariff would be frozen until 2014, further undercutting the Big Six which are expected to raise the price of supplying their non-green electricity in the coming weeks. 

Dale Vince, Ecotricity founder, said: “we’ve already taken the step of slightly lowering electricity bills for our customers from October 1st,  now we are going further and freezing our gas and electricity prices until the New Year.

“With the Big Six expected to raise prices in the coming weeks, what was originally a modest reduction in price, should quickly become a more significant saving.

“People often assume that green energy is more expensive. But most households in Britain are actually on a standard tariff – so millions of households could get 100% green electricity for less than the price they pay for electricity from the Big Six.

“Around 40% of our electricity supply is self-generated by our own fleet of wind and sun parks, and we have planning permission to more than double that supply in the near future – this degree of energy independence now means we can be price independently. 

Ecotricity’s Ethical Price Promise ensures all of its electricity customers get the same 100% Green Electricity tariff and Green Gas tariff at the same, best price, regardless of when they signed up or how they pay. 

Dale continued: “In addition, if and when we do raise prices next year, we promise that it will be by less than the Big Six will raise their prices by in the coming weeks, so we further widen the gap between ourselves and the conventional energy companies.

“We have one simple electricity tariff and will continue to invest more per customer in new sources of renewable energy, and we are now moving further away from the price of the Big Six standard tariffs too. 

“Our work is aimed at bringing about an energy independent Britain, and as a green energy company we want to demonstrate how this can be achieved – the more of our own energy we produce through our own renewable sources, the greater we’ll be able to shield our customers from price hikes that come with an over-reliance on fossil fuels. It’s all part of our vision for a Green Britain.” 

On average, Ecotricity spends more per customer on building new sources of green energy than all other energy providers in Britain put together – on average, over the last nine years, this has equated to almost £300 per customer. 

The company currently powers over 75,000 homes and businesses and this year obtained permission for what will be the fourth largest wind park in England, at Heckington Fen in Lincolnshire.

Www.ecotricity.co.uk