Solar panels are helping us to save £400 a year (From Worcester News)

Solar panels are helping us to save £400 a year

8:20am Sunday 28th June 2009

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By David Paine »

SPECIAL solar panels are helping to not only save a Worcester family money but earn them some extra cash as well.

The Jenkins household is reaping the benefits of having 16 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels installed on the south- facing roof of their home in Hillery Road, Spetchley.

Dad Matthew Jenkins reckons the family save at least £400 every year on their electricity bills.

He said: “When it’s sunny, like it kind of is at the moment, the panels generate electricity. Even on a cloudy day we get a bit.

“On a sunny day we get quite a lot and if we generate more than we’re actually using we export that back onto the national grid.

“We actually get paid for that and get a fair bit of money for it.”

Mr Jenkins, a website designer who runs his business from home, said he used money from his redundancy at Kays to help pay for the PV panels which cost £15,500.

However, that was offset by a £7,000 government grant.

The panels absorb energy from the sun and a converter fitted in the loft of the semi-detached home turns that into electricity that can be used to power lighting and everyday items such as kettles, irons, computers and televisions.

The panels have generated more than 6,160 kw/h since they were installed in October 2006. Mr Jenkins said while it could take up to 20 years before the panels actually pay for themselves it has helped to ease a lot of financial worry for the family.

“It will take quite a long time to get the money back but it’s a long-term investment,” he said. “If the cost of electricity goes up it doesn’t affect us and we will probably get paid more for any extra we generate.

“We don’t have to worry about whether electricity bills are going to go up.”

Mr Jenkins, who lives with his wife Mitra and sons Harrison, aged six, and Anton, three, said the panels have also turned their house into a talking point. “Our road is quite quiet and not many people go past but when they do we often see a few people looking up and pointing at the roof because they look different to other types of panels,” he said.

Mr Jenkins, who recently became a member of the Green Party, is now urging other people to think about installing solar panels on their homes to make Worcester a more environmentally-friendly city.

He said he would be willing to meet people interested in learning more about the PV panels.

He has even set up a website mitrajenkins.org.uk, which records how much energy the solar panels produce every month.

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