More than a third of people think making money is not as important as protecting the environment and would install solar PV panels, even if there was no financial benefit.
Solar comparison website The Eco Experts, surveyed 2,000 people and found 36% of people would embrace the renewable technology simply out of concern for the environment, rather than slashing their energy bills.
A spokesperson for the energy efficiency specialists said: “The findings suggest a large proportion of people care about the environment more than money, which is wonderful. As it happens solar panels are a great financial investment too but we suggest that if more people knew more about the environmental benefits of PV, we could see a greater interest in them. This could also provide a great boost to the industry.
“Obviously environmental groups back solar energy, but we would like to see more people made aware of the many benefits of solar panels, including reducing your reliance on fossil fuels, protecting your source of energy and giving you a better return-on-investment than a high street bank.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, when the results were split by household earning threshold, as income rose the willingness to install without financial incentive rose (though remained roughly at a third).
Elizabeth Halls a homeowner from Brighton had lived a green life for years when she installed panels two years ago. She said: “When my husband and I retired we had a small sum of money we didn’t know what to do with. We thought about buying solar panels for our home but it wasn’t really about saving money, more a bid to become more self-sufficient. We do fancy ourselves as a bit of a Tom and Barbara!
“It feels really good to know that when I turn the light or radio on, the energy I am using isn’t from a lump of coal, but from electricity my house has produced. Of course it has helped us to cut our bills and we have noticed the savings. If my friends had a house that was right for solar panels I would recommend them.”
Reza Shaybani, Chairman of the British Photovoltaic Association (BPVA) said while it is important not to forget the environmental benefits of panels, people should look to their high Return On Investment first.
He said: “The reasons most people should be interested in solar PV is the generous ROI which the BPVA estimate at 8-10%. It is true that feed-in-tariffs have dropped, but so has the cost of a panel itself and its installation. People should also be looking to ensure they have secure supply of energy and one of the best ways to do this is generate your own. Of course solar panels are also much better for the environment than fossil fuels but we understand when money is a problem this may not be everyone’s top priority.
“People may be worried that we are in a recession and they don’t have the money to invest in solar panels, and that may well be, but the cost of energy will continue to rise and producing your own is the best way to protect yourself from that.”
When asked why they would invest or had invested in solar PV just over a third of people said their motivation was financial, with a quarter saying despite the benefits they would not be interested in solar panels at all.
(content from Solar Power Portal)
For more information on solar power, take a look at our other website, AC Solar
More than a third of people think making money is not as important as protecting the environment and would install solar PV panels, even if there was no financial benefit.
Solar comparison website The Eco Experts, surveyed 2,000 people and found 36% of people would embrace the renewable technology simply out of concern for the environment, rather than slashing their energy bills.
A spokesperson for the energy efficiency specialists said: “The findings suggest a large proportion of people care about the environment more than money, which is wonderful. As it happens solar panels are a great financial investment too but we suggest that if more people knew more about the environmental benefits of PV, we could see a greater interest in them. This could also provide a great boost to the industry.
“Obviously environmental groups back solar energy, but we would like to see more people made aware of the many benefits of solar panels, including reducing your reliance on fossil fuels, protecting your source of energy and giving you a better return-on-investment than a high street bank.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, when the results were split by household earning threshold, as income rose the willingness to install without financial incentive rose (though remained roughly at a third).
Elizabeth Halls a homeowner from Brighton had lived a green life for years when she installed panels two years ago. She said: “When my husband and I retired we had a small sum of money we didn’t know what to do with. We thought about buying solar panels for our home but it wasn’t really about saving money, more a bid to become more self-sufficient. We do fancy ourselves as a bit of a Tom and Barbara!
“It feels really good to know that when I turn the light or radio on, the energy I am using isn’t from a lump of coal, but from electricity my house has produced. Of course it has helped us to cut our bills and we have noticed the savings. If my friends had a house that was right for solar panels I would recommend them.”
Reza Shaybani, Chairman of the British Photovoltaic Association (BPVA) said while it is important not to forget the environmental benefits of panels, people should look to their high Return On Investment first.
He said: “The reasons most people should be interested in solar PV is the generous ROI which the BPVA estimate at 8-10%. It is true that feed-in-tariffs have dropped, but so has the cost of a panel itself and its installation. People should also be looking to ensure they have secure supply of energy and one of the best ways to do this is generate your own. Of course solar panels are also much better for the environment than fossil fuels but we understand when money is a problem this may not be everyone’s top priority.
“People may be worried that we are in a recession and they don’t have the money to invest in solar panels, and that may well be, but the cost of energy will continue to rise and producing your own is the best way to protect yourself from that.”
When asked why they would invest or had invested in solar PV just over a third of people said their motivation was financial, with a quarter saying despite the benefits they would not be interested in solar panels at all.
(content from Solar Power Portal)
For more information on solar power, take a look at our other website, AC Solar
