Testimonials

Investing in Solar Energy

Collin and Jennifer Varley from Golcar have always been interested in renewable technology. But it was the Government’s Feed-in-Tariff programme that really prompted them to invest in a solar PV system from Yorkshire Energy Services instalation wing, YESrenewables.

The Varleys have always been conscientious when it comes to saving energy. They moved into their new build property 4 years ago and with A-rated double glazing, cavity wall and loft insulation already installed, the couple were in a good position to consider renewable energy. ‘We wanted to get our home sorted before we retire’ explained Jennifer. ‘We looked at a number of renewable energy options including wind turbines, but wanted something that would look good on the house. Solar panels seemed like the best investment.’

When the couple found out about the Feed-in-Tariff they started to make enquiries. ‘Our money was no good in the bank as it just wasn’t making anything’ explained Collin. ‘We thought we would put it to some use. The Feed-in-Tariff is an excellent idea and has certainly made solar PV more accessible! It’s guaranteed for 25 years and tax free...there’s not much tax free these days, so it was a no brainer really.’



Whilst researching the benefits of the Feed-in-Tariff, Colin came across a ‘rent a roof’ offer in which homeowners are provided with a free solar installation on the condition that the income generated is signed over to the installation company. ‘The free scheme didn’t appeal to us as we couldn’t see the financial benefits. If there’s anything on my house, I want to own it! We wanted a solid investment we can keep in our family for years to come.’

The Varleys got in touch with YESrenewables after receiving a letter in the post. ‘I wanted to use a local company and straight away they were helpful and went through everything with me in detail. I arranged for someone to come around and check the property.’
 
A trained surveyor visited the Varleys and did a thorough check of the household. ‘The surveyor was very good and answered all our questions. He spent time discussing our options and gave us an indication of our return on investment. After his visit we felt reassured.’
 
Collin works as an electrical engineer so had a good idea of his homes generation potential.  He felt that installing a larger system would be more beneficial in the long term. ‘We have an East/West facing roof, but knew that we would still get a decent amount of sunlight throughout the day. The surveyor estimated that if we installed a 3.7kW system on our home, we would produce around 2,600kW a year!’
 
Before anything was determined, Jennifer wanted to talk to someone who had already installed panels, just to see whether they were making the right decision. ‘I had noticed that a house up the street had a solar PV system, so I decided to call round. The people that lived there were happy to help and even indicated how much money they were making from the Feed-in-Tariff. This gave us the confidence to continue with our installation.’

An appointment was arranged and the YESrenewables installation team took to the roof and fitted a 20 panel PV array to the household. ‘They started on the Friday by putting panels on top of the Garage. On Monday they finished the job and installed panels on both sides of the roof to make the most of the travelling sunlight. The team were very good and worked really hard. They cleaned up after themselves and were very conscientious. We were impressed with how neat and tidy everything looked. They did a fantastic job and everything went smoothly.’

Already the Varleys have started to see a return on their investment. ‘Even on a dull day our system is still generating something. We had a lot of mist yesterday morning but it still produced over 6kW. When the sun’s shining we really start seeing the benefits. According to our meter we have generated over £200 from the Feed-in-Tariff and that’s in less than 2 months! So it really is starting to make money.’ 
 
Colin and Jennifer are delighted with their solar investment and have started to encourage other homeowners to think about the benefits of microgeneration. ‘We have already started recommending YESrenewables to some of our close friends and one of our neighbours has gone and got a quote. Thanks to their ‘refer a friend’ scheme, we may even make some money as we get a cheque every time one of our friends gets a system installed! We are really glad we took the step. More people should be investing in solar technology. It’s good for the environment and thanks to the Feed-in-Tariff you get paid for what you generate.’
 
For a free no obligation survey and quote, call YESrenewables on 0800 052 7496 or click here to apply online.