Solar panels

Does anyone have them, either for heating water or generating leccie? Would be interested to hear peoples' experience.

[anna]

New houses built over here are given funding if panels are fitted on the roof. Obviously utilising solar power over here is going to prove far more lucrative, households can easily expect to get all of their hot water needs from the power generated and even heating during the winter months.

[embee]

Depends what your motives are, getting green feelings or wanting to save money?

Basically there are easier ways to save money.

I've done a bit of investigating in the past, a couple of reasonably useful sites are here and some blurb on feed-in tariffs etc here .

Do what you can with insulation and buy a thicker jumper before even looking at solar. Returns are marginal, long payback times, feed-in tariffs for leccy generating look attractive but there are far easier ways of making a few bob without the high capital outlay.

Im sure i read of a woman who made £150+ a week back in the summery sunshiney days of april, ive always been interested in Solar power on the house, but it really is an expensive investment.

People say 'wait till others invest, and the prices will drop' but nobody seems interested!