We are seeing very good demand for our services in 2022 however the perfect storm of Brexit, Covid19, and now the war in Ukraine, are causing shortages of raw materials and electrical products; with prices rising dramatically.

Copper, a key component in wiring, has soared in price over the last two years.

Some electrical products, particularly those using semi-conductors and microchips, are subject to longer lead times. Shut downs in China due to COVID are worsening the availability of semiconductors. As of April 19, more than half of China’s biggest cities were under some form of lockdown. Industrial cities and trading ports—including vital hubs like Changchun, Jilin, Shenyang, Tianjin, Shenzhen and Guangzhou—have shuttered businesses, imposed travel restrictions, or told residents to stay home.

High prices and long delays are affecting homeowners looking to go green and install energy saving products, such as heat pumps and solar panels. Though demand is strong due to the soaring costs of electricity and gas affecting home owners.

Demand is also expected to rise for green products due to the cut on VAT on retrofit measures announced in the Spring Statement, and following the launch of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme this month. 

Moreover, the boiler market has been impacted by unprecedented demand coupled with supply chain challenges for steel, cardboard, plastics and electronic components. 

Here at Carter Electrical Installation Ltd we are doing our very best to keep price rises down for our clients,  but unfortunately they are inevitable. We are using all of our industry contacts to source materials and products but some patience will be required.

In addition, a shortage of qualified electricians is affecting the industry and Carter currently has vacancies for solar and heating Engineers. Experience with solar PV and/or heat pumps is a must.

How do Solar Panels work?

Frequently Asked Questions

Solar panels are made out of photovoltaic (PV) cells that convert the sun’s energy into electricity.

Photovoltaic cells are sandwiched between layers of semi-conducting materials such as silicon. Each layer has different electronic properties that energise when hit by photons from sunlight, creating an electric field. This is known as the photoelectric effect – and it’s this that creates the current needed to produce electricity.

Solar panels generate a direct current of electricity. This is then passed through an inverter to convert it into an alternating current, which can be fed into the National Grid, or used by the home or business the solar panels are attached to.

What type of panels are available?

Options include: monocrystalline, polycrystalline, hybrid and thin film. Solar panels are typically fitted on top of your existing roof. With new builds we can use recessed solar panels so that they are not so obvious at first sight.

How much will Solar Panels cost?

Solar panel system sizes are measured in kilowatt peaks (kWp). This is the maximum output of your system.

“The most common system size, from our survey of more than 1,000 solar panel owners, was between 3.6-4kWp” Which? Prices are from approximately £1000 per 1kW installed (depending on specifications) Therefore the average cost would be around £4,000.

What else do I need to run the system?

Solar PV panels need an inverter to convert the direct current produced by the panels in to alternating current that is used by the household. Inverters are often situated in lofts, though this can be problematic due to high temperatures experienced during summer months. Most inverters now have internet connection capability, so you can keep an eye on your system using apps or web browsers, even when you’re away. The technology also raises awareness of your energy usage, encouraging you to be more sustainable, and save more money.

Consider a storage battery to store the power that is generated from your solar panels during the day. Storage batteries can also be used to store cheap power during the night. This power could then be used to charge your EV or used back in the house when power demand is high. https://www.powervault.co.uk/

Who Can I trust?

Carter Electrical Installations are a MCS-accredited installation company that installs MCS-certified products. MCS is an industry-led quality assurance scheme, which demonstrates the quality and reliability of approved products and installation companies.

Being MCS certified demonstrates to our customers that we install to the industry-expected level of quality every time. MCS gives you a mark of quality which provides assurance.

We are also a member of the Renewable Energy Consumer Code (RECC). This means that they have agreed to abide by high consumer protection standards. RECC also runs a dispute-resolution process if you have a complaint against an installer registered with it.

What is the Smart Export Guarantee?

The Smart Export Generator (SEG) launched on 1 January 2020 and is a government-backed initiative. The SEG requires some electricity suppliers (SEG Licensees) to pay small-scale generators (SEG Generators) for low-carbon electricity which they export back to the National Grid, providing certain criteria are met.

Anyone with one of the following technology types could benefit from the SEG (provided they meet the rest of the eligibility criteria) up to a capacity of 5MW, or up to 50kW for micro-CHP:

• Solar photovoltaic (solar PV)
• Wind
• Micro combined heat and power (micro-CHP)
• Hydro
• Anaerobic digestion (AD)

These installations must be located in Great Britain.

The current grant scheme for the installation of home chargers is due to end on 31st March 2022. The current Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) provides a 75% contribution towards the purchase and installation of an electric vehicle home charger; although this grant has been capped at £350.

We are expecting a surge in demand, so if you are thinking of installing a home charger please do get in touch as soon as possible so as not to miss out on the grant. You don’t have to physically have the vehicle you just need proof of an order, deposit or a lease agreement.

According to the UK Government a reformed EVHS will start in 2022. However, changes will be geared towards boosting uptake of EVs for people in blocks of flats and rental accommodation, landlords and social housing providers, plus apartment block owners. On top of this, the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) will be extended to allow SME’s to install chargers for employees. We are also experiencing strong demand for EV chargers from commercial sites and have plenty of experience in fitting multiple charger units.

The last claim for an installation that the government will accept under the scheme will be 30th April 2022. Also, the last date for an installation accepted under the scheme will be March 31 2022.

To qualify for the current EVHS grant – also known as the OLEV (Office for Low Emission Vehicles plug-in grant) – you’ll need to:

• Have a qualifying electric vehicle that produces 0g/km of Co2 and must cost less than £35,000
• Have access to off-street parking
• Be parked somewhere that an electrician can run a charging cable from the distribution board (electricity supply) to your car

The UK generates about half of its electricity from natural gas. ( Wind, solar and hydroelectric accounts for 25%, nuclear just under 12% and coal a little over 1%). With natural gas prices having soared from 56p per therm to around 190p per therm during 2021 (peak price was 451p per therm) electricity prices are expected to rise sharply in 2022. So far the energy crisis has seen 28 energy suppliers go bust. There is concern that consumers energy bills could double this year. The price cap for a standard variable tariff is presently at £1,277. This could be increased to around £2,000 in April, after Ofgem have reviewed the cap in February.

In previous blogs we have talked about the best ways to cut your electricity consumption and produce your own energy through Solar PV Panels. The inevitable rise of domestic energy prices in 2022 will drive the returns higher on reducing your own consumption and producing your own power. There could also be more Government incentives provided to consumers to encourage them to switch to greener energy.

Solar PV Panels

A recent Solar PV installation at Oakbank.

The price of a typical 3.5 kilowatt-peak solar panel system is about £4,800. Based on the Energy Saving Trust’s figures, it can take anywhere between 11 and 20 years to recoup the costs of installing panels for a typical home. This depends on where you live, how much electricity you use and when you use it. And also what you’re paid under the smart export guarantee.

You can use this Solar Energy Calculator to get an estimate of costs and savings of installing Solar PV Panels. Or why not get in touch with us here at Carter Electrical Installations and we can give you an estimate of costs and benefits?

And not forgetting commercial units. Here in the UK, a recent study suggested that covering 61 per cent of south-facing commercial roofs with solar PV could provide all the energy needed for UK businesses. This would save medium-sized and larger enterprises at least £30,000 a year on their energy bills.

Storage Batteries

Installation of a storage battery in 2022.

A battery can store any excess power generated by your solar panels that you don’t use at the time, rather than exporting it back to the national grid. Surveys show that at present households without batteries only consume around 25% of power that Solar PV panels produce. The batteries cost about £4,000 to £8,000. We have a wide range of storage batteries that we can install depending on your needs.

The savings you make on your bills can be significant. The price you’re paid for each unit of energy you export to the grid is usually much lower than the price you pay your supplier for electricity. So, economically, it makes more sense to store the energy and use it yourself – with E.on saying a household with a battery could use 30% more of the electricity they generate themselves. Also if you have an electric vehicle you could be powering that very cheaply.

Another potential advantage of a battery is that it can increase the rate you get paid for exporting your electricity back to the grid. Some firms will pay many times more than the standard amount if you buy certain types of batteries.

#OneStepGreener is one of the key messages from COP26. It encourages people to take actions that have a positive impact on our environment. Simple steps we can take every day to make life more sustainable and they all add up. 

With all of the recent focus on COP26 many people are asking what they can do in their own lives to cut carbon emissions. We have been focussing on this subject here at Carter Electrical with many blogs showing what changes households can make to become greener and emit less carbon.

At Carter Electrical we understand that people do want green options but are careful to spend their money wisely. Therefore we offer a full range of green energy products from economy lines to state of the art devices. We can now offer Solar PV, EV chargers, Air Source Heat Pumps, storage batteries and energy saving LED lighting. There are also many Government grants available to help you purchase energy creating/saving products.

We also believe that is very important to have your Consumer Unit (Fuse Box) kept up to date. A new unit will keep you safe and ensure that you’re not wasting electricity. Maybe run a check on your energy usage to see if you are wasting power?

It can be done!! Earlier in the year we were thrilled to have received the EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) report for the new build house we worked on in Frimley.

It achieved 98/101 on the EPC, it is net zero on CO2 (Carbon) emissions. The only way to improve the rating would have been with Solar Thermal water heating.