Thirty years ago, a quiet suburban street barely noticed the start of a revolution being built on its doorstep. A house constructed in 1995 was the first in Britain to incorporate a solar roof and would set the agenda for domestic renewable energy. Earlier this month, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the "vast majority"
Installing solar panels is a great way to lower your energy bills and lower your carbon footprint. You can also sell extra energy you make, making them even more worthwhile. But if you want to put solar panels on your roof, where do you start? Our step-by-step guide will take you through the solar
Ministers have confirmed the Future Homes Standard (FHS), to be published in Autumn, will include provision that all new build properties have solar PV installed. Energy secretary Ed Miliband said the “common sense” change to the standard marks a “monumental step” in the government’s pledge to unleash a “rooftop revolution”. The proposed FHS will see
Once, getting ready for the apocalypse was for the paranoid. Now, in the face of cyber-attacks, climate breakdown and nuclear threats, the UK government recommends it. Should everyone have a survival kit? This is a great time to be a shopkeeper, if that shop is for those worried about the breakdown of civilisation. “It started
Lots of installers wanting to enter the sector often ask me what the challenges are likely to be. This is multifaceted – with angles around installation but also integration and what consumers actually want. A big one at the moment is EV chargers and PV/battery systems from different ecosystems and brands. Unfortunately, these often will
Judith is set to earn £2,300 a year from her solar panels - but her bill is estimated to be £1,700 annually SAVVY homeowners can save thousands of pounds on energy bills without cutting down on usage, thanks to a clever scheme. Judith Leary-Joyce, 75, not only saves but actually makes money through this home
With energy prices rocketing again, now may be a good time to consider investing in solar panels to generate your own electricity. The energy price cap rose by 6.4 per cent in April, taking the average household bill to £1,849 per year for a typical home using electricity and natural gas. The average cost
After Europe’s biggest blackout in over 20 years, experts warn that while such incidents are rare, no grid is infallible Europe’s biggest blackout in over 20 years on the Iberian peninsula unleashed hours of chaos for people in Spain, Portugal and parts of France earlier this week. But in the aftermath it has raised a
In one hand, an oat latte. In the other, a phone with social feeds full of doom-scroll posts about the end of the world. Across Britain, a quiet transformation is happening. It’s not the stereotype of survivalist preppers hoarding beans in bunkers. It’s middle-class professionals - scientists, sustainability experts, teachers, doctors, policy analysts and management
The number of households installing solar panels surged last month, according to new data. More than 17,000 households installed solar panels in March, according to Coventry Building Society - a 41 per cent increase on the same month last year when around 12,200 were installed. In 2025 so far, solar panels have been installed on