Everything you need to know about installing solar panels on your home

This year has seen the steepest rise inenergy prices for years with households across the UK and EU now paying astaggering 54 percent more than in 2013.

While the governments of many EU countriesare offering their residents multibillion-euro aid packages to soften the blow,Brits are not feeling reassured that similar help is on its way.

With household budgets being stretched,many people are looking into alternative methods of powering their homes.

How do solar panels work?

Energy for solar panels is derived from thesun, which can be used to produce electricity and heat. The technology directlyconverts sunlight into electricity by exploiting the photovoltaic effect. Thiscreates voltage or electrical current when exposed to light.

How many solar panels will I need?

A three-bedroom, semi-detached propertyhousing four people usually needs about 10 solar panels. Purchasing too manycan be an unnecessary expense whilst too few can make your purchaseunprofitable. A house of that size would likely have anannual electricity usage of 2,900 kilowatt hours (kWh) every year. 1kWh is ableto provide electricity to an appliance for up to one hour.