Yes. There’s never been a better time, because there’s no indication that energy bills will go down any time soon. Wholesale prices for gas and electricity were already rising in 2021, and 30 suppliers went bust. The war in Ukraine exacerbated the crisis, but even when that ends, global prices will remain high. It really makes sense for us to generate our own domestic energy and rely less on imports.

You could break even in as little as five years. This has dropped dramatically from the 11-20 years previously quoted, and again this is because of fossil fuel prices rocketing. The Energy Saving Trust calculates that you could save £190-£465 on your bills each year.

As they say on the stock market, the value of your investment can go down as well as up. Some buyers will be attracted to an energy-efficient home; others might be deterred by panels covering the roof. The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) says: “In the short term, they don’t provide an increase in house value, with the panels often costing more than they attribute in value.”

It’s daylight that’s needed, not sunshine. When light shines on a solar panel, a flow of electricity is created. The more sunshine, the more electricity, so a south-facing roof is ideal, but improved technology means that it will work on almost any roof, even if it’s flat. A typical system has 10-14 panels, which should last for 25 years. Currently there are 1.2 million homes in the UK with solar panels, according to The Eco Experts, (theecoexperts.co.uk).

Yes, but since the government’s Feed-In Tariff was abandoned in April 2019, you’d now receive on average only £159 per year through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). However, solar expert Howard Johns, founder of OneZero, says, “It’s much better to make use of that extra electricity in the home by charging other equipment, for example an electric car.” His is a one-stop company that retrofits homes with no upfront cost; you don’t have to deal with multiple providers for insulation, heat pumps, solar energy and so on and you simply pay back in affordable monthly instalments (onezero.energy). Can I sell the excess to the National Grid? Yes, but since the government’s Feed-In Tariff was abandoned in April 2019, you’d now receive on average only £159 per year through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). However, solar expert Howard Johns, founder of OneZero, says, “It’s much better to make use of that extra electricity in the home by charging other equipment, for example an electric car.” His is a one-stop company that retrofits homes with no upfront cost; you don’t have to deal with multiple providers for insulation, heat pumps, solar energy and so on and you simply pay back in affordable monthly instalments (onezero.energy).

Despite the posts on social media of smiling salespeople offering free solar panels, funding is available on as part of the Help for Households scheme to tackle fuel poverty. To find reputable companies, some of which offer financial packages, contact the trade body Solar Energy UK (solarenergyuk.org). With an average installation cost of £6,000 for a three-bedroom semi-detached house, the payback time may be less than six years and the panels should last 25 years.