12-month energy inflation rates are at their highest since early 2009, with gas at 28.1% and electricity at 18.8%. As more people are working from home and with the predicted rise in electric vehicles, home electricity costs are only going to increase.
A solar system is an effective way of offsetting energy costs; however, smart homeowners will want to ensure their investment is futureproofed, says inverter manufacturers GoodWe.
Eugene Lucarelli, head of marketing at GoodWe, said: “The need for an alternative to grid power has never been greater, but homeowners must look beyond their current energy usage and ensure that their system is fit-for-purpose in the medium and long-term as our energy usage and costs in our homes is only going to increase.”
A further burden on domestic energy use
Eugene points to the likelihood of electrical vehicles being charged at home placing a further burden on domestic electricity consumption.
“Home-offices are here to stay. With computers, lights and kettles running far more often than in the past, people need a lower cost method to power their homes. But homeowners also need to factor in new technologies that will need charging at home such as electric vehicles.
“To truly safeguard against over-dependency on the grid a hybrid inverter, such as GoodWe’s EH hybrid inverter, should be specified,” said Eugene.
“Hybrid inverters are a halfway house for people who want to make the switch to solar now but want the ability to upgrade to battery storage and almost entirely self-generated power at a later date.”
Harvesting power from an array of solar panels
A hybrid inverter allows users to harvest power from an array of solar panels and use it in their devices and appliances, just like a traditional inverter. But as amounts of electricity used at home is likely to rise, the ability to store solar power in a battery is a feature many consumers will likely need. A hybrid inverter allows for the subsequent addition of a battery, allowing users to set up a solar system now, and expand it as their energy requirements grow.
“Along with being able to take advantage of solar energy to lower energy costs immediately, the hybrid function means people can then choose to add a battery and be in control of their own usage.”