Contractor Blog

Why aren’t new houses built with solar panels? It’s a common question whenever we chat to people about PV. And we share the frustration - solar panels can be more cost effective and visually appealing when built in from the outset, not to mention cutting operational carbon emissions and future owners’ bills from the moment they move in.

So let’s try to uncover why new build solar panels aren’t standard, along with the reasons why they ought to be and best practices for doing so.

A perennial source of confusion when researching solar PV is peak performance. We regularly classify solar systems by their peak, their kWp. But does a system ever reach its peak? In very hot weather over the summer, system owners often observe a drop in performance - so is the peak power in solar panels even significant?

Spirit recently installed solar PV at the new home of one of our sales team. Since there’s no better way to live and breathe the technology than through personal experience, Mark shares his take on the process of installing SunPower panels with an integrated GSE mounting system.

While solar panels are traditionally retrofitted to an existing rooftop, it’s becoming more common (especially in newbuilds) to integrate the panels into the roof itself. With in roof PV, you end up with a sleeker, more attractive result.

One of our favourite brands of integrated solar is Viridian. Manufactured here in the UK, Viridian solar panels have a bespoke mounting system to embed them in the rooftop with a sleek, low profile.

Solar tiles, solar glass, solar facades, solar roofs, and in-roof systems are growing in popularity due to their ability to take the place of building elements whilst generating electricity and reducing running costs of the building.

Leading architects are no longer confining themselves to solar tiles and complete solar roofs, they are also specifying solar in atriums, in windows, as solar cladding, on bus stops and in car parks...