UpCountry, in Scaynes Hill, has recently installed new solar panels which could help the country store save thousands of pounds each year in energy bills, and they’re encouraging other businesses in Sussex to do the same.

The solar panels now cover the entire roof of their pet's barn allowing them to generate an abundance of power that can be used across the premises.

Solar panels are becoming increasingly popular amongst households and businesses as they enable you to generate your own free electricity, lower your energy bills, and in some cases earn income by selling electricity to the grid. Not only this but they significantly reduce carbon footprint which brings huge benefits to our environment.

If you own a business and your premises are suitable, like in UpCountry’s case (i.e. your roof can accommodate solar panels), installing solar could be a great move for your future. Here we explore the benefits and costs of solar panels for business in the UK.

Save money through lower energy costs
The electricity generated by solar panels is free energy. For every kWh of energy the panels generated, that's one kWh less you'll need to buy from a supplier, cutting your costs enormously.

Less reliance on the grid and rising energy prices
Energy prices are at an all-time high and have been gradually for years and this is expected to continue to rise as fossil fuels (the traditional fuel for energy) become harder to source. By generating your own electricity from solar panels you can reduce your reliance on the National Grid and the fluctuating prices. This makes budgeting and forecasting easier.

Businesses can see greater ROI
One potential issue for homeowners with solar panels is that electricity is only being generated during daylight. If they are not home during the day to use it, due to being at work, for example, most of their solar electricity will go unused and be exported to the grid. However, most businesses, are likely to use electricity during the day and not at night and should be able to achieve higher savings as a result.

Jason from UpCountry said ‘Getting solar panels installed was the best decision we’ve ever made, we’ve saved 35% of our total annual electricity bill, and it will only take us 18 months to pay back the initial cost of the solar panels”. UpCountry installed their panels through a grant from the EU, and many other businesses should be able to go through this route too.