UK Energy Needs

We don't really need nuclear fission to save the day, as it's expensive and there is a long lead time. Nuclear fusion, on the other hand, looks a good bet to bring energy costs down, so it is worth the investment, despite it also having a long lead time.

To keep us going until fusion becomes a viable product, at the scale we need, invest in more wind, solar, hydro and tidal, coupled with grid storage and smart home storage. Oh, and invest in better insulation, starting with any new builds.

 

With new builds, change the regulations to include something like this. https://www.deegesolar.co.uk/solar_roof_tiles/

The trouble is the government doesn’t really want us to generate our own power, at present it can Tax everyone on fuel that is sold!

 

Whilst the solar tile technology is developing rapidly, I wouldn't want to impose it on new builds at the present time. However, a high level of insulation, basic solar panels and 'cheap' heating technology (e.g. heat pumps, overnight storage) should be incorporated into all new builds.

Retro fitting such things, after a property is built, is so much more expensive.

The adjustments I am making, in my 5 year plan, are mostly based on a payback period of no more than 5 years. I opted not to install solar panels as, because of the shape of my roof, plus the fact I would be retrofitting them, I calculated the payback period to be almost 25 years. A new build, with solar panels incorporated, would achieve a much faster payback period.

 

I think it is worth exploring.

Sixty years ago installing central heating would have put up the costs, but it has become the industry norm.

Installed at the time of construction would then cancel the cost of retro fitting.

Apparently a retro 3 Kilowatt fit of solar panels would cost between £4,000-6,000. Whereas solar tiles would cost £8,000 - 12,000.

The cost to a builder to install at the time of construction would likely be less.

If I could buy an identical house without solar technology or one which incorporated roof tiles for say £8,000-10,000 I would think it would be worth the hit.

 

All I am saying is that it is now the industry norm to install a boiler and radiators. The cost is probably around £5,000.

So how many builders now offer new properties without central heating, to ‘bring down the price’?

Perhaps not ‘apples with apples’, but the actual cost is not that much extra.

Apparently the average cost of a new 3 bedroom house is between £245,000 to £365,000. So if it went up to £255,000 to £375,000 as the roof tiles add about £10,000 on the additional cost, given the benefits in reduced energy bills would be very attractive. On the higher end under 3% extra. https://householdquotes.co.uk/cost-to-build-a-house/

 

To be honest, I don’t know what the cost is to install 3KW of photovoltaic roof tiles on a new house. The costs I quoted were to ‘retrofit’, which would entail expenditure in removing the existing roof. Additionally builders who create a development, will have economy of scale, so I would anticipate the additional cost would be less than the retrofit.