Solar Panels or PV's (Photo Voltaic)

   Solar + Batteries make the perfect combination. Best to get them installed as a pair. If I were only able to have 1 I'd go for batteries first.
   As you can see WHEN you charge your house battery \ EV can make a huge difference to your bill. Charging the house battery at night gives access to night time prices during the day. 1/4 the price !

   PV's can divert excess energy to either your hot water tank or your car and possibly both.
But speaking from experience-

• Buying from the grid at night costs 7p/kWh but I can export solar during the day for 15p therefore its cheaper to charge at night and export as much solar as possible during the day
  
• Charging a car battery 67kWh from a 10kWh battery very quickly kills your house battery. That leaves you at the mercy of high daytime prices.
• My inverter deliver 5kW max so charging the car on the regular 7kW EV charger draws 5kW from the battery and 2 more expensive kWs from the grid. Some chargers have "Solar Charging" settings such as the Ohme or ZAPPI. 

Not sure how many panels you need ? Batteries ? Battery size ? Check out garydoessolar.com it has a awesome online modelling app.

House Battery

   Storing electricity in a house battery allows access to the cheapest energy throughout the day. That energy may come from-

• Solar on your roof
• Cheap night time rate
• Excess renewable give away's such as Octoplus free electricity.

 Tesla Power Wall

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The cost of PVs and house batteries have dropped significantly. Home made electricity is now much more affordable.
8 Panels might cost around £520
10kWh of battery costs around £2000
Plus installation

​Solar PV vs Thermal

PV's

Pros

• Convert sunlight directly into electricity
• Can charge an Electric Vehicle directly
• Can charge a house battery directly
  

Cons

• Only 19-25% efficient
  
• Larger roof area required
  
• Storing the energy can be expensive as you need something like a £7000 Tesla power wall.
• Cant charge the car if you've gone to work in it

Solar Thermal

Pros

• 80-95% efficient converting sun light to heat
• does not require and expensive house batteries
• Low installation costs
  
• Can top up hot water tank with cheap rate night time electricity
  
• ​Small roof area required

Cons

• Requires hot water tank
• Cant charge a power wall or car​