The 10 dumb myths of solar installers

#4

4) Panels should face west

This one comes from our friends in the incumbent power business establishment and is rubbish. Systems should face any way that maximises production and benefits the customer. So if a customer isn’t home in the evening, then western facing panels may not be of that much benefit in lowering their personal power bill via maximising self-consumption. Although I think west-facing panels are perfectly fine for most people, it’s not a law that anyone should be following religiously.

If power distributors want to run around pushing this myth on the solar industry and customers alike they could offer additional feed-in-tariffs to encourage it. But they don’t.

The power companies are just spreading FUD – fear, uncertainty and doubt – to make people feel like they’re doing something wrong or unfair as a result of their north or east facing systems. Yet these people have invested their own money to help fight climate change and contribute to reducing wholesale power prices to the benefit of other customers and to the detriment of polluting fossil fuel power stations. This is something to feel good about.

Next: 5) You can’t put panels facing south

Previous: 3)There must be no shade on the panels