Thelma’s Solar Energy Installation in Chichester

Looking for solar installation in Chichester? We recently went back and talked to Thelma, one of our Smart Energy customers,  after installing a solar system for her at her home in Chichester. Read more to find out about Thelma's solar journey, and what she had to say after installing solar panels.

What were the reasons behind Thelma’s installing solar PV at her Chichester home?

Thelma is part of a three-person household. Thelma was interested in solar energy “for several years,” but had decided to make the decision to go solar in 2022. Firstly, she was interested in installing solar panels at her Chichester, West Sussex home to address rising energy costs. Secondly, Thelma also wanted to switch to greener energy.

The process of installing solar energy in Chichester

When installing solar energy anywhere, we first chat to the homeowners and find out more about their energy usage, roof space, and current energy bills. Once we have a proposal that would cut down on those energy bills, and the homeowners are happy with the calculated savings and look, we handle the installation.

Above all at Smart Energy, we try to ensure that getting solar panels on your roof is as easy as possible. That's why we deal with everything from planning permissions, sourcing and installation, to switching on.

We asked her how she found the solar installation process with Smart Energy. Thelma said she found it “very easy and efficient,” and “so far I am happy with the installation.”

Thelma’s experience of solar installation in Chichester

We asked Thelma whether she would recommend that others look into solar energy for their houses in West Sussex. Thelma would “recommend solar panels to a friend and believe that all new houses should be built with them automatically.”

One of the other reasons we check in with our customers is to see what we could do better next time. For example, Thelma said that “I didn't realise that I had to apply to the electricity company for the SEG tariff." She continued, "advice on that would have been a good service - maybe a little package to make things clearer."

What is the Smart Export Guarantee for solar PV?

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is a scheme designed to promote the uptake of renewable and low-carbon electricity generation technologies. In other words, is also known as the export tariff. The government implemented it to encourage the people of the UK to start switching to solar power. Once you have solar installed, you have the option to apply to an energy provider of your choice and join the SEG scheme. This means you would get paid for any extra energy your solar panels generate and send back to the grid. Of course, you aren't required to join the SEG scheme, however, it’s a good idea to.

Find the best SEG tariffs here.

Smart Energy handles the installation and planning permission details of your solar panels.  Unfortunately, we can’t apply to the SEG or export tariff scheme on your behalf. Only the household owners can do this, as they need to talk to you directly. However, we will leave you with all of the tools to do this.

Smart Energy's guide to applying to the Smart Export Guarantee after solar installation

Since we asked Thelma about her solar journey, she’s been able to join the SEG scheme. Consequently, we've also taken her advice and created a handy guide to applying to the SEG tariff scheme yourself.

You can download the Smart Energy guide to applying to the SEG scheme here.

Click here if you’d like to book a free home solar energy assessment to see if solar panels could save you money.