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Meet Mr Teesdale in Kent
Type of installation: Solar PV, 2.52kWp, 19.70m² array
Christopher Teesdale, 66, has spent much of his life sheltering from the intense
heat of the sun in Africa, first as a child in Kenya and then later through his work
as a tropical disease research specialist in Malawi and Sudan. His interest in harnessing
the natural energy offered by the sun is, therefore, maybe not such a big surprise.
Making some drastic changes to the aesthetics of his family home in Kent was more
of a radical step, however. 
Originally two farm labourer’s cottages, these became the pretty detached property that now stands on the plot. Attached to the main house is the double garage, which is also the location for the 12-panel solar PV array. Christopher admits he was initially apprehensive about how the panels would look, tilted at a 30-degree angle on the flat roof.
“When we took the property over in 1991 from my mother it was just a single garage but we had it knocked down and made into a double garage. I was very worried we might spoil the look of the building by having these panels,” he confides. “There is a false edge along the garage so it is in keeping with the house but the way the panels have been fitted, they blend in very well.”
The 2.52kWp system was installed at the end of summer 2010 and Christopher is optimistic about the return on his investment. His first cheque for electricity exported back to the grid was for more than £200 – and that was during the winter months.
“I particularly like the way the generation dial goes round one way when you are using and the other way when you are producing electricity – it is literally counting down the value of my bill!” exclaims Christopher. “In the winter months the production was down, with maybe 20 units in December but in April it was ten times that amount with 200 units produced! I expect to get my investment back in 11 years and I’ve also reduced the monthly electricity payment from £40 to £15. Although they estimated I could get 1607kWh per year, I think we’ll overdo this by at least a couple of hundred kW.”
*Estimated CO2 Saving is based upon 0.529 kg CO2/kWh (kg/yr)
At a glance: the facts and figures for a detached property built early 1900s
Date of installation July 2010 Annual SAP 2009 calculation:
System size 2.52 kWp
Panel array 30°, SE facing roof
Est. CO2 saving* 876.21 kg/yr
Est. total yearly benefit £ 875.38
1607 kWh
per annum
