A recent OVO report suggests that about 13.7 million households in the UK could lower their energy bills by £410 each per year through solar. These homes, eligible for solar are not yet benefiting from the technology that could save them £5.6 billion between them.

Commissioned by OVO and undertaken by the Building Research Establishment, the poll estimated that 48% of UK households or 13.7 million are both eligible for a solar power setup and nonetheless do not use one currently.

These households could save, on average, £410 annually if they were to have a solar system installed.

Unfortunately, only around 1.5 million homes currently have solar panels installed or approximately 4.6% of the UK’s total housing stock.

Challenges to increasing this figure substantially include the upfront cost of solar panel installations and scepticism over the potential upsides. Some households are also not a fan of how solar panels could affect the exterior view of their home.

That said, GOV.UK reports that 84% of the UK has a positive perspective on renewable energy in general. Therefore, there’s a case to make that installation costs remain the primary factor in preventing faster growth of solar setups nationwide.

This might be solved with advancing technology to lower the costs. However, increased or expanded government supports could also play a huge role.

The government already have their eyes set on the number of UK households with solar panels increasing by millions in the years ahead through a ‘rooftop revolution’. Ultimately, efforts to lower the price of solar installations will likely be the key to significant growth in solar setups by 2030.

The government is also aiming to increase the UK’s reliance of renewable technology in the near future. This is with project and plans like GB Energy and the Long Duration Electricity Storage investment support scheme.