Solar Panels, now that's a smart idea.

Solar panels are a good long-term investment. You can:

• Save money on bills – generating your own power means cutting your energy bills each year

• Make extra £££ – sell any excess power back to the grid and turn sunlight into £££

• Help tackle climate change – solar is a renewable source of energy that doesn't produce greenhouse gases

• Get protection from rising energy prices – as the wholesale cost of fossil fuels rise, renewable power is the way forward

• Make a long-term investment – solar panels can power your home for decades to come

• Enjoy easy maintenance – thankfully, solar panels only need to be cleaned occasionally to

keep them super powerful

Solar panels sit on top of rooftops and turn sunlight into electricity. The most popular ones are photovoltaic solar panels (often called 'PV') and they'll create energy even on grey, overcast days. So you don't have to worry about a cloud in the sky.

Not necessarily. Solar panels produce power on cloudy days too. Even if it’s snowing or hailing, your solar panels can still generate electricity, so long as there’s a bit of light. That said, solar panels will perform at their very best when it’s sunniest.

There are ways to make your solar panels more effective. You should install them on a south-facing roof ideally, where they’ll catch the most rays. (We wouldn’t recommend installing solar panels on a north-facing roof.) It’s also best to install them at a 30 to 40-degree angle.

A rough estimate is that a 2-3 bedroom house will need 6 panels and a 2.5 kWh system, a 3-4mbedroom house will need 10 panels and a 4 kWh system – and a 5+ bedroom house will need 18 panels and a 7.5 kWh system.

When making a big investment, it’s reassuring to know they last a long time. Most will give you a good 25 to 30 years of power. And you can get a generous 40 to 50 years with some of the latest models.