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High street sales for home solar panels

High street electrical retailer Currys is to sell solar panels for home electricity generation bringing the technology directly to home users for the first time.

Soaring electricity prices and greater environmental awareness have created customer demand, the retailer said.

Customers opting for solar power can expect to reduce their electricity bill by up to 50% and could cut down their home's carbon dioxide emissions by up to two tons per year.

Peter Keenan, managing director for Currys, comments, "Our customers are becoming more environmentally aware all the time. But this is far more than a green solution for the home. It is also a perfect way of safeguarding against the inevitable energy price rises."

The panels will initially be offered from three stores, West Thurrock, Fulham and Croydon. After a detailed in-store consultation with a trained adviser, customers with suitable houses will be offered a home assessment free of charge. Should the house be capable of supporting the technology – and most are – installation of the solar panels on the property roof takes just one or two days and requires a minimum of equipment to be installed, usually in the roof space.

The price tag for buying and installing enough solar panels to generate 50% of an average three-bedroom household's electricity is around £9,000. Grants to assist with the cost are available through the Low Carbon Buildings Programme.

Panels come with a performance warranty of 25 years, and minimum maintenance is required by the customer, say Sharp who manufacture the panels in North Wales. However, their website suggests that although the panels will work for this long, associated electronic equipment to convert the generated electricity to alternating mains power has a lower life expectancy.