6
MAY 2015 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
60% of Brits would
consider solar panels
Up to 60% of Brits who don’t already have solar panels installed on their roof, would consider
going solar in the next five years, according to research published by Mintel.
The research company
quizzed 1,219 UK homeowners to discover consumers’
attitudes towa rds solar PV.
Mintel discovered that, of
the 60% willing to install
solar in the next five years,
39% of them listed a free
solar installation through a
‘rent-a-roof’ scheme as the
most attractive option.
Of the 40% who indicated
that they would not install
solar in the next five years, 30%
believed that their property was
not suitable for a solar array.
The next most popular reason
for not wanting to install solar
was concerns over the maintenance and replacement costs of
a potential solar array, with 29%
expressing concerns. A further
8% understood that due to their
absence during the day, PV-generated electricity would not
provide them with the greatest
benefit.
The research identified some
key demographic trends within
the market, discovering that
those with a household income
of £50,000 and above are most
Interestingly, 26% stated that they
would be interested in part-financing a solar PV installation through
Green Deal finance despite the
industry’s concerns over the high
interest rate on Green Deal loans.
Finally, just 23% of respondents
indicated that they would be willing to purchase a solar PV system
outright.
likely to install solar PV. In
addition, Mintel found that
those living in Inner & Central London were more likely
to install solar. However, this
directly contradicts with feed-in
tariff installation statistics which
show London severely lagging
behind other geographic areas
in solar adoption.
UK solar to add
1.7GW in 2015
The research carried out by
Mintel also looks at key market
trends with a view to predicting future solar deployment in
the UK. The research company
claims that the UK will experience “strong” growth in 2015,
adding 1.7GW of new capacity.
Sealing Money In
Installing high performance double glazing remains one of
the most common and potentially most cost-effective home
improvements carried out by property owners in the UK.
However, while the TV
channels and national
press carry lots of advertisements for ‘A-rated’
windows, few people
realise that the method
of installation is just as
important as the way they
are made.
In fact, Government-backed
research has shown that air
leakage and ‘thermal bridging’ around door and window
openings is responsible for
a huge amount of the heat
loss from existing properties.
Thermal imaging confirms this
with the perimeter to windows
often glowing red on infra-red
photographs.
With customers often spending £5000 - £7000 on window
systems boasting Low-E glazing,
special weather seals, and even
triple glazing, it is common sense
to ensure they are fitted correctly,
rather than being “bodged” into
ragged reveals with a bead of
silicone to cover the gaps.
Now homeowners can be assured that their new double glazing and doors save them money
in the long-term by choosing
an installer that uses Tremco
illbruck expanding weather-strip
and sealant technology to complete the job.
tremco illbruck is an internationally renowned manufacturer
of construction sealants and has
already worked on high profile
projects achieving the higher
levels of the Code for Sustainable
Homes, the German PassivHaus
or zero heating standard, and top
scoring commercial projects under BREEAM (Building Research
Establishment Environmental
Assessment Method.)
They also supply both expanding weather-strips and
compatible sealants to counter
cold-bridging.
Since tremco illbruck
launched its i3 offering at Ecobuild three years ago - for the
installation of windows within
new-build and refurbished
façades - the company has carried out trials with a number of
respected fabricators including
Nationwide Windows, Sidey,
Lister Trade Frames and Passivlux all of which have proved
successful.
Visit www.tremco-illbruck.com