Solar Energy FAQs

Questions asked by our Smartly Community in one place.

ALL ABOUT SMARTLY ENERGY

⚡️ Smartly Energy is a Renewable Energy Consultancy, not your standard “solar panel installer”. We don’t provide one-size-fits-all solutions.

⚡️ Our mission is to help customers learn all about Solar Power, Renewable Heating, Electric Vehicle Charging and ensure they are provided with the optimum solution for their needs. Reduce your bills and emissions at the same time!

⚡️ We make sure all our products are the best of the best and, where possible, we only source from Europe to reduce our carbon footprint. 

Yes!

We are a fully accredited installation company too. With MCS accreditation and HIES registration to give you full peace of mind.

Our installers are fully qualified and highly experienced  tradesmen, with many years’ experience in domestic and commercial installations.

Yes, we are a proud UK family business. The whole team is based in the UK,  You can purchase with confidence and contact us at any step in the process.

We sure are! Ordering as an individual or business is simple and secure, and you will receive a VAT invoice after ordering.

Smartly Energy is an ethical, eco-friendly company. We believe in reducing our environmental impact and aiming for zero emissions. Where possible we partner with brands and suppliers from UK and Europe to minimise our carbon footprint and ensure our products are manufactured under socially responsible working conditions. 

We are very proud to be officially certified as a Carbon Neutral Business. We believe it is a massive step towards a sustainable future. We offset all our emissions and plant 30 trees per month through Carbon Neutral Britain. Please read more information and view our certification here.

We also take it one step further to improve our sustainability with our One Tree Planted partnership, where we plant an additional tree for every order received. Find more information here.

Increased Greenhouse Gas (CO²e) emissions in the atmosphere are the biggest cause of Global Warming on our Planet. By offsetting our Carbon Footprint with our Carbon Neutral Britain and One Tree Planted partnerships, we can have a lasting impact on Climate Change for generations to come. In addition to protecting the climate, every project also supports local communities with sustainable development – such as providing safe drinking water, improving health, and creating local jobs, as well as having a positive impact on wildlife, ecology, and biodiversity. Our Carbon Neutral Britain and One Tree Planted partnerships are an integral part of our business model and key to our commitment to sustainability. We encourage other companies to join initiatives to improve their sustainability and lower their environmental impact.

We’d love to hear from you if you have any questions about your order, or general questions about Smartly, our brands or products. Click here to contact us, email support@smartlyenergy.com, call us on 0333 33 55 965, or reach out on any of our social media channels.
 

SOLAR QUERIES

Contact us in the first instance with an enquiry and we’ll help with design and costing. Click here to contact us or email support@smartlyenergy.com.

If you have roof/structural drawings then it would be great if you could send them to us.

We will work with you to fully understand your requirements, and advise on the best solar, battery, heating or charging solution for your project.

Projects can vary massively, as price is dependent on panel type and total kW installed.

As a rough estimate, Standard Solar Panels cost on average £1750 per kW. Solar Tiles cost on average £2500 per kW or £320 per square metre.

Plus UK customers pay ZERO VAT on solar panels and tiles between now and 2025. So it is an ideal time to make the investment.

Please note these prices do not include battery storage. Supply and installation of a typical 10kWh battery is approximately £5-7000.

Yes!

We are a fully accredited installation company too. With MCS accreditation and HIES registration to give you full peace of mind.

Our installers are fully qualified and highly experienced  tradesmen, with many years’ experience in domestic and commercial installations.

We break down the decision to two aspects – cost and carbon footprint.

With skyrocketing electricity prices, there has never been a better time to invest in solar power. Solar Panels, battery storage and EV charging are the perfect combination to use ALL the power you generate instead of buying electricity from the grid!

If you are replacing your roof, or building a new home or commercial premises, solar tiles or integrated solar panels mean you save by not needing separate roof tiles and solar panels.

You also do not need to compromise the look of your home, office or commercial building to be greener and more sustainable. Solar is a great way to to generate your own power and offset your emissions and lower your carbon footprint.

Solar is the perfect solution for a greener, more sustainable future, while making your roof look great.

Electric Vehicle Charging QUERIES

Electric Vehicles (EV), sometimes known as Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), have an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine, and a battery instead of a petrol/diesel tank. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) are a combination of electric and vehicle, so they have battery, petrol tank, electric motor, and internal combustion engine. EVs rely fully on electric charge, and PHEV can be operated with battery power, or petrol (or a combination of both).

You can charge your electric vehicle at home, workplace or at any public charge point. At home, you can charge your EV with a conventional domestic 13A plug socket. We highly recommended installing a dedicated EV charger which is much safer and faster. 3-pin sockets are not designed for extended periods of charging. Also, EVs require communication between the car and charger so require more than the standard 3 pins.

Check our Ultimate EV Guides for more information.

You can install an EV charger if you have one of the following:

⚡️A home or workplace with dedicated off-street parking (for example, a driveway, office carpark, or garage)

⚡️A dedicated parking space (for example, if you own an underground parking space in an apartment block, or an office car park)

⚡️You require power at the location too. If you do not own your property, we advise to seek permission before installing the charge point.

Electric Vehicle manufacturers have designed precautions in their vehicles, so you cannot overcharge, over-discharge, or overheat your electric vehicle.

When considering which charging cable to buy, here’s a cost saver the Smartly team uses. A 22kW three-phase charging cable is compatible with both a 7kW single-phase supply and a 22kW three-supply. So, if you have a 7kW single-phase home charger, you could use a 22kW three-phase charging cable, which would also be compatible with public 22kW three-phase chargers. It allows you to get the quickest charge time possible when at public chargers and saves buying two cables! Alternatively, for easier access, you could buy a tethered home charger (with the cable attached), and a 22KW three-phase charging cable for the boot, for when out and about.

7kW chargers supply your EV at 7kW per hour. 22kW chargers are 3 times faster, however they only work in locations with a three-phase electrical supply. Most UK households have a single-phase (230V) supply, which require a 7kW single-phase charger. It is worth noting that the maximum charge speed is determined not just by the charger power, but also by your vehicle’s on-board charger (the charger built into the car). Our Vehicle Selector lets you know your on-board charger speed. For example:

⚡️A PHEV with a 3.5kW on-board charger will only charge at 3.5kW per hour with a 7kW or 22kW charger.

⚡️An EV with an 11kW on-board charger will charge at 7kW per hour from a 7kW single-phase supply but only 11kW per hour from a 22kW three-phase supply.

Depending on your battery size (kWh), and charging power (kW), approximate charge time can be found below:

Charger PowerCharge Time (30kWh Battery)Charge Time (60kWh Battery)Charge Time (90kWh Battery)
3kW9 hours18 hours27 hours
7kW4 hours8 hours16 hours
22kW1.5 hours3 hours6 hours
50kW30 minutes1 hour2 hours

It is worth noting that the maximum charge speed is determined not just by the charger power, but also by your vehicle’s on-board charger (the charger built into the car). Our Vehicle Selector lets you know your on-board charger speed. For example:

⚡️A PHEV with a 3.5kW on-board charger will only charge at 3.5kW per hour with a 7kW or 22kW charger.

⚡️An EV with an 11kW on-board charger will charge at 7kW per hour from a 7kW single-phase supply but only 11kW per hour from a 22kW three-phase supply.

Depending on your battery size (kWh), and charging power (kW), approximate charge time can be found below:

Charger PowerCharge Time (30kWh Battery)Charge Time (60kWh Battery)Charge Time (90kWh Battery)
3kW9 hours18 hours27 hours
7kW4 hours8 hours16 hours
22kW1.5 hours3 hours6 hours
50kW30 minutes1 hour2 hours

It is worth noting that the maximum charge speed is determined not just by the charger power, but also by your vehicle’s on-board charger (the charger built into the car). Our Vehicle Selector lets you know your on-board charger speed. For example:

⚡️A PHEV with a 3.5kW on-board charger will only charge at 3.5kW per hour with a 7kW or 22kW charger.

⚡️An EV with an 11kW on-board charger will charge at 7kW per hour from a 7kW single-phase supply but only 11kW per hour from a 22kW three-phase supply.

A hot topic at the moment, with skyrocketing home electricity costs across the UK. The cost can vary depending on charging location, as some public charge points are free. An average home charge is £4 for a range of 100miles (depending on your tariff). You could save around £1,400 a year on fuel by switching from petrol to electric if you cover 10,000 miles per year.

A quick guide to working out cost is by multiplying your electricity tariff by your EV battery size. For example (using 15p per kWh as an average UK electricity price):

CarBattery SizeRangeCalculationCost to Charge
Nissan Leaf37kWh140 miles15p x 37kWh£5.55
Audi Q4 e-tron 4076.6kWh250 miles15p x 76.6kWh£11.49
BMW iX xDrive 50105.2kWh315 miles15p x 105.2kWh£15.78

Note that the cost above is for the entire battery charge. Most drivers would not charge their car from empty to full regularly, only charging to 80%. You can also use self-generated electricity (from Solar panels, for example) to charge your EV for free – this is becoming more and more economically viable with solar panels becoming cheaper and electricity increasing in price. Combine Solar panels with battery storage and you could store the electricity generated during daylight hours to use at night.

You can also change Electricity Supplier to one which offers a dedicated EV Tariff, which allows cheap charging at off-peak times (for example 5p per kWh as opposed to 15p per kWh).

Buy Solar Panels With Smartly ENERGY

Smartly Energy offers a fantastic range of high-quality solar panels for commercial businesses such as hotels.

Whether you’re a small business or a large hotel, our Smartly Energy solar experts can guide you through the purchasing and installation process to ensure you get exactly what you need.