Four things I discovered: I had solar panels worth thousands of pounds installed for free, and you might be qualified too

The solar panels were installed as part of a government program that is typically available to people receiving benefits, though wealthy households may also be eligible

My girlfriend and I were shocked to learn that we might be qualified for energy upgrades to our house when a letter appeared on the doormat.

So much so that we disregarded it, and we didn't look into it further until a second piece of paper came through the letterbox.

After a few months, we are the proud owners of a set of solar panels that reduce our electricity costs and benefit the environment without costing us any money.

We were able to do it thanks to the Warm Homes: Local Grant.

Launched in April of this year, the 500 million program is anticipated to continue until March of 2028.

Through the program, qualified households can have energy-saving improvements made to their homes that are also environmentally friendly.

This includes solar panels, air source heat pumps, smart controls, and insulation for the walls, loft, and underfloor.

Your house must be in England, privately owned by you or a landlord, and have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of D, E, F, or G in order to be eligible.

Generally, your household income must be £36,000 or less annually, but you may still be eligible if you make more than this, reside in a specific postcode area, or receive benefits like Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, or Pension Credit. An eligibility checker is available through gov . uk.

Because our EPC rating was D and we reside in an eligible postcode, my girlfriend and I were eligible for free solar panels, which normally cost £8,000 to install in a two-to three-bedroom home, according to Checkatrade. This was the case even though our combined income exceeded the 36,000 mark.

After conducting a survey on the property, a group from the local council informed us that we qualified for solar panels. Only a few weeks later, at the beginning of October, they were installed.

Everything looked too good to be true. But since then, it has prevented us from having to pay thousands of pounds for both installation and continuing electricity.

Here are four things I discovered if you're thinking about finding out if you qualify.

Aesthetic disadvantages will occur.

Typically, solar panels require a converter and battery to function. The battery stores any electricity generated by the panels that isn't immediately needed, while the converter transforms any electricity generated by the panels into the proper current to power your house.

However, because they can overheat, installers typically avoid placing them in lofts, so they might end up somewhere unsightly.

An image of a solar-powered roof.

Our converter and battery are fixed to the exterior back wall of our house, adjacent to the door.

For instance, ours are somewhat unsightly because they are fastened to the exterior wall at the rear of the property.

Connecting your converter and battery to your home's main electrical supply also requires wiring. This indicates that some of the trunking in the downstairs restroom is exposed.

You might need to use the grid.

Call me naive, but since there are only the two of us living on the property, I believed that we could rely entirely on the solar panels for all of our electrical needs.

However, there have been occasions when the home's electricity has to come from the grid.

Nevertheless, it's difficult to predict whether this will change in the upcoming spring or summer because the panels have only been in use since the first week of October, when it's less sunny.

You might need to take a break from your job.

From the completion of the survey to the installation of the panels, the entire process took four days.

The next visit, which took place on a different day to determine the location of the solar panels, converter, battery, and any wiring, took about an hour. The survey took about two hours.

On the third day, two separate teams set up scaffolders, installed the converter and battery, and installed the solar panels on the roof.

The scaffolders came back a few weeks later to pack everything down.

Because of this, you might need to take time off work to allow the employees to enter while you stay at home.

You can schedule the work to be completed when you're not in the office if you work from home.

Your savings can be monitored.

The electrician who installed the battery and converter assisted us in setting up FoxCloud2.0, an app that allows us to monitor the amount of electricity generated by the solar panels.

Additionally, the app lets you know how much electricity is coming from the grid and how much is being used in your house.

The "Total Revenue" widget, which displays the amount of money you have saved since installing the panels, is its most significant feature.

We've saved about 40 in about a month, or 480 annually, though this amount will obviously fluctuate depending on the season.

In order to increase our savings, we also intend to sign up for a new energy tariff with our supplier, Octopus Energy, which will allow us to sell back any extra electricity the panels produce.

Additional assistance for lowering energy costs.

Since the government wants to make the UK net zero by 2050, you might not be eligible for assistance through the Warm Homes: Local Grant, but there are other options available.

Currently, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) allows residents of England and Wales to receive up to 7,500 grants toward the cost of a ground or air source heat pump.

Owning the property where the heat pump is being installed and installing it to replace a fossil fuel heating system are prerequisites for eligibility.

Be sure to account for the fact that you will be responsible for any expenses that surpass the 7,500 grant.

According to Checkatrade, an air source heat pump can cost anywhere from £3,000 to £15,000 to supply and install. The cost of supplying and installing ground source heat pumps ranges from 18,000 to 50,000.

After receiving a grant under the program, Terry Tanaka recently shared the five lessons she learned from installing a heat pump in her house. She has also looked at how much money she has saved thanks to the heat pump.