The Challenge
A Preston homeowner using around 5,315 kWh of electricity a year wanted to cut their rising bills and become far less dependent on the grid. Their slate roof offered two usable pitches — one facing south and one facing west — so the brief was to make the most of both aspects and pair the array with enough battery storage to shift daytime generation and cheap overnight power into the evening peak.
Our Solution
We designed and installed an MCS-certified 7.82 kWp system — 17 × 460W Jinko panels, with 8 panels on the south-facing pitch for a strong midday peak and 9 on the west-facing pitch to push generation into the afternoon and early evening when the household uses most of its electricity. The array runs through a 7 kW Fox ESS hybrid inverter into a Fox ESS EP12 battery, storing surplus solar for later use.
The customer also moved onto an off-peak time-of-use tariff, so on darker days the battery tops up overnight on cheap-rate units and discharges through the day — meaning very little electricity is ever bought at the expensive peak rate.
The Results
The split south/west array spreads generation across the day rather than concentrating it at noon, which matches the home's real usage pattern far better. Combined with the Fox ESS battery and overnight off-peak charging, the household now self-supplies a large share of its electricity and rarely imports at peak rates, while exporting surplus under the Smart Export Guarantee. The result is a meaningful, ongoing reduction in their energy bills.
Project Photos
