THE sight of solar panels on the roofs of homes, businesses and community buildings has become more common in recent years.

It seems like the perfect fix to cut down on utility bills by generating your own electricity in an environmentally-friendly way and supply energy to the National Grid at the same time.

Now the Government is planning to make it easier for people to generate and store power, with a range of new proposals based on technological developments.

But is the installation of photovoltaic panels, which turn sunlight into electricity, worth the time, effort and expense?

The Haydonian Social Club at Haydon Bridge took the plunge two years ago by investing £15,000 in solar panels.

The roof of the historic building, which dates back to 1908 and was originally a town hall, needed to be re-felted and re-tiled.

Chairman Jim Carruthers said: “We have a large roof here which needed work, and we’d heard about the benefits of solar panels.

“They were an attractive proposition, because while they cost £15,000 to install, we knew there would be a return on the investment with the electricity they generated.”

Mr Carruthers admitted that the scheme has had mixed results since it started in 2015.

He explained: “Before they were installed, the rate per unit for selling electricity to the National Grid was 43p.

“But that went down to 13p, and now we just receive 11p per unit for what we produce.”

Mr Carruthers said the social club’s opening hours have also made it difficult to make the most of the scheme.

He added: “We are a social club and we open the bar and hold functions during the evening and at night.

“If we were open more during the day, we would benefit more from the solar panels.

“All of our electrical needs are supplied by the power we generate during daylight hours, but as soon as we are not generating, the power comes from the conventional electric supply.

“Lighting the bar and function room is a big cost, and we also have coolers and other overheads.

“We initially hoped to get a full return on our investment within 10 years. I think it will be nearing 20 years, but with advances in technology, you never know.”

All electricity generated at the Haydonian Social Club which is not used at the premises automatically goes to the National Grid.

The Government wants to make it easier for people to generate power by storing it in batteries, a resource the Haydonian does not currently have.

Other measures could include putting washing machines on internet-based timers, ensuring they make use of sunny conditions, while freezers could be switched off briefly for a few minutes at a time to ease demand for electricity at peak times.

The move would also benefit businesses by allowing air conditioning to be switched off when not required to help ease peak energy demand on the National Grid.

The energy regulator Ofgem said consumers in the UK could save a collective £40bn by 2050 if the new moves were successful.

Business and Energy Secretary Gregg Clark said the Government was planning a major investment in the development of battery technology.

He explained: “Economists have pointed to what they have called a productivity puzzle in Britain, that we appear to generate less value for our efforts than people in Germany or France.

“We need to ensure that we find and seize opportunities to work more productively as a country, as cities and regions, as businesses and as individuals.

“If we can do so, we can increase the earning power of our country and our people.”