Solar energy costs

SIR – In common with many people, I am now looking to reduce my energy consumption by installing solar panels.

The power will obviously be generated during the day, whereas I need it mostly in the evening. The logical solution is to take advantage of the ability to feed electricity into the grid during the day, which will offset the evening consumption. In America, power companies typically take a 10 per cent cut for effectively storing the energy, but the meter runs backwards when feeding electricity into the system. So if I produce 10kWh during the day, then use 9kWh in the evening, my net cost is zero.

If this Government is serious about encouraging people to invest in solar energy and reduce the overall load on the grid this winter, I suggest we adopt the American model. If this necessitates investment in the grid, I suggest repurposing the HS2 budget.

Nick Hopkins

Hursley, Hampshire

SIR – If the soaring cost of energy is a wartime problem, a wartime measure may help. During the Second World War, British Double Summer Time was introduced as an energy-saving device. The extra hour of light in the evenings not only produced energy savings but research also showed there were fewer road casualties and that crime rates dropped.

An experiment keeping the hour forward from 1968 to 1971 was not continued due to resistance from Scotland, but under the devolved Scottish government a different time zone could be introduced.

David Saunders

Sidmouth, Devon

SIR – It seems to have escaped the attention of the past and present administrations that schools, hospitals and other institutions are part of the foundation of Britain. They should not have to fund essential heating and lighting from their budgets, which should be focused solely on providing the services they are there for – healthcare and the education of the next generation.

Costs for heating and lighting should be borne directly by central government, rather than hospitals and schools facing cuts because they are having to pay increasing bills, over which they have no control.

E W Parkman

Eastbourne, East Sussex

SIR – I can accept energy companies passing on the increase in the wholesale prices to their customers. However, maintaining their margins, and thus vastly increasing their bottom line, seems very much like profiteering at the expense of the public.

I fail to see how this can be justified in the present climate, and how the Government can let them get away with it.

Andrew Bebbington

Cheadle, Cheshire

SIR – It is said that if you put 10 economists in a room to solve a problem, you’ll get 11 answers. Listening to the various politicians and economists offering their solutions to the energy crisis, I feel we are very much in this territory.

Judith Barnes

St Ives, Huntingdonshire