the electricity bill sometimes divided by six

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Under the eyes of Mr. and Mrs. Giannino, the technicians’ ballet. Fourteen photovoltaic panels are installed on their roof. The retired couple has high hopes for this installation to reduce their electricity bill. “Every month I pay 160 euros and I hope to be able to pay 80 euros to save money on a bill that keeps increasing”shares Giuseppe Giannino, solar panel owner. Fifty percent savings therefore, thanks to German panels guaranteed for 30 years. With such a promise, it is best that they are installed in the most optimal way. “What we must avoid is having flat roofs. Because the reflection of the sun on the panel affects the performance”explains Hendric Lescure, electrician fitter – Aterno company. Cost of installation: 14,900 euros. The couple did their calculations. He hopes to amortize it in 10 to 15 years.

Like them, more and more individuals are letting themselves be seduced by solar energy. In France, more than 700,000 homes are equipped, with, unsurprisingly, better performance in the south of France. In Dunkirk (North), for example, six solar panels produce between 2,550 and 2,850 kWh per year. In Toulon (Var), the same installation produces between 3,303 and 4,050 kWh. So, to measure savings on bills, we chose an average area.

In a housing estate near Angoulême (Charente), two neighboring houses have a difference. One is equipped with solar panels, the other is not. On the one hand, Samy Moreira Batista de Barros owns a 130 square meter house with five people in the household. On the other, Agnès Cossonnet, 100 m² and four people. The two homes have equivalent electricity consumption. Before his solar installation, Samy paid more than 200 euros per month. This summer, however, Agnès paid twice as much as her neighbor. “He has 30 square meters more than me, he has one more child”explains Agnès Cossonnet. Samy invested 17,500 euros. Beyond saving money, he also hopes to earn some money.

This is how the installation works: the sun’s rays are captured by the cells. The panel converts them into electricity, part of which is consumed directly in the house. The other is sold to EDF for four cents per kWh. In the case of Samy, the resale is estimated at 305 euros in one year. But there is a limit. To make his panels profitable, the thirty-year-old had to change his habits. Dishwasher, hob, consume as much as possible during the day. “Now we have every interest in running when the sun is out”confides Samy Moreira Batista de Barros, owner of solar panels.

However, there is a way to use your solar energy in the evening. Near Nantes (Loire-Atlantique), Benoît Perthuis and his companion have invested in a state-of-the-art system. With a battery, the energy provided by their twelve panels is exploited to the maximum on site. “The icing on the cake is that in the event of a storm, or an Enedis outage, we will be able to use the energy that we have stored,” assures Benoît Perthuis, owner of a solar storage battery

As a result, the home is 82% autonomous and the two electric cars are even recharged on site. So no problem to start a machine at 7:30 p.m., it’s the battery that powers it. A comfort that has to be paid for: 7,000 euros for the battery, 20,000 in total with the panels, but the impact was immediate on the bill. “Since the start of 2025, thanks to the battery and solar panels, we have consumed only 200 euros of electricity. If we had not had the equipment, it would have cost us 1,100 euros. We saved 900 euros of electricity this year”says Benoît Perthuis. It hopes to be profitable in 12 years.

Solar energy convinces new customers year after year, but also attracts unscrupulous companies. In Toulouse (Haute-Garonne), Frank Santrisse says he is the victim of poor installation. In 12 years of solar productionhe experienced waterproofing problems and saw his panels damaged. Now five of them no longer work. “We realize that there are lots of ribs and some have even collapsed. We wonder what happened, why did it get to this point?”asks Frank Santrisse, owner of solar panels

On its roof, the panels were installed in series. They are connected to each other and are therefore interdependent. It only takes one panel to malfunction and the entire production is affected. This is what happened to him.

The promise of big savings seems far away. His installation would have to be repaired outside of warranty, but he has already borrowed 42,000 euros. The feeling of a huge waste. “I lost money and I will never make any more. We were promised that we would potentially be profitable quickly after 10 years. With the breakdown today, we will never be able to make it profitable”regrets Frank Santrisse. The owner plans to stop everything. Contacted, his installer agreed to take stock with him to find a solution.