• Theneateroptionistoremovepartoftheexistingroofcoveringandlaythepanelsflush.Thisiscertainlyworthconsideringiftheroofdoesnotretainitsorginalslatesortilesandisinneedofrepairorrenewal.Butthismaynotbeappropriatewithlistedbuildings.

4 SELECT THE SIMPLEST CONFIGURATION OF PANELS

Photo-voltaicsrequirearelativelyhighnumberofpanels,oftenequivalentinareatoanentiresmallroof.• Ifasubsidiaryroofis

available,itisbesttocoverthewholeroofareawithpanels.Thiswilllooksimplerandneaterthancoveringhalfthemainroof.

• Ifthereisonlyoneroofavailable,thebestarrangementisthesimplestone–eitherahorizontallineofpanelsateaveslevelor,alternatively,immediatelybelowtheridge.Itlooksbetterstillifthepanelsstretchthefull

widthoftheroof,fromvergetovergeplacingthemasclosetotheedgeaspracticable.Thisisamoretraditional-lookingarrangementthanplacingthepanelsinasquareinthecentreoftheroof(orworse,offtooneside).

• Iftheroofisnotparticularlylargeandtheproposedpvpanelscovermostoftheroofarea,itisbesttoleaveacomplete,horizontalstripofroofingvisibleattheeaves,orattheridge.

• Arrangingpanelsinlandscaperatherthanportraitformatreflectsthehorizontalproportionsoftraditionalbuildings.

Solar thermal needfewerpanelsfortheaveragedomesticinstallation.

• Ifpossiblespecifyapanelwiththesamemodulesizeandfinishasapvpanelorrooflightsothattheycanallbecombinedinasimplelineararrangement.

CONTACTUS

TheBuiltEnvironmentSectionoftheCulturalHeritageTeam,

PeakDistrictNationalParkAuthority,AldernHouse,BaslowRoad,BakewellDE451AE

Telephone01629816200

2 CHOOSE THE LEAST OBTRUSIVE TYPE OF PANEL (the points in bold are critical)

• The plainer, darker and more neutral the panel, the better.Inparticularavoidpvpanelswithobviousstarpatterns.Alsochooseapanelwithablackbackground.

• Ask for panels with black framing.Avoidthosewithbrightaluminiumedging.Theseemphasisethepanel’slargemodulecomparedtoroofingslatesortilesmakingthemallthemoreincongruous.

• Highreflectivityofthepanelsurfaceisaproblem:thelessshinythebetter.

• Somepvpanelsarethesizeofmoderntilesortraditionalslates.Generallythesearemoresuitableforpropertiesbeingre-roofed.Theyblendinwellandaretheleastobtrusiveformofpvpanel.

• Forsolarthermal,selectaflatpanelratherthantheevacuatedtubedesign.Theformerissimplerandlessuglyinappearance.

3 DECIDE IF REROOFING IS REQUIRED

• Mostpeoplewithasoundroofwillpreferplacingpanelsontopofexistingslatesortiles.Thisisthecheaperoptionbutalsothemostobtrusiveasthepanelssitwellabovetheroofsurface.Therearealsotheissuesofextraloadinganddamagetoroofcoveringsreferredtoearlier.

Solar slates

Retro-fitted option Flush-fitted option

Panels over an entire lean-to

Panels below ridge

Panels at eaves

Solar thermal panels (flat panel type)

manufactured by Velux

Conserving your Historic Building

DESIGNANDSITINGOFSOLARPANELS

www.peakdistrict.gov.uk

MINIMISINGTHEIMPACTOFSOLARPANELS

The best way of minimising the visual impact of solar thermal and pv installations is by considering the following 4 factors:

1 CHOOSE THE LEAST OBTRUSIVE LOCATION

Theseareindescendingorderofacceptability:

A Groundmountedpanels,avoidingtheroofentirelyisthebestsolution.Useanareaofthegardenleastharmfultothesettingofthebuilding.Althoughthisinvolvesmorecabling,itavoidstheproblemsofadditionalroofloadanddisturbingordrillingthroughroofcoveringstofixthepanelsintoposition.Whenpanelsaresubsequentlyremoved,makinggoodthesefixingholesisaconsiderableproblem.Aground-mountedarrayalsoallowseasiermaintenanceandrenewalofthepanels.Whenagroundlocationisimpossibleandpanelshavetogoonaroof,simplicityofarrangementisthekey.Itiseasytospoilabuildingbyaddingroofpanelsinaninsensitiveway,ignoringitscharacterandappearanceandthebalancednatureofitselevationalfeatures.Itneedsonlyafewsuchroofsinprominentlocationsandthecharacterofawholevillageisharmed.Ifthebuildingislisted,additionalrestrictionsapply(seebelow).

B Ifthebuildinghasadoubleroofwithacentral valleygutter,useoneofthehidden,innerslopes.

C Iftheroofisbehindaparapet,thiswillalsoenablepanelstobehidden.

D Wherenoneoftheaboveispossible,chooseadetachedmodernoutbuildingorgarage.

E Ifthisisnotpossible,sitethepanelsontheroofofanattachedconservatoryormodernextension.Thisleavesthemainpartofthepropertyunaltered-particularlyimportantwhenthemainroofisopentoview.

F Ifthepropertyhasaflatroofedelement,locatepanelsthereonaangledframe.

Solar thermal and photovoltaic (pv) panels are an increasingly popular source of renewable energy and play an important role in reducing carbon emissions. The National Park Authority welcomes their use in locations where the conservation of the National Park is not compromised. This advice looks to minimise that conflict by suggesting ways to reduce the impact of solar panels on our historic buildings and settlements.

OTHERMEASURESTOCONSIDERFIRST

Beforeconsideringrenewables,itissimplerandmorecosteffectivetofirstreducetheneedforenergybyusingitmoreeffectivelyandbydraught-proofing,addinginsulationandupgradingtheefficiencyofboilersandotherequipment.WithoutsuchmeasuresyourpropertymaynotachievetheminimumEnergyPerformanceCertificateratingneededtoobtainthebestpossiblefeed-intarifffortheelectricitygenerated. Checktoowiththeplannerswhetherplanningpermissionisrequired.Ifyourbuildingislisted,youwillneedlistedbuildingconsenttofixpanelstoeitherthemainbuildingoranypre-1948outbuildingwithinthecurtilage.Youwillalsorequireplanningpermissiontoputground-mountedpanelswithinthegarden.

FURTHERADVICE

Consult your mortgage and insurance providers in case their terms and conditions are affected by the installation of panels. Always check that an installer is a member of the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS). See the website: www.microgenerationcertification.org for more information.

Panels on roof of a modern garage

Panels forming an open canopied area alongside a modern building

Panels on roof of a modern extension

Flat roof option

Ground mounted panels

G Dependingontheproperty’sorientation,itmaybepossibletositepanelsontheroofofarearorsideelevation.Thoughinthecaseofalistedbuilding,thiscouldbeproblematic.

H Itisalsopossibletofixthem(againonanangledframe)toagablewallwhichisnottooprominentinthestreetscene.Again,possiblyproblematicwithalistedbuilding.

I Onlyasalastresort,considerfixingthemonthefrontroofslope.Thisoptionhoweverwillcertainlyberesistedinthecaseofalistedbuildingwheretheeffectonthebuilding’scharacterandappearanceislikelytobetoodamagingtobeacceptable.

In all cases, ensure that the panels are not over-shadowed as this vastly reduces the performance of PVs particularly.

Rear and side elevations

Gable-mounted

Within the roof valley