【Bengali Archives】

The Bengali Archivesword IKEA usually brings to mind memories of endless, sweaty afternoons spent decrypting their assembly instructions to build that BILLY bookcase.

But IKEA is also a synonym of Scandinavian environmental care. So it doesn't exactly come as a surprise that the company has started offering a kit of solar panels and home batteries to its customers in the UK.

With a big up-front cost of £6,925, the kit isn't what you'd call a bargain. It includes panels integrated with existing roofing solutions provided by Solarcentur, a UK solar power company, as well as a 25-year guarantee on the panels, a six-year warranty on installation, and all of the hardware.

The battery storage is designed to work along with the solar panels, but it's also offered as a standalone to add to existing home solar installations.

IKEA estimates that an average UK home with solar panels will consume around 40% of the energy it generates. The remaining 60% is sold back to the National Grid — but at a loss compared to its value.

The batteries, however, let people store solar electricity and use it at a later time, which means homeowners can achieve nearly 80% solar usage.

That means you could cut your electricity bill by 70% and pay off the capital invested in roughly 12 years.

Most importantly, you won't have to build any of this yourselves!

“We’re committed to helping homeowners reap the benefits of going solar and our business partnership with IKEA is a significant step forwards for the renewable energy industry," said Susannah Wood, head of residential solar at Solarecentury.

She added: "The cost of solar installations has dropped considerably in recent years and is in fact 100 times cheaper than it was 35 years ago. We believe IKEA and Solarcentury are bringing the most competitive package to the market yet, so more people than ever before can profit financially and environmentally by producing their own energy.'