Are solar panels about to get a major glow-up? Forget Ed Miliband’s ugly £400 plug-in version, designers say middle-class homeowners will soon choose eco screens ‘like they do wallpaper’

Solar panels, widely seen as an eyesore in British homes (not to mention a great place for pigeons to nest), are due for a major makeover, design experts say.

Middle-class homeowners who have traditionally shied away from installing ugly black panels – ‘renewable energy’s ugly duckling’ – may soon find themselves drawn to designs so stylish they could even raise property values.

Period-style casement glass windows that absorb the sun’s rays, invisible tile formats and even ‘sprayed’ solar panels are on the horizon as energy technology appeals to a more design-focused consumer.

Josh Raffo, a spokesman for Thrift Energy, a North East-based solar company, says solar panels can be difficult to sell, but the mindset is already changing, led by improved designs.

‘Thirty years ago people were worried that double glazing would spoil the look of a Victorian terrace. No one thinks twice anymore. Solar is on exactly the same path, and the pace of design innovation means we will get there much faster.

‘There comes a day when a potential buyer looks at a house without solar and asks why it hasn’t been renovated.’

Meanwhile, many property owners will have to make do with bulky plug-in panels, which Energy Secretary Ed Miliband announced last month would soon be available from retailers such as Lidl and Amazon, priced at around £400.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband last month announced that plug-in solar panels, costing around £400, would be sold in supermarkets and on Amazon in a bid to help people reduce their bills.

In the Hertfordshire hamlet of Potters Crouch, the idea of ​​a solar farm collapsed like a lead balloon. Locals Andy and Gilly Morris (pictured) say they fear their ‘beautiful rural landscape’ will be ‘completely and utterly surrounded by solar panels’

Planned introduction of a solar farm with ‘up to 100,000 panels’ would devastate Potters Crouch, a ‘greenery haven’, residents say

Labor is pushing for the introduction of panels that connect to a home’s main electrical system using a standard plug; This means homeowners can generate their own electricity to power their homes.

Although environmentally friendly displays seem to become increasingly common, The passion of those demonstrating against these installations, especially in rural areas, shows no signs of abating.

Last week, in the beautiful village of Low Bentham, North Yorkshire, we saw a 17th-century, World War II building. Permission to install 20 solar panels on a Grade II-listed farmhouse was quickly ignored by planning authorities, who raised concerns about how it could spoil the heritage of both the building itself and those around it.

Last month residents of the 600-year-old hamlet of Potters Crouch in Hertfordshire condemned the planned opening of a solar farm ‘with up to 100,000 panels’, marking the site of Roman Britain’s current St. ‘completely ruined’.

Could solar energy be an option? Is it possible to keep the country’s centuries-old features alive without compromising its charm?

Raffo says it is increasingly possible to combine a heritage building with modern technology so it won’t look like a blight on the landscape.

‘This is the question we are asked most in almost every part of the world; The North East is full of beautiful old stone and brick properties, traditional slate roofs and listed villages.

‘The answer is actually yes, you can make a period property more environmentally friendly without touching its soul. It requires expertise and the right approach.

Scandinavian-inspired design company Roofit.Solar is among companies introducing sleeker, more sophisticated versions of the panels, including a Herefordshire house where the panels are part of the roof

‘England has some of the oldest housing stocks in Europe. Ed Miliband and the government have been absolutely clear that decarbonising our homes is a national priority, not a lifestyle choice.

‘When your forever home is a Georgian terrace, a Victorian stone cottage, a 17th-century farmhouse, you can’t just knock it down and start over. We must work with these buildings with understanding and intelligence.’

Mart Mustkivi, business development manager at Roofit Solar, a Scandinavian-inspired company, told the Daily Mail that color has traditionally been an issue for heritage properties but there is now a solution through ‘Colored Solar Technology’.

He explains: ’17. Not every 19th-century country house is suitable for a black roof. We introduced our Velario Slim range for homes with roofs in different colours, such as terracotta tiles or green oxidised copper.

‘It enables the integration of rooftop solar in sensitive areas, provides visual harmony with local materials and meets the stringent visual requirements of UNESCO sites and protected areas.’

Recent disputes in the UK have centered around solar panels and how farms, in their current appearance, look unsightly on land and properties that have remained unchanged for centuries.

The solar egg, a sauna backed by a sparkling gold exterior, created in 2017 by artists Bigert & Bergstrom on behalf of a Swedish housing association

On a much larger scale, this is already happening around the world, experts say, citing the solar egg, a working sauna with a shiny gold exterior created in 2017 by artists Bigert & Bergstrom on behalf of a Swedish housing association.

Almost a decade after it was built, the stunning-looking egg is still going strong in Kiruna in Swedish Lapland.

Roofit.Solar says Gen Z and younger Millennials are pioneering better-looking solutions; research shows that 82 percent of 18- to 39-year-olds say aesthetic design influences their decision on whether to install a solar solution.

The company noted that older consumers are less concerned about aesthetics, with only 18 percent of those ages 40 to 59 and 13 percent of consumers over 60 saying design greatly influences their decisions.

Panels are more efficient than ever, says Thrift Energy’s Mr Roffo, but the real issue is the ‘design revolution’; We may soon be making decisions about solar panels the same way we make decisions about our wallpaper, kitchen layouts, and bathroom design.

‘There are products already emerging that are really starting to blur the line between architecture and energy production, such as solar roof tiles, building-integrated photovoltaics, transparent solar glass.

‘Further ahead are perovskite cells, a next-generation solar material that promises significantly higher efficiency at lower cost and is rapidly moving from the laboratory to commercial reality.

‘Flexible, ultra-thin solar films that can adapt to almost any surface. Even indoor solar is technology that harvests energy solely from artificial light, not sunlight. And solar-powered noise barriers, highways lined with panels that generate electricity and reduce traffic noise at the same time. ‘The ambition is extraordinary.’

There is an important caveat, he adds, saying the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, the quality and accreditation framework that determines what can be installed correctly and safely in homes across the UK, says ‘they all need to mature before these innovations become truly accessible to ordinary homeowners’.

Simon Edwards, managing director of EE Renewables, says traditional panels supported by roof-mounted frames are now falling out of favour.

‘We’re now seeing more people opting for on-roof solar panels that are integrated into your team’s roof, as opposed to the more common rooftop panels,’ he tells the Daily Mail.

‘This means they appear flush with the roof itself, giving the solar installation a sleeker, cleaner look than is possible with panels mounted above the roof tiles.’