SOLAR panel owners should be paid more for the excess power they generate, the Usdaw annual conference declared today.

Delegates backed a motion calling on the retail union to press the government and energy regulator Ofgem on the proposal.

Households on an export tariff earned 13p per kWh on average in 2023-24, according to Ofgem.

The motion said that it took about seven years for the costs of installing solar panels to be recouped, arguing that, given the “climate emergency, more people should be encouraged to install the technology.”

Deputy general secretary Dave McCrossen said: “It can’t be right that those on low incomes are not only priced out of doing their bit to save the planet but also priced out of being able to reduce their energy bills — a double blow.”

He said that the motion “clearly points out that the best way to get people to install solar panels is to give them a fair price for an excess power generated.”