Majority of us are aware of the benefits of installing solar panels on our home. Once you get past the initial installation costs, solar panels reduce your energy bills and help the planet! However, what if solar panels were a possible cause of a house fire?

We recently came across a Facebook post in which a families house had set on a fire. The lady responsible for the post gave us permission to share her story. Thankfully nobody was hurt, however their house has suffered serious damage and also many family memories have now been lost and destroyed. Furthermore, the forensics team believe it was their solar panels which caused the house fire. This emphasises the importance of regularly servicing and checking your solar panels.

The Facebook poster praised the fact that her Electrician had put a hard wired smoke alarm system in her loft. Once the smoke alarm in their loft detected smoke, it triggered all the other smoke alarms around their house to sound. Immediately alerting the family of a potential fire. At Fulcher Edwards Ltd, every Tuesday we preach the importance of testing your smoke alarm/fire alarm system. Test it Tuesday is a helpful reminder to carry out weekly tests, as alarms can only save lives if they’re working! At home you could get the kids involved by making them your Test It Tuesday Champion. In the office you should have a ‘responsible person’ who carries out weekly tests on the alarm system.

Finally, the Facebook poster also expressed the importance of sufficient home insurance. They also recommend making the whole family aware of the fire alarm system and what to do in the event of a fire.

Please contact us HERE if you would like to find out more about installing a smoke alarm.