Currys now sell solar panels

deanos

http://www.currys.co.uk/solarpower/index.html

Cardew

According to their website, systems start from around £9,000(yes Nine thousand pounds)

Panels are guaranteed for 25 years but the installation for only 2 years.

The average installation will produce 1,600 kWh per year. Let us be generous and say 10p a kWh so you will save £160 a year.

Now I can get a really good deal on loans from my bank at only 6%. So that will cost just me £540 in interest P.A. and I will save £160 P.A.

Where do I sign!

deanos

But its a start from a major high street player and the more popular it gets the cheaper it will become, i think its a good move from Currys.

Skiduck

The problem with PV is that they are very expensive for little return. Major installations can help, but any installation in the average household would be fruitless.
If you look on the environmental side, the manufacture of PV panels leaves a major carbon footprint, these panels would have to supply electricity for a lot time and come with a "5 trees were planted in making this panel" policy.
So economically and envirnomentally, there are better ways - IMHO heat pumps are by far the best for heating and hot water. Wind and Water pretty useless in the home but on a large scale, fantastic.

gooismeid

What I don't understand is why they're so expensive in the first place. In a bid to brush up my Dutch I had a look for solar panels on some Dutch websites and found that a DIY chain there is offering a 175W solar panel with all the cables and transformer etc. for 1400 euros - about a grand. You fix it to your roof, thread the cable through the roof and plug it into a socket as far as I can tell, although you get an installation DVD with it so it's probably a bit more complicated than that. For a grand I'd be willing to try out at least one, just to see what it's like! (for those of you who are interested it's at https://www.karwei.nl in their flyer - called KARWEIkrant - for this week).

Volcano

Who remembers when energy efficient bulbs came out and how long it would take for them to pay for themselves? Now they cost a few pence and their payback time is pretty rapid.

If the same happens with PVs then it won't be long before they are financially more feasible.

Just have to wait a bit until Curry's shareholders have taken their pound of flesh out of the British Consumer.....

heymylastnameislewis

well its a step in the right direction!

lfabargain

gooismeid wrote:

What I don't understand is why they're so expensive in the first place. In a bid to brush up my Dutch I had a look for solar panels on some Dutch websites and found that a DIY chain there is offering a 175W solar panel with all the cables and transformer etc. for 1400 euros - about a grand. You fix it to your roof, thread the cable through the roof and plug it into a socket as far as I can tell, although you get an installation DVD with it so it's probably a bit more complicated than that. For a grand I'd be willing to try out at least one, just to see what it's like! (for those of you who are interested it's at https://www.karwei.nl in their flyer - called KARWEIkrant - for this week).

Do you have a direct link as I cant seem to find the panels on that website ?

Skiduck

http://www.karwei.nl/index.jsp?page=artikel.jsp&sh=artikelen&contentId=zonnepaneel


From what I can understand is that they are cheaper, but the output is a lot less. So I don't think currys or other people are ripping people off. Although PV panels are still not worth the money.


"Doe-het-zelf zonnepaneelset
Bestaande uit 1 sillicium zonnepaneel. Afm. (lxb) 157,5x82 cm.
Met aansluitkabels en omvormer.
Levertijd binnen 7 werkdagen. 5 jaar garantie.
Piekopbrengst 175W. 1399.-
In dubbele uitvoering (350W) 2599.-
"

5 year guarantee too - not very good

fender

I like the Dutch idea, seems far more simple. If only we took this approach too.

mclaren_2

i gotta ask - if this solar stuff works well - why dont the goverment start to help install this in peoples houses that cant afford to?