Free solar panel discussion

Gizmosmum_2

Cardew wrote: »

That is, perhaps, not quite as emphatic as this statement:

True, but I'm writing a report, cooking tea and balancing books all at once - I never said I was perfect

Afterputtytat

I have a solar panel survey coming up, which will determine if i can have s. p. installed as i am slightly off south to the west. British Gas are now doing these completely free, and offer you 2 choices. You can either "Rent" them, which doesn't actually cost you anything, but means that you get all your electric for free during the day only. Or you can purchase them, As of yet cost is not known, but you then get all your electric for free and British Gas pay you a subsidy as well. These do not have a storage facility, so you don't sell the energy back. If you only rent the panels i understand that a saving on your bills can be upward of 70%. This is obviously a better option if you are at home all day and at weekends and out at night.

John_Pierpoint

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_Four_Direction

The "New" town of Basildon was set up partly in order to compulsorily purchase countryside "slums" - a sort of World War Two "bidonville", where people fled the bombing of East London.
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidonville
However there are still some outlying areas where the council, after losing lots of public enquiries, settled on a one-for-one policy, but with the removal of permitted development rights.
[As I am not a resident, I have not kept up to date with the current position, especially following the extension of permitted development rights that included (in effect) the substitution of "and" for "or" in the right to extend a home back into the rear garden or up into the roof space, now most of us in England can do both.]

In reality the everlasting fight goes on:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1363812/Travellers-eviction-UKs-biggest-illegal-site-cost-taxpayer-staggering-18m.html

BTW The Tesco installers appear to be getting in on the "rent a roof" market for FiT payments?

http://www.markgroup.co.uk/our-generation/?page=home

Cardew

Afterputtytat wrote: »

I have a solar panel survey coming up, which will determine if i can have s. p. installed as i am slightly off south to the west. British Gas are now doing these completely free, and offer you 2 choices. You can either "Rent" them, which doesn't actually cost you anything, but means that you get all your electric for free during the day only. Or you can purchase them, As of yet cost is not known, but you then get all your electric for free and British Gas pay you a subsidy as well. These do not have a storage facility, so you don't sell the energy back. If you only rent the panels i understand that a saving on your bills can be upward of 70%. This is obviously a better option if you are at home all day and at weekends and out at night.

Welcome to the forum.

There are literally thousands of posts on this subject in the 'Green' section of MSE that you may wish to read.

If you rent panels, the bottom line is you will do well to save £80 to £100 per year off your electricity bill.

suecoo66

The council said I need planning permission and were quite adamant about it. They rung my husband after I emailed saying I didnt need it saying that 'these solar panel companies will lie just to get you to have them'.
Looks like I can't get them now anyway due to my close proximity to the sea.

Gizmosmum_2

suecoo66 wrote: »

The council said I need planning permission and were quite adamant about it. They rung my husband after I emailed saying I didnt need it saying that 'these solar panel companies will lie just to get you to have them'.
Looks like I can't get them now anyway due to my close proximity to the sea.

I'm not a fan of rent a roof schemes, but I do work with the public sector and some installers. I haven't as yet heard anything about degradation of panels in coastal areas and taking into consideration some panels have successfully passed amonia tests in cattle sheds I find it hard to believe that proximity to the coast is an issue with a well laminated solar panel.

With regard to your council I'm disappointed that they feel the need to accuse solar panel companies of lying. I worked for a local authority providing advice on large scale energy efficiency and renewable energy schemes for 12 years, working with many installers only one of whom was economic with the truth.

With my own installation the local authority who I worked in partnership with for 10 years had not seen the documents attached before. Once they had seen them they approved the install under permitted development. I live in a Conservation area and AONB.

I'm not saying that every area will be covered (just to be clear Cardew ) but I am saying that often there's so much legislation flying around when it only concerns a tiny % of planning work it often gets overlooked. I found it useful to let the planners see the previously attached documents.

Cardew

suecoo66 wrote: »

The council said I need planning permission and were quite adamant about it. They rung my husband after I emailed saying I didnt need it saying that 'these solar panel companies will lie just to get you to have them'.
Looks like I can't get them now anyway due to my close proximity to the sea.

Presumably that is because of the salinity causing corrosion problems on the installation.

Also having owned a property by the sea, I was always having to clean the windows of the 'film' of salt - not to mention the cars if left outside. I suspect that unless cleaned regularly, that film could affect the panels output?? - and clambering about on the roof ain't easy!!!

In fact the whole subject of panel cleaning seems to attract divided opinions. Some feel it is necessary or output falls off, others that rain will do the job of cleaning.

Equaliser123

suecoo66 wrote: »

The council said I need planning permission and were quite adamant about it. .

Are you sure it wasn't building control that was required?

Gizmosmum_2

Depends on where you live - we have enough rain in the North West to keep them clean! Otherwise it's a quick hose off a couple of times a year. Theoretically, salinity shouldn't be an issues because the panels are laminated together and then held in a frame. Frameless ones are more prone to laminate lifting over time but none of the commercial companies are installing frameless in the UK.

Gizmosmum_2

Equaliser123 wrote: »

Are you sure it wasn't building control that was required?

Building control shouldn't be needed either most installers advise building control as part of the competent persons scheme.