Free solar panel discussion

barneygumble

liquidity wrote: »

How long ago did you register your interest?

I registered on the website on the 11th August.

Cardew

grahamc2003 wrote: »

If you prefer gas, then remember to add in breakdowns/yearly check/service/new boiler every few years etc - so while e7 looks quite expensive (even at night rates), all in all it's probably cheaper overall than gas. In ten years time I'd expect gas users to be moving to E7 for various reasons.

Perhaps not the thread to discuss the merits/demerits of storage heating, but I would agree that after factoring in boiler efficiency, servicing/repairs and a finite life, there isn't much to choose between the costs of producing heat.

However that is a long way from telling the whole story.

You need to consider the additional cost of the other 17 hours electricity when on an Economy 7 tariff.

Then there is the 'leaked' heat during the day which is wasted for people out during the day; and they invariably run out of heat at night.

Mostly however the sheer inflexibility of storage heating compared to gas CH.

With gas CH you use it when you need it, - say a quick burst on an Autumn evening - you can't do that with storage heaters.

Brock_and_Roll

I have been enthusiastic about green energy for many years, however, like many people this enthusiasm did not extend to splashing out £15k on something that is likely to have a paypack of in excess of 10 years.

I have a large roof facing directly south on the south coast of england - so I suspect I am an idea UK candidate for solar. However, I am still holding off investing.

As a businessman, a 5 year project payback for a project seems reasonable for something that is not without its uncertainties - would anyone care to speculate how many years it will be before that kind of timescale will be available (hopefully in my lifetime) ?

Gizmosmum_2

Brock_and_Roll wrote: »

I have been enthusiastic about green energy for many years, however, like many people this enthusiasm did not extend to splashing out £15k on something that is likely to have a paypack of in excess of 10 years.

I have a large roof facing directly south on the south coast of england - so I suspect I am an idea UK candidate for solar. However, I am still holding off investing.

As a businessman, a 5 year project payback for a project seems reasonable for something that is not without its uncertainties - would anyone care to speculate how many years it will be before that kind of timescale will be available (hopefully in my lifetime) ?

Not as long as you might think - prices are dropping like stones at the minute. There's a balance between the cost of the pv installation dropping and the FiT reducing. March 2012 is probably the best time to install. Costs will have dropped again and it's just before the Fit reduces. Not sure if you'll get 5 years though ... I'd have thought 7 is definitely achieveable.

Doc_N

Gizmosmum wrote: »

Not as long as you might think - prices are dropping like stones at the minute. There's a balance between the cost of the pv installation dropping and the FiT reducing. March 2012 is probably the best time to install. Costs will have dropped again and it's just before the Fit reduces. Not sure if you'll get 5 years though ... I'd have thought 7 is definitely achieveable.

That's if the FIT rate hasn't dropped before the present 31 March 2012 cut-off date.

My guess is that the present 41.3p rate will go very soon:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/sep/02/chris-huhne-green-electricity

Gizmosmum_2

Doc_N wrote: »

That's if the FIT rate hasn't dropped before the present 31 March 2012 cut-off date.

My guess is that the present 41.3p rate will go very soon:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/sep/02/chris-huhne-green-electricity

If only I had a crystal ball

Perry525

timity wrote: »

The bungalow was built in the mid 80's and is very well insulated

I am now in a dilemma - do I install pv panels from savings so no loan) or change the heating system ?

As written earlier, the maximum gain from solar is on a hot summers day.
At the time, that you need free electricity....on a cold winters night.....they do nothing.

I am puzzled? If the bungalow was built in the 1980's and is well insulated, then the existing rads should do the trick, at low cost?
May I suggest that you buy an infrared temperature gun, and scan the internal walls on a cold winters night and see if they are the same temperature as the air in the room.
When the room is at your desired temperature.

If indeed the bungalow is well insulated, the air and wall temperature should be the same. If there are cold patches, or indeed cold walls, ceilings or floors, then the insulation is not so good.

If the rads are expensive to run? Then switching to radient heat will produce a quicker more comfortable result

Perry525

grahamc2003 wrote: »

If your house is well

If you prefer gas, then remember to add in breakdowns/yearly check/service/new boiler every few years etc - so while e7 looks quite expensive (even at night rates), all in all it's probably cheaper overall than gas. In ten years time I'd expect gas users to be moving to E7 for various reasons.

In the 1980's a vast amount of natural gas was found under England, called the Cheshire Basin it stretches from Newcastle to Devon, it crosses the North Sea and carries on to Poland.
This deposit and others across the world remained inaccessible until the Americans invented horizontal drilling and fracturing. Now there is a world glut of gas, and wholesale prices have come down by more than 50%.
So far there is only one company drilling for gas in the UK.

As an aside, the Americans have adapted this system to drilling for oil and now have reserves good for the next 670 years.

mbeast

w times 3. naturalwatt. com then click on live sites to see a few peoples installs and the output of there system.

i'd love a 10kw system or more but don't have the space for such a large system as i have a energy meter and use around 60kwh per day due to keeping marine fish & corals.

wonder if pv will ever get to a state where it uses at most a 1/4 of the space to provide the same output of today's panels

moneysaverTC

Hi guys
I have been watching this topic for a few days now.
I saw the BBC's story on solar panels last Wednesday.
Rather than going for the free option, I am fortunate enough to be able to invest myself and hopefully benefit in the long term from the feed in tariff.
My question is, can anyone recommend an installer? I am based in the Midlands if that helps?
Thanks in advance