PV - to buy or not to buy?

zolablue25

I'm sure this onfo is buried away in some of the many threads on this board so apologies for asking again but I have some specific questions regarding PV that I would like answered.

1. Would I be eligible for the 'free installation' option as my roof does not face due south (SSW). We live in South Devon if that makes any difference to this question.

2. We have a reasonable size roof but it has a Velux window in it. Would this create any problems?

3. We have a loft conversion that has some eave space. How large is the associated equipment required?

4. If we decide to get a quote for buying Panels, is it usually a 'hard sell' experience? I certainly don't want one of those.


Thanks in advance for any help in this matter.

mspoppins

Hi,

I don't think there is such thing as free installation. The perk of having PVs on the roof comes from the new Feed-in Tariff Scheme. The idea is that you pay for the PVs and installation (you can get finance and pay monthly) and the energy companies pay you for generating green energy. Thus you save on your energy bills and earn extra money.

There is nothing that says that you have to face due South in order to be eligible, however, if you don't have much sunlight on the PVs it probably doesn't make sense to install them because they are still rather inefficient.

Velux window is not a problem, you can have one panel on the left of the window and one on the right. The associated equipment is not large.

Regarding 'hard sell', you must approach ONLY an MCS-certified installer and he is unlikely to try playing tricks with you because it is easy to lose the certificate My suggestion is that you visit the Energy Saving Trust website. They have a section dedicated to Feed-in Tariffs. They also have links to MCS installers (further down the page)

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Sell-your-own-energy/Feed-in-Tariff-scheme

zolablue25

mspoppins wrote: »

Hi,

I don't think there is such thing as free installation. The perk of having PVs on the roof comes from the new Feed-in Tariff Scheme. The idea is that you pay for the PVs and installation (you can get finance and pay monthly) and the energy companies pay you for generating green energy. Thus you save on your energy bills and earn extra money.

There is nothing that says that you have to face due South in order to be eligible, however, if you don't have much sunlight on the PVs it probably doesn't make sense to install them because they are still rather inefficient.

Velux window is not a problem, you can have one panel on the left of the window and one on the right. The associated equipment is not large.

Regarding 'hard sell', you must approach ONLY an MCS-certified installer and he is unlikely to try playing tricks with you because it is easy to lose the certificate My suggestion is that you visit the Energy Saving Trust website. They have a section dedicated to Feed-in Tariffs. They also have links to MCS installers (further down the page)

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Sell-your-own-energy/Feed-in-Tariff-scheme

For the 'free' installations I was referring to the numerous schemes whereby the PVs are installed free by a company who also retain ownership of the panels and get the money from the FIT. You get the use of the generated electricity. Obviously the companies installing these things want to maximise their return by getting as much FIT as possible, hence they would prefer a south facing roof, but I was wondering whether they were at all flexible on this?

sirhateley

Hi all, just had a visit from a local firm (Shaftesbury, Dorset) about having solar panels installed on the roof to take full advantage of the new feed in tariffs. Whilst I appreciate this represents a long term investment it did strike me that it really is a great deal of money for something that is essentially simple and straightforward. I speak as a qualified electrician and see no real difficulty with the installation, the problem arises when you seek MCS approval and certification that is required to receive the tariff. I can see of course this is a fledgling scheme, costs may well fall but wonder how likely it is that before long all you will need is the stamp of approval from an MCS inspector but the installation would be down to yourself and chosen installer/supplier? That wouldnt be that far away from Corgi registered plumbers would it?

Jon_Tiffany

sirhateley wrote: »

Hi all, just had a visit from a local firm (Shaftesbury, Dorset) about having solar panels installed on the roof to take full advantage of the new feed in tariffs. Whilst I appreciate this represents a long term investment it did strike me that it really is a great deal of money for something that is essentially simple and straightforward. I speak as a qualified electrician and see no real difficulty with the installation, the problem arises when you seek MCS approval and certification that is required to receive the tariff. I can see of course this is a fledgling scheme, costs may well fall but wonder how likely it is that before long all you will need is the stamp of approval from an MCS inspector but the installation would be down to yourself and chosen installer/supplier? That wouldnt be that far away from Corgi registered plumbers would it?

Agree 100% - installation is a very simple job, well within the reach of any decent DIY'er.

If I had the spare time I would have considered getting myself part P and MCS approved just to install my own system.