Solar Panel Guide Discussion

KevinG

Nang wrote: »

Well...

Looks like Fits may be ending sooner than expected.

Check out :-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15507750

....

How on earth do you interpret this as FiTs "ending"?

John_Pierpoint

zeupater wrote: »

Hi

I pretty much agree ..... I think that the industry will moan like anything for a while, then simply pull their socks up and become a little more efficient (there are still some taking 3 days to install a system !), and then reduce prices as required. Twelve months ago installed prices in Germany were around/lower than UK prices are today and the equipment prices have fallen considerably since, so there's plenty of fat in the system to cushion the industry against any claims of armageddon ....

Looks like the margins available as a result of the law of supply and demand will just be rebalanced towards the customer for a time whilst the supply side of the equation provides the necessary adjustments ..... all will be well for most in the long run, especially the providers of the funding for the FiT scheme, namely .... us

Z

Any installer who can offer a 4KW installation for £5,000 can send me a PM

zeupater

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Any installer who can offer a 4KW installation for £5,000 can send me a PM

:rotfl: .... I'll almost guarantee you'll not get the PM this side of the proposed tariff change, but afterwards the target will more likely be closer to £8k than five or twelve ....

As an aside, I'm almost shocked by how close the wording of parts of today's release is to posts made on this forum .... I wonder if someone associated with government is so impressed with the forum that they've decided to simply employ a little plagiarism instead of working for a living .... it's either that or I've unknowingly written considerable parts of whats been published whilst asleep .....

HTH
Z

Nang

KevinG wrote: »

How on earth do you interpret this as FiTs "ending"?

Sorry, I probably should have said this will be interpreted as the beginning of the end for many.

For the investors who will be more reluctant now they see the rules can be changed at the drop of a hat.

As for the public:- well, have you seen how quickly the queue at the theatre dissipates when they run out of the half price tickets.

I mean who wants to be sat next to someone knowing that you paid twice as much.

Yut_Man

"As for the public:- well, have you seen how quickly the queue at the theatre dissipates when they run out of the half price tickets. "

Haha oh so true.

leadbrickuk

does any one know if having solar panels will add or detract from the value of your house? Reduce or increase the saleability ?

Cardew

leadbrickuk wrote: »

does any one know if having solar panels will add or detract from the value of your house? Reduce or increase the saleability ?

Lots of differing views. 'One man's meat is another man's poison'

IMO if PV system is owned, I suspect it will enhance the value slightly, and/or make it more saleable. However the appearance of the panels will put off some people.

Also IMO for Rent-ar Roof properties it will, on balance, have the opposite effect i.e. detract from saleability.

anselld

Cardew wrote: »

if PV system is owned, I suspect it will enhance the value slightly

... particularly if it is owned on the "old" tariff.

sly_dog_jonah

Here's my tuppence on the effect of Solar PV on a house's value. Some of the points below would only be applicable if you'd bought the panels yourself. Indeed there may be more 'negative' points (eg the lease on your roof) if yours is a 'rent-a-roof' system.

The panels themselves will depreciate in value quite quickly, and unlike a car they don't really have any resale value. Therefore you shouldn't think of panels costing £x,000 as automatically putting £x,000 on the value of your house.

The main positive points contributing to the value of the panels to any house buyer will be (in descending order I imagine):

• The income from the Feed-in-tarrif, which of course depends on when the system was registered for FiTs. The benefit of this will vary depending on how much of the 25 years is remaining when you come to sell.
• Electricity savings during daylight hours This will decrease in terms of kWh year on year (due to decreasing efficiency over time) but will almost certainly increase in terms of £'s saved over time due to the upward pressures on electricity prices. The buyer might not be at home in the day as much as you to make the most of this.
• The green credentials of having reduced carbon footprint, better EPC rating, etc.

Conversely, the buyer may look at the panels negatively as follows:

• Visual Impact / Aesthetics.
• Maintenance (replacement of the inverter after 10-15 years)

Our house is a new build and should have gone up from 82 (B) to 90 (A) according to our EPC report, thanks to the panels and greater deployment of low energy bulbs. We are lucky that our panels are on the rear of the house, are arranged neatly on the roof and aren't 'in your face' from the rear garden (as it is relatively small). Our estimation is that the combined effect of the panels and the FIT income will offset our Gas, Electricity and water bills for the foreseeable future. No doubt this will be a powerful selling point if we ever came to sell.

The key to recognising the value of a PV system in the sale price of a property will ultimately be down to the estate agent's ability to market the plus points above. Having documentary evidence of the benefits will no doubt help.

mjm3346

anselld wrote: »

... particularly if it is owned on the "old" tariff.

Only if the "old tariff" continues to transfer to the new owner. Using the tariff that applies at the time of a transfer of ownership would be one way to cut short the need to pay the high tariff for 25 years.