How much as 4kw solar system?

Ferdy147

Hi all,

I'm looking to install a solar panel system with the governments feed in system. I know I've missed the boat a little with this and that the tariff may be reduced now but I think this could still be worthwhile.

Our roof is south facing and would require a 4kw system.

Does anyone know how much this should cost?

Thanks,

Cardew

It seems the going rate, if you haggle, is between £8,000 and £10,000.

new2012

I've just had someone on the phone saying, with grants, that they will install a solar system on my east/west facing roof, the ridge runs north/south, for about £4000 after a 30% grant and I will get between £1,000 and £2,000 back in feed in tariffs.

And I will half my electricity usage.

All this in central Scotland.

Does anyone think this is feasible?

Brummie71

Cardew wrote: »

It seems the going rate, if you haggle, is between £8,000 and £10,000.

Yup, that's quite doable - depends on where you are in the country, to be honest. If you are in one of the more remote parts, then you may have to look further afield for an installer, who might charge you more.

Get three quotes, ask to see previous work and check that they are MCS-registered. http://www.microgenerationcertification.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=10

Cardew

new2012 wrote: »

I've just had someone on the phone saying, with grants, that they will install a solar system on my east/west facing roof, the ridge runs north/south, for about £4000 after a 30% grant and I will get between £1,000 and £2,000 back in feed in tariffs.

And I will half my electricity usage.

All this in central Scotland.

Does anyone think this is feasible?

Pigs might fly as well.

Brummie71

new2012 wrote: »

I've just had someone on the phone saying, with grants, that they will install a solar system on my east/west facing roof, the ridge runs north/south, for about £4000 after a 30% grant and I will get between £1,000 and £2,000 back in feed in tariffs.

And I will half my electricity usage.

All this in central Scotland.

Does anyone think this is feasible?

Is that £1000/£2000 a year or in total? How big in kW is the system that they are offering? Where is this grant coming from?

I don't really have enough information there to answer the question properly, but I'll take a wild stab regardless.

At full price, £6000 should get you a 2-3kW system, but that isn't going to give you £1-2k a year back in Central Scotland and not on an EW orientation. Try something nearer £400 a year plus export tariff.

It probably won't halve your usage either, unless you also get smart with how you use the power.

I'd suggest getting some more quotes from reputable suppliers.

energysavingexp

new2012 wrote: »

I've just had someone on the phone saying, with grants, that they will install a solar system on my east/west facing roof, the ridge runs north/south, for about £4000 after a 30% grant and I will get between £1,000 and £2,000 back in feed in tariffs.

And I will half my electricity usage.

All this in central Scotland.

Does anyone think this is feasible?

dont make me laugh i nearly spilt my tea

i have some magic beans do you want to buy them? ill sell them to you for £5000 and they will grow in to something nice for you:rotfl:

Ferdy147

Thanks for the information so far.

The quotes I've had so far are about £9500 but will keep looking. As I type someone's just e-mailed me saying they could do it for £7500-8000 and they're coming to take a look tomorrow. This is a local installer who I got from the MCS site.

Is there anything I should be asking specifically?

I have questions to ask about warranty and the type of inverter etc....is there anything else I should be asking?

new2012

I'd suggest getting some more quotes from reputable suppliers

I'm not wanting quotes, they phone me, I just keep them on the phone as long as possible.

These are a new type of solar panel that produce electricity just using daylight, they don't need sunlight, according to the person on the phone.

1st

what the panels are

energy

I don't suppose I can name the company on here?

jimjames

new2012 wrote: »

These are a new type of solar panel that produce electricity just using daylight, they don't need sunlight, according to the person on the phone.

Someone is telling you porkies of sorts. While it is technically true that solar panels generate in daylight not just direct sunlight the amounts generated on cloudy days are insignificant.

Total Solar Electricity Generation for Weather Conditions (3kWp panels, S facing roof):

Dull day in December : 0.65 kWh
Sunny day in December : 7.7kWh

So although salesman might say that all you need for solar panels to produce electricity is daylight and that they generate on dull days too, that is only partly true. For maximum generation you do need sun and lots of it.

I would avoid any salesman or company that trys to pull the wool over your eyes with the "only need daylight" line. Also one company try to make out their inverter starts at a lower voltage than anyone else so is far better - again selective truths!

Our 3kWp system was just under £9k in Nov and prices have dropped since then so you should be able to get a similar price for 4kWp.

http://uk-solarpanels.blogspot.com/2011/12/solar-pv-difference-weather-makes-for.html

rogerblack

new2012 wrote: »

I'm not wanting quotes, they phone me, I just keep them on the phone as long as possible.

These are a new type of solar panel that produce electricity just using daylight, they don't need sunlight, according to the person on the phone.

The technical term for this sort of panel is unfortunately filtered out by MSEs swear filter.

While it's true that some solar panels are slightly better in lower light than others, this is much like an argument that syrup is less fattening than cream.
Technically true, but in practice meaningless, and not reflected in the generation figures.
It needs actual direct sun shining on the panels.
Anything else, and you're going to be very lucky to see a tenth of the nominal output.