Official MSE Free Solar Panel guide discussion

Cardew

There are hundreds of posts in the 'Green and ethical' forum on annual output of PV systems, and the PVGIS forecasts seem to be pretty accurate - even exceeded.


Many installers exaggerate the amount of generated electricity that can be used in-house.


In the days of 'super generous FIT' the maximum rate of FIT was for a 4kWp system - not 6kWp - but indeed in Devon it would be perfectly possible to get an income of £1200 pa.


Even if moving panels were allowed, the cost of two sets of scaffolding, 'making good' the old roof, and getting a MCS firm to carry out and certify the work would cost a huge amount.


As for the effect on house value, it is perfectly possible that the panels detract from the value of the property.

tunnel

matchmade wrote: »

My sister and brother-in-law found this too in Devon: they had 6kW installed in the days of the super-generous FIT, so they were making over £1200 a year, but they decided to move house after four years, so effectively made a loss on the deal: all the benefit will go to the new owners. Think of how much capital you would need to generate a tax-free pension income of £1200 a year, and that's how valuable the panels are, yet there was no discernible effect on the house's selling price.

The other factor that put us off Solar PV is the lack of reliable statistics on our likely returns. All the installers could supply us with estimated figures, but they couldn't justify this by reference to any real live users. We are concerned that the figures are like the fuel consumption claims by car manufacturers: figures achieved in perfect conditions that bear no relation at all to real-world ones.

£1200 from a 6kWp system from the super generous FiT days in Devon? Rubbish!! My last quarter payment is nearly £900 and my last extension(WNW) attracts a low rate FiT, giving me an income over £2k a year. If they got the best rate for all the system they should have been looking at nearly double that figure


You can get accurate estimates from this site
http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvgis/apps4/pvest.php#
Real live users are here
http://pvoutput.org/


Look and you shall find, if you're still interested head to the "green and ethical" forum here
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=100

relativestranger

Martyn1981 wrote: »

What's wrong with more than 4kWp? A 5kWp system split 2.5kWp E and 2.5kWp W, run through a 3.68kW capped inverter would be a nice system. In fact 5kWp of 'normal' panels, will probably cost the same as 4kWp of high efficiency panels such as the BenQ 325's, 327's or 330's.

Yes, I know that the FiT will be 10% lower, but going bigger doesn't increase the price proportionately, as there are a lot of fixed costs. So it's a matter of getting quotes, then doing the maths to compare relative ROI's.

Whilst I appreciate that there are issues with going bigger, I'd be extremely concerned about dealing with any company that is unwilling to at least explore all possibilities.




That's not true. Domestic installs with inverters up to, or capped at 3.68kW can be installed without prior notification to the DNO. But you can ask the DNO for permission to exceed that figure (I have permission for 5.9kW). However, you need to get permission, which might not be given, prior to the install.

Apologies for the pedantry, but you refer to kW maximums, then mention hours in the day! Power (kW) can vary from second to second, energy (kWh) will depend on solar levels, and the length of the day, so mixing up kW and kWh (daylight hours) only adds confusion when discussing the relevant rules.

Lastly, welcome and thanks for giving a cost guide of £4,500 to £7,000 I respect that. Many of us on the Green & Ethical board have been trying hard to advise people on the prices they should be aiming for (low £5k's for a simple install, with the odd one hitting £4.5k), but many dodgy firms, usually the type that employ sales teams, often push prices above (well above) £7k.

Mart.

I was attempting to reply to people that are installing a 4kW system where the salesmen use the old line ' this is based on a 4 hour day and we all know there is more than 4 hours in a day so youll get more' spiel.

We tend to find that when it comes to systems you can get easy permission from the DNO for anything up to around 10kW but it should always be checked first. Of course the price range given will change to accomodate more, or more expensive, panels to get that high.

I was indeed oversimplifying to reach a wider knowledge base and a shorter post than would be required to explain every different possibility

Blondboy13

DrCazza wrote: »

Hi, I requested an assessment to see if my new house ( with large roof, south facing) was suitable for panels, the link to the one suggested by MSE asked me to highlight my house on google maps. Unfortunately my house was built in 2007 and still appears as a building site. I did mention in comments that it was visible on street view but was told my roof wasn't suitable. There is no way to appeal this decision. Does anyone know where I can get a company who actually come to view your roof to decide if it is suitable otherwise I am going to find it impossible if companies only make an assessment from information available online. Thanks:)

Try Sustain they are a masive company there web site is sustain-uk.com or call them on 01992 800 666


+44 (0) 1992 800 666

Blondboy13

Briggs_Family wrote: »

I am currently otaining quotes for Solar panels for installation on my house roof. I want to gather a few quotes before purchasing to check the market rates. I have been quoted approx £9,000 for a 16 panel (4kilowatt) system by Caymax. Can anyone tell me if this price is about average, high etc? The salesman who came round mentioned there were a number of panel manufactuerers but these vary in quailty and price. I dont have the money outright to purchase the panels and I am trying to weigh up if it is worth getting a low interest bank loan to help fund purchase of the panels. Any thoughts from people who have been in a similar situation would be appreciated.

Thanks

Shouldent be more than £6k try sustain-uk.com thats were i got the price guide from

Blondboy13

Parahandy wrote: »

Hi all,
I'm looking to get solar panels installed, I've had varying quotes and advice that conflict from several installers.
1 can any one recommend a reputable installer in Scotland
2 is micro investor better than a single inverter
3 is it worth presuming the green deal for I stallion as all the installer I've spoke to try and put you off this deal

Thanks

Installers in scotland taht are good are ASAW or try Sustain-uk.com as they are nation wide.
Dont worry about micro inverter they will install one single unit as this is common place in domestic solar PV
Green deal is ok some solar firms have better financing options though

Blondboy13

cypher007 wrote: »

im thinking of solar early next year, but it seems the government will again see if they can cut the subsidy? soon it wont be worth doing. any ideas what will happen?

FiT rate drops every 6 months if your looking to get solar get in before the rate drops.

Reason for this drop is the equipment is now cheaper than its ever been as a result the FiT does not need to offset the install any more a typical 4kw install sould be no more than £6k. 4kw is big for a house you are more likely to end up with 3kw jope this helps

sheffield_lad

Blondboy13 wrote: »

FiT rate drops every 6 months if your looking to get solar get in before the rate drops.

Reason for this drop is the equipment is now cheaper than its ever been as a result the FiT does not need to offset the install any more a typical 4kw install sould be no more than £6k. 4kw is big for a house you are more likely to end up with 3kw jope this helps

£4500 all in around my area for a 4kw system currently.

sebtomato

Hi,

I live in a block of flat that has a very large flat roof, and is pretty much south facing.

We own the freehold for the block (about half of the leaseholders have paid for a share, the others are paying a rent).

We spend around £5,000 a year in communal electricity.

What would be the best option for installing solar panels?

a) Get the people with the freeholding shares to fund for the installation and get a share of the income (but then all leaseholders would also benefit from the free electricity)?

b) Rent the roof for free, and just get the free electricity? However, I am not sure companies like "A shade greener" would install some large panels on a roof

Thanks

Martyn1981

sebtomato wrote: »

Hi,

I live in a block of flat that has a very large flat roof, and is pretty much south facing.

Hiya. Took a punt at a reply on the other thread:

Martyn1981 wrote: »

Hiya. That's a fun question.

Mart.

PS Can a flat roof be south facing? Then again, can a flat roof not be south facing? :think: