Solar PV quote from Hanergy at IKEA

Fred_Bear_2

Because I live in a conservation area and because of shading I can only use my West facing (85deg from South) roof. Slope is 30deg. Area is limited, but I could fit 2.88kWp of Panasonic or Sunpower panels. My roof has natural slates.
A neighbour recommended Ardenham Energy but they have now withdrawn from small domestic installs to concentrate on larger commercial systems.
I called in at IKEA in Lakeside for a quote. Hanergy use 'thin film CIS/CIGS' German-made Solibro SL2 panels, but these only produce 120W from an area approx 800mm x 1200mm. From my measurements Hanergy hope to squeeze in 18 panels for 2.16kWp. They estimate annual generation of 1752 kWh. The price is £4800 subject to a site survey.
I thought the 'salesman' did a good job and there was no hard sell but I have a few main concerns:
1. I have to pay for a site survey before specifications and prices are confirmed. This will cost me £100 and is non-refundable, but does include an EPC.
2. The SMA Sunny Boy inverter is not on the approved list on Solibro's website. Hanergy could not explain this but just insisted that the SMA inverter was top quality.
3. The inverter has a 5 year warranty. The cheapest replacement price I have found is £1000 + installation. I asked Hanergy about an extended warranty. They said it wasn't worth it as the inverter would probably cost only £300 in 5 years time.
4. Hanergy guarantee that the system will produce at least 80% of the quoted annual generation for the first 5 years (adjusted by the amount of sunshine). Is this a reasonable guarantee?
5. The panels are guaranteed to output at least 80% of their quoted output for 25 years. The Sunpower guarantee seems to be 87% after 25 years.
6. Hanergy subcontract to Solar Century who in turn use local subcontractors for the actual installation. Is this any concern? Presumably I would only have to deal with Hanergy if I had problems.

Is there anything else I should be worried about?
Any advice appreciated.

Fred

mac2008

I really don't like the idea of having to pay for a survey for them to confirm their own quote, particuarly if non-refundable.

Whilst the Renewable Energy Association code of practice (RECC) (which Hanergy do subscribe to) doesn't prevent charging for surveys, they do say:

"Members should carry out, and pay for, a technical site survey, if possible before the consumer signs the contract. If a member does make a charge for carrying out a site survey, then the cost of this must be reasonable in the circumstances, and a written survey report must be provided to the consumer. Members must make the consumer aware of this cost, and under what circumstances it will be refunded. They should not carry out a site survey if they have established that a property is clearly unsuitable from preliminary conversations."

Remember EPCs are valid for 10 years - if you've bought the property recently, you might already have a valid one.

I also don't like the idea of this company subbing out to a local company, that then subs out. I'd be reading their T&C's very closely. And regardless, the more links in this chain, the more likely you are to end up with problems, IMO.

The rest sounds ok, but I'd be obtaining at least two other quotations before even paying for their survey. Regarding inverter warranties, that is obviously their opinion and nothing more. However, many inverter manufacturers give longer warranties of 10 years as standard.

Mac

purplesheila

hello Fred Bear - How did you get on with your Solar, have you gone with the Ikea ones. We are looking now

Fred_Bear_2

Hello Sheila.
This is where I am now:
If my roof was large I may have gone with IKEA.
But my available roof is not large and is hipped i.e. not rectangular.
1. I rejected the IKEA/Hanergy quote mainly because they were only able to fit in 18 x 120w panels giving 2.16kWp.
2. My EPC is only E and I am increasing it to D by fitting more roof insulation. I am in the process of installing solid wall insulation to improve things even further.
3. I think I can fit 12 x 240w Panasonic panels, giving 2.88kWp.
If it is possible to fit panels in both landscape and portrait mode I think I could squeeze in 11 x 327w Sunpower panels giving 3.6kWp. I would be very happy with that, but it will probably cost.
When I have finished the present section of wall insulation I will start getting some quotes.

lstar337

Fred_Bear wrote: »

If it is possible to fit panels in both landscape and portrait mode I think I could squeeze in 11 x 327w Sunpower panels giving 3.6kWp.

I have seen plenty of arrays near me with a mixture of panels in landscape and portrait.

Fruit_and_Nut_Case

Fred_Bear wrote: »

3. I think I can fit 12 x 240w Panasonic panels, giving 2.88kWp.
If it is possible to fit panels in both landscape and portrait mode I think I could squeeze in 11 x 327w Sunpower panels giving 3.6kWp.

lstar337 wrote: »

I have seen plenty of arrays near me with a mixture of panels in landscape and portrait.

I have 12 portrait and 4 landscape and have had no problem with that.

Gilsey

We decided to go with Hanergy/IKEA for our solar panels as it all seemed so straight forward.
The surveyor was useless, he didnt see the earth bonding so we had to take pictures and send them on, he miscalculated the size of the roof, and wrongfully identified where the cabling could go, that was even before we started.
Today was the Installation day but as of yesterday, we hadn't been told when the scaffolding was to be erected, but they just turned up at 8.30am and put it up. Today the installers arrived, and Oh Dear, we couldn't fit as many panels as we were told, the Inverter couldn't go in the roof space as arranged, the cabling needed to be the more expensive indoor type, etc etc, the issues were so big that they eventually said oh we cant do it today now, so I have been left waiting for 5 hours for a call back that I was told would be within an hour to rearrange, e-mails sent and not answered, and don't even get me started on the Hanergy Portal, where you should find everything you need- Rubbish, its never updated and any queries you send in on there do not get answered.

My final verdict, they may be cheap, but avoid them like the plague, useless customer service and they haven't even been installed yet!
God help me if anything goes wrong with them.

Pay a bit more and get someone who knows what they are doing.

chris329a

I considered it but when the salesman started telling me that their panels are more efficient than all the rest alarm bells started ringing. When i challenged him on other things he couldn't back it up. In the end I thought very carefully and decided that as it is an electrical installation I should look for a good electrician. This proved invaluable as I know all the cabling is routed very well and will last. Also I have one point of contact should anything go wrong. His work is guaranteed for 10 years and even this is backed by insurance. Other companies quoted less without even seeing the house! Get as many quotes as you can (I recommend three visits to your house minimum) and the quality people will show through - they will answer your questions without leading you to the one THEY want. Hope that helps.

ChopperST

I would ALWAYS get several quotes from reputable local installers who take pride in their work.

The PV section of electriciansforums.co.uk is full of PV companies who are clearly passionate about their work and will recommend installers in a particular area.

ed110220

I think these Hanergy panels Ikea use are a poor choice for most UK homes because they're unusually low in efficiency, so you need to cover a larger area with them to get the same amount of power. Most UK homes have relatively limited usable roof space.

Ikea are giving figures for a 'typical' semi-detached house of 2.88 kW, but I think the typical semi-detached house should be able to fit closer to 4 kW using better panels.

Using their example of Maidstone in Kent 2.88 kW of PV should give 2960 kWh/year earning £496 in FIT + export tariff. If you managed to squeeze 4 kW of better panels on you should get 4111 kWh/year earning £689.

Ed

organum

Interesting that IKEA should be so wedded to what the FT and others think a dubious business with questionable technology.

I went to Hanergy as they were in my local IKEA and a provisional quote arrived quickly. Pay £100 and we'll firm this up etc etc.

Since they said that this included an EPC I queried why a paid for EPC was necessary at this stage. No reply despite phoning so I wrote them off as being a questionable supplier.

Since then my planet whose salesman insisted on selling a pricey system on the spot and Then Green Energy NW Ltd who put together a great quote, always answered questions, had a great surveyor but kept asking for a bank transfer. I insisted on a credit card but all kinds of excuses as to why they could not do a cc. Then I find out that they are suspended from MCS approval so cannot install for six weeks minimum and in any case are registered as being in VA at Companies House.

The whole business of solar seems so dodgy.