From 4kW @ 10.2k to (hopefully) reasonable quotes!

pinnks

I have the Immersun diverter. For the first year it was on my 3500Wp WSW 40 degree roof and provided good hot water in the summer months and helped a bit in the winter. For the past 11 months it has been on the combined 5250Wp system, with the additional 1750Wp facing SSE. it now provides hot water for nearly two thirds of winter days as well as the summer.


Last autumn I also decided to feed a 2kW oil radiator. When the water is hot any spare leccy helps take the chill off the living room but that is about as far as space heating goes. Not all excess gets into the radiator as its thermostat turns it off once hot.


Anyway, in the 18 months to 31 December 2014, and based on my actual leccy costs for each month in that period, it "saved" me £120. So, as Mart says, about £80 per year. We are only two people, and shower, not bath, so you might squeeze a bit more out of a diverter if you're lucky.


Gary

KevinG

1961Nick wrote: »

Baseline 16p per kWh increasing at 14% pa for the next 20 years!:rotfl:

Gives £2.20/kWh in 20 years time.

cool_techie

First of all, thanks for the invaluable advice provided by you all. On basis of your recommendations, I have contacted 4 installers, 3 of whom have now quoted (2 quotes each). 4th will be visiting on Monday. As expected, the quotes are in a wide range based on the panel and Inverter used.

The good news is, they are nowhere as high as the 10.2k quoted by https://www.fundedsolar.org. Also, all seemed like reasonable people to deal with, as in no pressure tactics, deadlines, 2 days only schemes etc.

So now,the tough choice of selecting the installer and quote begins. So here are the numbers, as i received:

Supplier 1 (3.5 kW or 3.99kW with a 14 panel system.)

Inverter - Solax
Mounting system - Schletter /K2
Monitoring system - Free App Monitoring Solax 25 Years
Solar iBoost

Quote 1: 14 panels of 833 Eternity mono black 250W generating 3192 kwH/annum - £5650 incl. VAT

Quote 2: 14 panels of Sun edison mono black 285W generating 3638.88 kwH/annum - £6295 incl. VAT

====================

Supplier 2 (4kW with a 14 panel system.)

Inverter - Solis Twin tracker Inverter (adjustable voltage start-up)
Mounting system - Schletter
Monitoring system - Geo II
Solar iBoost

Quote 1: 14 panels of Seraphim 285 watt mono generating 3487 kwH/annum - £6600 incl. VAT

Quote 2: 14 panels of LG black 285W generating 3487 kwH/annum - £5950 incl. VAT

=====================

Supplier 3 (4 kW with a 16 panel system.)

Inverter - SMA 4000TL (with ethernet connection to Modem)
Mounting system - Renusol
Monitoring system - Geo II
Solar iBoost

Quote 1: 16 panels of Canadian solar mono black 250W generating 3737 kwH/annum - £5450 incl. VAT

Quote 2: 16 panels of Sharp Poly (ND-R250A5) 250W generating 3737kwH/annum - £4750 incl. VAT

----
Any recommendations/advice/views, based on the above please?

Also, the supplier 3 mentioned that, Poly panels have now been proven to be more suited to the English cloudy weather and that, since all the panels will be going at the back of the house, it would not matter whether they are Black or silver. Hence he quoted for Sharp poly panels.

Thanks & Regards,
S

tunnel

cool_techie wrote: »

First of all, thanks for the invaluable advice provided by you all. On basis of your recommendations, I have contacted 4 installers, 3 of whom have now quoted (2 quotes each). 4th will be visiting on Monday. As expected, the quotes are in a wide range based on the panel and Inverter used.

The good news is, they are nowhere as high as the 10.2k quoted by www.fundedsolar.org. Also, all seemed like reasonable people to deal with, as in no pressure tactics, deadlines, 2 days only schemes etc.

So now,the tough choice of selecting the installer and quote begins. So here are the numbers, as i received:

Supplier 1 (3.5 kW or 3.99kW with a 14 panel system.)

Inverter - Solax
Mounting system - Schletter /K2
Monitoring system - Free App Monitoring Solax 25 Years
Solar iBoost

Quote 1: 14 panels of 833 Eternity mono black 250W generating 3192 kwH/annum - £5650 incl. VAT

Quote 2: 14 panels of Sun edison mono black 285W generating 3638.88 kwH/annum - £6295 incl. VAT

====================

Supplier 2 (4kW with a 14 panel system.)

Inverter - Solis Twin tracker Inverter (adjustable voltage start-up)
Mounting system - Schletter
Monitoring system - Geo II
Solar iBoost

Quote 1: 14 panels of Seraphim 285 watt mono generating 3487 kwH/annum - £6600 incl. VAT

Quote 2: 14 panels of LG black 285W generating 3487 kwH/annum - £5950 incl. VAT

=====================

Supplier 3 (4 kW with a 16 panel system.)

Inverter - SMA 4000TL (with ethernet connection to Modem)
Mounting system - Renusol
Monitoring system - Geo II
Solar iBoost

Quote 1: 16 panels of Canadian solar mono black 250W generating 3737 kwH/annum - £5450 incl. VAT

Quote 2: 16 panels of Sharp Poly (ND-R250A5) 250W generating 3737kwH/annum - £4750 incl. VAT

----
Any recommendations/advice/views, based on the above please?

Also, the supplier 3 mentioned that, Poly panels have now been proven to be more suited to the English cloudy weather and that, since all the panels will be going at the back of the house, it would not matter whether they are Black or silver. Hence he quoted for Sharp poly panels.

Thanks & Regards,
S

My choice would be installer 3
Your choice is whether you want nice black panels or silver framed panels(I have them on back of house(sharp 245Wp panels)), do you have a long garden and would it upset you looking at silver frames?(doesn't bother me...they're earning money)
What I don't get is why the first 2 installers are quoting 14 panel set-ups, are you squeezed for space up there? would the 16 panel setup be close to the roof edges? If not, go for the cheaper 16 panel rather than paying a premium for higher wattage panels that aren't necessary. Damn £4750 is a good price with the iboost thrown in...and monitor, damn...wish I had more roof space!!

pw22

My choice would also be installer 3 - I have Canadian Solar and SMA - both the prices quoted by installer 3 are good and I agree with Tunnel that there is no need to pay the premium for 285 panels if you can fit 16

cool_techie

Thanks tunnel & pw22,

I'm veering towards Installer 3 as well, since the Inverter is American whilst Installer 2 has quoted everything based on Chinese stuff.

However, what concerns me is that the 4750 price is for Poly panels. All the rest are for Mono Black panels. Should this indeed be a cause for concern?

I have asked installer 3 to provide me dimensions for assurance that he can indeed fit 16 panels on the roof.

pw22,
Special thanks to you. Installer 3 is the one recommended by you.

Regards,
S

pw22

Cool techie - just glad you managed to get some decent prices. I don't understand how companies still get away with charging 10k plus.

I can reassure that if you do go with installer 3, then they will do a good job for you

cool_techie

pw22 wrote: »

Cool techie - just glad you managed to get some decent prices. I don't understand how companies still get away with charging 10k plus.

I can reassure that if you do go with installer 3, then they will do a good job for you

Thanks pw22. What is your view on the Mon vs Poly panel debate?

"However, what concerns me is that the 4750 price is for Poly panels. All the rest are for Mono Black panels. Should this indeed be a cause for concern? "

Tunnel,
Silver frames are not a concern for me, since the panels are going at the back of my house. Only query is whether to go for the Poly panels or stick to Mono?

Roof orientation is SE.

Thanks & Regards,
S

pw22

I am no expert and there seem to be various views when you search on the internet. In my opinion panels are panels and many nowadays come with the same warranty for performance over 20/25 years. Maybe that is too simple a view.

When we purchased our system, we wanted to make sure that we have a good inverter (something which had a decent reputation in the market place) and the SMA brand provided that for us.

Martyn1981

cool_techie wrote: »

Also, the supplier 3 mentioned that, Poly panels have now been proven to be more suited to the English cloudy weather and that, since all the panels will be going at the back of the house, it would not matter whether they are Black or silver. Hence he quoted for Sharp poly panels.

Thanks & Regards,
S

I've got silver frames with silver grids on the back, but black frames with black faces on the front, or stealth panels as Wifey once called em.

I think the black on blacks (BoBs) look really cool, but I couldn't justify any extra money if looks don't matter. Also, and this is slightly out there, but there is the argument that BoBs will suffer more from heat. There efficiency drop (check the specs) should be the same, but will a black panel absorb more heat than a silver panel, thereby suffering a greater drop off - think touching a silver or black car that's been in the sun. Not sure this is true, but it's certainly feasible.

Regarding poly v's mono, if you can get a definitive answer then please, please, please come back and let me (us) know. This has been a hot topic since PV discussions began, and nobody seems to know for sure - suggesting it may not be an issue.

Poly's used to be lower efficiency, so more space was needed, but they cost a little less which balances out any economic argument. Given the significant price difference, and the fact that the installer can be recommended, I'd also go for installer 3 and the poly's. Doesn't mean I'm right, but that would be my gut decision.

Mart.

PS £10,200 down to £4,750 in 1 week, I think MSE PV'ers should feel pretty chuffed. M.