StayBrite Solar quote 3kw system £9K

EricMears

redvix4 wrote: »

1 - I haven't offered any advice. I've asked a question.
2 - No need to be rude.
3 - Thank you for the advice re the mortgage company, hadn't crossed my mind, I'll email them now.

My concern is this, I buy a system. After January, a lot of these small limited companies providing a good price, won't exist. If I have a problem with my system, who do I contact to resolve it?
Victoria

I'm not sure what you took to be 'rude' ! I simply rephrased your question: "have you accepted the (outrageous !) staybrite quotation" to show how it would probably be interpreted by the person to whom it was addressed. Any 'rudeness' would lie in even suggesting that he might have been that silly.

And I'm afraid that - like Littlevoice - I interpreted the words he/she quoted as 'advice'. As a new member you probably don't realise just how many posts we see here from a first time poster recommending what is probably their own company. It's perhaps unfortunate that your post was phrased just like one of them.

A mortgage extension is almost always the cheapest way for a home owner to borrow and fitting SPs must surely qualify as a home improvement for which they usually claim to give priority.

Any of the small companies that are worth considering will have realised that customers might perceive them to be a risk and would therefore be offering an insurance company backed warranty - in which case any claims arising after the installers had vanished should be addressed to the insurance company.

zeupater

redvix4 wrote: »

.... Re the loan Staybrite offer, i havn't been able to find any other lender who will lend at such a low APR for 10 years. They're part of the Zenith Group, which means they'll still be there when the 'gold rush' is over. I've been checking some solar companies on duedil and their financial business stats aren't good for longevity post the gold rush.
...

Hi

In addition to the comments in the posts above, what seems to have been missed is the hugely inflated initial base cost before loan interest is applied .... if you take a 'fully financed' cost over 10 years and work back to a typical current buy price you'll be able to see what kind of (maximum) interest rate you'd be able to target and still get a better deal ..... for example, in the original post on this thread the total cost over 10 years would be close to £12k for a 3kWp system - if you bought a similar spec system for ~£5k (which should be pretty easy for a 3kWp system) from an alternative installer the comparative APR to match the overall cost would be somewhere around 20% ....

Don't you just love the way that information manipulation is utilised by marketing departments and simply despair at the number of people who continually fall into complex numerical traps without even considering basic logic ....

HTH
Z

redvix4

Thank you all for your comments.
As I'm time poor, can I pick up on your experience?
I want a top quality product, I will have to finance, therefore I need an insurance/service package or take the easy option and lease my roof space.

1 - Have any of you bought an annual insurance/service package for your system in the event of breakdown, new inverter, panel etc? If yes, who is the insurance provider.
2 - I was quoted a 4kw, 16 panel system, pilkington self-cleaning glass, Romag RSM6 (60) (module efficiency 15.9%), have any of you bought or had a quote for a similar spec and how much was it?

Thanks for your help - Victoria

tunnel

redvix4 wrote: »

2 - I was quoted a 4kw, 16 panel system, pilkington self-cleaning glass, Romag RSM6 (60) (module efficiency 15.9%), have any of you bought or had a quote for a similar spec and how much was it?

A 4kWp system should set you back between £4500 and £5500 and I've personally overseen at least 3 installations for family and friends at under £5k.

You need to get out and get some quotes rather than repeatedly asking how much everyone else paid. Once you have some quotes then post the results up here and they'll get picked over for you.

Unfortunately only you can decide what's best for you, whether that's "free" panels or ones paid for by yourself, by the way..I have 3 different types of panels installed and am happy with them all.

Martyn1981

redvix4 wrote: »

Thank you all for your comments.
As I'm time poor, can I pick up on your experience?
I want a top quality product, I will have to finance, therefore I need an insurance/service package or take the easy option and lease my roof space.

1 - Have any of you bought an annual insurance/service package for your system in the event of breakdown, new inverter, panel etc? If yes, who is the insurance provider.
2 - I was quoted a 4kw, 16 panel system, pilkington self-cleaning glass, Romag RSM6 (60) (module efficiency 15.9%), have any of you bought or had a quote for a similar spec and how much was it?

Thanks for your help - Victoria

Hello Victoria and welcome.

I think the problem here is that you asked for a top quality product. Well ..... what's a top quality product? It's not a trick question, I don't know?

Do you think those Romag panels at 15.9% are top quality, as the efficiency is average, and what makes a panel top quality?

How about the inverter - many salesman claiming they only install top quality will probably quote for a German SMA inverter, but for 2/3 the price you could have a Samil inverter (from China) which has a 10 year warranty (compared to SMA's 5yr) and be slightly more efficient. [Note, the SMA units tend to have slightly better shade management software, if shading is a concern.]

So it's very hard to discuss 'top quality' when that term is usually only used by salesmen trying to justify an enormous mark up on the kit they are selling, and why Mrs Jones next door got a perfectly good install, with the same output for £3k less.

Regarding finance, if you have to take that route, then it makes sense to me that you want to pay as little as possible, since the finance costs will amplify any extra you pay. Hence why it's so important to clarify what 'top quality' actually is, and whether it actually exists.

Regarding service package for breakdowns, as mentioned earlier on the thread, I'd make sure your installer warranty is insurance backed so you don't have to pay for call outs. The main components of your system will be the inverter and panels, these will have lengthy warranties, probably 5 to 10yrs. If those components are covered, and so is labour, then you won't need a service package if something goes wrong. However, fingers crossed, there is very little that can go wrong with PV, so other than paying for a replacement inverter sometime in the next 20 years, you might not incur any costs.

Mart.

Slickric21

redvix4 wrote: »

Hi slickrick, did you decide whether to use Staybrite? I've been comparing against other solar companies and also free installations, I'd be interested to know who you've decide to use?
Re the loan Staybrite offer, i havn't been able to find any other lender who will lend at such a low APR for 10 years. They're part of the Zenith Group, which means they'll still be there when the 'gold rush' is over. I've been checking some solar companies on duedil and their financial business stats aren't good for longevity post the gold rush.
What progress have you made? - Victoria

Hello there.

No I most definatley didn't sign up with Staybrite. Here are the reasons:

Massively overpriced. ~ £9500 for 12 panel 3kW system. After reading, researching and asking around I should be looking nearer half that price.

No evidence anywhere to support their claims that the UK produced Romag 235w panels are better than 'far eastern' panels that the Staybrite saleman slated.

Entu Plc this great company that was going from strength to strength and soon to be in the top 200 in the FTSE (according to the rep):rotfl: is actually in free fall according to their share price, and they have already announced that they are pulling out of Solar altogther (Google it !!!)
Where does that leave Staybrite and their amazing safe warranty ?...... No gurantees Staybite will be around any longer than the competition.

As for 4.6% APR finance deal, yeah not bad, but when the product is costing 80-100% more than a competing quote.... its pointless.
For eg Staybrite 3kW system at £9430 over 10 years @ 4.6% = £11,782.35
Lets say a more reasonable quote for a larger 4kW system comes in at £6000 with 9% APR over 10 years = £9,120.66 = Still much cheaper than Staybrite and will generate more income aswell !!

Personally I have registered my interest for 'Norfolk Solar Together' as recommedned by a previous poster.... I hope that they will get another scheme in place before the FIT cut happens.
If not I will probably leave it althogether now tbh I cant be doing with the hassle and worry of it all i dont think.

redvix4

Thanks Slickrick.
I too have registered with Norfolk Solar, but have also requested a visit from a shade greener who lease your roof - that may be a better option for me as installed at no financial risk to me.
Thanks to everyone for your feedback, much appreciated :T

EricMears

redvix4 wrote: »

Thanks Slickrick.
I too have registered with Norfolk Solar, but have also requested a visit from a shade greener who lease your roof - that may be a better option for me as installed at no financial risk to me.
Thanks to everyone for your feedback, much appreciated :T

Not so sure about the "no risk" bit - there have been reports of potential sales of houses with RaR schemes falling through when mortgage companies took exception to someone else having a charge on the property.

Also, you don't get a lot of financial benefit from such schemes - just the free use of generated electricity which unless you work very hard at it is unlikely to be worth more than a couple of hundred pounds a year.