How much money are PVers actually making per year?

busysquirrel

Hi there, I've been reading through the "Solar Panel" threads for the last hour trying to find examples of people who are reaping the benefits of SP... I know you're out there on the MSE forums but I can't find you! Please can you post here your personal anecdotes telling me how much you profit from having Solar Panels installed. .e.g. how much you 'save' or 'make' moneywise per annum.

Incidentally, have just had my first quote (Bristol) South West facing house. £5600. Was told I'd make £760 per year low estimate (i.e. some of that is savings from elec bill and some of that is money paid back for elc generated). So am currently trying to decide!

EricMears

busysquirrel wrote: »

Hi there, I've been reading through the "Solar Panel" threads for the last hour trying to find examples of people who are reaping the benefits of SP... I know you're out there on the MSE forums but I can't find you! Please can you post here your personal anecdotes telling me how much you profit from having Solar Panels installed. .e.g. how much you 'save' or 'make' moneywise per annum.

Incidentally, have just had my first quote (Bristol) South West facing house. £5600. Was told I'd make £760 per year low estimate (i.e. some of that is savings from elec bill and some of that is money paid back for elc generated). So am currently trying to decide!

You probably need to read all of the thousands of postings in the 'Talking about My Generation' thread to find your examples.

Not a great deal of help to you I'm afraid (unless you can fire up Tardis and fit some 4 years ago ) but we (and other early adopters) are collecting just over 50p per unit generated which equates to £1700 /year on our investment of £12,500 (ROI: 14%). Some of the later early adopters will be getting similar receipts on installations where price had dropped to around £8k so that ROI must be nudging 20%

busysquirrel

Wow you lucky people! I guess those kind of profits wouldn't be relevant to someone like me looking at it from the pov of the lower tariff now being offered. So anyone out there doing well having installed Solar Panels in the last year or two? Thanks everyone out there!!

busysquirrel

I can't find that thread you mentioned, can you tell me where it is - "Talking about my generation", as I'm still searching, so sorry. I've tried the advanced search but still can't find it.

EricMears

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=3853851


but N.B, there are 625 pages of it with nearly 12,500 postings. May take you a while to read all of it

zeupater

Hi

Alternatively, feed your details into the PVGIS estimator and multiply the result by whatever FiT tariff you'd be on, then add in something like 25% (? - depends on how hard you work at using your own energy) of that generation at your current electricity unit cost and you'd be somewhere in the right ballpark ...

HTH
Z

jimjames

You can see the generation for a 3kWp south facing roof in Kent here

http://solar-panels-review.321web.co.uk/index.php/yearly-comparison-of-solar-pv

Our panels have been installed for 4 years in November and we're probably about 6-9 months from payback. As above we're on the higher FIT rate and the panels cost just under £9k. Obviously rate is lower now but the cost is too.

This year I think we've been paid £1700 now

Martyn1981

busysquirrel wrote: »

Hi there, I've been reading through the "Solar Panel" threads for the last hour trying to find examples of people who are reaping the benefits of SP... I know you're out there on the MSE forums but I can't find you! Please can you post here your personal anecdotes telling me how much you profit from having Solar Panels installed. .e.g. how much you 'save' or 'make' moneywise per annum.

Incidentally, have just had my first quote (Bristol) South West facing house. £5600. Was told I'd make £760 per year low estimate (i.e. some of that is savings from elec bill and some of that is money paid back for elc generated). So am currently trying to decide!

Hiya, if you look at section 1 of the FAQs, you'll be able to calculate a rough guesstimate based on generation for FiT, export and leccy savings. Possibly around £650(ish).

Mart.

EricMears

busysquirrel wrote: »

Wow you lucky people!

It really wasn't luck ! The scheme was reasonably well advertised and you didn't have to be a financial wizard to realise it offered a considerably better return than keeping money in an ISA.

Perhaps there was an element of luck in finding out after fitting the things that carefully monitoring generation and consumption offered the opportunity to reduce electricity bills by even more than at first expected.

BirnamBear

I got panels in Feb 2012 and I'm on the high fit tariff.I make about £1600 a year,though never total it exactly as we get 3 payments a year from EON.
I monitor my output and this is year four ending in Feb 2016 and there is no degradation in panel output.I generate 3,000 kw each year approx.
A great investment imho which will pay for themselves after 6 years post install,then 19 years of the fit tariff going into my pocket.

Would say it is highly important to have them installed by a reputable company,there seems to be many fly by nights doing it now who were not about and when had it done.

evomatt

Ive just done a year 4kw system cost £4500 not including the iboost
Generated 4133 x 16.7p = £690
Used 884 on household stuff at 11p = £97
Total roi £787 or 17.5% Iboost took 1142
Exported 2107