Solar Panel and crazy costs..why?

cem

***Solar Panels for Electricity***

Who are our resident expert please?

Why are they so expensive to buy and fit? (Seen costs of £12k - £20k for a 4 bed mid terraced property)

Is it the material cost or the labour that is expensive?

Why could one just not one get the panels shipped over from China to save costs?

Do you need qualification to fit the panels?

[Deleted User]

On my rounds I ve met many people who have installed them theirselves, some even putting them up on sheds. Many buy them on ebay.They add to the 4kw limit for the FIT

reeac

I have a feeling that the National Grid require a qualified electrician if connecting to their system.

alderpoint

cem wrote: »

Why are they so expensive to buy and fit? (Seen costs of £12k - £20k for a 4 bed mid terraced property)

Those prices sound a tad expensive. We paid about £10k in May '12 and prices have generally dropped substantially since then. Size of house is irrelevant, it's how many panels and how easy to install which dictates the price.

Is it the material cost or the labour that is expensive?

Biggest cost is that of scaffolding erection and dismantling.

Why could one just not one get the panels shipped over from China to save costs?

Well you could.

Do you need qualification to fit the panels?

To get the Feed-in-Tarriff you need to have them fitted by an approved installer.

Martyn1981

cem wrote: »

***Solar Panels for Electricity***

Who are our resident expert please?

Why are they so expensive to buy and fit? (Seen costs of £12k - £20k for a 4 bed mid terraced property)

Is it the material cost or the labour that is expensive?

Why could one just not one get the panels shipped over from China to save costs?

Do you need qualification to fit the panels?

Hiya, pop on the Green & Ethical board and ask for suggestions of installers in your area. Prices are a 'unreliable' at the moment as there is a rush on due to the government's plans to cut the subsidy in Jan (or so).

However, a good price to aim for, for 4kWp (16 'normal' panels) is about £5k (£4.5k to £6k).

As the systems are connected to the grid, they do have to be installed by a qualified individual, otherwise the DNO (district network operator) won't approve their connection. Also, to receive the FiT subsidy the install has to be MCS approved.

Mart.