Advice on solar panel quotes please?

wr_uk

Hi Need a bit of advice.
Been looking into Solar panels over the last week trying to see if its worthwhile or not. had 3 people out already offering different systems & spec and different prices and although I’ve learnt a bit more about the systems. I perhaps more confused about if I’m getting a good deal or not.

Our Estimated annual consumption is 3950kWh
Rear of the house SE direction 60 deg from south
40 deg incline from horizontal
postcode region 11


Quotes I received are below.

First quote was from Project solar, It all sounded great and I did actually put £100 deposit down. But thinking about its that evening and not really knowing too much about solar I decided to cancel the very next morning as I wanted to look into it more and get some other quotes. Project solar Head office rang shortly after i cancelled to ask why I had done so. First of all I though the price was expensive and I wanted to see what other deals were around. Within another 20mins the called back with another offer (Quote 2) better spec but cheaper price which immediately made me suspicious. I said I would think about and see what other had to offer. He said he would call back in a weeks time (which will be tomorrow)

Second guy was from EEC (Quote 3) Said he could 20 black mono panels 10 from and 10 back @ 5kw He said the more energy we make the more we can sell back.

Third guy was from Ideal Solar (Quote 4) Added extra is a battery Which he said usually is used to power the lighting circuit on an evening

Quote 1
Project Solar
Multi 12 Evolution Life 250 Solar Panels (Life time Performance & build Warranty) Limited) (Fitted to rear roof)
3kW
Solax Single Tracker Inverter (Lifetime)
Volt Doctor Unit (Lifetime (limited)
Boiler Doctor Unit (2 Years)
£9300

Quote 2
Project Solar
Mono 12 Evolution Max Life 285 Solar Panels (Life time Performance & build Warranty) Limited) (Fitted to rear roof)
3.43kW
Solax Single Tracker Inverter (Lifetime)
Volt Doctor Unit (Lifetime (limited)
Boiler Doctor Unit (2 Years)
£7658



Quote 3
EEC Home Improvements
20 Seraphim Mono Black Solar 25o Panels to front & back of house (Fitted to 10 to rear & 10 to front roof)
5kW
Cant make out exactly what the Inverter is called (bad hand writing)
£6995


Quote 4
Ideal Solar
14 Mono Seraphim 250 Solar Panels (Fitted to rear roof)
3.5kW
Solis Inverter
Volt Doctor Unit
Boiler Unit
Battery
£9902
But said he could do a special offer if I bought today at
£8999



As the salesmen were shooting holes in each others claims I’m not sure what the best way forward might be.

And just to stir thing up I have another company coming tomorrow CTS Renewables. I made the appointment through filling out details on a solar comparison site an independent guy from the site called me back to gain a few details. I was expelling to him the quotes I have had and he says the are was too much for what I would need. He said for a 12 panel system all in couple be from £3500 up. He said what I should be looking to do is try to generate enough just for our home usage as selling back to the grid isn’t cost effect when you offset the cost of the extra panels agains what you get back for selling the energy.

I want to believe this guy but based on the other figures I have £3500 seem a really low figure… too good to be true.

Am I better off going for as many panels as I can fit on my roof generating more energy?
Can I generate more energy by having panels on back and front as the sum moves around the front of the house casting the rear in shade after around 2pm in summer?
Should I be looking just to generate enough just to cover our house hold consumption?

What sort of system spec and price should I be looking at for a decent system?

Sorry for the long post but its starting to get really confusing

Thanks

Martyn1981

Hiya and welcome.

Quick thoughts. The Project Solar prices are insane, stay well clear. They are starting to ring alarm bells, as I think they may be using sales tricks, such as over-inflated leccy savings to sell their deals.

Here's a recent (but short thread on them).

Project solar experiences..???

and another, again with a 'stupid' price, and utterly insane leccy savings perhaps 5-10 times reality.

Solar Panel Quote Advice


Quote 3 is a bit better, but a lower price would still be nice.

The £3.5k for 3kWp price is good. It's not impossible, and if they could do 5kWp for £5k then that would be great.

I'd disagree about the rationale of limiting size to your consumption, as going bigger costs proportionately less, and you'll still get the FiT and export subsidies. But don't worry, later on we can estimate the various incomes/savings, then divide them back into the prices, to see how they compare.


Can I suggest you start by having a read of the PV FAQs (sections 1 & 2) and a very recent thread. That should give you all the basics and a good idea on the arguments for size and cost expectations.

Then ask away anything you need to know.

Mart.

wr_uk

Thanks Martyn, I'll take a look through those links but it might be this evening. I have another guy coming out around lunch time today. Then no doubt I will be a I will be getting call backs later of all the people ive had quotes from.

tunnel

When you've got the rest of your quotes in post them on here and someone will look over them.
Don't be put off by the prices quoted from CTS either. They've done countless installs for numerous forum members...myself included.
I'd certainly recommend them as I'm sure many others on here would.

EricMears

Martyn1981 wrote: »

I'd disagree about the rationale of limiting size to your consumption, as going bigger costs proportionately less, and you'll still get the FiT and export subsidies

I would agree that it would be a good idea to limit the size of your installation to your likely consumption.

However, the likely consumption I would work on is the very highest you'd ever expect to use (think Xmas day with oven on, all rings in use, putting a load through dishwasher and maybe even a load of washing - that might easily come to 20 or even 30 kW. And of course Xmas Day is pretty near the Winter Equinox when a typical 4kWp roof would be struggling to generate 1 kW. My 'advisory limit' would thus become something like 80kWp (and you'd need a very big roof to fit that on ! ).

rugbyleaguesmate

What tunnel says is very correct.......my connection with them is they fitted my system and I was delighted how I was managed as a customer........

wr_uk

OK last quote came in this morning from CTS renewables. No sales spiel, just straight to the point. They actually gave me a few options.

Pitch 35 deg
60 deg off south

All inverters and panels with 10Yrs Warranty (option 20 Yrs for £440 on the inverter)

CTS Renewable
Option A
14 x Mono JA 270W All Black Panel
3.78kW
Solis 3.6 Dual MPPT inverter
£4435

Option B
14 x Mono JA 270W All Black Panel
3.78kW
Solaredge SE-3500 inverter
With Optimisers
£5480

Option C
14 Solarworld SW285 All Black
3.99kW
Zeversolar Evershine TL3680 inverter
£4930

Option D
14 x Solarworld SW285 All Black
3.99kW
Solaredge SE-3680 inverter
With Optimisers
£5489

Option E
14 x JA Solar Smart Module Mono AB
3.92kW
Solaredge SE-3500 inverter
With Optimisers
£5396

tunnel

Do you have any idea of the rough sizes of your roof? W x D? It'll give us a better idea of the total number of panels you can get up there as there seems to be a discrepancy between the installers as to how many will actually fit.
Nice prices from CTS by the way, nice to know a 4kWp system can still be had with a figure starting with a 4.

wr_uk

I would say that CTS are the most accurate with panel numbers as he actually got his ladders out and measured. Ive just quickly measured heres the link with the measurements

s468.photobucket.com/user/wr_uk/media/IMG_2148_zpscwzdd1qb.jpg.html

tunnel

You have the height at 4m, is that the actual length of that dimension. I ask as panels are normally 1m wide. If the roof is "only" 4m then the panels are gonna be mighty close to the top and bottom....yet your drawing shows them shy of the apex.
Do I assume the roof is more like 4.5m?
Plus, what are the panels surrounding? An air vent, velux window or flue pipe?
Also with the chimney where it is you may be better looking at solaredge for shade management as you'll probably get some mid-late afternoon.

wr_uk

The panel layout is what CTS mocked up. ... it doesnt seem to display the roof measuremenst anywhere in there documentation. The measurements you see are my measurements all measurements apart from the roof slope should be good as i measured from inside the attic up on side of the roof so assume it is 4.5m. Yes thats a flue pipe. SolarEdge with the optimiser right?