Solar panels?

elliep_2

I've been offered some free solar panels, purchased by a family member before he became sick and stored in a garage for approx 8 years, never installed. They come with an inverter but not all of the wiring needed to install them.

If I take them, then I'll need to pay someone to install them at my house. Half of my roof is south facing, an area over 11.5m x 3m of the house so I guess about 50m2 of actual roof space.

I'm not sure how to go about finding someone who can fit them, I've contacted my usual electrician and am awaiting a response.

Does anyone know roughly how much I might be expected to pay for installation of solar panels that I already own?

How much better are modern solar panels? i.e. is it worth installing 8 year old panels I can get for free? or would it be more sensible to pay for new panels and install them if I'm going to do anything at all? 

Thank you to anyone who can advise me

Edit - they are Risen SPY200S-M panels https://www.renugen.co.uk/content/Solar_Panel_Brochures_part_4/Solar Panel Brochures part 4/risen_energy_brochure/risen_energy_syp200-245s.pdf

ComicGeek

8 x 200Wp, so absolutely maximum peak output of 1.6kWp - depending on where you are in the country, maximum annual output of 1440 kWh. If you manage to use 75% while it's producing electricity, then you might save £170/yr.

I've just had 12 existing panels refitted on my house, with scaffolding, new rails and cabling between them (but inverter left in place) - cost was £1600. On that basis you might get a payback in 10 years (or slightly shorter if elec prices keep going up, or if you can use more of it) - you might get a few more years out of the system before you have to think about replacing panels/inverter, expected system life is normally around 25 years.

There's no feed in tariffs anymore for photovoltaic systems. Absolutely no benefit in buying new panels.

elliep_2

Thank you. There are 25 panels available, and space on my roof for probably 20 of them I think, so your figures won't quite match my situation but are very helpful for understanding my options. 

I've been researching since I posted the question and I've ruled out the option of buying new panels. The options are to say thanks but no thanks and let my family sell them for whatever they can get, or to hire a van to go fetch them from where they are and pay someone to fit them.

I didn't realise there are no feed in tarrifs anymore. I knew the preferential early adopter rates stopped a while ago but I thought there was still some payback for energy collected. I guess that's my next avenue of research now then... I already spend 1/3 of my electric bill on the standing charge so I'd be looking for a supplier with no standing charge if I reduce my external energy use further.

ComicGeek

Probably at least £2000-2500 to install then, and around £400 per year in savings. So panels will be around 15 years old by the time it's paid for itself - you might get another £5000 out of it before you have spend any more money on it, just depends on whether it's worth the hassle.

Obviously if you move house anytime soon then you won't get the money back for it. 

FreeBear

ComicGeek said: Obviously if you move house anytime soon then you won't get the money back for it. 

But it will bump your EPC rating up by 10 or 20 points, possibly moving the house in to band A (if you are real lucky)... That would be worth a few quid on the selling price.

ComicGeek

FreeBear said:

ComicGeek said: Obviously if you move house anytime soon then you won't get the money back for it. 

But it will bump your EPC rating up by 10 or 20 points, possibly moving the house in to band A (if you are real lucky)... That would be worth a few quid on the selling price.

No evidence of that yet unfortunately - disappointingly the market feedback is that panels may actually reduce selling price as more people see them as a problem rather than benefit. And that's even if they are owned outright.

elliep_2

I have no plans to sell anytime ever. Obviously things can change but I love the house and the neighbourhood and plan to stay here indefinitely so the resale value is less important than the long term finances of it all.

I'm just trying to toss up whether it's a sensible decision to get the panels installed in the knowledge that the technology will improve in the time it takes to break even on the installation of what I am being offered at the moment. Even if it takes 5 years to break even, then what happens after that will depend on whether energy prices have gone up (likely) and whether the panels are continuing to work without further bills for repairs etc.

Then there's the question of if I should pay more to have them installed with a battery so I can use more of the energy myself rather than return it to the grid for pittance, and change my energy supplier to one with no standing charge. I think that's likely the way to get the maximum long term benefit but a more expensive upfront installation...

Difficult decisions when the calculations depend on a lot of guesswork.

Ectophile

8 year old panels will be totally obsolete, with modern ones giving at least 1 1/2 times as much power.  But looked at another way, you have them free, and they have a life of perhaps 25 years.  And if they have been stored in the dark, they won't be deteriorating like ones sitting on a roof in full sun.

Mine are that old, but it makes no sense financially to replace them with new ones.

So if you can get someone to fit them at a reasonable price, it's worth it.  If you expect any sort of payment for any electricity you export, you need an MCS registered installer, so you get the right paperwork.

rjudge111

As mentioned above, make sure you use an MCS registered installer. Depending on the use of your home, you might also want to consider home energy batteries that work with your PV panels to store any unused electricity. Obviously, if you're out during the day, you will not be fully utilising that energy being produced. There are a lot more options these days including utilising solar energy for your EV.

I had panels installed several years ago by a company called SolarTherm UK, I've pasted their link below if you're interested. Most installers will provide a unique quote and a site survey to assess whether your house is suitable for panels.

NibblyPig

If you use Octopus Energy as your provider, you can get paid for exporting excess electricity.

Kenyapenya

If you lease your roof for solar panels to get cheaper electricity it will cause you big problems when you come to sell your property as some mortgage companies will not offer a mortgage on the property.  The lease has to be drawn up in a particular way that will comply with the mortgage company's rules for lending.  A house sale in this area fell through because of leased solar panels on their roof, and the seller had to buy them off the owner for £10,000 to sell his house.