Should I Opt for Solar Panels

Danny30

Hi all, following on from my recent thread regarding my boiler queries, I was this week gone offered free solar panels by the Warmer homes scheme.

I am swaying towards rejecting them as I am not sure that the money they might save is worth having them visually on the roof.
This is what I've been offered.

The solar works are as follows:
• Size of system KWp - 3.75
• Number of panels on the sloping roof - 10
• Make of solar panels* - Eurener 375w
• Inverter make* - Growatt
• Tigo optimisers included? - YES 10 with Cloud Connect. 

They claim these figures :


A  small  system of around 2.5kWp (8 panels)  would generate around 2,250kWh of  electricity  a  year,  which  at an estimated cost of  15p per  kWh,  would be  worth £337.  A  larger  4kWh system (12 panels)  would generate around £540 of  free electricity  a year.  However, it is unlikely  that  you  will  use all  of  the electricity when it is being generated, so  your  actual  bill  saving may be around half  these amounts.

Apparently I could also make £100 per year selling to the grid. 

Just wanted to see what would you all do in my situation as I don't want to have regrets obviously. Thanks 

Rosa_Damascena

I didn't think selling back to the grid is now an option? If the scheme was an option for me now I would have grabbed it with both hands. Yes the panels are ugly but no one is actually going to see them on my south facing roof.

Alanp

Just be careful here, some of these companies fit the panels for free, but then they own the roof, which makes it difficult to sell the house, I watched a program on it a few months back, but I can’t remember the details, make sure you look carefully into this, 

Grenage

They don't own the roof, your roof is leased. Normally for about 25 years I think.

[Deleted User]

Selling solar back to the Grid is most certainly an option. All suppliers are now required to offer Special Export Guarantee payments. To claim this, a smart meter is required which, in turn, will require a separate MPAN to cover the export side of the smart meter. 

A SEG payment of £100 a year is possible with SEG.

A couple of more general points. Solar power isn’t a constant. You get lots from Spring to Autumn but very little from Autumn to Spring. I have a 7kWp array which is forecast to generate 180kWhs in December. Daily outputs historically have ranged from 350 Watthours to 10.3kWhs. Go for the biggest array that your roof and pocket can afford.

SEG payments vary from 0p/kWh to much higher payments with the Octopus Agile Outgoing tariff which will vary with the wholesale cost of electricity and demand. Most SEG payers will expect you to take out a supply contract with them.

Payback is difficult/almost impossible to gauge. I also have a battery which I recharge overnight in the Winter at 5p/kWh. With the recent increases in electricity prices. I am now looking at a 16 to 18 year payback period.

Alanp

Grenage said:

They don't own the roof, your roof is leased. Normally for about 25 years I think.

That could be it, the upshot of it was however, that it’s very difficult to sell your house with panels installed ( in some cases) there is a procedure you can go through to sort it, but it might be prudent for the op to look into this further 

Danny30

Alanp said:

Just be careful here, some of these companies fit the panels for free, but then they own the roof, which makes it difficult to sell the house, I watched a program on it a few months back, but I can’t remember the details, make sure you look carefully into this, 

But this is part of the government warmer home scheme so I assume they wouldn't have a catch. 

[Deleted User]

Alanp said:

Grenage said:

They don't own the roof, your roof is leased. Normally for about 25 years I think.

That could be it, the upshot of it was however, that it’s very difficult to sell your house with panels installed ( in some cases) there is a procedure you can go through to sort it, but it might be prudent for the op to look into this further 

Rent a roof died with the death of FITs. The returns no longer make it worth it for an installer to borrow money against future SEG payments. FITs were assured and index linked: SEG payments can vary.

Rosa_Damascena

Danny30 said:

Alanp said:

Just be careful here, some of these companies fit the panels for free, but then they own the roof, which makes it difficult to sell the house, I watched a program on it a few months back, but I can’t remember the details, make sure you look carefully into this, 

But this is part of the government warmer home scheme so I assume they wouldn't have a catch. 

Assume nothing, apart from the willingness of cowboys to exploit the system to the customer's detriment.

sk2402005

I have looked into it, and the saving just isn't worth it (unless energy prices increase drastically) only if you pair it with a storage system can you use all of the energy, but these storage systems are very expensive.

I have seen first hand the issues with selling a house with a rented roof, there's a neighbor that's been on the market for 3 years, where others with no panels have sold very quickly.

kev25v6

Add in the charging of a future electric car and you may be able to use all of the generated electric, in 15 years you may wish you had had them installed for free when you are forced into having to buy an electric only vehicle.