E.ON solar panels -

justwhat

Anyone had  them installed?
How did it go ?
How long is the quote good for?

Petriix

You'll find far lower prices from other installers. Get a bunch of quotes to compare. Aim for £1 per W or just below.

arty688

the £1pw  will depend on a number of factors though including the size of the array, accessibility and number of roofs plus prices are going up like everything else so I do think the days of £1pw maybe behind us.

Petriix

arty688 said:

the £1pw  will depend on a number of factors though including the size of the array, accessibility and number of roofs plus prices are going up like everything else so I do think the days of £1pw maybe behind us.

As far as I can tell, the price of the panels is continuing to fall. The materials cost of a 4kWp array is typically below £2k now. Whether some scaffolding and half a day for 2 men is worth more or less than £2k is an interesting philosophical question.

justwhat

i am concerned regarding the warranty. But will get other quotes.

2nd_time_buyer

Petriix said:

arty688 said:the £1pw  will depend on a number of factors though including the size of the array, accessibility and number of roofs plus prices are going up like everything else so I do think the days of £1pw maybe behind us.

As far as I can tell, the price of the panels is continuing to fall. The materials cost of a 4kWp array is typically below £2k now. Whether some scaffolding and half a day for 2 men is worth more or less than £2k is an interesting philosophical question.

FWIW the scaffolding alone for our installation was £1100 (prices have gone through the roof ). 

Whilst, I think the £2k materials is achievable for the panels and inverter. Don't forget there is also the mounting system, cabling, fuel costs etc.

Whilst it is possible that a simple system could be installed within 1/2 day excluding travel time. Quite a few will run beyond 1 day for various reasons e.g. installation problems, weather. Also an electrician is required to connect the system who may or may not be one of the installers. Then you have all the other backroom staff dealing with sales, system design, website, warranties, etc. 

My overall feeling is that compared to other home improvements at the moment, the prices are very competitive and my guess is there is going to be a lot of inflationary pressure in the next few months as costs are passed on to the consumer.

arty688

Petriix said:

arty688 said:

the £1pw  will depend on a number of factors though including the size of the array, accessibility and number of roofs plus prices are going up like everything else so I do think the days of £1pw maybe behind us.

As far as I can tell, the price of the panels is continuing to fall. The materials cost of a 4kWp array is typically below £2k now. Whether some scaffolding and half a day for 2 men is worth more or less than £2k is an interesting philosophical question.

Had a look at my spreadsheet with panel prices on from 12-18 months ago panels seem to have gone up 10-20%

jimjames

justwhat said:

i am concerned regarding the warranty. But will get other quotes.

Are you meaning you want a large company like Eon to give you a warranty? There are very few things to go wrong on solar panels so warranty might not actually be that useful.

arty688

There is the workmanship angle and the chances are EON will be around in 20 years time are very high so if there's a problem with your roof you will at least have someone to contact. Not sure if smaller companies have insurance backed warranty though.

QrizB

arty688 said:

There is the workmanship angle and the chances are EON will be around in 20 years time are very high so if there's a problem with your roof you will at least have someone to contact. Not sure if smaller companies have insurance backed warranty though.

For as company to get MCS certification (which you need if you plan to export power to the grid) it needs to be a member of a consumer code body like HIES, and HIES provides a third-party insurance-backed guarantee.

HIES (and NAPIT) were very helpful when I had problems with getting the paperwork for my recent installation.

justwhat

jimjames said:

justwhat said:

i am concerned regarding the warranty. But will get other quotes.

Are you meaning you want a large company like Eon to give you a warranty? There are very few things to go wrong on solar panels so warranty might not actually be that useful.

As someone has already said its the installation warranty that concerns me