Solar panel quote

vic_sf49

My friend had solar fitted yesterday.

I'm not sure if she went for a 4 or 5kW system in the end, but it includes a battery (4.5kW if I remember correctly).... for £9500 in Lincolnshire.

Soz, don't know the ins and outs of all the components mentioned.

Bendy_House

Clive, I'd strongly recommend you give this outfit a call, or email them: https://www.solarcityuk.co.uk/ (I presume they are still doing PV systems, as it was some time ago I used them).

Chris and David Hammond are gents, and very knowledgable. There will be zero BS, only facts. And they are very competitive.

(They are also fans of Hitch, so you know they are good folk :-) )

(That's Christopher Hitchens, and not his doofus brother.)

Clive_Woody

vic_sf49 said:

My friend had solar fitted yesterday.

I'm not sure if she went for a 4 or 5kW system in the end, but it includes a battery (4.5kW if I remember correctly).... for £9500 in Lincolnshire.

Soz, don't know the ins and outs of all the components mentioned.

Thanks, good to know. No battery included in our quote so definitely seems high

ComicGeek

Clive_Woody said:

vic_sf49 said:

My friend had solar fitted yesterday.

I'm not sure if she went for a 4 or 5kW system in the end, but it includes a battery (4.5kW if I remember correctly).... for £9500 in Lincolnshire.

Soz, don't know the ins and outs of all the components mentioned.

Thanks, good to know. No battery included in our quote so definitely seems high

No one should be giving a quote for a PV system over 3-4 kWp at the moment without batteries included as a recommended extra - the vast majority of people just won't use that additional system size, and the argument used that it helps with winter generation is just nonsense. No point spending thousands extra on that extra 1-2 kWhs extra in the winter, when it's producing 10-20 kWhs extra in the summer that you can't ever use. And there's a VAT reduction when you get PV and batteries installed together.

Our panels produced 22 kWh yesterday, but 14 kWh would have been exported without our batteries. Even then I could only store 8 kWh of this, which then provides all of our electricity until this morning when the PV starts generating again. Our batteries have a payback of less than 4 years.

There's a noticeable widening gap in the solar market between those who don't really understand what they're doing and happy to sell just panels, and those who are really looking to maximise system efficiency and payback with batteries etc. It might not be completely accurate, but it does seem to be mainly roofers in the 1st category and electricians in the 2nd. 

Clive_Woody

This is the proposed schematic for the panels

ComicGeek

That's just a bog standard schematic, with an overly expensive hybrid inverter for the simple system proposed.

Just walk away from this company, they are obviously only interested in up selling - probably the sales team have turnover targets so they are trying to increase the price of every job. The fact that they haven't mentioned the G99 application for the system being over 3.68 kW should raise lots of red flags, as that application could in theory be refused.

At that price you should be getting the PV system and batteries.

Clive_Woody

ComicGeek said:

That's just a bog standard schematic, with an overly expensive hybrid inverter for the simple system proposed.

Just walk away from this company, they are obviously only interested in up selling - probably the sales team have turnover targets so they are trying to increase the price of every job. The fact that they haven't mentioned the G99 application for the system being over 3.68 kW should raise lots of red flags, as that application could in theory be refused.

At that price you should be getting the PV system and batteries.

This is a local company and as far as I can see only a couple of guys. 

Bendy_House

At least the Hybrid inverter will (should) allow the addition of batteries at the later stage, but it's still far too expensive for not having batteries included.

Clive, please phone/email the Hammonds at SolarCity - I give you my word that these guys are spot-on, genuinely believe in what they do, are very experienced & knowledgable, completely honest, and just delightful folk all 'round! And their quote for my PV was very competitive.

They will advise, even if they cannot travel to wherever you are. They should be able to give you a good ballpark costing, and suggest a good setup to go for.

ashe

Is Solar worth looking at now? Every time I put my figures into the EST calculator it says over the life of the panels I'd make about £1000 benefit (assuming no failure or repair other then servicing) but the caveat is I have to be at home during the day to use the power, else it is a cost. 

Is adding a battery and paying for the panels something that will give reasonable payback or are we still looking at 10-15 years?

Clive_Woody

Bendy_House said:

At least the Hybrid inverter will (should) allow the addition of batteries at the later stage, but it's still far too expensive for not having batteries included.

Clive, please phone/email the Hammonds at SolarCity - I give you my word that these guys are spot-on, genuinely believe in what they do, are very experienced & knowledgable, completely honest, and just delightful folk all 'round! And their quote for my PV was very competitive.

They will advise, even if they cannot travel to wherever you are. They should be able to give you a good ballpark costing, and suggest a good setup to go for.

Thanks, think getting a battery makes sense now, but probably less than 14 panels, probably 10 or 12. Optimisers not needed as roof not in the shade.

Not sure those guya are going to come down to Sussex. I grew up in the Brum area but now down south.