Quote for solar, is this a good price? - Updated

Screwdriva

Raxiel said:

 If the first firm can indeed fit the whole system immediately then at least we'd get the remainder of the summer sun, but if it could be a couple of months as some have said, might be better off waiting until Feb-march?

In theory waiting may make sense, but there is this pesky thing called inflation that all but guarantees prices won't stay where they are now. I would buy the best brands of panels/ inverter you can afford (see my previous post) and get a quote asap. 

Raxiel

Had another Quote for 9 JA 405W panels (3.6kW) 3.6kW Lux Hybrid Inverter, 9 Tigo Optimisers.

The panels are physically slightly smaller but they're more 'square' and they've suggested they can fit them on the SW and SE aspects, my own sums agree they should fit

The quote is £8433 with £2100 of that being a 4.8kW battery. (so around £6200 for just the PV)

It's more for less. But are those brands (JA, Lux, Tigo) ok?

2nd_time_buyer

Raxiel said:

Had another Quote for 9 JA 405W panels (3.6kW) 3.6kW Lux Hybrid Inverter, 9 Tigo Optimisers.

The panels are physically slightly smaller but they're more 'square' and they've suggested they can fit them on the SW and SE aspects, my own sums agree they should fit

The quote is £8433 with £2100 of that being a 4.8kW battery. (so around £6200 for just the PV)

It's more for less. But are those brands (JA, Lux, Tigo) ok?

Those brands are well regarded in terms of reliability.

Otherwise, Solaredge inverters and optimisers are well regarded but can only be directly coupled with their own battery which is expensive. Otherwise you will need a separate AC-DC inverter. So they are generally better suited to a solar-only install.

ggmf

No experience with Lux Inverters, but if having Tigo optimisers, then go for the cloud reporting as well.

Screwdriva

Lux appears to me to be yet another here today, gone tomorrow small scale Chinese manufacturer. I'd recommend SolarEdge, which is compatible with LG batteries as well as their own. 

I would also recommend Sharp 400W all black panels (pictured). My installer will quote installation all of these with a 25 year warranty on all components for ~£5800 

Raxiel

Screwdriva said:

Lux appears to me to be yet another here today, gone tomorrow small scale Chinese manufacturer. I'd recommend SolarEdge, which is compatible with LG batteries as well as their own. 

I would also recommend Sharp 400W all black panels (pictured). My installer will quote installation all of these with a 25 year warranty on all components for ~£5800 

Well, that does look good to me. Does your installer cover the East Midlands by any chance?

Screwdriva

Raxiel said:

Well, that does look good to me. Does your installer cover the East Midlands by any chance?

Yes. DM me and I'd be happy to introduce you.

QrizB

Raxiel said:

Well, that does look good to me. Does your installer cover the East Midlands by any chance?

There are a few forum users (myself included) who have received poor service from Light Renewables, so think very carefully before choosing them.

They promised me a referral fee if I passed business thier way. Even with that, I wouldn't recommend them.

Screwdriva

QrizB said:

There are a few forum users (myself included) who have received poor service from Light Renewables, so think very carefully before choosing them.They promised me a referral fee if I passed business thier way. Even with that, I wouldn't recommend them.

I have yet to experience an issue with them with over half a dozen known installs to my credit. They're far from perfect with the bedside manners of a cactus, but if you frontload the caution in writing, it should be fine. To that effect, I always recommend the following precautions just to be safe with any installer:

1) Pay with a credit card, even if its just the deposit. This will provide Section 75 protection incase the installer disappears.

2) Always check each component (but especially the optimizers and panels) when they arrive at the location prior to installation. Sometimes they get incorrectly switched due to error etc.

3) Be politely detailed with any installation instructions when it comes to wiring on the day of. Installers always chose the path of least resistance, which may not match aesthetic requirements. 

4) If a pigeon issue exists, request bird netting as part of your quote.

5) Insist in writing that final installment (10%) will only be made upon receipt of the MCS certificate

Raxiel

Had another quote in, so now it's:

Installer 1 (£6870)

8x Canadian Solar 380W for 3.04kW 4x SE roof 4x NE roof

+ £600 for 5x SE roof and 3x SW roof (£7470)

Sunsync 3.6kW inverter

No optimisers

 

Installer 2 (£5995)

8x JA Solar 385W for 3.08kW

Solis Inverter

No formal proposal

 

Installer 3 £8433 (£6333)

9x JA Solar 405W for 3.64kW (6x SE roof 3x SW roof)

9x Tigo Optimisers

Lux Hybrid 3.6kW inverter

Includes £2.1k for 4.8kW battery.

(NEW) Installer 4 £6577

8x Sharp 400W All black half cell for 3.2kW

Solax X1 Boost

Then there's Screwdriva's referral for ~£5800, bearing QrizB's comment, and the response in mind.