Solar panel survey visit - questions to ask.

PennyForThem_2

my preposed system is under 3.89 so should be fine.  8 panels in a not ideal spot - sadly.  but home all day so will get benefit and i think costs are not going down anytime soon for elec.

yes, mcs registered company and i am with octopus so that info is helpful too.

PennyForThem_2

interestingly i have potential for 3 way connection according to surveyor.  old 1920s house - he said maybe needed if also had ev 

Bod_1234

Thanks the replies. I will ask about MCS certification.  I need to Google about some of the jargon and acronyms. Don't know what DNO is, need to understand this more.

This is going to be fitted onto a South facing unobstructed tiled angled roof. Payback was quoted as 5 years from the first quote. 

Is there anything else I need to consider,. E,g, maintenance, any downsides to having panels on the roof? Aside from the visual, would I even know they were there?

My question list now looks like this:

• MCS certification
• # panels, output per panel, output total, % efficiency.
• Make, model, specifications of panels and inverter.
• Overview of installation (battery and inverter location)
• Battery, yes/no? Capacity & utilisation, battery technology.
• Battery does it cover supply during blackout.
• Company:  name how many installs? Local references?
• Timescales
• Guarantee (panels, battery and installation), maintenance and costs.
• DNO Explain.
• Disadvantages of having roof mounted panels?

I found the which guides useful.  This was also useful:

I fit firmly  into the red spot..

Bod_1234

Sort of related.  I have looked at e.on and their prices are quite competitive, they have 3 different packages:. Optimize, Energise, Enhance.   Can't find any information out about the difference.  I'm assuming panel efficiency,  anyone know?

powerful_Rogue

I'm having solar installed today.

Originally quoted with a 6.5kWh battery, but I have asked for two now giving me 13kWh. Makes sense to do it before as you save the 20% VAT.

Durning the dark winter months where solar produced is very low, I will charge the batteries overnight on my Eco7 plan and will be more then enough to get is through the day.

Will be worth having a read around this section of the forum as it's more Solar PV orientated - https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/green-ethical-moneysaving

Alnat1

https://great-home.co.uk/solar-export-guarantee-seg-calculator

A lot of calculators for payback times are very out of date or don't mention batteries. I found the one above to be much better and you can play around with different figures.

The PVGIS calculator will show you how much you can expect your panels to produce over an average year, have a look at that too.

[Deleted User]

A word to the wise. Not all surveyors are what they seem. Most solar planning is carried out in the office using Google Earth and other tools. When I got three solar/battery quotes a couple of years ago, it was obvious that one of surveyors was a surveyor in name only. Yes, he spoke all the right words but when I asked anything technical there was a lot of rummaging through notes etc. He shot himself in the foot when he confidently told me that with a predicted output of 6000kWh a year, I could expect 500kWh of solar output per month which would save me 350kWh a month import with 150kWh a month export. When I asked about battery roundtrip loss, he gave up and admitted that he had been working as a double-glazing salesman the previous week!

Rattusnorvegicus

While your at it... you should consider perching some dutch style wind turbines on the roof.

3x1200watt turbines generate a fair amount of power when its dark outside...

The tulip ones look great, and can take the dirty air passed through by the others. ~And neighbours dont really complain cos they dont look an eyesore just like decoration

Generating the energy really isnt the problem. Storing it safely is. When i did a supply for a family member (for off-grid) the batteries went in a concrete bunker with airflow from wall vents, in the double garage, the inverter went on the wall (with nothing flammable in range), and an electrical fire suppression system.

 The real question is the solar/wind collector, how many batteries in series/parallel, the inverter, and how far you go with safety measures to guard against risk of fire.

Also be friends with a nice sparky who likes doing quality work, and make sure they check it every so often.

Your questions are nice, but they miss the battery replacement schedule, and risk management.

Hope it all goes well for you.

Alnat1

Batteries/inverters are expected to last 15+ years these days. The pylontech batteries I have with my Lux are good for 6000 cycles, that's daily for 16 years. By the time they need replacing there may be newer tech available.

I'm not aware of any particular fire risks from inverters/batteries, ours are in the integral garage, many have them in the loft.

Astria

Alnat1 said:

Batteries/inverters are expected to last 15+ years these days. The pylontech batteries I have with my Lux are good for 6000 cycles, that's daily for 16 years. By the time they need replacing there may be newer tech available.

I'm not aware of any particular fire risks from inverters/batteries, ours are in the integral garage, many have them in the loft.

I assume that people who have them in the loft would use lithium iron phosphate batteries as they don't experience thermal runaway like normal li-ion batteries and can be mishandled without adverse effects.