Solar installation in NW required 28 October 2022 at 2:02PM in Green & ethical MoneySaving 15 replies 361 views

paddcomp

Like many I’m seeing a benefit in going down the domestic Solar PV and battery route.
I’ve seen lots of information on YouTube and online, so have an idea what I want. Problem comes with finding an installer. 
Just had Project Solar round to quote, requested 90mins to measure and quote, which turned into 4hrs. Sales rep only had info on the roof panels and guarantees, nothing about the inverter or batteries. Even when calling the technical helpline they didn’t know much more. Wanted £28k and couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t sign up on the spot. Said he wouldn’t be able to come back if I decided to accept, despite being available 1day after requesting a quote.
Reminds me of a SafeStyle double glazing salesman from the 1990s.

Still need to find a quote and reputable installer.  The PS quote was for 33 panels on 3 aspects, which was more than I expected. I’d asked for 23 panels on 2 aspects, 17 south and 8 east. The main roof is south and whilst I didn’t think shading was an issue the salesman thought the chimney would reduce effectiveness by 25%? I would couple this with a 9.5kwh battery and 6kw inverter. 

I’ve used the Great Homes calc and based on other installation costs have a rough idea on payback period.

I’m located in the North West of England.

QrizB

Others here share your opinion of Project Solar.

@Spies is in Cumbria and had a system installed recently, maybe he can recommend an installer for you?

Screwdriva

There is loads of information on here to help you avoid those sorts of tactics. You shared you know what you want, so I hope you won't mind a couple questions:

1) With such a large roof surface area for PV, is a battery something you will actually benefit from (vs. selling at 0.15p/ kWh minimum)? 

2) Chimney shading can reduce yield, so it's best if you went with optimizers to mitigate this (we did too). Was the third aspect West facing? If so, I would agree that coverage across all 3 aspects can be especially lucrative for generating during the whole day (vs. peak generation during the mid day). 

Best to go with a local installer who will supply quality brands at non-extortionate prices. They do exist. 

2nd_time_buyer

QrizB said:

Others here share your opinion of Project Solar.

@Spies is in Cumbria and had a system installed recently, maybe he can recommend an installer for you?

I used Eco-renewables who @Spies used. I was pleased with the install and the price. A friend in Newcastle has recently got a competitive quote from them and they are due to install in a couple of weeks. 

DougMLancs

MBE Energy installed on my bosses’ house and did a commercial installation on their Nursery/Garden Centre. Small, local installer based in Garstang, north of Preston. Installer came highly recommended from them and gave us a very competitive quote for our house and is installing in the New Year. Worth getting a quote at least to compare against someone like Eco-Renewables.

paddcomp

Screwdriva said:

There is loads of information on here to help you avoid those sorts of tactics. You shared you know what you want, so I hope you won't mind a couple questions:

1) With such a large roof surface area for PV, is a battery something you will actually benefit from (vs. selling at 0.15p/ kWh minimum)? 

2) Chimney shading can reduce yield, so it's best if you went with optimizers to mitigate this (we did too). Was the third aspect West facing? If so, I would agree that coverage across all 3 aspects can be especially lucrative for generating during the whole day (vs. peak generation during the mid day). 

Best to go with a local installer who will supply quality brands at non-extortionate prices. They do exist. 

1. My theory on more panels is to still have some generated power in winter / dull days in Lancashire. The battery is again to support low generation days where we’d store off peak grid energy to use during the day.

2. I need some advice on optimisers as I’ve seen some conflicting information about whether the whole string goes down when one panel is shaded or not. The 3rd aspect faces north, so one I’d be less inclined to use.

The search for a local supplier continues. Good to see a few recommendations in this responses.

gefnew

You could have a look at these.
https://youtu.be/No2NzWuiIgQ

paddcomp

I've contacted MBE Energy and ECO Renewables with a guide to my system requirements and await their responses, assume they're super busy at the moment so don't expect a quick response.  Anyone whose used them recently who could give me an indication of how long it took to get a response?

70sbudgie

I used Atlantic Renewables. I didn't find this board until after I'd had my panels installed and although I now realise that they weren't the cheapest (I paid ~£5k for 4.35kWp Jan 2020), I was happy with their customer service and my install. 

2nd_time_buyer

paddcomp said:

I've contacted MBE Energy and ECO Renewables with a guide to my system requirements and await their responses, assume they're super busy at the moment so don't expect a quick response.  Anyone whose used them recently who could give me an indication of how long it took to get a response?

My friend who used ECO renewables recently got a response within 24 hours and installation booked in 4 weeks later.

paddcomp

This is the panel layout on the roof, main house and garage.  What's people views on the shading from the chimney, and what are my options?  Do I a) remove the panels likely to be shaded? b) fit TIGO optimisers to the shaded panels only c) ignore the shading issue? d) something else?
The chimney is approx 3-4ft plus the pot another 2ft.




Chimney shadow mid-afternoon in Oct.