Is it worth buying solar panels now ?

rjmachin

For a comparison to Dolor, I have a 5.18kWp solar array and here is my output for December 2022, Total 123kWh


The monthly earning can probably be ignored, it is based on my current tariff.

Just to add, I am in Staffordshire in the midlands.

Mister_G

And mine for December with a 3kWp array facing south in Hampshire. Total 88.7kWh.

Officer_Dibble

Total 148.7kWh, South facing SE London/Kent

The_Green_Hornet

Here is my December generation for a small 1.32 kWp array, south facing in Buckinghamshire. Total 35.62 kWh.

Dogbyte009

This December for a 3kWp system in Greater Manchester, panels split across SW and NE facing roofs.

Grandad2b

bobbysox1v said:

My elderly parents live in a 4 bedroom house. I have tried over the years to persuade them to downsize but I now accept that they want to stay there for life (fair do's ).

The trouble is, they are worryingly about the gas and electric bills. So they sit in one room with no heating on and are cautious about doing any washing or cooking.

I say cautious because they really can afford to pay for a little more extra use if only they would use their small amount of savings. And they won't let me help pay any extra to help them out. They see everything as "our inheritance".

Sorry, long story !

So anyway, I was contemplating having solar panels put on their roof to remove the worry - not only for them, but for me.

I reckon for 2 people in a 4 bed property it's going to cost around £5k.

I could sell it to them as increasing the value of their home, not charity.

My only thought was: is it worth it now - are bills going to come down soon ?

I reckon it would save them about £100 month based on how they used to live.

It depends. We had a 4.4kWp system installed on Wednesday. So far we've generated 35 kWh. 7 kWh per day! I don't suppose that will continue. 
You need to look at how much they would use (it's not easy to use what you generate unless you have a battery and that increases the cost considerably). 
We couldn't save £100 per month unless we use everything we generate.

Other people have mentioned insulation and that's really the first thing to look at.

A new boiler? I'm not convinced. Our 30yr old boiler with convection hot water costs about £1000 a year to run. How much is a new one and how many years will it take to pay that back. Probably longer than the boiler itself lasts if our neighbour's experience is any guide.

Astria

Grandad2b said:

bobbysox1v said:

My elderly parents live in a 4 bedroom house. I have tried over the years to persuade them to downsize but I now accept that they want to stay there for life (fair do's ).

The trouble is, they are worryingly about the gas and electric bills. So they sit in one room with no heating on and are cautious about doing any washing or cooking.

I say cautious because they really can afford to pay for a little more extra use if only they would use their small amount of savings. And they won't let me help pay any extra to help them out. They see everything as "our inheritance".

Sorry, long story !

So anyway, I was contemplating having solar panels put on their roof to remove the worry - not only for them, but for me.

I reckon for 2 people in a 4 bed property it's going to cost around £5k.

I could sell it to them as increasing the value of their home, not charity.

My only thought was: is it worth it now - are bills going to come down soon ?

I reckon it would save them about £100 month based on how they used to live.

It depends. We had a 4.4kWp system installed on Wednesday. So far we've generated 35 kWh. 7 kWh per day! I don't suppose that will continue. 
You need to look at how much they would use (it's not easy to use what you generate unless you have a battery and that increases the cost considerably). 
We couldn't save £100 per month unless we use everything we generate.

At the moment (during winter) I'd say a solar installation might save you £12/month, assuming you can use all the power. In summer it'll generate far more than you can use so you'll end up selling it for peanuts.

My solar installation is on my garage for 2 reasons: I didn't want to pay out for installation and scaffolding which costs ££££, and I didn't want companies making holes in my roof. Any problems with your roof afterwards and you have to wonder if it still would happen if you didn't have them installed and it's a big job - meaning it could be possible you need to remove the panels first and refit them afterwards.

Saying that, during days of sun, it's been powering my PC (I work from home), TV, and various other gadgets. There's also several batteries in the garage to collect whatever energy I don't use. Only small mind, about 2.4kW, but enough for running small devices through the night most days.

Officer_Dibble

Astria said:

At the moment (during winter) I'd say a solar installation might save you £12/month, assuming you can use all the power. In summer it'll generate far more than you can use so you'll end up selling it for peanuts.

This January our installation's saved £60, plus we've exported £9 worth at 15p/kWh. I know peanuts cost more than they used to, but I think we're in macademia territory there.

Much of the saving in winter's from using the battery though, timeshifting consumption to cheap night rates, which might be a bit more faff than the elderly parents want to get involved with.