Does solar PV increase the value of a house?

Petriix

The question is impossible to answer because 'the value of a house' is ultimately whatever someone is willing to pay for it provided that this figure is at least the lowest the vendor is willing to sell it for.

I can say with certainty that, were I to sell my house, it would absolutely push up the minimum offer I would accept. Likewise, existing (FIT/SEG eligible) solar panels would definitely add to the price I was willing to pay. More so, solar panels would likely draw me to looking at the listing in the first place.

One significant factor in my choice to install solar panels was that I intended to remain in the property for a reasonable period. I imagine I'll have seen a full return on my original investment before I move so I'm unlikely to be out of pocket in any case. 

Exiled_Tyke

Petriix said:

The question is impossible to answer because 'the value of a house' is ultimately whatever someone is willing to pay for it provided that this figure is at least the lowest the vendor is willing to sell it for.

I can say with certainty that, were I to sell my house, it would absolutely push up the minimum offer I would accept. Likewise, existing (FIT/SEG eligible) solar panels would definitely add to the price I was willing to pay. More so, solar panels would likely draw me to looking at the listing in the first place.

One significant factor in my choice to install solar panels was that I intended to remain in the property for a reasonable period. I imagine I'll have seen a full return on my original investment before I move so I'm unlikely to be out of pocket in any case. 

OK so this article is on the old side and hopefully. things are beginning to change but it does suggest that PV isn't warmly received by many house buyers.  As there is so much uncertainty I think the message has to be to only invest if you are going to get the benefit yourself and don't expect anything on a resale. 

paul991

many of the new build round here  come with  pv , I think 2.4  kw they seem to sell as well as the ones that do not have any

mickyduck55

Cant answer the question but I would be delighted if I was purchasing a property and it already had panels.. even more so if it came with an old FIT 

michaels

I would work out the npv of any FIT and factor that into the value of any property I looked at - I suspect not many buyers would do the same....

pensionpawn

I would imagine if someone could prove that their house is electrically self sufficient (battery and island mode) with a near zero energy bill, that would make the property very attractive. Other factors are more important though.

Raxiel

paul991 said:

many of the new build round here  come with  pv , I think 2.4  kw they seem to sell as well as the ones that do not have any

I went to look at some new build houses last weekend, they were very nice, but when I asked if PV was an option, apparently I was the first one who asked (the answer was no). The current round they're building are apparently still pretty traditional with GCH, although the 2024/25 builds will be ASHP.

I can only speak for myself, but while I'd find relatively new panels to be attractive, an older, lower output system (that wasn't old enough to qualify for FiT) wouldn't be very appealing. Wouldn't be enough to make or break a decision by itself either way though.

paul991

the  unfortunate thing is  a lot  of new builds do not have underfloor heating which makes  heatpumps harder to retrofit

markin

Grumpy_chap said:

Martyn1981 said:

Screwdriva said:

In-roof solar, bi-facial panels, 

I know you're a big fan of bi-facial, but that stumped me for a while - then it clicked, a translucent roof skin/tub for the in-roof panels, with high power lights running off PV generation, in the loft to increase generation ...... am I close?     

OK, so I don't know one kind of solar panel from another but it must be very inefficient to use a solar panel to create electricity to run a UV lamp to illuminate a solar panel.  

Anyway, back to the OP's question, I doubt that solar would increase the value of a house but may make it more sellable.
One big word of caution though.  My Niece was buying a house about two years back and pulled out of the purchase because the mortgage company would not mortgage the property with the solar panels in situ.  This was not actually anything to do with the solar panels but the legal agreement around the solar install which was one of those "rent-a-roof" schemes.  I don't know the details but there were some complexities so the whole thing made the property un-mortgageable, even after involving a broker instead of regular high street lenders.  I have no idea whether that is common.

Run them on E7  !!  "Solar don't work at night"  Solved !

Chris_Type_R

We bought a property in 2015 that had had a 2kWp install on the better FIT tariff. We didn't consciously pay more for it, and until 2020 we were somewhat indifferent to it - that is until the neighbour removed a Silverbirch which cast a lot of shade over the array and prices headed upwards.  FIT rates are RPI linked so we've had a couple of back to back increases. We're benefitting from someone else's capital expenditure. 

With the benefit of hindsight and experience of solar, it would sway the decision between two equivalent properties. I'm not sure how much value I'd attach to an existing install - maybe 25-50% of replacement value or a % of forecast income from a FIT agreement.