Solar System Install and Quote - Costco

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zesh90x
zesh90x Posts: 72 Forumite
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edited 15 March at 10:49PM in Green & ethical MoneySaving
Hi Guys,

Seen this in costco:
https://www.costco.co.uk/Home-Improvement/Solar-Panels/Fresh-Electrical-774kW-Solar-PV-System-18-Panels-Fully-Installed/p/484490

Do you guys think this is any good for the price, i have contacted this company, to maximise value they suggested getting 20 panels but told me it would come at a cost of c.£12.5k....

Been told its a bit pricier as they will be installing panels on a dormer and also the fact that i have 3 floors so will need additional scaffolding.... either way just wondering what you guys think of the components and also if there are any companies you recommend, i am based in south london.

Feel like i am being overcharged at the £12.5k rate by fresh electrical for 20 panels and inverter (no battery). 

Thanks.

Zee

Comments

  • Screwdriva
    Screwdriva Posts: 1,170 Forumite
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    That's insanely overpriced for a PV only system! A 20 panel SolarEdge system with optimizers and double the inverter warranty will cost £9K. Scaffolding shouldn't add more than £500 to this amount.

    You can do much better than that price (and a Fox inverter...blech!)
    -  10 x 400w LG + 6 x 550W SHARP BiFacial Panels + SE 3680 HD Wave Inverter + SE Optimizers. SE London.
    -  Triple aspect. (22% ENE/ 33% SSE/ 45% WSW)
    -  Viessmann 200-W on Advanced Weather Comp. (the most efficient gas boiler sold)

    Feel free to DM me if I can help with any energy saving!
  • zesh90x
    zesh90x Posts: 72 Forumite
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    Screwdriva said:
    That's insanely overpriced for a PV only system! A 20 panel SolarEdge system with optimizers and double the inverter warranty will cost £9K. Scaffolding shouldn't add more than £500 to this amount.

    You can do much better than that price (and a Fox inverter...blech!)
    I thought so, good i posted here i guess, have sent you a DM buddy, thanks so much for confirming its over priced.
  • Nick_Dr1
    Nick_Dr1 Posts: 16 Forumite
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    Great post!

    After two years I'd agree with your comments about maxing out the roof to start with. I've just had our capacity extended, mainly because we needed bird protection added and it was cost effective to add more panels while the scaffolding was up.

    Can't comment on perceived quality of equipment but it makes sense to maximise the chance of it not going wrong as its expensive to get back on the roof again. A trustworthy, reliable and probably local installer is vital.
    The original installation for us is expected to payback after 4.5yrs based on 2 years worth of data and current trends, but so much depends on your tariff. This was a 4kW system with 7.2kWh battery.

    So for anybody considering solar, amongst all the other considerations, max out your roof and add bird protection - if you get birds its a right nightmare. If considering a battery (although the balance of cost against return is currently not very convincing for most use cases), to "add one later" requires a hybrid inverter, so if its a real possibility you are going to add one, get a hybrid inverter from the get-go. Battery costs are falling and again the economics may well change.

    One thing to note is that you have to be careful with inverters as well. A standard 3.68kW G99 inverter may well limit ALL AC to 3.68kW meaning that not only is export to the grid limited to 3.68kW but total use from the PV is limited to 3.68kW. In other words, your generation will be limited to 3.68kW even if you have a bigger array. With a DC battery attached you can use 3.68kW of AC and also charge your battery, which makes more of a case for a battery if you have an oversized array - you can use more generation that would otherwise be possible. TBF its not much of an argument as most installations won't generate their rated value for much of the year.

    The advice on this site (and others) is amazing and makes doing effective and informed research on what is best in a given situation very quick and easy.
  • Qyburn
    Qyburn Posts: 2,319 Forumite
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    zesh90x said:

    Now then... they visited me on the 19th March for the quotation, i paid a deposit of c.20% and we agreed for a "extremely quick" installation date of the 28th March, a 9 day turn-around, and the installer had the paperwork sorted, came out promptly on the day of the installation commencing at c.10am and wrapping the job up by 4.30pm ish!

    Super friendly, super-quick, super efficient and all well explained, i can not fault the service whatsoever!

    Now then - I am with Octopus, Octopus took a couple of days to Connect to the "export meter" - officially the system including exporting went live on the 8th of April... so it's been c.13 days and here is how the numbers look:
    How did you/they manage to get G.99 approval so quickly?
  • zesh90x
    zesh90x Posts: 72 Forumite
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    Qyburn said:
    zesh90x said:

    Now then... they visited me on the 19th March for the quotation, i paid a deposit of c.20% and we agreed for a "extremely quick" installation date of the 28th March, a 9 day turn-around, and the installer had the paperwork sorted, came out promptly on the day of the installation commencing at c.10am and wrapping the job up by 4.30pm ish!

    Super friendly, super-quick, super efficient and all well explained, i can not fault the service whatsoever!

    Now then - I am with Octopus, Octopus took a couple of days to Connect to the "export meter" - officially the system including exporting went live on the 8th of April... so it's been c.13 days and here is how the numbers look:
    How did you/they manage to get G.99 approval so quickly?
    We applied on the 18th and had a reply/approval within 30 minutes or so - they said its the fastest they have ever had! The response was from UK Power Networks.

    Hope that helps.
  • zesh90x
    zesh90x Posts: 72 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
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    Nick_Dr1 said:
    Great post!

    After two years I'd agree with your comments about maxing out the roof to start with. I've just had our capacity extended, mainly because we needed bird protection added and it was cost effective to add more panels while the scaffolding was up.

    Can't comment on perceived quality of equipment but it makes sense to maximise the chance of it not going wrong as its expensive to get back on the roof again. A trustworthy, reliable and probably local installer is vital.
    The original installation for us is expected to payback after 4.5yrs based on 2 years worth of data and current trends, but so much depends on your tariff. This was a 4kW system with 7.2kWh battery.

    So for anybody considering solar, amongst all the other considerations, max out your roof and add bird protection - if you get birds its a right nightmare. If considering a battery (although the balance of cost against return is currently not very convincing for most use cases), to "add one later" requires a hybrid inverter, so if its a real possibility you are going to add one, get a hybrid inverter from the get-go. Battery costs are falling and again the economics may well change.

    One thing to note is that you have to be careful with inverters as well. A standard 3.68kW G99 inverter may well limit ALL AC to 3.68kW meaning that not only is export to the grid limited to 3.68kW but total use from the PV is limited to 3.68kW. In other words, your generation will be limited to 3.68kW even if you have a bigger array. With a DC battery attached you can use 3.68kW of AC and also charge your battery, which makes more of a case for a battery if you have an oversized array - you can use more generation that would otherwise be possible. TBF its not much of an argument as most installations won't generate their rated value for much of the year.

    The advice on this site (and others) is amazing and makes doing effective and informed research on what is best in a given situation very quick and easy.
    Thanks buddy, and thanks for sharing your feedback also 😊
  • Qyburn
    Qyburn Posts: 2,319 Forumite
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    zesh90x said:
    Qyburn said:
    How did you/they manage to get G.99 approval so quickly?
    We applied on the 18th and had a reply/approval within 30 minutes or so - they said its the fastest they have ever had! The response was from UK Power Networks.

    Hope that helps.
    That's an amazing contrast. SSEN took three months to respond, which was a refusal but also indicating revised limits that would be acceptable. Then a bit under two months to approve our revised application.
  • zesh90x
    zesh90x Posts: 72 Forumite
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    Qyburn said:
    zesh90x said:
    Qyburn said:
    How did you/they manage to get G.99 approval so quickly?
    We applied on the 18th and had a reply/approval within 30 minutes or so - they said its the fastest they have ever had! The response was from UK Power Networks.

    Hope that helps.
    That's an amazing contrast. SSEN took three months to respond, which was a refusal but also indicating revised limits that would be acceptable. Then a bit under two months to approve our revised application.
    oh wow huge difference in speed! 
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