Solar or not

PLander

Hi

Im considering getting solar but can’t decide if it’s actually worth it, garden is south east facing.

Currently on Intelligent Octopus for electric, this is to allow charging of EV at cheaper rate, I wouldn’t want the solar fr the EV as my work pays the charging costs.

On average we use 15 - 20kwh per month, it’s a fairly big house.

Id be interested in battery storage as well, my concern being that by the time it’s all paid for itself the batteries would be no good.

Are There any companies in Kent you would recommend for solar, any brands to avoid?

thanks

PLander

15 - 20kwh is excluding EV charging

Reed_Richards

PLander said:

On average we use 15 - 20kwh per month, it’s a fairly big house.

That's a very small amount; are you sure this is correct?  I used to use about 8 kWh per day; my fridge and freezer alone accounted for over half of that.  In those days I had an oil boiler for heating and hot water and all-LED lighting but an electric cooker.

QrizB

PLander said:

15 - 20kwh is excluding EV charging

As above, that's a tiny amount of electricity for "a fairly big house" to use. Are you certain you use that little?

Screwdriva

PLander said:

Hi

Im considering getting solar but can’t decide if it’s actually worth it, garden is south east facing.

Currently on Intelligent Octopus for electric, this is to allow charging of EV at cheaper rate, I wouldn’t want the solar fr the EV as my work pays the charging costs.

On average we use 15 - 20kwh per month, it’s a fairly big house.

Id be interested in battery storage as well, my concern being that by the time it’s all paid for itself the batteries would be no good.

Are There any companies in Kent you would recommend for solar, any brands to avoid?

thanks

I have helped well over 100 MSE forum members with their Solar projects as my way of giving back to this incredible community - generally speaking, the average return on investment from Solar installations range between 13% for a smaller job to 20% or more for the larger (40+ panels) installations. Nothing in life is guaranteed but safe to say, I know of few things that can deliver this sort of return, tax free, year after year. (My only regret is that I can't fit more on my roof!) 

There are those whose primary focus is achieving the lowest possible price, possible only via cheap brands owned by Far Eastern companies, but in my experience, this has proven to be a false economy as the quality/ track record/ software/ warranty support just isn't there. I would actively avoid brands like Aiko, DMEG, Trina, Solis, Jinko, Solax, Fox, Sigenergy etc. and the installers who offer them as your only option, as they are all simply the latest crop from the same unethical farmer. 

In terms of cost, 12 Eurener 500W bifacial panels paired to a Tesla PW3 will cost £11K installed. There are few systems that can outperform this spec, especially when paired to the Intelligent Flux tariff. To add a bit more granularity, I have seen £20+ a day earned in April for a < 30 panel roof (facing SSE) with this exact spec!

Hope this helps you with your decision making!

pete-20-11

Presumably it was supposed to say per day?!

Archergirl

I think solar is age dependent, we are 71 and 80 and although interested in it I don't think it would pay for itself in our lifetime 

PLander

🙄 sorry that’s a day!

PLander

If it’s helps I’m 40 and have just moved here so intend to be here for 15 + years

QrizB

PLander said:

🙄 sorry that’s a day!

So 5-6000kWh a year? You've a definite case for solar, in my opinion.

If you've got £11k to spend, @Screwdriva 's suggestion is a good one. If you've only got half that, I'd suggest the same sort of system but without the battery. Drop him a PM and he can probably find you an installer.

PLander

I’ll drop him a pm thanks