Energy Saving Trust Solar Panel calculator excludes annual maintenance

iwaddo77

Hi, I know it is the small print but I wonder how many people do not realise that the Energy Saving Trust calculator excludes any maintenance costs?

The calculator has just indicated that it may take 12-years to recover my outlay, but if I add another £3,000 (12 * £250) for maintenance then this will push the recovery period out significantly further.

I do wonder how many people will bother to maintain their solar panels, probably the same as those that bother to service their gas boiler.

Yes, I know it is only a calculator, but surely to give people a fair place to start there should be a provision for maintenance.

Regards

subjecttocontract

I've had my solar panels since 2017 and not needed any maintenance. What did you have in mind that might need maintaining ?

Keep_pedalling

Other than having them cleaned occasionally they do not need annual servicing. We had panels in our previous house for 12 years which were never serviced and continued to function fine, and we don’t have any servicing done in our current house with 7 year old panels. 

vic_sf49

I've had nothing done to mine in 13, except for hosing them down once.

What are you doing that costs £250 every year?

tim_p

Please explain the maintenance procedures involved. 

The_Green_Hornet

I have had my panels for coming up to 15 years. No maintenance needed.

mmmmikey

Like most here, no ongoing mintenance. I did clean them down once but it made so little difference I haven't bothered since. @iwaddo77 it would be interesting to know what has lead you to think there are significant maintenance costs, be great if you would share that information, thanks

jimjames

iwaddo77 said:

Yes, I know it is only a calculator, but surely to give people a fair place to start there should be a provision for maintenance.

Why would you want to include maintenance? What exactly are you planning to maintain? I've had panels for 14 years and not needed to do anything on an annual basis. It's totally different to gas boiler servicing but even that only costs me £60 a year not £250

Netexporter

Most panels have self-cleaning glass. My output, today, has certainly perked up, after overnight rain, following weeks of drought.

The only maintenance I'd include in my budgeting is for an inverter replacement in a nominal system lifetime of 25 years. A G98 inverter is only a couple of hundred quid, plus fitting cost, so call it £25/annum. The failure would likely come after your payback period, so just a small dent on pure profit.

subjecttocontract

We don't bother cleaning our panels, wouldn't want to get on the roof anyway. We just wait until it eventually  rains and rinses any dust off.

QrizB

iwaddo77 said:

Hi, I know it is the small print but I wonder how many people do not realise that the Energy Saving Trust calculator excludes any maintenance costs?

There shouldn't be any maintenance costs. My panels have been on my roof for 13 years and the only attention they get is that I look up at them from the back garden every now and again.

My inverter did die after 11 years but replacing that was a one-off cost, not part of a maintenance contract.

The calculator has just indicated that it may take 12-years to recover my outlay, but if I add another £3,000 (12 * £250) for maintenance then this will push the recovery period out significantly further.

Who are you paying £250 a year to? Your installer? Or one of those "leaflet through the door" chancers who specialise is fleecing the vulnerable?

Scammers like this:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/guilty-scamming-green-energy-firm-29642694