My Solar Journey

Debstar27

Sorry for the length but I hope it gives people like me, with little understanding of the technical side, an inkling of the process.

I started my solar journey around six months ago as I wanted to reduce my bills as I head for retirement in five year's time. I have a background in retail and zero understanding of solar jargon. I had a budget of £13000.

I got quotes in from different companies based on my usage and house location. They had different methods for assessing my property. I had quotes made using photos of my house on Google Maps, personal visits, and telephone calls. A well-known energy company had me measuring walls for the inverter. I was inundated with ads from solar companies and random phone calls from unknown numbers. One company even went to the wrong house. It was actually quite stressful.

The quotes were all similar in price, but every company used different manufacturers for both panels and batteries. All suggested 16 panels and the batteries were of different sizes (much smaller than the battery I ended up buying) and panels of questionable quality. I tried googling the makes but got very confused with all the specs and provinces of the various products.

So I took a chance and reached out to a regular contributor, Screwdriva, on this site by private message and he was a godsend. He walked me through the process recommending a company who contacted me by email. He stressed the need to maximise the number of panels. He has my heartfelt thanks.

I googled Trustpilot to get a feel for the company and felt reassured enough to go ahead with them. With no commitment on my behalf they sent an assessor to work out where everything would be going, as in the location of not just the panels, but also the battery and gateway with their associated wiring and cabling.

This company quoted me a price for 16 x 500w Eurener panels with bird proofing, Tesla PW3 battery, and gateway.  My budget allowed me to add an extra four panels for a total cost of £12895.  For comparison other companies had quoted in the region of £11000 to £13500 for 16 panels and smaller batteries. I also requested that the roof be painted white under the panels,  which after negotiating, they did for free (I supplied 2 rollers) thanks to Screwdriva's advice.

I have a roof that faces both east and west so split the panels evenly on each side.

I paid a 10% deposit once I agreed to go ahead, 80% on install day and the final 10% once I was happy that everything was working. I agreed this with the company beforehand and paid by credit card to ensure I had section 75 protection.

The company sorted out all the paperwork including the DNO (Distribution Network Operator), G99 and insurance. They were MCS certified. The terms used are confusing but the certificates and paperwork are 100% necessary in order to be compliant with the grid and also insured against company failure. I was guided by the installers as to what I needed and relied on them to organise it all. Everything came through in a timely manner. Any queries I had were answered promptly. They sent all guarantees through on install day.

I had to wait for a dry day for the actual panels to be installed because of the painting. The battery and gateway were installed a few weeks earlier on the original install date. Once the panels were on I was sent photos of the roof and fitted panels to check all was in order. None of the cables/wiring is obvious. All the workmen were polite and efficient. It is also a good idea to personally check the panels on arrival to ensure that they are correct.

Having the Tesla battery enabled me to access Octopus Intelligent Flux which is ideal for me as I don't need to constantly tinker with settings. In effect it gives Octopus control of my battery. The MPAN ( meter point administration number) was requested by them after I downloaded my DNO. I had to apply for Octopus outgoing first then I was able to move to the intelligent flux. It took less than two weeks to finalise. The panels were fitted late September and have already saved me more money than I expected. 

My next journey will be a heat pump but that is a story for another day.

If you got this far thanks for reading plus another big thank you to Screwdriva.

Newbie_John

How much was you electricity bill monthly before and now?

Martyn1981

Great news, and well done for persevering. Just to say:

The panels were fitted late September and have already saved me more money than I expected. 

this October was (on average) a really bad month for PV. The worst I've seen since install in 2011. So it will actually (again on average) be even better going forward each year.

Only Nov and Dec to get through, then generation will start to rise in January. An E/W install is particularly poor in the winter, when the roofs can't see the sun as it rises in the SE and sets in the SW, but by March your generation will start to shoot up.

Have fun.

Debstar27

I was paying £100 p.m. For the month of October I paid £12 approx. 

Hope that helps

Debstar27

Should also point out that you get addicted to checking your Tesla and Octopus apps to see whether you are having a good or bad day.

Thank you Martyn1981..that was quite informative.