Solar Panels

alansmith7

Hi All,
I am looking into getting solar panels for my home. I want to know the pros and cons to having them. Which company do you recommend? 

Thank you

squirrelpie

That's a very broad question, followed by a very specific one. What research have you done so far? Have you, for example, typed your question into google?

As to which company; I suppose you mean to install them. And the answer will depend on where you are?

dever33

You get lower bills and more control over your energy, and panels need very little maintenance. The main downsides are the upfront cost and the fact that you need a good roof angle to make the most of them.

A quick check from a local installer will tell you if your house is a good fit. If you want someone who keeps things simple, Solar Path gave me a clear breakdown of my usage and what size system made sense.

alansmith7

squirrelpie said:

That's a very broad question, followed by a very specific one. What research have you done so far? Have you, for example, typed your question into google?

As to which company; I suppose you mean to install them. And the answer will depend on where you are?

I have only just started to research about it. Trying to weigh whether I should look further into it. I have got a company I found on social media who's coming out next to survey the house. 

Debating whether to keep the electric which is generated or sell to the grid? 

I guess you might call me paranoid but how long does the actual solar system and battery last for? 

alansmith7

dever33 said:

You get lower bills and more control over your energy, and panels need very little maintenance. The main downsides are the upfront cost and the fact that you need a good roof angle to make the most of them.

A quick check from a local installer will tell you if your house is a good fit. If you want someone who keeps things simple, Solar Path gave me a clear breakdown of my usage and what size system made sense.

Do you sell to the grid? 

QrizB

alansmith7 said:

Debating whether to keep the electric which is generated or sell to the grid? 

Sell to the grid unless you are a greater-than-average user and can get an advantageous tariff. Selling to the grid also means you don't need to buy a battery.

alansmith7 said:

I guess you might call me paranoid but how long does the actual solar system and battery last for? 

Panels on the roof are good for 25+ years unless a tree falls on them. Mine were installed in 2012 and are still going well; I've got some small, portable panels from about 2003 which still work too.

An inverter should be good for 10-20 years.
Batteries are a bit of an unknown; manufacturers will say 4000-8000 cycles, which is 5-10 years, but none of them are old enough for there to be decent statistics on how they age out.

alansmith7 said:

Do you sell to the grid? 

There are a whole bunch of people who sell to the grid among the solar PV geeks over on the "Green and Ethical" forum. You might like to read some of those threads.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/green-ethical-moneysaving

squirrelpie

alansmith7 said:

I have got a company I found on social media who's coming out next to survey the house.

Ah, excellent place to look for good companies 

Debating whether to keep the electric which is generated or sell to the grid? 

As others have said, it depends on whether you want a battery as well?

I guess you might call me paranoid but how long does the actual solar system and battery last for? 

With solar systems and batteries, it's worth checking the warranty period. Not so much because you might want to call on it (because you'd still have to pay for scaffolding etc) but it gives you some idea how reliable the company thinks its products are.

Qyburn

alansmith7 said:

Debating whether to keep the electric which is generated or sell to the grid? 

You don't really have such a black and white choice. Unless you have a really weird electrical system you can't export (sell to the grid) without it passing through your household system, and therefore powering the house. House loads take priority and the surplus is exported.

If you have a battery you can "keep" some of it, but on a Summer day you're likely to be generating three or four times as much as you store.  So it really acts to make sure you never import, rather than store everything.

Ectophile

Make sure the quote from the installer includes bird guards.  Pigeons nesting under your panels make an awful mess.

Dogbyte009

alansmith7 said:

Debating whether to keep the electric which is generated or sell to the grid? 

As others have said, in practice you'll want to do both because you'll likely generate more than you can use at some times of year. There are around three months during summer when I make a profit on electricity because my export earnings outweigh the import bill - even including the standing charge.

To maximise your benefit you do need to learn to build your life around solar panels bit, using high-consumption appliances like the washing machine when the sun is out for example.