Should I be looking to add a Battery?

Niv

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81925905#Comment_81925905

I no longer pay for electricity overall. I have no batteries, but what I sell to the grid balances out what I buy from the grid. I am hoping that continues!

badmemory

I suspect you have a "better" roof than I do & lower normal usage. I have 30mins a day with over 8kWh usage.the chance of my solar & battery having that sort of output is fairly rare. The batteries can throw out just over 4kwh but that means the roof needs to do at least 4.5.

Niv

I have about 6.5kW of panels with a 5kW inverter. Half my array faces south, the other half west. Nothing on the main roof of the house! I recon I could fit at least 15 panels on the main roof but install cost puts me right off tbh

Edit: to add , usage is about 10kW per day which includes heating water (if solar available).

Screwdriva

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81937851#Comment_81937851

I've just been told by two installers that wholesale panel costs will be rising due to unprecedented demand and to expect a 15-20% increase per panel. No change to the PW3 prices yet.

QrizB

wholesale panel costs will be rising due to unprecedented demand

Did you get any info on whether this a national demand spike, or an international one?

I could imagine a UK spike lasting 2-3 months while we wait for more containers of panels to arrive from China. But if it's international, and the whole world has gone solar loopy with the current energy problems, it might actually saturate China's manufacturing capacity (all the plants they overbuilt in 2024 and 25) so the price increase might last longer.

Screwdriva

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81937983#Comment_81937983

Sadly, I was only told that this is a wholesale cost increase for panels across several brands marketed in the UK (some are yet to announce increases). That said, I can't see the increase in demand being limited to the UK. I know the US does not allow easy access for Chinese panel brands and the EU are taking measures to control flooding, so I suspect the issue is similar to 2022 i.e. unexpected surge in demand with smaller inventories.

Anecdotally, I have been told by 3 out of 4 installers I leverage that they have stopped all spending on their customer acquisition channels due to overwhelming confirmed orders. One of the installers had 34 PW3s in stock at the start on this month. All but 3 are gone.

zxzxzx

Poor countries (e.g. India/pakistan) are heavily reliant on butane/propane and are switching to solar and have been since Ukraine. This is spreading to the far east.The bulk of their gas goes through Hormuz so prices are rocketing.

Probably a driving factor.

Article 17 March in the Guardian if you want a look.

Edit: just spotted….

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/26/octopus-sharp-rise-solar-panel-sales-iran-war