Solar panel quote

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: Solar panel quote comparison.

Barnyboy

Could I please get opinions on this quote - both value for money and quality of proposed components?

🔧 System Components & Equipment Costs

A 12‑panel solar + battery system is itemised with quantities and per‑unit prices. Key components include:

• 12 × Aiko Neostar 475W All‑Black Panels — £1,290.60
• Mounting hardware (clamps, hooks, rails, splices, end caps) — several line items totalling a few hundred pounds
• Sigenergy 3.6kW hybrid inverter — £896.00
• Sigenergy 9.04kWh battery — £2,450.00
• Electrical components (AC/DC isolators, switchgear, MC4 connectors, cable reel, meter, labels) — various items totalling a few hundred pounds
• Bird proofing — £125.00
• Floor mounting kit & CT meter — £263.00 combined

Subtotal for goods:

• £4,373.41 (ex‑VAT)
• £6,663.12 (incl. VAT)

🛠️ Services & Labour

• Installation (labour, G99, etc.) — £2,415.00
• Scaffolding — £250.00

Subtotal for services:

• £2,665.00

💷 Grand Total

• £9,328.12 for the full system (goods + installation + scaffolding).

QrizB

Welcome to the forum @Barnyboy !

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82014203#Comment_82014203

I would say the price seems fair for what you're getting. Although I'd note that you shouldn't be paying VAT - I'd challenge this with your supplier.

https://heatable.co.uk/solar/advice/is-there-vat-on-renewables

Without VAT, your total cost is £7038.41.

(Adding 20% VAT only gets me to £8445.60 which is a bit of a mystery. Is this actually the quote you were given or has you edited it before posting it here? Was "AI" involved? There is definitely something odd going on!)

Regarding quality, Aiko panels are a budget brand and Sigenergy are mid-market.

MSE_Stephen

@Barnyboy we've created a new thread for your question

Martyn1981

I'm also thrown by the VAT element. Currently zero VAT, though they do move to 5% next April.

May be wrong, but I think installers may pay 20% VAT on the kit/materials they buy, but charge the customer zero, and claim the VAT back in their returns.

Screwdriva

This appears to be a poor quote.

For one, 12 panels = 5.7 KWp but the inverter is a 3.68kW. This tells me that the installer is too lazy to apply for a G99 despite charging you for the "installation" costs and listing G99 there. The correct inverter size should be 5kW minimum but if you went for larger Eurener 515W bifacial panels instead, the correct inverter size could be 6 kW.

This may not sound like much but I have upsized my system and am generating nearly twice as much power. You could also achieve a similar if not better result at little to no additional cost.

Additionally, I do not recommend Sigenergy for several reasons:

1) Real world fire safety risk (hardware continues to melt across the UK)
3) Internal optimizers (when they fail, good luck getting them replaced)
4) Terrible aftersales/ customer support from a unproven brand (Read the reviews left by frustrated end users)

Installers who do not/ cannot offer the Tesla Powerwall will claim that Sigenergy is an equivalent but this is simply false salesmanship.

From the quote you have shared, it is clear to me that installer is keen to peddle low end kit. I would part ways and find an installer who will offer Eurener panels and a Tesla PW3 system.

Reed_Richards

I would part ways and find an installer who will offer Eurener panels and a Tesla PW3 system.

@Screwdriva is so very keen on the Tesla PW3 battery, which has a 13.5 kWh capacity and which might cost around £9,500, that they tend to advocate either this or no battery at all. If your electricity consumption is significantly below 13.5 kWh per day then you don't need the capacity of a PW3 and you might be better-advised to pay less for a smaller capcity battery and inverter. There must surely be some battery brands around that are less expensive for less capcity and yet are suitably reliable.

Screwdriva

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82015228#Comment_82015228

I'd be grateful if you didn't misrepresent my stance on home storage - I advocate a battery if the household's usage justifies it or if it will in the near future (e.g. heat pump installation). On capacity, my recommendation is to have it and use it to export electricity via Intelligent Flux vs. not have it as we further electrify our households.

The PW3's built in inverter is scalable from 4-13.5 KW with a few simple settings by the installer. It can also be reprogrammed to a larger capacity (up to 11KW) in the event of a future system expansion. (Yet another reason why I recommend it)

I've helped several dozen with their PW3 installations and have yet to hear of a single complaint. Even the single unit that failed 2 days after installation was removed and replaced promptly/ entirely by Tesla under their unit replacement warranty. @Reed_Richards should you find a smaller battery from a brand that offers anything close to what the PW3 does, please do let us know.

Reed_Richards

On capacity, my recommendation is to have it and use it to export electricity via Intelligent Flux vs. not have it as we further electrify our households.

@Screwdriva I'm not completely clear what you mean but if you recommend signing-up for Octopus Intelligent Flux in conjunction with getting the 13.5 kWh Tesla PW3 then surely it would be better to refer to Octopus Intelligent Flux when recommending the PW3. And if anyone does have cause to regret buying a PW3 it will most likely happen 10 years down the road if they discover that the savings it has given them still don't offset the cost. Hopefully that won't happen.

When I installed a solar PV system in 2019 I got a battery even though considered opinion was that the cost would not justify the savings I could achieve. Now I charge it overnight at a cheap rate then use its stored energy during the day; something I had no concept of doing seven years ago. Who knows what the situation will be like in another 7 years; maybe we will all be charging our EVs overnight and electricity will cost more then than during the daytime?

Screwdriva

At first read, I didn’t take your post seriously mainly because I have been a proponent of Intelligent Flux for years on these and other forums.

I’m not sure you realize you have argued against your own position on battery capacity but should you find a way to share numbers to back your viewpoint, that actually make sense, please do share them!

Reed_Richards

@Screwdriva, you were replying to the first (and so far the only) post by @Barnyboy and recommending a PW3 so they are very unlikely to know of your history as a proponent of Octopus Intelligent Flux. They have quite possibly never even heard of it. If it forms a significant part of the value proposition of the PW3 then it must be worth a mention every time you recommend the PW3 to someone asking for first-time advice.

I don't have a position on battery capacity. Personally, I wish I had a bigger one because on the coldest days in winter I can use over 40 kWh in a day. On the other hand, from mid-March to mid-October my 6.5 kWh battery is perfectly adequate to ensure that the vast majority of my electricity consumption takes place at the cheap night rate. I struggle to work out at what price-point adding more battery capacity would be justified.

But that's me, a heavy winter-user of electricity; different people will have different needs. When I opted for a battery I went against the prevailing advice at the time and I consider myself extremely fortunate that I have found a money-saving use for my battery that I hadn't dreamt of when I got it. The moral I draw from this is that circumstances can change in ways that are very difficult to predict.