Solar panels…..a good idea?

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27th April 2022, 17:05
moynan66

Solar panels…..a good idea?

Apologies if this has been discussed.

I’m considering getting Solar Panels fitted to our house. We can get them installed at not much more than cost through a friends company….but what are peoples real life experience of them?

Any issues to consider?

Do they reduce electric bills as much as the Solar companies suggest?

Have those who had them installed, had any regrets?

I appreciate it is a very open ended question….I guess I am just trying to get a feel for peoples real experience, rather than just listening to Solar companies (my mate included!)
27th April 2022, 17:09
g40steve

Find the Solar thread from a week ago lots of info.
I have gone with the same company recommended by someone else.
14 panels, inverter, eddi & battery.
27th April 2022, 19:35
David_D

Was this it?

https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...-storage-again

Anyway, think the answer’s “yes” subject to the specifics of location, etc..
27th April 2022, 20:17
Franky Four Fingers

If you're south facing and getting them at costs all seems sensible to me
27th April 2022, 21:26
Jeremy67

I've thought hard about this as we have a large, South facing 30 degree roof so pretty perfect.

However, analysing our energy usage I suspect most of it is the washing machine, the tumble drier, the oven and the dishwasher. I bet that's 80%+ of our usage:

WM: Mainly run in the mornings, could use some solar electricity but I suspect the panels wouldn't supply enough to fully power the water heater (3kw I suspect).
TD: mainly run during the day so possibly, however if the sun is shining we won't be using the TD, on a cloudy day the solar might be enough to do the heating but have not done that much research.
Oven: Mainly used in the evening, so we'd only benefit summer evenings but by then the sun is in the West.
Dishwasher: Almost exclusively run in the evenings.

Battery storage systems are twice the price of the panels and move the pay back from 5 odd years to 15.
Feed in tariffs if you sign-up now are derisory. Barely 10% of the price of the energy you use.
We could cut down on oil usage by heating a tank of water in the day, this might be our biggest win.

As far as I can see it really only makes sense economically if you have an electric car and you buy a battery system but the cost of capital / depreciation on both is going to wipe out any savings.

If the government really want us to adopt these things then they need to introduce some sort system where feed-in price is a high percentage of the purchase price, say 80%.
27th April 2022, 21:43
Onelasttime

My mum bought her house 6 years ago and inherited the solar panels on a feed-in tariff that pays for all her electricity use, and up to now has paid for her oil tank to be filled all year. Obviously the oil has gone up so she has to pay a little bit extra, but not that much.

The tariff is due to end in 5 years.

The chances of ever seeing those incentives again are long gone.
27th April 2022, 22:06
Franky Four Fingers

The fact of the matter is unless you can use the energy when its shining or harness for when you get home or later you’ll be giving it back to the grid for bugger all. One way to capture some of this is to use an iboost which will divert any excess to your immersion heater. I had one fitted about a month ago and already its sent 40kwh to the immersion which would have ordinarily gone back for nothing. Yesterday was a great solar day, we had the washing machine on whilst it was generating- dishwasher was on timer and went off at 11am and almost 5 kWh went to the immersion. If you can get smart and harness the energy great if not then as others have said sometimes the maths don't work, however if you're getting it at cost and energy prices continue to rise it still sounds like a good idea.
28th April 2022, 07:52
ernestrome

Jeremy. Payback on the quotes i have had estimate 9 years for 12 panels and a 5kwh battery with consumption around 3000kwh/yr. I expect battery prices to fall over those years so will go for a smaller rather than larger battery. Lifespan of the batteries is a concern but feel willing to take a risk on it. I'd also be surprised if we do not see battery repair becoming a small industry.

Solar may not cover all the requirements of a washing machine etc at its peak draw but reduces the amount you require from the grid. More so if the inverter and battery help cover peaks. They'll also be covering all of your base load from fridge freezer etc.
28th April 2022, 21:12
Andyg

Yes! But without the tariffs it really only makes sense if you go for battery storage. We have had a Tesla Powerwall connected to our PV system and last month consumed 14kw/h of electricity from the grid (exported 18kw). This month the system has generated nearly 500Kw/h so far and we have used 2kw from the grid.
28th April 2022, 21:56
threescoops

I’ve had a 3.9kW array with 3.68kW inverter for just over 2 years now.

It absolutely makes a difference. How much is going to be dependent on your circumstances.

As other have touched on in earlier posts, you’ll get the most value out of your install if you can make use of the generated power (i.e. you’re running things whilst the sun shines).

Both my wife and I work from home, we run the washing machine and dishwasher during the day.

Anything in excess will be exported back to the grid. You will now need a smart meter installed to measure that export and depending on your supplier, you should get paid 5-7.5p/kWh exported.

I’m with Octopus who are paying 7.5p/kWh, which offsets my usage in each month’s bills. Not a fortune, but it adds up, especially in summer.

I’ve been paying 19.5p/kWh (more now with the price increases), so anything I can power from solar means I don’t have to pay the power company.

I also have a MyEnergi Eddi solar diverter (similar to the iBoost mentioned earlier) which diverts excess power to my immersion heater and means I don’t need to use gas to heat water from March-October. Over winter it needs a little help from the boiler.

I also got an EV about 14 months ago, and have a MyEnergi Zappi charger, which works in conjunction with the diverter, and again, any excess power can be used to charge the car.

After all that, there’s no generation left to charge other batteries, and household batteries don’t make financial sense by my calculations.

Some actual numbers:

I don’t have data for a whole year to hand, but as an example, this month (Apr 22) my electricity consumption was 55% from my panels and 45% imported.
On top of that, I had excess that was exported, which should reduce my bill (thanks to the 7.5kW/h payments) by 25%.

Except on absolutely miserable winter days, I would certainly expect significant reductions. In summer I am paid for more than I consume.

35% of the charge into my EV has been from the panels, saving around £185 over the last year. I’m doing relatively low mileage at the moment, limiting the amount I need to charge.
There’s also the added bonus of the EV being cheaper to run than my old diesel, but I’ll ignore that.

The solar diverter has saved a fairly modest £43/year. I’m also happy that I’m getting hot water without burning fossil fuels, even if it’s only a modest financial bonus.

I’ve found it a little challenging to work out the exact payback period, but I think it’s in the neighbourhood of 9 years and reducing as electricity, gas and petrol/diesel go up.
My system was a little more expensive as I specified some more expensive parts due to limited space and some other features.

Anyways, long answer from me, but yes, they’re worth it.
29th April 2022, 07:13
moynan66

Thanks for the advice everyone. My mate is coming to do a survey today, and provide calculations, etc.

I hadn’t really thought about battery storage, and hadn’t heard about the iBoost gadgets….so will look into these too.

It looks like in order to maximise any savings, you just need to tweak certain things (like dishwasher in during days, etc).
29th April 2022, 08:10
ernestrome

If you are not in during the day then a battery allows you to use the energy you have generated. I think at present they might be around neutral financially. I'm an looking at that potential cost a bit like a standing charge rather than using the battery as an investment.
29th April 2022, 11:13
sweets

Each scenario is different, but in principal, it is worth adding that even if it is cost neutral, doing the right thing is a good thing to do.
29th April 2022, 11:38
thieuster

We have 'm since last October; 22 panels - partly on the roof of the house and partly on the flat roof of the extension /office. Last month (March was sunny) our electricity bill was just over 16 euros! All other electric power that we used, was generated by our solar panels. April is even sunnier.

Mind you, heating is done via a heat pump in combination with natural gas. That pump uses a lot of energy. But still it was a cheap month.
29th April 2022, 12:01
mindforge

So who do people recommend to get in to install solar panels? I'm in London. Presumably they do a site survey to see whether the roofs are appropriate? I have a mix of dormers and flat roofs.

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29th April 2022, 13:01
g40steve

Quote:

Originally Posted by mindforge

So who do people recommend to get in to install solar panels? I'm in London. Presumably they do a site survey to see whether the roofs are appropriate? I have a mix of dormers and flat roofs.

Sent from my IN2023 using Tapatalk

My energy supplier are doing everything for me from survey to supply fit.
Roll on July, 14 panels, inverter, 5 KWH battery, solar immersion Eddi, looking forward to being more self sufficient & doing my bit for the planet.
Surveyor commented on prefect aspect with no shading whatsoever & by my calculations the battery will supply my needs from 5.30/6pm till 9am.
29th April 2022, 14:30
tertius

Quote:

Originally Posted by mindforge

So who do people recommend to get in to install solar panels? I'm in London. Presumably they do a site survey to see whether the roofs are appropriate? I have a mix of dormers and flat roofs.

Sent from my IN2023 using Tapatalk

I used ECH Group - https://echgroup.co.uk/ - would recommend them.
29th April 2022, 14:39
mindforge

Quote:

Originally Posted by tertius

I used ECH Group - https://echgroup.co.uk/ - would recommend them.

Thank you.

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29th April 2022, 18:26
David_D

Quote:

Originally Posted by tertius

I used ECH Group - https://echgroup.co.uk/ - would recommend them.

Never seen a company before that has a very long and detailed web page about its complaints procedures!!
29th April 2022, 22:13
Andyg

Quote:

Originally Posted by mindforge

So who do people recommend to get in to install solar panels? I'm in London. Presumably they do a site survey to see whether the roofs are appropriate? I have a mix of dormers and flat roofs.

Sent from my IN2023 using Tapatalk

yes they do a site survey, but make sure you do not have any restrictions on your property. I would also check with with the neighbours to make sure they are inside.
30th April 2022, 07:48
ernestrome

Solar panels on the roof are permitted development so unless you live in a listed building or similar it doesn't matter if your neighbors are inside or outside.
30th April 2022, 13:26
mindforge

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andyg

yes they do a site survey, but make sure you do not have any restrictions on your property. I would also check with with the neighbours to make sure they are inside.

What kind of restrictions?

Sorry, make sure the neighbours are inside?!

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30th April 2022, 13:26
mindforge

Quote:

Originally Posted by ernestrome

Solar panels on the roof are permitted development so unless you live in a listed building or similar it doesn't matter if your neighbors are inside or outside.

Ha oh right, onside. My neighbours won't like it but they don't like anything.

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2nd May 2022, 22:07
Andyg

Quote:

Originally Posted by mindforge

What kind of restrictions?

Sorry, make sure the neighbours are inside?!

Sent from my IN2023 using Tapatalk

Sorry, should have said “onside”.

As for restrictions some houses may have covenants placed on the which restricts the outward appearance of the building and one guy in Surbiton was told to take his panels down despite another house in the road having them - I know it didn’t make sense to me either.

Might be worth just checking your deeds, ringing the planning office or simply having a walk around the block to see how many others have PV fitted.
2nd May 2022, 22:10
mindforge

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andyg

Sorry, should have said “onside”.

As for restrictions some houses may have covenants placed on the which restricts the outward appearance of the building and one guy in Surbiton was told to take his panels down despite another house in the road having them - I know it didn’t make sense to me either.

Might be worth just checking your deeds, ringing the planning office or simply having a walk around the block to see how many others have PV fitted.

Good tip, thanks!

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31st July 2022, 20:03
Boss13

Been looking at this recently given our electricity bills are astronomical and only likely to go one way.
Anybody used a company called Project Solar? They are a national firm, mixed reviews (average on Google / good on Trustpilot- we probably know why).
I plan to get a couple more comparative quotes, but they do seem to be a large firm with apparently good warranty.
Weirdly, if I go one side of the roof (6 panels) the cost is about 10k without a battery, two sides (and an additional 8 panels) is £11k without a battery. Very weird pricing given they have to erect scaffold on the second side, maybe they have not priced that in yet and will surprise me later.
31st July 2022, 21:04
g40steve

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boss13

Been looking at this recently given our electricity bills are astronomical and only likely to go one way.
Anybody used a company called Project Solar? They are a national firm, mixed reviews (average on Google / good on Trustpilot- we probably know why).
I plan to get a couple more comparative quotes, but they do seem to be a large firm with apparently good warranty.
Weirdly, if I go one side of the roof (6 panels) the cost is about 10k without a battery, two sides (and an additional 8 panels) is £11k without a battery. Very weird pricing given they have to erect scaffold on the second side, maybe they have not priced that in yet and will surprise me later.

That sounds like a case bend over & lube me up!
Myself & Yumma have had installations by So Energy, our energy supplier.
I had 14 x 375w panels, 5kwh powerdrive battery, Solis inverter, all the scaffolding ( they had to go cross ground floor extension) I had Eddi solar immersion quoted but an iboost was supplied & after chatting with electrician decided not to have it fitted. £9600, they are refunding me for the Eddi if I decide I defo don’t want one by end of month.
If prices go to 50p per/kWh my pay back period will be halved :applouse:
31st July 2022, 23:44
Boss13

Quote:

Originally Posted by g40steve

That sounds like a case bend over & lube me up!
Myself & Yumma have had installations by So Energy, our energy supplier.
I had 14 x 375w panels, 5kwh powerdrive battery, Solis inverter, all the scaffolding ( they had to go cross ground floor extension) I had Eddi solar immersion quoted but an iboost was supplied & after chatting with electrician decided not to have it fitted. £9600, they are refunding me for the Eddi if I decide I defo don’t want one by end of month.
If prices go to 50p per/kWh my pay back period will be halved :applouse:

With battery for 14 panels it was about 15k.

They admitted they are not the cheapest.

What is your payback period do you think at current rates?

Do SO energy have an app etc so you can work out what you are generating and using or storing or selling?

I may give them a call.
1st August 2022, 08:46
ernestrome

That's a scandalous price. I'm paying 8k for 12 panels, 6.5kw battery, 3.68kw hybrid inverter, including scaffolding and miscellaneous parts.
1st August 2022, 12:12
Pretzel

Quote:

Originally Posted by ernestrome

That's a scandalous price. I'm paying 8k for 12 panels, 6.5kw battery, 3.68kw hybrid inverter, including scaffolding and miscellaneous parts.

Can I ask who you are going to use?
1st August 2022, 15:25
mindforge

Quote:

Originally Posted by ernestrome

That's a scandalous price. I'm paying 8k for 12 panels, 6.5kw battery, 3.68kw hybrid inverter, including scaffolding and miscellaneous parts.

Where are you based? I didn't have any quotes that low in London.

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1st August 2022, 16:01
thieuster

Dutch prices: 22 panels: 8k euros.

I mentioned this already in April: they're a big success. Current monthly energy bill is 88 euros. It was 240 euros in 2021.
1st August 2022, 16:14
BillyCasper

Quote:

Originally Posted by mindforge

Where are you based? I didn't have any quotes that low in London.

Sent from my IN2023 using Tapatalk

Mayor of London Solar Together scheme, ~£10k, 12 panels 4.7kWp, inverter, battery, scaffolding, etc.
1st August 2022, 16:20
thieuster

Solar panels…..a good idea?

A real-world-comparison in Kwh, the panels were installed last October.

Month 2021 2022

Jan. 715 420
Feb. 557 312
March. 584 219
April. 495 205
May. 450 168
June. 338 149

Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
1st August 2022, 16:49
MartynJC (UK)

Quote:

Originally Posted by thieuster

A real-world-comparison in Kwh, the panels were installed last October.

Month 2021 2022

Jan. 715 420
Feb. 557 312
March. 584 219
April. 495 205
May. 450 168
June. 338 149

Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app

guess output heavily depends on weather! From those figures 2022 isn’t so great. What’s your installation specs? You said 22 panels but what is the nominal Kw/h for them?
1st August 2022, 17:29
g40steve

4 weeks in & my APP is telling I have produced 514kwh of E, nice.
I have seen figures as high as 5300 live on the APP & my evening use is totally free on most occasions.
Understanding how hungry our devices are is interesting, the wife’s induction range & double oven likes some energy along with kettle & immersion.
Will upload some photos, need to swap devices.

https://i.imgur.com/dIEhfVD.jpg
1st August 2022, 18:03
thieuster

Quote:

Originally Posted by MartynJC (UK)

guess output heavily depends on weather! From those figures 2022 isn’t so great. What’s your installation specs? You said 22 panels but what is the nominal Kw/h for them?

It’s the position. We’re surrounded by trees making optimal use of the s/p virtually impossible. Still, my monthly energy bill dropped from 240 euros in ‘21 to (currently) 88 euros/month.

[
1st August 2022, 18:15
tertius

Quote:

Originally Posted by thieuster

A real-world-comparison in Kwh, the panels were installed last October.

Month 2021 2022

Jan. 715 420
Feb. 557 312
March. 584 219
April. 495 205
May. 450 168
June. 338 149

Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app

What are the numbers though? Is it energy drawn from the grid? Can’t be the generated figures as the months are the wrong way round … Jan higher than June …
1st August 2022, 18:20
MartynJC (UK)

Quote:

Originally Posted by tertius

What are the numbers though? Is it energy drawn from the grid? Can’t be the generated figures as the months are the wrong way round … Jan higher than June …

He might live in Australia :torn: I am still wondering what the nominal power of the panels are - as I am looking at x21 mono half cell 410Wp which is a nominal 8.6kWp
1st August 2022, 18:31
JP28

Quote:

Originally Posted by MartynJC (UK)

He might live in Australia :torn: I am still wondering what the nominal power of the panels are - as I am looking at x21 mono half cell 410Wp which is a nominal 8.6kWp

I have a new 24 panels installation, theoretically 8.3kwh max.
Actual max is around 6.5kwh and I get around 50-54kwh in a day from Jun through to now.
I am based in Croatia (not UK) hence the decent daily production :)
1st August 2022, 19:31
hogthrob

Quote:

Originally Posted by tertius

What are the numbers though? Is it energy drawn from the grid? Can’t be the generated figures as the months are the wrong way round … Jan higher than June …

Trees and leaf cover?
1st August 2022, 19:45
tertius

Quote:

Originally Posted by MartynJC (UK)

He might live in Australia :torn: I am still wondering what the nominal power of the panels are - as I am looking at x21 mono half cell 410Wp which is a nominal 8.6kWp

Pretty sure thieuster is in Netherlands. He says above 22 panels, so if you assume 360w panels (pretty standard) that would be 7.92 kWp theoretical output.
1st August 2022, 19:48
tertius

Quote:

Originally Posted by hogthrob

Trees and leaf cover?

That would never account for that difference especially when you consider the height of the sun in the sky - that’s the big issue for me; winter generation is poor when the sun is low.

E.g. this year:

January - 71 kWh generated
June - 484 kWh generated
1st August 2022, 19:50
thieuster

Quote:

Originally Posted by tertius

What are the numbers though? Is it energy drawn from the grid? Can’t be the generated figures as the months are the wrong way round … Jan higher than June …

I thought it was obvious that it's a list of the Kwh used from the grid. Sorry that it wasn't self-explaining.
1st August 2022, 19:52
thieuster

Solar panels…..a good idea?

Quote:

Originally Posted by tertius

That would never account for that difference especially when you consider the height of the sun in the sky - that’s the big issue for me; winter generation is poor when the sun is low.

E.g. this year:

January - 71 kWh generated
June - 484 kWh generated

In January, my panels generated 56 kWh, in June 799 kWh.

https://i.postimg.cc/tRK1rXH5/3-E4-F...CBC58-C812.png

And according to the same app on my phone, the theoretical output would be (could be...) 8.03 kWp.

Having said that: there was an item in the Dutch news that solar panels and extreme heat like we had mid July don't go well together; according to some, the output is dialed down with 25% per panel.
1st August 2022, 19:59
tertius

That’s my understanding as well - the efficiency of the panels takes a bit when it’s too hot. One reason why cool but bright spring days can be such good generating days.
12th August 2022, 17:30
g40steve

Since 7/7 production has topped 1MW already & with E prices knocking on 60p in Oct payback is looking good.
28th February 2023, 17:32
bobocat

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boss13

Been looking at this recently given our electricity bills are astronomical and only likely to go one way.
Anybody used a company called Project Solar? They are a national firm, mixed reviews (average on Google / good on Trustpilot- we probably know why).
I plan to get a couple more comparative quotes, but they do seem to be a large firm with apparently good warranty.
Weirdly, if I go one side of the roof (6 panels) the cost is about 10k without a battery, two sides (and an additional 8 panels) is £11k without a battery. Very weird pricing given they have to erect scaffold on the second side, maybe they have not priced that in yet and will surprise me later.

I recently had to prepare a report on utility bills, and I was struggling with how to properly fill out the forms. I searched online for examples of utility bills to get an idea of what the report should look like, and I came across a website https://utilitybilltemplate.net/ that provided just that. The website offered a variety of samples of utility bills, including electricity, water, gas, and others. I was able to download and examine these samples, which helped me understand how to properly fill out the forms for my report.
1st March 2023, 07:37
BillyCasper

Solar panels…..a good idea?

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...1451ab85d2.jpg

Looks like we went nuclear yesterday.