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[Technology] Solar roof panels - wise investment?



S

Shropshire Seagull

Well-known member
Nov 5, 2004
8,496
Telford
I've look at these in the past and decided against. However, a recent cold-call bought a chap round that thoroughly explained how it all works - it would be wrong to call him a salesman, he wasn't at all pushy and basically laid out the financial model.

He did a quick survey of the roof, pitch angle, direction, available surface area and surmised a 4Kw 14 panel solution. With a couple of extra gadgets, cost £9.5k. He did some estimates based on previous energy bill annual consumption which indicated I would have return on the £9.5k in just under 10 years. A key fact in his analysis was that over the last 10 years energy costs had risen by an average of 6.5% and did I think, for the next 10 years, it would be higher, lower, or about the same? Bit like guessing house values or interest rates, but I thought probably about the same.

In terms of financing, the company [Project Solar] were able to offer a "deal" @ 9.5% over 5 years [expensive] but also suggested it could be added to your mortgage as a home improvement at probably 2%-3% over a payback period of your choice.

Anyway, the sums looked to stack up - have any of the great NSC considered Solar panels? And did you buy, defer or decide against [please share your reasoning].
 




F

Fungus

Well-known member
NSC Patron
May 21, 2004
7,046
Truro
If our roof was at a better angle, we would have them. Even without the large subsidies, newer technology means the sums should add up. But £9.5k sounds an awful lot, especially with the finance. Just because he wasn't pushy, doesn't mean he wasn't a salesman! All I can say is, get several estimates. Will be interested to hear what others on here say about their experiences.
 
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Gazwag

Gazwag

5 millionth post poster
Mar 4, 2004
30,134
Bexhill-on-Sea
I have never wanted them as I would be worried it would put off buyers should we decide to move in the future. Also in 10 years time what are the possible maintenance costs and what happens if the roof needs repairing/re-tiling would the costs of that go up loads as well.

Also, I saw on tv recently that the wind farm off the coast would produce enough electricity to power half of Sussex, if true surely that might reduce rather than increase electricity bills as wind costs nothing and companies are therefore only paying for the installation and maintenance rather than production.
 


beorhthelm

beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,294
I looked at it years ago, its worthwhile but didnt want to take out a loan for such. £9k sounds expensive for then, and cost of panels has come down, though 4Kw is about twice the size i recall common setup. the costs are in the installation (genius bit of government fudging, you have to be specially certified to fit systems qualifying for feed in tariffs) and the inverter that converts panel power into mains. the systems are usually expected to last ~10years (...) where after you are expected to replace panels and inverter, though they are probably good for twice that depending on quality. and i gather quality is very important to the return, as cheaper panel units tail off output after a few years and dont work as well in non-optimal conditions.

the real saving is against future increases to power which will only go up, you're essentially fixing your electricity costs for the next 10-15. tariffs have changed since so unsure of the numbers.

affect on value comes up, which seems a bit daft to me. its like saying a pond or 70's avocado bathroom suite affects value, it might if a buyer cares strongly but some will like, some will be indifferent and it can be removed.
 
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nicko31

nicko31

Well-known member
Jan 7, 2010
17,567
Gods country fortnightly
With a lot of houses there is a lot than can be done more cheaply to save energy, before considering the solar option, eg latest double glazing, lofts insulation, lining walls with celotex

Also, as some have also said, not everyone likes them and it can effect resale value
 


Papa Lazarou

Papa Lazarou

Living in a De Zerbi wonderland
Jul 7, 2003
18,858
Worthing
I would probably have them if our house faced the right way (we're the Northern side of a semi), but we don't.

If I was diving in now I'd explore newer solar technology like those propose by Tesla which look like normal roof tiles, as the currently available ones aren't discrete or pretty.

With solar technology moving on a pace and hopefully storage technology improving I'm sure we'll get to a point soon where new houses should all be fitted with solar (photovoltaic and water) tech, plus all the other interesting heat exchange / harvesting options.

Robert Llewellyn (Kryten) is a strong advocate of solar, and it's worth reading his views.

https://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/...r_batteries_evs_and_turning_his_village_green
 








Daddies_Sauce

Daddies_Sauce

Falmer WSL, not a JCL
Jun 27, 2008
852
A number of our neighbours have panels installed and we have been thinking about having them installed, though not seriously yet.

We have done all that we can to reduce our energy costs, newly installed more efficient double glazing, cavity wall insulation, additional loft insulation, LED lighting, thermostatic radiator values etc. etc. and we are noticing the difference.

A recent article that I was reading advised that the cost of producing and installing renewable energy solutions was reducing which is good and should make the newer more efficient technologies available to a wider audience. It’s disappointing that the subsidies previously available for installation have been removed; it’s even more disappointing that our supplier (OVO) offers 100% renewable electricity for an extra £5 per month on top of our existing plan.
 


B

Brian Parsons

New member
May 16, 2013
571
Bicester, Oxfordshire.
A friend of mine some years ago had them installed. It was in the days when surplus electricity was sold to whoever. His only snag was and it went on for over a year, HIS ROOF LEAKED LIKE A SIEVE. He may have been unlucky but it put rest of street off the idea.

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk
 






S

Shropshire Seagull

Well-known member
Nov 5, 2004
8,496
Telford
Notters said:
Don't think I would ever buy anything from a cold caller.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I should have explained better - I had a cold telephone call and agreed for a no obligation visit - so the chap didn't turn up cold.
After he left I was able to do my own due diligence before deciding.
It wasn't a random knock at the door cold-call visit ....
 


Mortdecai

Mortdecai

Well-known member
Aug 6, 2009
526
Kirkkonummi, Finland
I recently had solar panels installed. We have a total 4Kw consisting of 16 panels and StecaGrid 10000+ 3ph inverter.

We live here in southern Finland so have slightly different expectations regarding the panels installed. We had them installed back November and obviously, what with the lack of daylight hours the set up did little more than just trickle charge. The panels these days are pretty much self cleaning and are sheer so that if and when we do get snow fall, once a layer of snow forms it quickly slides of once the sun comes out. Although we are still in the midst of winter here we have noticed a considerable improvement in output since the days are already starting to get noticeably longer.

We paid about 13,900€ (£12,300) of which we can claim back around 2k back in tax. We got what I thought to quite a good deal as we got a substantial discount by agreeing an open day sometime in the summer for potential customers to take a look for themselves and for brochure pictures to be taken.

Apparently, the panels these days should last in excess of 30 years with them losing less than 10% of their effectiveness in 10 years beyond that no more that 20% after 20 years.

Over here our bills are made up of a combined charge made be the electricity producer and the provider that owns the cabling etc. Therefore, selling electricity back to the producer is priced at the same cost it costs us to buy it, however, we still have to pay the provider at their tariff.

Basically, You will pay for your installation quicker by using all the power you generate, which is great for you guys on the sunny south coast.
Unfortunately, during the summer months when we use very little electricity most of ours will be sold but will money we make will offset our winter bills, hopefully.
 




Baldseagull

Baldseagull

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2012
10,944
Crawley
I have had a 2.4KW system on the roof for about 6 years now, payed £12k at the time which was steep even then, the Government had announced an early end to the highest feed in tariff date, and the original supplier couldn't do it in time, went with another, only for the Government to reverse it's decision and stick with the original cut off, meaning I could have stuck with my original supplier and install date, and had them in at £9.5k, the buggers.
Even though I overpaid, I am happy with them, if you are able to maximise the productive periods, and do laundry etc. in the day it is great. There are various devices now that switch power you are not using to either heat water via the immersion, or charge batteries for use later. I have been better off by more than £1k a year each year, via reductions in bills and repayments for feed ins, but I am on the highest feed in payments.

I say do it, but do your research and shop around, and not just on cost. There are differences in performance of different manufacturers panels, different rates of decay, and levels of performance drop that the manufacturer will allow before considering the panel a failure under warranty, differences in how they can be wired, how efficient the inverter is, length of life for the inverter etc. It is a big expense, so worth investing some time in finding out about, it will pay off in the long run.
 


S

Shropshire Seagull

Well-known member
Nov 5, 2004
8,496
Telford
Triggaaar said:
:eek:

Run!
Click to expand...

Indeed, my thoughts exactly. However ....

The chap agreed there were much cheaper funding options but if you take the loan, you get double-cover - like paying for something with a credit card, if the supplier has gone bust, the financier still has a legal responsibility. He explained in detail, how to take the finance and then in the first month pay off all bar one instalment, pay the one instalment on DD due date, then ask for a settlement figure. Because early settlement has 28 days interest penalty, the balance will only be one months worth of interest [about a tenner] so would be the cheapest way to take the finance, hold he benefit of additional recourse to claim if anything went wrong and the supplier was gone.

Sounded like quite smart thinking to me - and I was guessing that Project Solar would also get a back-hander from the finance company for the loan/business - everyone wins bar the finance company.
 


OzMike

OzMike

Well-known member
Oct 2, 2006
12,931
Perth Australia
I have 20 panels on my roof with a theoretical output of 5.1kw, though this is only a guide line as the inverter is capable of handling 10kw and I regularly see the output display with readings of up to 6.2kw.
It has really made a difference to my bills.
My summer month bills before them was around $750 every 2 months, now this has gone down to around $250, during the winter months when I have my underfloor heating on, it has gone from around $1250 for 2 months to around $750.
The system cost me $7500, that is around 3750 of your pounds and I don't think it will take long to pay for itself.
Here it is a very good selling point and I can add more panels if I want, till I reach the 10kw output and yes, my roof is big enough.
They are a great selling point over here and they are on the side facing roof so are not obvious when standing on the property.
I also have solar hot water, which is great all year round here.
 


beorhthelm

beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,294
Shropshire Seagull said:
Sounded like quite smart thinking to me - and I was guessing that Project Solar would also get a back-hander from the finance company for the loan/business - everyone wins bar the finance company.
Click to expand...

sounds exceedingly dodgy, moreso if thats part of the sale pitch.
 




F

Fungus

Well-known member
NSC Patron
May 21, 2004
7,046
Truro
OzMike said:
I have 20 panels on my roof with a theoretical output of 5.1kw, though this is only a guide line as the inverter is capable of handling 10kw and I regularly see the output display with readings of up to 6.2kw.
It has really made a difference to my bills.
My summer month bills before them was around $750 every 2 months, now this has gone down to around $250, during the winter months when I have my underfloor heating on, it has gone from around $1250 for 2 months to around $750.
The system cost me $7500, that is around 3750 of your pounds and I don't think it will take long to pay for itself.
Here it is a very good selling point and I can add more panels if I want, till I reach the 10kw output and yes, my roof is big enough.
They are a great selling point over here and they are on the side facing roof so are not obvious when standing on the property.
I also have solar hot water, which is great all year round here.
Click to expand...

Do you run air-con during the summer?
 


Thunder Bolt

Thunder Bolt

Silly old bat
Aug 18, 2009
65,438
Beside the seaside, beside the sea


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