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Free solar panels.







Whitterz

Mmmmm? Marvellous
Aug 9, 2008
3,212
Eastbourne
I thought the government had scrapped the scheme

I believe they have. From the prices I've seen recently, even from the electrical company I work for, who has a subsidiary firm dealing with renewable energy, the costs are high.
And from what I've seen it can take upto 20 years to start making any money on it now.
 


beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,265
there was never any free solar panels. the nearest you can get, if still available, is where some company installs them on your house and takes most the feed in tariff, so little benefit to you. the best rates on FIT are long gone, but in theory if the cost of panels and installation has dropped, you should still be able to pay off cost in a decade (i havent looked into it recently). all depends on that upfront cost.
 


Bry Nylon

Test your smoke alarm
Helpful Moderator
Jul 21, 2003
19,782
Playing snooker
Emperor's new clothes.

Without subsidy there is little or no payback, they make your house look bloody awful and the risk of your property burning down is significantly increased. I'd steer well clear.
 




beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,265
... and the risk of your property burning down is significantly increased.

now why would that be? cant see solar panels alone increasing risk of fire, maybe a cock up in wiring to the mains, but similar risk their to say having a new cooker fitted and cocked up.
 


SIMMO SAYS

Well-known member
Jul 31, 2012
11,702
Incommunicado
Emperor's new clothes.

Without subsidy there is little or no payback, they make your house look bloody awful and the risk of your property burning down is significantly increased. I'd steer well clear.

Smoke and Mirrors in my view.
However thirty years ago my dad and I stuck three old radiators on his roof - filled them with antifreeze then stuck a pump on the pipe-work.
He got free hot water for years. :cool:
 


Bry Nylon

Test your smoke alarm
Helpful Moderator
Jul 21, 2003
19,782
Playing snooker
now why would that be? cant see solar panels alone increasing risk of fire, maybe a cock up in wiring to the mains, but similar risk their to say having a new cooker fitted and cocked up.

You're right of course, solar panels in themselves carry a very low fire risk. The vast majority of solar fires are a consequence of installer fault. One of the more common mistakes is installing an AC isolator on DC circuits. This can lead to an extremely significant build up of heat that can eventually melt the isolator switch and trigger a fire.

If the fire service are called to a fire in house with solar panels - even if the fire is nothing to do with the solar panels (ie a chimney fire) - there is a lot more to think about before firefighting operations can commence. And all this takes vital minutes, especially if it is dark.

Ladders can't be set against the roof
A safety officer needs to be appointed to monitor for earlier than usual signs of collapse owing to the additional roof loading
A cordon must be established below panel arrays, meaning you might not be able to fight the fire from the optimal position
Firefighting water can't be directed onto the roof.
Everybody has to faff about swapping normal gloves for electrical-rated gloves
Hazardous chemicals and materials used in panel manufacture can be released as a side-effect of the fire damage so you need additional appliances for extra BA sets.
Cutting through roof space to ventilate or get to the seat of the fire is a no-no given the additional electrical cables running through the joists that can't be isolated with the AC circuits.

By the time this is all squared away the house is probably lost anyway.

Given the the level of risk and uncertainty, once all occupants have been accounted for its not uncommon for orders to be protect surrounding risks (ie neighbouring properties) and let the affected property burn down in a controlled way.

So solar panels may only marginally increase the risk of fire - if at all - but the consequences of a fire caused by whatever means can be far more catastrophic owing to the added complications they present.

Nobody wants to die fighting a fire in an empty house. And no senior officer wants to end up in court explaining how that happened.
 
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surrey jim

Not in Surrey
Aug 2, 2005
18,085
Bevendean
now why would that be? cant see solar panels alone increasing risk of fire, maybe a cock up in wiring to the mains, but similar risk their to say having a new cooker fitted and cocked up.
Was the fire at Hove town hall earlier this year (or late last year) not due to the solar panels overheating?
 


Cian

Well-known member
Jul 16, 2003
14,262
Dublin, Ireland
Solar water can, depending on your existing setup and usage of hot water, pay back a lot quicker. If you've got an immersion with a spare port, the ability to feed it to the heat exchanger for your central heating, washing machine/dishwasher that have hot inlets (extremely rare these days) and so on the installation costs aren't hideous and the benefits larger

However, for most people it involves massive replumbing and all it does is reduce their hot water (for taps) heating bill.
 


Goldstone1976

We Got Calde in!!
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patreon
Apr 30, 2013
13,765
Herts
You're right of course, solar panels in themselves carry a very low fire risk. The vast majority of solar fires are a consequence of installer fault. One of the more common mistakes is installing an AC isolator on DC circuits. This can lead to an extremely significant build up of heat that can eventually melt the isolator switch and trigger a fire.

If the fire service are called to a fire in house with solar panels - even if the fire is nothing to do with the solar panels (ie a chimney fire) - there is a lot more to think about before firefighting operations can commence. And all this takes vital minutes, especially if it is dark.

Ladders can't be set against the roof
A safety officer needs to be appointed to monitor for earlier than usual signs of collapse owing to the additional roof loading
A cordon must be established below panel arrays, meaning you might not be able to fight the fire from the optimal position
Firefighting water can't be directed onto the roof.
Everybody has to faff about swapping normal gloves for electrical-rated gloves
Hazardous chemicals and materials used in panel manufacture can be released as a side-effect of the fire damage so you need additional appliances for extra BA sets.
Cutting through roof space to ventilate or get to the seat of the fire is a no-no given the additional electrical cables running through the joists that can't be isolated with the AC circuits.

By the time this is all squared away the house is probably lost anyway.

Given the the level of risk and uncertainty, once all occupants have been accounted for its not uncommon for orders to be protect surrounding risks (ie neighbouring properties) and let the affected property burn down in a controlled way.

So solar panels may only marginally increase the risk of fire - if at all - but the consequences of a fire caused by whatever means can be far more catastrophic owing to the added complications they present.

Nobody wants to die fighting a fire in an empty house. And no senior officer wants to end up in court explaining how that happened.

Wow. Now that's a truly compelling argument against getting panels installed. Strange that the sales guy I've been talking to hasn't mentioned any of this when we've been debating the relative merits of putting the panels on the roof or as part of an array in the grounds. Thanks.
 




Bry Nylon

Test your smoke alarm
Helpful Moderator
Jul 21, 2003
19,782
Playing snooker
Wow. Now that's a truly compelling argument against getting panels installed. Strange that the sales guy I've been talking to hasn't mentioned any of this when we've been debating the relative merits of putting the panels on the roof or as part of an array in the grounds. Thanks.

If you decide to go ahead and have them installed contact your local fire service (Cambridgeshire F&RS?) and advise them, as there is currently no national database of where these things are. If you ever have cause to call the fire service, advise that you have solar panels as part of the call. These details will form part of the 'tip out' sheet sent to summoned crews and they can start their planning and preparations en route rather than on arrival. This could make all the difference.
 


beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,265
thanks for the education Bry, i suppose i was only considering the risk of starting a fire, not the events that follow. you'd think they would add it to some register, there's enough regulation around them already wouldnt be big ask.
 



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