Anyone with solar panels?

[Simon82]

Considering investing in solar panels before they change the tariffs in January.
Anyone got any experience with them, good or bad?
Any company recommendations would be appreciated!

[j2 lot]

We have had then since Nov 2011, installed to lock in the original tarif of 43p per KW just before that rate was dropped for new sign up.
Our estimated generation isn't quite being met but still earning around £1k pa and our electricity bills dropped by maybe £20per month after install. We have an integrated system with an online portal for generation along with central heating monitoring and control (think Hive +).
Actual PV operation has been faultless and since install I think there has only been one day when there wasn't generation and that was because of heavy snow.
We did notice we had a roof leak about a year ago that turned out to be a tile missing from the original installation but the company came out and sorted it without question.
Our system was installed by PV Solar and is managed by HELMS ( who have just been fined a huge amount for their cold calling methods) However I can't fault the service we've had from a customer PoV and originally we went to them so have never experienced the cold calling aspect as that was a more recent issue.
I am pondering retro fitting a battery system to store our generated power rather than sell it back to the grid but haven't worked through the figures and benefits yet- I think it might be borderline for us because of the tarif we get but with a lower tarif being paid it would become a more sensible option.
If your house is suitable for install go for it.

[tut]

John was really the last of those that benefited from the FIT system, but he would have paid a higher price in 2011 for his installation than now.

Home Solar installations will virtually cease after Jan 2016, it is almost pointless now at 13p per unit, never mind at 1.6p. Easy enough to do the sums, but there will be those that do not and get conned. If you have a largish South facing roof then you could fit a 4kW array which will rarely produce more than 2kW. As per car fuel figures that are lab produced, that 4kW is based at midday in Summer in the South of the country. Average daylight hours across the year are around 12/day so 4,400/year x 2kW = 8,800 kW/hrs x 1.6p = £140/year.

Installation costs now are £5-6K, but this will go up next year as VAT is being increased. Divide that by 140 and you end up with 42 years just to cover the cost and the tie in is only for 25 years. There are also plans to cut the FIT completely by 2019. There will still be an export rate for units that you do not use, but that will also be minimal. On top of this all a 4kW array will do is heat up your hot water cylinder and run your lights, it will not even boil a kettle.

Iain Thomas used to post regularly on here when he had an Elise and now owns Black Isle Renewables,
http://www.bir.scot. He is an old friend and now services our GSHP, and has just installed a full GSHP system for Mike Stout. I asked him about Solar as he sells it himself and his reply was a "waste of time." That was good enough for me even though I had already done my own sums, so try giving him a call and get it from the horse's mouth.

I am sure someone will check my figures, but I think they are pretty close and even if they were 100% out it would still make no sense. If the changes go through then there would be no point in a Solar Energy only Company continuing in business.

tut

[j2 lot]

John? Keith here,
I hadn't realised the tarif was now so low !
Our payback on installation looks to be about 8-9 years and we have a tarif fixed for 25 years, Tuts right though if the tarif is 1.6p the benefits would be questionable.
We were supposed to get 'smart plugs' as part of our install but I cancelled them as they need 3kw to run and I wasn't convinced that we would get that other than in the heat of summer so they would be cutting in and out rather than running constantly.

[tut]

Bloody common names, get mixed up at my age.

tut

[Simon82]

Interesting to hear a solar installer saying its a waste of time, surely that's bad for business?

I agree that at 1.6p it would be a waste of time but provided you do it and register it before 1st of January you still get 13p a unit and that would be fixed for 20 years along with the FIT it still would be profitable by my calculations based on a 4kw system on south facing roof. After system paid for then would still benefit in the reduction of electricity bills which are only going to increase as well. I'm not intending on moving again so long term think it could be beneficial or am I just getting sucked in by it all?

[tut]

Just make sure that you do not work on 4kW output, Keith should be able to give you an accurate figure over a year.

I think that Iain is just being honest with friends, with customers he would give them the figures and let them decide. He also installs all energy systems and would probably turn them towards an Air Source Heat Pump which is far more effective, costs very little more, and benefits from the RHI. Worth looking at Simon? I looked at one for TT and could have almost done it myself, but then we decided to move. Again Solar has to be calculated on actual output from existing users and not on the fact that it is a 4kW array.

tut

[j2 lot]

Date Actual Generation (kWh) Anticipated Generation (kWh)

Code: Select all

2015/10/01       	 9.9	       6.52	
2015/10/02	        2.5	       6.42	
2015/10/03	        6.45	      6.33	
2015/10/04	        3.85	      6.23	
2015/10/05	        1.2	       6.14	
2015/10/06	        2.7	       6.04	
2015/10/07	        2.7	       5.95	
2015/10/08	        6.5	       5.86	
2015/10/09        	4	         5.76	
2015/10/10	        1.9	       5.67	

Figures above are for this month so far - our system is actually 3.42 KW rather than 4kw as we had to go with lower rated panels to get them in time to beat the tarif change. Our year to date for this year is 1.96MWh

Edit: apologies, data isn't the easiest to read but it won't paste or edit with the gaps to separate the numbers.

[David]

I've just started my 5th year with a 4kw installation.

http://www.scottishelises.com/phpbb/vie ... ilit=solar

All I can say is that they have worked faultlessly and delivered what was advertised. I was on the first tariff (I think around 50p now) and have produced about 12,480 KWH to date - which has easily made the £1400 pa estimate.

[tut]

Just checked your figures David, in the middle of summer you averaged 14kW/day or 1kW per daylight hour, which is 25% of the supposedly 4kW output.

It works out well for you over 25 years at 44p/unit if they stick to their pledge of not reducing it, pointless at 13p, ludicrous at 1.6p.

tut

[Kelvin]

It's about time these FIT payments stopped. If I was in power I'd also retrospectively remove them from everyone.

[Simon82]

It's about time these FIT payments stopped. If I was in power I'd also retrospectively remove them from everyone.

Why?

[Kelvin]

It's about time these FIT payments stopped. If I was in power I'd also retrospectively remove them from everyone.

Why?

Because there are better ways of spending £8 billion of tax payers money than a nice little earner for the middle classes with a few thousand to spend especially given it was part of the green agenda con.

[Simon82]

It's about time these FIT payments stopped. If I was in power I'd also retrospectively remove them from everyone.

Why?

Because there are better ways of spending £8 billion of tax payers money than a nice little earner for the middle classes with a few thousand to spend especially given it was part of the green agenda con.

Interesting take on it. Pretty sure those "middle classes" pay tax too so why should they not be intitled to benefit from a scheme like that?
£8billion? Where would you rather see it spent?

[Kelvin]

I can't see any benefit diverting billions of pounds from the poorest in society to the better off by way of pointless micro generation that has done fcuk all to reduce our carbon foot print (in any meaningful way) or improve the country's ability to provide energy. The money could have been better spent on insulating the homes of those who live in sh*t rented accommodation for example or extending the schemes that funded the installion of more fuel efficient energy sources for the poorest in society and those in fuel poverty. Just about every thread anywhere on this subject talks about solar PV as a money making scheme which says it all as far as I'm concerned.