Solar panels….?
- Thread starter Hicky
- Start date
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Solar panel controller, fuses, switches, inverter to change dc to ac…….lots more
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
A bloody good place to fit them too - wouldn't be great on our house, would need to go on garage roof, then we've neighbour's trees in the way most of the year.
DCLane
Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
- Location
- Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
It's something I considered a few years ago but didn't get it installed for financial reasons as well as planning to move at the time, and we may be soon so again wouldn't do it.
We've a SSW-facing 10x7m roof which would take the panels nicely.
We've a SSW-facing 10x7m roof which would take the panels nicely.
MontyVeda
a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
- Location
- Lancaster... the little city.
with the price of electricity going through the roof, they may be a wise investment.
Sorry i just listed some of the things you would need……..
OP
OP
Hicky
Guru
I assumed the panels would come as a package and installed, hence floating the question to see if anyone had experience.
DCLane, we don’t plan to move….or I don’t unless it’s in a wooden box 🙂
I am looking into it…..for later in the year. But im also doing a small diy set-up for my garden and shed needs
Gillstay
Veteran
We put solar hot water on the last house and we got a bit of grant money and even without that it was great. Constant hot water.
This house has electric panels that we have linked to a immersion heater in the hot water tank to get some of the same effect as well as exporting it.
Two things that get overlooked with both systems is the fact that for a lot of the year your boiler does not fire up as your getting your hot water from elsewhere, so your boiler lasts a lot longer. This is quite a saving. With solar hot water in summer you can have too much so I put ours on a frame on a flat roof and when we went away I chucked a simple cover over it. A visit to C.A.T. in Wales convinced us to do it. We tailer made out our energy usage to fit how we lived, rather than just replacing what had gone before for someone else.
This house has electric panels that we have linked to a immersion heater in the hot water tank to get some of the same effect as well as exporting it.
Two things that get overlooked with both systems is the fact that for a lot of the year your boiler does not fire up as your getting your hot water from elsewhere, so your boiler lasts a lot longer. This is quite a saving. With solar hot water in summer you can have too much so I put ours on a frame on a flat roof and when we went away I chucked a simple cover over it. A visit to C.A.T. in Wales convinced us to do it. We tailer made out our energy usage to fit how we lived, rather than just replacing what had gone before for someone else.
I have been modelling my circumstances using the app from Loop Energy connected to my smart meter. For me breakeven would be about 15 years with or without a battery wall so I have decided to hold off for a few years to see if that changes. The obvious issue with future pricing over the next 5 to 10 years has made me rethink but solar equipment prices are also expected to surge very soon.
annedonnelly
Girl from the North Country
- Location
- Blyth, Northumberland
I don't know why more people don't have solar hot water. As @Gillstay says, it's brilliant. In a decent summer I can go most of the summer months without the water needing to be heated by the heat pump. You do need to be sensible about hot water use. It's makes much more sense to have a bath in the evening rather than at 7am when the sun hasn't hit the panel.
I've had solar PV for years and the installer estimated that I'd get about £500 per year from the feed in tarrif. I've never had less than £500. Obviously that depends on the deal that was available at the time and I don't know what the situation is now.
If anyone in this part of the world is interested I am happy to recommend my installer.
I've had solar PV for years and the installer estimated that I'd get about £500 per year from the feed in tarrif. I've never had less than £500. Obviously that depends on the deal that was available at the time and I don't know what the situation is now.
If anyone in this part of the world is interested I am happy to recommend my installer.
mistyoptic
Vintage
- Location
- A parallel reality
We got in early on when the feed in tariff was very generous. Now, ten years on, I reckon we’ve had our investment back plus about £5k. Nowadays you would only get about 5p per unit export tariff.
Today it‘s cloudy and we’re not exporting much but we’re not importing either so that’s a win.
Some areas have a green scheme. In Nottingham the PILs are about to have solar PV fitted subsidised by the council. May be similar scheme elsewhere.
edit. 4Kw system, 33000 units generated to date
Today it‘s cloudy and we’re not exporting much but we’re not importing either so that’s a win.
Some areas have a green scheme. In Nottingham the PILs are about to have solar PV fitted subsidised by the council. May be similar scheme elsewhere.
edit. 4Kw system, 33000 units generated to date
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Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
We had solar panels fitted a few weeks ago, as many as would fit on our roof & garage together (giving a nominal 10.1kWh system), and a 16kWh battery.
Since 10th February, we have already generated 442kWh - at the rates from 1st April, that would be £125 worth in less than a month, during the winter.
The total system cost us around £20,000 fully installed so that is a payback time of around 160 months, but we will obviously be generating quite a bit more during the summer, so 10 years seems a reasonable estimate - provided electricity prices don't rise much more.
The battery hasn't actually been installed yet - stock is arriving on 15th April, but when it is, we will be switching to the Octopus Agile tariff for both import and export, and I suspect the payback time will then be better, as we will be getting a good rate for what we export, not just saving on what we use.
Since 10th February, we have already generated 442kWh - at the rates from 1st April, that would be £125 worth in less than a month, during the winter.
The total system cost us around £20,000 fully installed so that is a payback time of around 160 months, but we will obviously be generating quite a bit more during the summer, so 10 years seems a reasonable estimate - provided electricity prices don't rise much more.
The battery hasn't actually been installed yet - stock is arriving on 15th April, but when it is, we will be switching to the Octopus Agile tariff for both import and export, and I suspect the payback time will then be better, as we will be getting a good rate for what we export, not just saving on what we use.
