View Full Version : Solar Panels
sandman
30-01-12, 12:33 PM
Thinking of getting some solar panels but have no idea where to start
So who has them and how much did the installation cost
Looking at buying them outright rather than one of the schemes where they fit them but you do not own them
Cheers
Jerry
Nobbylad
30-01-12, 12:37 PM
Pm Flymo or search for his thread on it.
We had 9 x 240W Bosch panels (2.16kWh system) installed in early December (just before the 12th Dec cut-off which has since been put back) to get the 43p FIT rate. All-in cost was circa 9.4k, payback circa 8 years. Installed by our builder who has a company that does this.
We're with Utility Warehouse who give us an extra 2p on the FIT rate when export payments are made into our account rather than into the bank.
A few things to note:
1. Be careful as to how many roof-planes that you put the panels on. Each will give a different voltage and not many rectifiers can cope with more than two. Ours are on one plane only.
2. Make sure that the mountings are bolted into your roof joists and sealed properly where they go through the lining. Be careful with utility companies installing them for this reason.
Sanyo HIT panels with a SMA sunny boy inverter comes 5yr warranty.
Added an inline fuse box between inverter and panels.
Current payback period is 11 years projected from data collected since November. Roll on the summer :)
tigersaw
30-01-12, 04:38 PM
These figures for payback quoted - is that just the initial principal, or what the money would have been worth if invested?
If I put £10k in a 10 year bond at a rate of just 4%, it will be worth £15k in 10 years.
this is just basic repay initial capital costs. No adjustments for net present values or inflation or interest rates. That said have not factored in increase in FIT rate that is also index linked or rise in electricity rates.
Unfortunately the only data is from november and its based on SAP calculator (http://www.spiritsolar.co.uk/sapcalculator.php) using the projected annual output by month to determine a return.
Happy to make any adjustments if it makes it easier to compare against the compound interest of a 10 yr bond.
Ive done a fair bit of research as i want some panels. Go for the hybrid ones if you can afford. They cost a bit more but are much more efficient.
Just a little cool thing i heard. They started developing and using these new ones in America where they run tubes round the back of them with the water in and that cools them down making them over 3x more efficient than normal ones as most the energy is lost in heat, and it also heats the water up for the building.
suzukigt380paul
30-01-12, 06:33 PM
We had 9 x 240W Bosch panels (2.16kWh system) installed in early December (just before the 12th Dec cut-off which has since been put back) to get the 43p FIT rate. All-in cost was circa 9.4k, payback circa 8 years. Installed by our builder who has a company that does this.
We're with Utility Warehouse who give us an extra 2p on the FIT rate when export payments are made into our account rather than into the bank.
A few things to note:
1. Be careful as to how many roof-planes that you put the panels on. Each will give a different voltage and not many rectifiers can cope with more than two. Ours are on one plane only.
2. Make sure that the mountings are bolted into your roof joists and sealed properly where they go through the lining. Be careful with utility companies installing them for this reason.
i really dont get it,do you get you money back by not using the generated electric and selling it back to the grid for double what it costs to buy it!coz on the face off it,if i spent 9.5k on a set up and i pay about £32 a month on DD for electic it would take 24.7 years to get my money back asumming i never ever buy any more electric for a nother 24 years,or am i missing something
i really dont get it,do you get you money back by not using the generated electric and selling it back to the grid for double what it costs to buy it!
Sign up to the Government renewable energy scheme. They pay you for producing your own electricity to use. Any excess what you sell back to the grid is extra £££
tigersaw
30-01-12, 06:58 PM
I've never spent as long as 10 years at one house, and I doubt that will change, I like to move, so I'd be asking myself;
Would the PV panels be an asset or a liability when I come to move? I doubt a buyer would be willing to give the purchase value, but they may help sell the house as would a new kitchen or bathroom. On the other hand, if the FIT is not transferrable to a new owner (is it, and is that guarranteed?) then they are a bit of a chocolate teapot. In 10 years time will they still be seen in the same light, or be considered the fad that was solar water heating 20 years ago?
grimey121uk
30-01-12, 09:15 PM
If I had 10k spare I'd just pay it off the mortgage or pay other bills off.
Imagine what would happen in 10 years time when they have paid for themselves and something goes wrong and you have to buy them again
tigersaw
30-01-12, 10:13 PM
As you can guess, its not for me, but there is a 4kw system here for £8250 fitted
http://www.greenltd.com/offers
Plus scaffold costs
tigersaw
30-01-12, 10:17 PM
how **** can you make your house look?
http://www.greenltd.com/image/111
Traders
31-01-12, 04:29 AM
I remember the days when the first slimline tv's arrived £4.5k for a 32"...now look how much it will cost you today. These items in 10 years time will cost a fraction to what they charge now... save your money.
I disagree, think about how much your electricity will cost in 10 years time.
These are a good investment if you plan on sticking around in the same house, I do and so I invested in this. I bought a 21 panel 4kWp installation that will have paid for itself in 8 years, along with saving me a fortune in electricity bills. Its generated 1200 kWh already since it was installed 4 months ago and at least half of that time has been little sunshine through the winter.
On a sunny day my elec meter spins backwards :-)
You sign up to the feed in tarrif and provide meter readings once a quarter. They pay you an indexed linked amount per unit for a 25 year period. You also get to use the electricity that they are paying you to generate ???? and as a result dont need to buy the same amount from the grid. Happy days.
If you want an unbiased sensible assessment from somebody who has put their money where their mouth is then feel free to PM me.
I remember the days when the first slimline tv's arrived £4.5k for a 32"...now look how much it will cost you today. These items in 10 years time will cost a fraction to what they charge now... save your money.
On that logic you would never buy anything, when you are sitting there in 10 years time with your stone aged TV you'll be chuffed to bits I guess. No reason to buy the very latest technology as soon as it ships of course, but then you dont normally get to buy a brand new TV with a government funded scheme that pays you generously for every programme you watch.
Traders
31-01-12, 04:14 PM
Don't get me wrong.. I believe these are an amazing piece of kit and I would love to have them installed, but not at todays prices. When Afghanistan start to mass produce these you will be able to pick them up for a tenner on the market..
Don't get me wrong.. I believe these are an amazing piece of kit and I would love to have them installed, but not at todays prices. When Afghanistan start to mass produce these you will be able to pick them up for a tenner on the market..
Thats kind of the point of a feed in tarriff though, to kickstart that demand for the development in this technology. Without demand there is no point in developing, so it simply becomes a decision about the point in time you choose to get on the merry go round. There are benefits and disadvantages to joining early, part way through or a way down the road.
You earn your money, you get to make the choice.
Luckypants
31-01-12, 04:35 PM
<snip> considered the fad that was solar water heating 20 years ago?
I think you'll find that solar water heating is now a very sensible option given the cost of conventional fuels. If I was staying put in this house, both PV and thermal solar would be fitted.... unfortunately divorce makes that impossible :rolleyes:
I think you'll find that solar water heating is now a very sensible option given the cost of conventional fuels. If I was staying put in this house, both PV and thermal solar would be fitted.... unfortunately divorce makes that impossible :rolleyes:
yep, if we still had a water tank I would have fitted a couple of solar water panels also. Makes very good sense to do so.
Another alternative to look at is ground source and air source heat exchangers to reduce the amount of gas that you buy for central heating, but my funds were limited.
Traders
31-01-12, 05:11 PM
In a nearby town the council are installing solar panels on all of their properties...the tennents in these must be on a winner or is it the council ?? I would be well annoyed if thats where my council tax money was going.
In a nearby town the council are installing solar panels on all of their properties...the tennents in these must be on a winner or is it the council ?? I would be well annoyed if thats where my council tax money was going.
In this case the council will likely be getting all the benefit from the feed-in-tarriff whereas the tenants will probably be getting cheaper electricity when the sun is shining.
The banks and energy companies were doing a similar thing where you pay £99 and they cover the cost of the panels, the problem is they own the panels and obviously take the feed-in-tarriff. On a council property its probably simpler but on a private property this can then lead to a shared interest in the property and a potentially complications when you come to sell.
In the longer term it probably reduces the overall council bill as the installations will pay for themselves over time, then generating profit. Assuming that they are paying a competitive installation rate that is.
how **** can you make your house look?
http://www.greenltd.com/image/111
the panels do look out of place in this particular case, I guess it depends on the color and style of the building. Looks much better on a slate/dark tiled roof. I think they look kinda cool in the right place.
Littlepeahead
31-01-12, 05:27 PM
For that money you could buy a load of hamsters, keep them in your shed, run electricity off the hamster wheels and then deep fry them and eat them as snacks once they get too old to run fast enough.
For that money you could buy a load of hamsters, keep them in your shed, run electricity off the hamster wheels and then deep fry them and eat them as snacks once they get too old to run fast enough.
:D
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