[GribinIsaf]

We have recently been looking (again) at the possibility of having a solar installation to reduce our electricity bill.

With the current large increases in mains electricity prices we would be willing to use some capital now to reduce costs in the future.

Our house roof faces East/West.

We have had a visit from a local independent solar installation who has done work around us where people have been happy.  After various quotation experiences for different energy saving ideas we have had in the past from big distant companies we think there might be an advantage in having the person responsible living a couple of miles down the road!

What follows are the initial quotes he has given us and I am posting them here to see if they chime with anyone's experiences and their thoughts.  Many thanks for any comments...

Here is the quote:

A split roof Solar PV array of 4.0kw with a dual tracker Inverter would cost £4640.20 plus vat.
Add a 5.4kwh Givenergy battery and charger, this would then be a total of £7535.60 plus vat @5%.
You can add up to 5 batteries on an Inverter giving you potentially 41kwh of storage if you were to install 8.2kwh batteries.
Will send you a price for a 4.0kw Solaredge array with Solaredge Inverter, obviously giving you a fully optimized system.
Batteries and Inverters all come with 10 year warranty,panels (Jinko 400watt)all black mono with 25 years

[Penninehillbilly]

Hi,
Is that just material or all installed costs.?
Is 'Feed in tariff' still on the go and is the person quoting registered so you can claim?
(OH asking questions [/size])
[/size]We have been re-discussing same thing for same reason.

[GribinIsaf]

Hi,
Is that just material or all installed costs.?
Is 'Feed in tariff' still on the go and is the person quoting registered so you can claim?
(OH asking questions [/size])
[/size]We have been re-discussing same thing for same reason.

It will be all in.
Thought feed in had ended now?

[GribinIsaf]

Hi,
Is that just material or all installed costs.?
Is 'Feed in tariff' still on the go and is the person quoting registered so you can claim?
(OH asking questions [/size])
[/size]We have been re-discussing same thing for same reason.

It will be all in.
Thought feed in had ended now?

Replying to myself!

"The scheme will stop accepting new applications after 31 March 2019"

https://www.gov.uk/feed-in-tariffs

[mab]

Don't really know the going rate but it seems reasonable.


FIT has ended. If your install is MCS certified (signed off, MCS certified panels inverter, etc) then your energy supplier should still pay you for export - not much, a few pence/unit i think. If your install is not MCS certified then they don't have to pay you anything for exported energy.


If you're going down the battery route then you wont be exporting much. If you fit a diversion controller (or if the fitted system incorporates that function) to divert any excess production to immersion/storage heaters you won't really export anything, except on sunny midsummer days.


Bear in mind that a battery isn't 100% efficient - you won't get as much out as you put in, and in midwinter the standing loss of the battery system may absorb most/all of what you do generate from 4kw of PV on a dull day.

[Kiran]

It is worth noting that you dont need to have an export agreement with the same company that supplies you. So for example British gas can supply your electricity and you can have an export agreement with Scottish power. That can maximise your benefit but you have to keep an eye on the prices

[GribinIsaf]

Don't really know the going rate but it seems reasonable.


FIT has ended. If your install is MCS certified (signed off, MCS certified panels inverter, etc) then your energy supplier should still pay you for export - not much, a few pence/unit i think. If your install is not MCS certified then they don't have to pay you anything for exported energy.


If you're going down the battery route then you wont be exporting much. If you fit a diversion controller (or if the fitted system incorporates that function) to divert any excess production to immersion/storage heaters you won't really export anything, except on sunny midsummer days.


Bear in mind that a battery isn't 100% efficient - you won't get as much out as you put in, and in midwinter the standing loss of the battery system may absorb most/all of what you do generate from 4kw of PV on a dull day.

Thank you mab, some useful points there.

One decision we have to make is battery system or not.  I would be interested to hear from anyone who has gone one way or the other, and what prompted their decision.

I see a battery as a way of reconciling production with use over a 24-hour period....?

Interesting point about batteries in winter mab.

If it is of interest, we are in central Wales at an elevation of nearly 1000 ft (ie more mist/cloud) than lower elevations.  The fact that the local engineer obviously has his own array in the same location as us so presumably knows what the normal pattern here is should help.

[GribinIsaf]

It is worth noting that you dont need to have an export agreement with the same company that supplies you. So for example British gas can supply your electricity and you can have an export agreement with Scottish power. That can maximise your benefit but you have to keep an eye on the prices

Thanks for that Kiran.  Our electricity supplier is Octopus.  I need to find a list of what different companies pay - does anyone have a link?
Currently I am thinking that trying to make efficient use of all electricity generated is better than selling surplus but, as you can tell, I am still in the early stages of research!

[Anke]

If you do have the capital just sitting in the bank doing nothing you could do worse than significantly reducing your electricity usage, but I would hazard a guess that in winter you may need to import from the grid regularly. Also depends what your heating system is, and if you would use up the electricity you generate.

[GribinIsaf]

If you do have the capital just sitting in the bank doing nothing you could do worse than significantly reducing your electricity usage, but I would hazard a guess that in winter you may need to import from the grid regularly. Also depends what your heating system is, and if you would use up the electricity you generate.

Thanks Anke - your thought about capital sitting there is our way if thinking on this

Our heating is LPG boiler/wood burning back boiler working in tandem to heat radiators (tend to us more wood than LPG)  Cooker is LPG.

Need to do some more accurate sums now about our consumption v possible production

[Kiran]

It is worth noting that you dont need to have an export agreement with the same company that supplies you. So for example British gas can supply your electricity and you can have an export agreement with Scottish power. That can maximise your benefit but you have to keep an eye on the prices

Thanks for that Kiran.  Our electricity supplier is Octopus.  I need to find a list of what different companies pay - does anyone have a link?
Currently I am thinking that trying to make efficient use of all electricity generated is better than selling surplus but, as you can tell, I am still in the early stages of research!

If you google current "SEG tariffs" you'll see an up to date list some high and some pitifully low. No idea on customer service levels from any of them but you dont automatically get switched if your supplier goes pop like you do with you energy incoming

[GribinIsaf]

If you google current "SEG tariffs" you'll see an up to date list some high and some pitifully low. No idea on customer service levels from any of them but you dont automatically get switched if your supplier goes pop like you do with you energy incoming

Found it!  (or several actually, giving different lists and different figures) Out of interest, Octopus appears near the top of each list I have seen.

[doganjo]

If you google current "SEG tariffs" you'll see an up to date list some high and some pitifully low. No idea on customer service levels from any of them but you dont automatically get switched if your supplier goes pop like you do with you energy incoming

Found it!  (or several actually, giving different lists and different figures) Out of interest, Octopus appears near the top of each list I have seen.

I wouldn't use any other company, been with them 5 years now,  and they give bonuses if you introduce new customers.  I donlt have solar panels although I wish I'd done it when I moved here two years ago - no money left now