Guest Tracker Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 Just to add my experience to date, we earned £928 in the 4 months from early May to early Sept and I am a happy bunny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean Ray Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Hi there, I have been following this thread with great interest. We also are thinking of having a 4kw system. We have had 5 quotes altogether. All have quoted us on different panels. Reading up on the net we are thinking that Sanyo HIT seems to be a top performer in sunny and cloudy conditions. (hybrid) We live in the north of England where it rains almost every day) so we need something that will work in cloudy weather. I would like to know which panels both Tracker and Basil decided on as both seem very pleased with their performances. I value your opinions, as most sales persons are driven by commision. so it would be very much appreciated. Thanks Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Jean & Ray - 2011-10-05 7:03 PM Hi there, I have been following this thread with great interest. We also are thinking of having a 4kw system. We have had 5 quotes altogether. All have quoted us on different panels. Reading up on the net we are thinking that Sanyo HIT seems to be a top performer in sunny and cloudy conditions. (hybrid) We live in the north of England where it rains almost every day) so we need something that will work in cloudy weather. I would like to know which panels both Tracker and Basil decided on as both seem very pleased with their performances. I value your opinions, as most sales persons are driven by commision. so it would be very much appreciated. Thanks Ray Hi Ray I think you will find that Tracker lives in a much more sunny part of the country than you, don't know where Basil lives' We live on the very sunny south coast , but the cost would not be practcle for us, as we are to old to reap any benefits from such an expenditure, also does the addition of solar panels add to the sale value of the house? My son has had them installed, but at 47 he will reap the benefit, and is, but to late for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 As regards the Cost:- One point you should take into account is what you pay now for your electricity and what you get as a return on, say, £10,000 you currently have invested. If your bills are circa £700 a year (which is what we estimate our electric and part gas bill is for water heating and clients that have installed solar panels concur) then if as has happened to my clients, they have all the power they need to light, power and heat the water in their homes, this is the equivalent to obtaining 7% on that £10,000. But better than that, on Tue I was with clients in Salisbury who showed me that they had actually accrued a £55 credit in just 3 months and their meter was actually going backwards. So, from my calculations, it is entirely possible that over a full year you could get free power AND a small return roughly equivalent to the deposit interest rate return you would achieve if you held that £10,000 on deposit in a bank or Building Society. In fact they had to have an assessment prior to installation to check that their meter could go backwards as not all of them can. And better than that Mk 2 - is the fact that with such low energy use, your house is far more attractive to buyers and should therefore be worth more. On the negative side, it is a sad fact that many of the more unscrupulous door to door salesmen have migrated to selling solar panels and so you need to be VERY careful who you go with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 cLIVE, bEFORE WE HAD OUR PANELS INSTALLED WE CHANGED OUR METER AS IT WAS OLD STYLE AND WOULD GO BACKWARDS. This was done free of charge by our electricity provider Utility Warehouse. If we had left the meter in it would have gone backwards and that is not advisable. You say the customer is in credit but I wonder how this is possible as if they use lights during the evening when the panels do not work then they will have to buy that electric? Did this client have a payout from the feed in tariff then? cHRIS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Sorry Chris - I have no idea. Did not go into that level of detail. But he did say his meter went backwards and he is in credit. Other than that I know he is very pleased with the fact that he has free electricity and his "bill" he has received states that he is owed money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkc Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Hi Clive, "And better than that Mk 2 - is the fact that with such low energy use, your house is far more attractive to buyers and should therefore be worth more". I am not so sure about that one, If I were buying I might be put off buying a property that has it's roof under contract to a third party for, what is it , 25 years? As ever just my opinion,best wishes to those who have taken the plunge,only time will tell I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 The benefit is to buy the panels yourself as the benefit is yours not a company. I was led to believe that if the meter goes backwards then the feed in for the solar panel is not registering and you would not get paid for "feed in tariff" which is worth more than free electric. The moral of the story is buy if you can as that is the money earner. chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean Ray Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Hi all. This is what I have been told by the 5 people that has quoted us. Basically, whilst we have daylight hours, we should make our own electric. As we don't work and we use the washing machine and cook, iron and do everything during the day, our electric shouldn't cost anything. During the evening, the only electric we should use is the telly, lights and computer. My electric bill for the past 30 days was almost £45 so that alone should drop quite a lot. I know that as winter approaches, daylight hours are a lot shorter but we spend 6 months in the winter abroad so this doesn't effect us. Secondly, we are not renting our roof space out to anyone. We are buying the pv panels for ourselves (not to make money for someone else !!! As for "could we sell our house and would it go up in value", I personally, would definately buy a house that provided me with a cheaper electriciy bill ------------- not forgetting the income that it provides. That has to put value on the house for sure !!! We have shopped around and made sure that we deal with reputable companies and we think we have decided who and what we are going to purchase but as we have no experience in these pv panels and Tracker and Basil have, we would appriciate there feedback. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Oh! - I agree with you 100% on the concept of renting out your roof space PKC. A deeply flawed idea in my book. No, what I thought we were covering here is the investment of circa £10K to £15K to buy your own panels and have them installed. That way you get all the returns and do not share them. With deposit based returns/interest being as low as they are, it makes sense to use your capital to reduce costs. I most certainly would not buy a house that had sold a part lease on its roof to a third party. A good point that i think was discussed far earlier in the "debate" - but should be flagged up again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Hi Jean and Ray The firm my client used is Nat Gen based in Basingstoke. My client is a used to working with military aircraft on the technical side and so I tend to listen to him and take note on techy stuff like this as he is very good at sourcing "expertise". http://www.nat-gen.com/ Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul- Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 I'm also thinking about solar panels, my idea is to take some money out of my pension pot (thats not earning a lot) & us it to buy the panels. This way I'll get a return on the investment & have the benefit of cheaper electric before & after I retire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 tHAT WAS THEexact same reason that I installed the panels Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Paul - have PM'd you on some of the implications of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Jean & Ray - 2011-10-05 7:03 PM Hi there, I have been following this thread with great interest. We also are thinking of having a 4kw system. We have had 5 quotes altogether. All have quoted us on different panels. Reading up on the net we are thinking that Sanyo HIT seems to be a top performer in sunny and cloudy conditions. (hybrid) We live in the north of England where it rains almost every day) so we need something that will work in cloudy weather. I would like to know which panels both Tracker and Basil decided on as both seem very pleased with their performances. I value your opinions, as most sales persons are driven by commision. so it would be very much appreciated. Thanks Ray Sorry for not replying earlier but have not turned on the PC for a while, been otherwise engaged. Obviously it is your choice, we looked at the Sanyo Hybrids but decided for the extra cost it did not significantly improve the return and the only real advantage of them is that due to their smaller dimensions they give a higher output for the area of panel so are therefore very suited to smaller roofspaces to achieve maximum output in an available area, but at a cost and obviously increased payback time by as much as two years despite their extra theoretical output and as we had sufficient roofspace this was not a concern. Whilst we were looking at systems newer panels bacame available with slightly improved outputs giving a genuine full 4kW from 16 panels rather than the slightly lower than 4kW (3.92kW) that were being marketed as 4kW by some so we decided to use them. Our range of quotes from most providers were for Sanyo, Sharp and Suntech panels to provide comparisons. The range of quotes were from under £10000 up to £16000 for the same installation equipment, however you do need to look carefully as some of the lower quotes did not include scaffolding costs for instance. You also need to check gaurantees as some componants (i.e. panels) are manufacturer warranted for 25 years whereas other parts of the system may only be 5 years (i.e.the invertor). A further thing we looked for is whether the company quoting carried out the whole job with its own directly employed staff, as some contract out to different companies and in one case the company name (very large and well known national company) we realised only passed a lead to another company, who in turn contracted out to a further company to do the work!! The quote we accepted included the whole job start to finish with a full 10 year warranty on all parts and labour plus the usual manufacturers 25 year panel warranty, all with insurance company and industry body backing and was £11235 all in including wireless logger, which means you can see the system performance from your armchair without having to go into the loft to look at the invertor. We live in the south of the county of Essex so the system we have selected may or may not be suitable for your area, though I don't see why not from the specification sheets, but it is our selection and others must decide for themselves, It consists of the following:- Suntech Black Pearl 250 panels giving 250 watts per panel x 16 giving a maximum 4kW SMA Sunnyboy 4000TL-20 invertor K2 Fixing system OFGEM approved total generation meter SunnyBeam Data Logger Our 'normal' use meter is certainly not going in reverse but when we are producing power the red 'no power being used' light comes on and nothing is recorded, the power use is down to around a quarter of what it was prior to installation and we are well satisfied with generation so far produced and the amount of money it is earning us. If it continues this way our payback time will certainly be within the quoted 5 to 6 years and if it reduces our electricity costs, which it appears to be then we are happy. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean Ray Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Hi Bas, Thank you for all the information you have given me. I am sure that other people will find this info very helpful also. It is really appreciated. Sun tech black pearl is one that we haven' looked at ... up until now. Reading the info about Sun tech panels on the internet, they are rated highly especially in cloudy weather as is Sanyo HIT. We need panels that work well in cloudy enviroments as like today for instance, it hasn't come daylight yet and I am typing this with the lights on, so I am going to look further into Sun tech black panels before I decide which to settle for. Tracker, I think, is away at the moment but I would be interested in his opinion also. I know that you both live in sunnier areas than me but I haven't read of anyone coming on this thread that has had pv panels fitted in my area, although I have been given 3 contacts addresses by a local firm that has installed pv panels on their properties. Thank you Bas once again Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Would I consider roof panels, yes, would I have them installed, never. Governments change sides, Governments change the goal posts. Governments induce wars. The 25 year system is too unpredictable for it to be a viable proposition. The whole concept of solar panels and cheap energy is about employing people. Like a religeon it depends upon what one wants to believe. art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Two weeks ago I had a call from Birmingham offering free panels, we live in Sussex. He kept asking questions and they were getting near being personal one's when I queried this he said he was confirming that I qualified to meet the criteria. I hastily suggested that he did not require such personal details and rejected his intrusion into what I considered was not connected with solar panels. Goodbye. art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Two weeks ago I had a call from Birmingham offering free roof panels, we live in Sussex. He kept asking questions and they were getting near being personal one's when I queried this he said he was confirming that I qualified to meet the criteria. I hastily suggested that he did not require such personal details and rejected his intrusion into what I considered was not connected with solar panels. Goodbye. art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art338 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Repeated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motor-caravan Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Hi, I have been also following this thread with great interest so much so that it made me actually join, We live in South Essex also and really do like the options you have chosen as they seem to be at the top of the scale, would it be possible for you to let us know who you chose as the installers as we just can't get anywhere near that exceptionally good price you received as we would like to go ahead before the government change the rules. Thank you John Basil - 2011-10-08 1:25 PM Jean & Ray - 2011-10-05 7:03 PM Hi there, I have been following this thread with great interest. We also are thinking of having a 4kw system. We have had 5 quotes altogether. All have quoted us on different panels. Reading up on the net we are thinking that Sanyo HIT seems to be a top performer in sunny and cloudy conditions. (hybrid) We live in the north of England where it rains almost every day) so we need something that will work in cloudy weather. I would like to know which panels both Tracker and Basil decided on as both seem very pleased with their performances. I value your opinions, as most sales persons are driven by commision. so it would be very much appreciated. Thanks Ray Sorry for not replying earlier but have not turned on the PC for a while, been otherwise engaged. Obviously it is your choice, we looked at the Sanyo Hybrids but decided for the extra cost it did not significantly improve the return and the only real advantage of them is that due to their smaller dimensions they give a higher output for the area of panel so are therefore very suited to smaller roofspaces to achieve maximum output in an available area, but at a cost and obviously increased payback time by as much as two years despite their extra theoretical output and as we had sufficient roofspace this was not a concern. Whilst we were looking at systems newer panels bacame available with slightly improved outputs giving a genuine full 4kW from 16 panels rather than the slightly lower than 4kW (3.92kW) that were being marketed as 4kW by some so we decided to use them. Our range of quotes from most providers were for Sanyo, Sharp and Suntech panels to provide comparisons. The range of quotes were from under £10000 up to £16000 for the same installation equipment, however you do need to look carefully as some of the lower quotes did not include scaffolding costs for instance. You also need to check gaurantees as some componants (i.e. panels) are manufacturer warranted for 25 years whereas other parts of the system may only be 5 years (i.e.the invertor). A further thing we looked for is whether the company quoting carried out the whole job with its own directly employed staff, as some contract out to different companies and in one case the company name (very large and well known national company) we realised only passed a lead to another company, who in turn contracted out to a further company to do the work!! The quote we accepted included the whole job start to finish with a full 10 year warranty on all parts and labour plus the usual manufacturers 25 year panel warranty, all with insurance company and industry body backing and was £11235 all in including wireless logger, which means you can see the system performance from your armchair without having to go into the loft to look at the invertor. We live in the south of the county of Essex so the system we have selected may or may not be suitable for your area, though I don't see why not from the specification sheets, but it is our selection and others must decide for themselves, It consists of the following:- Suntech Black Pearl 250 panels giving 250 watts per panel x 16 giving a maximum 4kW SMA Sunnyboy 4000TL-20 invertor K2 Fixing system OFGEM approved total generation meter SunnyBeam Data Logger Our 'normal' use meter is certainly not going in reverse but when we are producing power the red 'no power being used' light comes on and nothing is recorded, the power use is down to around a quarter of what it was prior to installation and we are well satisfied with generation so far produced and the amount of money it is earning us. If it continues this way our payback time will certainly be within the quoted 5 to 6 years and if it reduces our electricity costs, which it appears to be then we are happy. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 John I have sent you a PM. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Jean & Ray - 2011-10-10 5:23 PM Hi Bas, Thank you for all the information you have given me. I am sure that other people will find this info very helpful also. It is really appreciated. Sun tech black pearl is one that we haven' looked at ... up until now. Reading the info about Sun tech panels on the internet, they are rated highly especially in cloudy weather as is Sanyo HIT. We need panels that work well in cloudy enviroments as like today for instance, it hasn't come daylight yet and I am typing this with the lights on, so I am going to look further into Sun tech black panels before I decide which to settle for. Tracker, I think, is away at the moment but I would be interested in his opinion also. I know that you both live in sunnier areas than me but I haven't read of anyone coming on this thread that has had pv panels fitted in my area, although I have been given 3 contacts addresses by a local firm that has installed pv panels on their properties. Thank you Bas once again Ray Yes I can verify that the low light output appears very good, also one of the things that made us decide on the Suntech panels is that they appear to be the only ones that gauranteee a Positive Tolerance figure for the guaranteed output i.e. they are guaranteed to give at least their rated output and up to 5% more unlike others that give a -5% to +5% or similar. and also a higher guaranteed output over time. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkc Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 For those thinking of going down this route; http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/latesttip/#solar So much for guarantees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 pkc - 2011-10-19 8:48 AM For those thinking of going down this route; http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/latesttip/#solar So much for guarantees. Not sure what you mean by 'So much for guarantees', it was always known and accepted that the FIT would reduce from April 2012 so it is totally consistant with what has been promised, existing installations are unaffected by the reduction. The reduction just means anyone considering an installation needs to make sure it is installed prior to 1st April 2012 to recieve the maximum FIT benefit for the full 25 years. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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