Yea mate that's way too much.
I'd be expecting to pay maybe 10-11k tops for that, even factoring in the higher than normal going rate.
Solar panels and battery - any real world reccomendations?
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I'd be expecting to pay maybe 10-11k tops for that, even factoring in the higher than normal going rate.
Thought as much. Did have another quote earlier this year for around 12k but reviews of the company put me off. May try a couple of others but won't hold my breath!
Yea it's a bloody nightmare at the moment due to demand, the good installers are too busy and either just come back to say they are not even quoting or give you a quote like you have, basically trying to put you off but if you go ahead they are making a tidy margin.
Which then leaves some of lower tier or new installers, that's not to say all of them will be bad but it is a bit of a minefield.
And then you have to factor in whilst you are ******* about trying to get quotes, the cost of supplies is constantly going up, plus energy prices, and the sooner you get your install the sooner you start saving money.
I took a a bit of a punt with our installer, it wasn't my first choice, and while what we got isn't perfect, I feel for the price we got an okay system, I'm satisfied enough. I might go to upgrade it in 12-24 months depending.
They are having your pants down, and then some with that quote tbh.
You should be shopping round, and doing further research yourself as to what is a suitable system for your property. Don't leave it to the installers, most of them will just sell you what they can get first, and anything that gets it is as fast as possible, so avoiding G99 etc.
I have said this many, many times on here - the length of time this investment will last you is next only to your house/mortgage, you cannot do enough/too much research, so don't just read a thread on here, learn about solar, look at your own roof, layouts, power usage, and then make a truly informed decision. You can then get a quote you want, and have a system booked in at a cost even if you need to wait a bit longer for it.
Soldato
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Yeeks. Should have got one when I got the car almost 3 years ago!
Looking at some of the quotes people are getting I'm glad I got mine when I did as otherwise I'd have given up by now! As @Journey says,this thread has a wealth of info please read it first, every few pages the same advice is repeated over and over!
Soldato
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IM concerned about this too. I wonder if it is a limit or something of the kit thats been installed.
Looking about 16k for the system seems high average.
I'm just sceptical about pay back now but with prices spiralling even just for a year or two it should significantly decrease time to return on investment?
That sounds very expensive for such a small battery. Not sure what a power diverted us but doubt it costs much.
I have a quote for 10 panels with a 9.5kw/h battery and optimisers at £10k. So an extra £5.5k for 6 more panels and a smaller battery doesn’t seem right to me.
Soldato
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I'd look for another installer as I said, that one just sounds like they don't want to connect to grid export for no reason, and the system they're offering isn't cheap.
Soldato
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@HungryHippos - starting to get that feeling. They did caveat it that I could add grid export at a later date so not sure what is going on
Thinking about it, if excess energy cant be shunted back into the grid without going via the batteries, thus increasing the cycle count and decreasing lifespan, I wonder if there is another way.
I wonder if fitting the system without batteries so the generated power is offsetting the house and any excess/opporutnity load then goes to the grid instead?
Thinking about it, if excess energy cant be shunted back into the grid without going via the batteries, thus increasing the cycle count and decreasing lifespan, I wonder if there is another way.
I wonder if fitting the system without batteries so the generated power is offsetting the house and any excess/opporutnity load then goes to the grid instead?
Your entitled to export up to 16 amps, which is 3.68kw, if the grids not up to it then the DNO has to pay to upgrade the grid. However if you want to export more then you have to apply, and if they say no you'd need to pay to upgrade the grid.
Sounds like your installer is playing it safe, installing a system that can be export limited, and then increase the export if later approved by the DNO. Though I suspect they won't apply for more unless you push them or do it yourself.
I put my own application it, which was approved.
Sounds like your installer is playing it safe, installing a system that can be export limited, and then increase the export if later approved by the DNO. Though I suspect they won't apply for more unless you push them or do it yourself.
I put my own application it, which was approved.
Soldato
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To be honest im leaning towards a system without batteries at the moment
Soldato
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If you can afford/accommodate batteries its likely worth it for being able to use energy outside of daylight or on poor weather days.
If like me you WFH and can cover most of your use during the day, with an Eddi (heating diverter) but didnt have the funds to go all in, its so far been decent to help out with the consumption.
If like me you WFH and can cover most of your use during the day, with an Eddi (heating diverter) but didnt have the funds to go all in, its so far been decent to help out with the consumption.
Soldato
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I got a battery partly because the additional cost wasn't too insane, partly because it's interesting tech, and partly because I can use more of the generated units.
I also like the idea of not stressing too much about running about switching on dishwashers and washing machines just because it's sunny. Battery gives much better flex.
Eddi heating thing if you have a tank is at least a use for additional power generation without zooming about trying to use it, although I think sort of limited gain once the water is heated up.
I also like the idea of not stressing too much about running about switching on dishwashers and washing machines just because it's sunny. Battery gives much better flex.
Eddi heating thing if you have a tank is at least a use for additional power generation without zooming about trying to use it, although I think sort of limited gain once the water is heated up.
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Has anyone gone down the route of having EPS as part of their installation? I'm just going down the final few checks before signing my contract, I've been quoted an extra £1000 to have EPS installed, and I'm not sure its worth it for that cost.
I'm not bothering either, I know there are rumours of planned outages this Winter but I don't normally have power cuts and don't think it's currently worth it. I'm leaving my original power cable to the garage in just in case things change in the future.
Soldato
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I'll worry about it if we start getting power cuts I guess. It's not a super high priority item though.
With my current SMETS1 situation, and the fact that I'm not sure I can get onto Bulb EV tariff (definitely can't without smart meter working - they won't replace it), I'm instead considering switching to Agile. I think with Octopus the electric kwh cap is 55p/kwh on Agile, which isn't much worse than cap pricing.
The export pricing is uncapped though, and it's possible I could arbitrage energy with the right luck.
Besides that though, I think battery and inverter are Agile aware, so could charge on cheaper times, and export rates for Agile export are good for any excess generation, with prices capped for 12 months I think, this sort of makes sense as a hedge?
With my current SMETS1 situation, and the fact that I'm not sure I can get onto Bulb EV tariff (definitely can't without smart meter working - they won't replace it), I'm instead considering switching to Agile. I think with Octopus the electric kwh cap is 55p/kwh on Agile, which isn't much worse than cap pricing.
The export pricing is uncapped though, and it's possible I could arbitrage energy with the right luck.
Besides that though, I think battery and inverter are Agile aware, so could charge on cheaper times, and export rates for Agile export are good for any excess generation, with prices capped for 12 months I think, this sort of makes sense as a hedge?