Grant for solar panels?

Dankoozy

if you install solar panels yourself can you still get a grant?

a lot of the time these grant schemes have a requirement for 'professional installation' attached to them, in order to support the people installing them but with the price of labour, etc it will probably cost more money that way

are there any grants available for grid-tie solar installations? those would seem the easiest to set up. apparently some crowds are using 200 and 300 litre tanks for solar installations and I wouldn't have a clue where to put a tank that size, the one we have now is only 90l

SLUSK

Dankoozy wrote: »

if you install solar panels yourself can you still get a grant?

a lot of the time these grant schemes have a requirement for 'professional installation' attached to them, in order to support the people installing them but with the price of labour, etc it will probably cost more money that way

are there any grants available for grid-tie solar installations? those would seem the easiest to set up. apparently some crowds are using 200 and 300 litre tanks for solar installations and I wouldn't have a clue where to put a tank that size, the one we have now is only 90l

Solar panels in Ireland does not seem to be a very good idea...

RuralNetwork

I am 99% sure you need to get the panels installed by a registered tradesman (at least that used to be the case). There used a list of resistered/certified installers on www.sei.ie

CJhaughey

Dankoozy wrote: »

are there any grants available for grid-tie solar installations? those would seem the easiest to set up. apparently some crowds are using 200 and 300 litre tanks for solar installations and I wouldn't have a clue where to put a tank that size, the one we have now is only 90l

What are you talking about? Solar thermal or solar PV?
Most solar installations here are thermal not PV as it is very expensive to get meaningful power from PV panels.

CJhaughey

SLUSK wrote: »

Solar panels in Ireland does not seem to be a very good idea...

And you would not have a clue, have you any experience to back your comment up?

Shiny

CJhaughey wrote: »

And you would not have a clue, have you any experience to back your comment up?

This is a start:

Gurgle

SLUSK wrote: »

Solar panels in Ireland does not seem to be a very good idea...

Wrong, next.

Gurgle

Dankoozy wrote: »

if you install solar panels yourself can you still get a grant?

No, if you're capable of installing them youself then do so and forget the grant. The installers are way overpriced for a simple bit of plumbing.

are there any grants available for grid-tie solar installations? those would seem the easiest to set up. apparently some crowds are using 200 and 300 litre tanks for solar installations and I wouldn't have a clue where to put a tank that size, the one we have now is only 90l

OK, you're confused.
There are grants for solar thermal installations, not solar electric.

Shiny

Gurgle wrote: »

Wrong, next.

I think he was referring to solar PV which isn't really viable (in Ireland)
at the moment until costs come down a lot more.

When I say viable, I mean a payback period of less than 10 years.

Dankoozy

i was on about water heating and then added a question about PV at the end, sorry bout that.

quentingargan

SEI requires that the system be commissioned by a registered installer, and to register you have to have passed a FETAC or similar exam on solar thermal.

The person commissioning the system takes on responsibility for the installation. Occasionally within a company a plumber will install and then a registered installer will sign off and commission the system. The form seem to implies that the system can be installed by a non-registered installer.

But finding someone willing to commission such a system is difficult. I have done it sometimes, and made that clear on the commissioning report and those systems have been approved, but I have recently heard that SEI is frowning on this practice. Has anyone else heard of this?

The installer should be a qualified plumber - often these systems are unvented and you need to know what you are doing. Q

Capt'n Midnight

Shiny wrote: »

This is a start:

http://www.met.ie/climate/sunshine.asp

The sunniest months are May and June. During these months sunshine duration averages between 5 and 6.5 hours per day over most of the country. The extreme southeast gets the most sunshine, averaging over 7 hours a day in early summer. December is the dullest month with an average daily sunshine ranging from about 1 hour in the north to almost 2 hours in the extreme southeast. Over the year as a whole most areas get an average of between 3 1/4 and 3 3/4 hours of sunshine each day.

If you want to get all your power from PV then you have to budget for 1hour AVERAGE in December, so you would need considerable backup storage too.

Maybe combined with wind power ?

But if you are already on the grid it's probably greener to go with airtricity or similar.


As a rough rule of thumb you can figure that Irish installers have already factored in the grant in to their prices.


Anyway for water heating , you don't pay a separate standing charge for that and it's much easier and cheaper to store hot water than electicity so that's a much better bet.

Pembily

Solar panels are a good idea, even in Ireland, if you are looking to be green but not looking for a quick return on your money!!!!

To get any grant with SEI you must use a registered installer and yes some of the installers have upped their prices to include the grant so best option is to shop around!!!

quentingargan

Pembily wrote: »

To get any grant with SEI you must use a registered installer and yes some of the installers have upped their prices to include the grant so best option is to shop around!!!

Lads, give us a break. The grant scheme has been in for three and a half years. If anyone upped their price at the time, they have certainly brought them back down again in the last couple of months. You can get a 40 tube system with a new 210L twin coil cylinder installed these days for €4,500, or a 300L 60 tube installation for €5,500., which after the grant is under €3,900. There was never a 300L system for sale at that sort of price in 2006:)

Gurgle

quentingargan wrote: »

You can get a 40 tube system with a new 210L twin coil cylinder installed these days for €4,500

40-tube collector: ~€1400
210L twin coil cylinder: copper ~€700 / stainless steel: ~€1100

Other bits & pieces (controller, pump, expansion vessle, pipework): ~€250

So that's one lucrative day's work for 2 people (one registered installer, 1 skivvy) at €1750 to €2150.

On the other hand, its probably worth getting the installer at those prices, if only for peace of mind.

I put my own in (at the time the going rate for installation was roughly €4,500) and for a year afterwards lay in bed on stormy nights in paranoid panic that they were going to come crashing down.

quentingargan

Other bits & pieces (controller, pump, expansion vessle, pipework): ~€250

So that's one lucrative day's work for 2 people (one registered installer, 1 skivvy) at €1750 to €2150.[/quote]

Pump station and controller alone are a lot more than €250. And there's a heat dump, 3 port motorised valve and radiators, anti-freeze, roof slate, scaffolding etc.

Oh yeah, and VAT. This whole gig is revenue neutral for the government because there is more VAT, PRSI and PAYE on most of these jobs than the grant.

Pembily

quentingargan wrote: »

Lads, give us a break. The grant scheme has been in for three and a half years. If anyone upped their price at the time, they have certainly brought them back down again in the last couple of months. You can get a 40 tube system with a new 210L twin coil cylinder installed these days for €4,500, or a 300L 60 tube installation for €5,500., which after the grant is under €3,900. There was never a 300L system for sale at that sort of price in 2006:)

Sorry if you are a registered installer with SEI and have not upped your price but I know for a fact that some installers increase their price once they know you are getting a grant - have done my research and worked for SEI...

ccsolar

gurgle
solar panels are getting cheaper now € 3800 fitted inc 300ltr dual tank. SEI Grant €1470

yes, you can install the solar system your self, but need it commissioned and signed off by a registered installer.

CC

Gurgle

ccsolar wrote: »

yes, you can install the solar system your self, but need it commissioned and signed off by a registered installer.

Thanks, I didn't know this.
But will any registered installers actually do this for a DIY job?
What do they charge?

ccsolar

Gurgle
They must inspect the system fully and perform a pressure test, its not just a case of here is your certs, where is my money.
Its around €200-€300 and the plumber should be on site for around 4 hrs.
If you have a good knowledge of DIY and plumbing its a piece of cake to install the basic solar systems, anti scald and heat dumps attachments are a bit more tricky.
Most regestered installers will do this in your area.
NOTE; You do not have to be a plumber to be a registered installer, But i would recommend that you use a plumber.

Its -1 out side at present and the solar system i have is working.:)


CC

quentingargan

Gurgle wrote: »

Thanks, I didn't know this.
But will any registered installers actually do this for a DIY job?
What do they charge?

You have to bear in mind that the person signing off on the installation is taking responsibility for it. I have done this on occasion, but in doing so, I am probably a lot more pernickety and only did it for people (usually plumbers) who knew exactly what they were doing. Some of the best (and worst) installations I have seen were done by DIYers.

It isn't totally strightforward in some respects. Like a back-boiler, you can't switch off a solar panel, and temperatures get a lot higher than in any other domestic plumbing setup.

There are very good books that set out requirements. The Cibse guide is my favourite, and to my mind is a lot better than the training manual used for registered installers.... Q

FunnyStuff

My parents got 16sq meters installed on their roof to heat the water, government paid for 25% of it. Its a great idea, and was really well done, took about 3 days to do the whole thing and works really well, i'd recommend it to anyone.

quentingargan

FunnyStuff wrote: »

My parents got 16sq meters installed on their roof to heat the water, government paid for 25% of it. Its a great idea, and was really well done, took about 3 days to do the whole thing and works really well, i'd recommend it to anyone.

You sure that's 16 sq M?? Grant aid on a domestic dwelling stops at 6 Sq M.... Q

FunnyStuff

quentingargan wrote: »

You sure that's 16 sq M?? Grant aid on a domestic dwelling stops at 6 Sq M.... Q

my mistake, i just rang him, it was eight sq metres, done in two sections on the roof, each 2m x 2m.,

saibhne

ccsolar wrote: »

gurgle
solar panels are getting cheaper now € 3800 fitted inc 300ltr dual tank. SEI Grant €1470

yes, you can install the solar system your self, but need it commissioned and signed off by a registered installer.

CC

Unfortunately this practice is not really feasible these days. Before SEI will pay out on a grant they require you to produce an invoice prooving payment for the installation as well as the supply of the system. If either comes from a non registered source then there are issues with payment of the grant. If you use a non registered plumber to install the system SEI will look for his invoice to you and check if he is registered or not.

I would advise ringing SEI to enquire before buying or contracting anyone on this basis.

ccsolar

I supplied a system to a couple where they installed it DIY and a registered plumber commissioned it for them.
They got the Grant last week.
But maybe things have changed.
I thought it was proof of purchase and proof of payment for installing/comissioning.
Better to check with SEI.


CC

quentingargan

ccsolar wrote: »

they installed it DIY and a registered plumber commissioned it for them.
They got the Grant last week.
But maybe things have changed.

I have also sometimes sold and/or commissioned systems installed by a plumber who wasn't registered. The current commissioning form from SEI specifically allows for the installer not to have a registered ID number and I have never had the issue raised.

But this isn't a license for half-baked installations. If you look at that commissioning report, there is quite a comprehensive list of standards that must be met (and there possibly should also be a few more).

Q

saibhne

Maybe it's the luck of the draw and some pass under the radar but I have had three occasions over the past couple of months where SEI have disputed grant payments on the basis of the customer not having a proof of payment for installation of the system from a registered installer. In all cases it was a DIY or a plumber install with a registered installer commissioning the system.

The commissioning report isn't the problem really it's the proof of payment for installation from a registered source. Having said that it is possible to discuss individual cases with SEI (who have a very responsive helpline for the greener homes scheme) and if you can satisfy their criteria then it is probable you can get the grant but save some heartache and have a chat with them first.