Domestic Solar PV Quotes 2020

E30i

There is a lot of useful info in the 2018 Thread but with the new grant structure I thought it would be useful to have a new reference thread for prices/package.

This will allow people to make a decision on what is currently available under the new Grant.

€11k + VAT less the €3000 grant for 4kw and 8.2 KW battery on a 2 story slate roof.

unkel

Good idea to start a new thread. Keeps the quotes a bit fresher.

That's over €10k after the grant. A lot of that is for the big size battery you are getting. At those prices, that battery will never pay for itself. Even if we never got a feed in tariff. Why did you get a quote for a battery that size? Did you also get a quote for a much smaller battery?

E30i

That is currently their standard battery but I agree re the price. I am going to keep looking and will post up what I get back. I had applied under the old grant but the installer never came back to me prior to the deadline. He asked me to apply before Christmas so I am starting afresh.

Gazzler82

Awaiting back a few quotes so will update when I get them.

PV or not PV

Hi all, First time poster. Great thread (and it's predecessor) for information on a subject I'm giving a lot of thought to. I've got two quotes at the moment...
1. 3Kw no battery ~€4000 post grant
2. 6Kw w/battery etc. ~€11000 post grant
Quotes from two different companies...
I like the idea of the larger system, but the payback is almost 17 years by my calculations (€11000/€650).
The 3Kw has a payback of 8 years based on my calculations (€4000/€490) but isn't future proofed for me, as I intend to replace solid fuel with some form of electrically heating in the future. My current annual usage is ~4000Kwh

Even with all my reading of various setups here, I still don't really understand the benefit of a battery. Is it as simple as summer excess charges battery to use at night? In winter there is an option to charge battery at night rate to partially offset day use?
I am try to model the permutations of a 2,3,4,5,& 6 Kw system vs. my current situation and the impact of a FIT to calculate a cost/benefit. I haven't included any battery situation until I get my head around how it should be setup.
Sorry for the long post! I've never posted on any forum before, so feel free to give me pointers if my posts read funny...

Freewheel

Have a quote for €4,300 for a 2.1kw (7 panels is most I can fit on roof) with a 2.2kw battery. Does that seem reasonable. Doesn’t include hot water diverted which I’ll probably get to maximise as as not at home during the day much.

garo

PV: What size battery is the 6kW system? It looks expensive. Forbyou annual usage I would aim for a 4-5kW system with a small battery or none at all. Note the battery gets you 1200 additional grant now (600 for the battery and 300 each for the 3rd and 4th kW). What if you get a 6kW system with no battery? That is the best future proofing IMHO.

garo

Freewheel wrote: »

Have a quote for €4,300 for a 2.1kw (7 panels is most I can fit on roof) with a 2.2kw battery. Does that seem reasonable. Doesn’t include hot water diverted which I’ll probably get to maximise as as not at home during the day much.

Have you been told 7 panels by an installer that is one of the main utility companies? If so the 7 is rubbish. I was told that by EI due to planning permission rules and went with another installer who installed 16.

PV or not PV

Hi Garo, Looking back at the quote for the 6Kw system the battery is BVR 3.5kw modular. I also misread the quote, and the final price minus grant would be €9850. The feedback I got from vendors was that once I wanted to go above 4Kw, I would need/require a battery. I can fit 6-8 panels south facing, after that I would have to split the array as the next suitable roof space (or ground) is a bit away. The ideal situation would be FIT of ~5cent. At that, a 5 or 6Kw system should cover my usage using credits. Who knows what they will do though....

PV or not PV

I am also awaiting replies from numerous vendors, some since before Christmas. I'll post them up once/if I receive quotes.

Freewheel

Freewheel wrote: »

Have a quote for €4,300 for a 2.1kw (7 panels is most I can fit on roof) with a 2.2kw battery. Does that seem reasonable. Doesn’t include hot water diverted which I’ll probably get to maximise as as not at home during the day much.

No told it by two separate installers based on measurement of roof. Three bed semi house and shape of roof does limit space. Nothing to do with planning. Second installer was suggesting 7 * 400kw panels but with no battery he was over €5k net of grant

phester28

Freewheel wrote: »

Have a quote for €4,300 for a 2.1kw (7 panels is most I can fit on roof) with a 2.2kw battery. Does that seem reasonable. Doesn’t include hot water diverted which I’ll probably get to maximise as as not at home during the day much.

Is that pre grant. i got a 4.2k for 2.1kw with no battery on a slate roof east west split.

Freewheel

phester28 wrote: »

Is that pre grant. i got a 4.2k for 2.1kw with no battery on a slate roof east west split.

No that’s net of a grant of €2,400.

unkel

Freewheel wrote: »

Doesn’t include hot water diverted which I’ll probably get to maximise as as not at home during the day much.

To maximise what, do you want to maximise your losses?

A diverter will cost you more than it will ever save you on a 7 panel system. And that's not even taking into account a feed in tariff that we are possibly getting in the next few years...

Freewheel

unkel wrote: »

To maximise what, do you want to maximise your losses?

A diverter will cost you more than it will ever save you on a 7 panel system. And that's not even taking into account a feed in tariff that we are possibly getting in the next few years...

Thanks for advice. Would you consider the quote reasonable though for a 7 panel system?

garo

Don’t go for 400kW panels. The are more than 33% more expensive than 300kW panels. Ask for a quote for 300/310/325 panels which are far cheaper. In your limited situation I would just get the panels and no battery or diverter - unless you use the immersion a lot in which case a diverter would make sense. Unkel is right about diverter not paying for itself but only in the case when you use gas to hot water. That way you have a low outlay - you should be looking at under 5k before grant so around 3k or less after - and a faster payback.

garo

PV or not PV wrote: »

Hi Garo, Looking back at the quote for the 6Kw system the battery is BVR 3.5kw modular. I also misread the quote, and the final price minus grant would be €9850. The feedback I got from vendors was that once I wanted to go above 4Kw, I would need/require a battery. I can fit 6-8 panels south facing, after that I would have to split the array as the next suitable roof space (or ground) is a bit away. The ideal situation would be FIT of ~5cent. At that, a 5 or 6Kw system should cover my usage using credits. Who knows what they will do though....

BVR or BYD? I think the quote is still too high. I’d be looking at 8500 or less for that system. You don’t NEED a battery with any size system but your export will go up as the system size goes up. Ask them if they can model how much your self consumption will increase with the battery. Assume you get one full charge and discharge out of the battery every day - 3.5kWh * 365 * 16c = €217. Is it worth spending €2,000 extra after grant for a battery system? I don’t know the exact numbers but just putting the calculation out there. Also with annual usage of 4000 kWh you will not save 650 per annum with solar. Even if you replace your heating system with a heat pump note that that system will consume electricity the most in winter when solar output is low. So you won’t be scaling your self-consumption linearly. For reference my annual consumption was 5400 last year and with behavioural modification I still doubt I will consume more than 3000 from solar for the year with a 2.4kWh battery.

handpref

garo wrote: »

BVR or BYD? I think the quote is still too high. I’d be looking at 8500 or less for that system. You don’t NEED a battery with any size system but your export will go up as the system size goes up. Ask them if they can model how much your self consumption will increase with the battery. Assume you get one full charge and discharge out of the battery every day - 3.5kWh * 365 * 16c = €217. Is it worth spending €2,000 extra after grant for a battery system? I don’t know the exact numbers but just putting the calculation out there. Also with annual usage of 4000 kWh you will not save 650 per annum with solar. Even if you replace your heating system with a heat pump note that that system will consume electricity the most in winter when solar output is low. So you won’t be scaling your self-consumption linearly. For reference my annual consumption was 5400 last year and with behavioural modification I still doubt I will consume more than 3000 from solar for the year with a 2.4kWh battery.

So true, it appears some companies are pushing hard to sell the batteries- I fell for it - however people now have these threads for info which didn’t exist when the solar gig took off in 2018.

I’ve two 2.5kwh battteries sitting on my garage wall that haven’t been used since last September and won’t see use till March at best- I think they came in around the €2500 mark but can’t be sure As obviously the original quote didn’t give a breakdown. My system has no need for them and I shouldn’t have gone with them. My 5.4 east / west system is totally at sea from October.

As Garo mentioned the heat pumps need the electricity in winter, my energy consumption/savings were based on the solar giving me winter production but that hasn’t happened.

Factually I may daily generate 0-2kwh in winter- the house uses 18kwh
In summer i May generate 20+ kwh but it’s no use to me as my load is 4 kWh
Sure I’ll make sure one of the cars is there to use the excess but I should have kept my initial outlay of expense much lower by not getting the batteries. However the sales lad got his way- he pushed very hard in general but looking back he went on and on about how great the batteries would me.

garo

Good post. And you got 2400 grant back with the old system. Now a battery only gets you half that in the grant.
Note however that if you get some south facing panels you will get more production in the winter than a E/W system so that will make a battery more useful. Would it be worth it? Depends on the exact numbers.

Mickeroo

This is where I'm at after getting quotes from three companies the last few weeks:

Local company 1:
10,300 before grants for 3.8kWp (12 panel) with 2.6kwh battery. (They were 12k originally)

Local company 2:
Solar PV system (3.7kWp) with battery (2.46Wh) - €10,900

Countrywide company:
12 x 310W Panels (3.8kW) & 2.6kWh of battery storage = €9,307

garo

First two are way too expensive. Last one looks ok. Not fantastic but ok assuming its VAT inclusive. With grant you'll be 6600 out of pocket.

Mickeroo

garo wrote: »

First two are way too expensive. Last one looks ok. Not fantastic but ok assuming its VAT inclusive. With grant you'll be 6600 out of pocket.

Yeah last one is VAT inclusive, it's purely an ad hoc quote no site viewing or anything yet. Option 1 are the only ones who have seen our house in person so far (they did some other work for us last year).

KCross

Mickeroo wrote: »

This is where I'm at after getting quotes from three companies the last few weeks:

Local company 1:
10,300 before grants for 3.8kWp (12 panel) with 2.6kwh battery. (They were 12k originally)

Local company 2:
Solar PV system (3.7kWp) with battery (2.46Wh) - €10,900

Countrywide company:
12 x 310W Panels (3.8kW) & 2.6kWh of battery storage = €9,307

Get some quotes without a battery and save yourself a few grand.

You should be able to get a <4kWp system with no battery for ~€4500 after grant.

rolion

garo wrote: »

Don’t go for 400kW panels. The are more than 33% more expensive than 300kW panels. Ask for a quote for 300/310/325 panels which are far cheaper. In your limited situation I would just get the panels and no battery or diverter - unless you use the immersion a lot in which case a diverter would make sense. Unkel is right about diverter not paying for itself but only in the case when you use gas to hot water. That way you have a low outlay - you should be looking at under 5k before grant so around 3k or less after - and a faster payback.

Again a bit of sales misinformation around here...

You cannot maximise the space to install PV panels but you can get better quality and bigger capacity PVs with big WATTS ( not KW God Forbid). I have 300W and 330W i will love to get 350W to get an extra 350W on the same exposed surface.You will not change them so easy and so cost effective like those that got 250W installed recently.

Diverter, well my so hated by you guys diverter costs me €400 ... today, my PVs harvested 14KWh and the diverter didnt agreed with you and hated to give for free to Mr Grid about 7KWh, which made sense to go to the bottom of my hot water cylinder. Free hot water rather than free grid conencted harvesting...and is only end of February.

Regarding FIT, is going to be so cheap costed per unit and so limited to a maxim amount per system and per year. According to some over optimistic sources posting here, back payments will be so great that the Revenue will come looking for income tax on the payments...

Apart of that, be good and happy harvesting !

Gazzler82

re the new grants - have three different companies quoting me three different types of grants. For guide ideally i'd get 10 panels no battery/no hot water diverter - though there is an awkward chimney in the way which is causing shadow issues

co 1 said no problem, the 300 per KW > 2kw you get get regardless of battery
co 2 - quoting a 3KW system max out at 1800
co 3 - would only quote to 2KW as SEAI would not pay grant if system was greater than this and no battery included.

So i rang the SEAI today and basically co 2 is the one with its stuff together. Max grant on >2kw system is 1800

Also they reminded me to be eligible for the grant you have to apply through the SEAI before any works commence or deposit paid something no-one had said to me at this stage (though still at getting quotes stage)

worlds goodest teecher

Can I ask, would a 7 panel system + battery be much benefit? Don't think I can stretch to €11k for 14

unkel

worlds goodest teecher wrote: »

Can I ask, would a 7 panel system + battery be much benefit?

No. A 7 panel system + battery under the SEAI scheme will never pay for itself. The only battery option that makes financial sense with the subsidies is a 4kwp or bigger system with a small battery.

Mickeroo

Gazzler82 wrote: »

re the new grants - have three different companies quoting me three different types of grants. For guide ideally i'd get 10 panels no battery/no hot water diverter - though there is an awkward chimney in the way which is causing shadow issues

co 1 said no problem, the 300 per KW > 2kw you get get regardless of battery
co 2 - quoting a 3KW system max out at 1800
co 3 - would only quote to 2KW as SEAI would not pay grant if system was greater than this and no battery included.

So i rang the SEAI today and basically co 2 is the one with its stuff together. Max grant on >2kw system is 1800

Also they reminded me to be eligible for the grant you have to apply through the SEAI before any works commence or deposit paid something no-one had said to me at this stage (though still at getting quotes stage)

The money per kWp is calculated only to the whole kWp isn't it? So a 3.5kWp system with battery would only net 2700 rather than say 2850.

That's correct isn't it?

worlds goodest teecher

unkel wrote: »

No. A 7 panel system + battery under the SEAI scheme will never pay for itself. The only battery option that makes financial sense with the subsidies is a 4kwp or bigger system with a small battery.

With the house being unoccupied 8am-5.30pm mon-fri what benefit would the 2kW system without battery system be to me?

I noticed a large development yesterday where all the houses were being fitted with 7 panels. Most of these houses would be unoccupied during normal working hours.

unkel

worlds goodest teecher wrote: »

With the house being unoccupied 8am-5.30pm mon-fri what benefit would the 2kW system without battery system be to me?

Financially, very little. It will cover the base load of your house during a lot of daylight hours during most but not all months of the year. On a south facing system in a reasonably good area of Ireland you can expect a yearly production of 2000kWh, and if you use a third of that, it will shave about €135 off your yearly electricity bill. More if we are getting a feed in tariff, possibly another €65 per year. But there are more reasons for someone to put up solar PV than just money. We all need to pull our weight when it comes to climate action. And even from a financial point of view, the return on this system is far better than what you get on a savings account. And far less risk than the stock market. And electricity prices are likely going up over the next few years, which would make the payback time of this system shorter.

worlds goodest teecher wrote: »

I noticed a large development yesterday where all the houses were being fitted with 7 panels. Most of these houses would be unoccupied during normal working hours.

New houses have to comply with the building regs, part of which is energy consumption. Putting up a few solar PV panels is the cheapest way to make new houses comply.

Mr Q

handpref wrote: »

I’ve two 2.5kwh battteries sitting on my garage wall that haven’t been used since last September and won’t see use till March at best- I think they came in around the €2500 mark but can’t be sure As obviously the original quote didn’t give a breakdown.

Can you not sell the batteries and use the inverter without them? Even if you only sold one. Any used batteries on eBay always seem to have a number of people willing to buy them.

Once you get your grant payment does anyone ever come back to check it again, I doubt it.

worlds goodest teecher

unkel wrote: »

But there are more reasons for someone to put up solar PV than just money. We all need to pull our weight when it comes to climate action.

I agree that we all need to pull our weight. Cavity/attic has no insulation, ext doors need replacing in order to reduce heat loss. Windows need serious repairs. Replacing open fire and inefficient oil boiler. I think I am pulling my weight but I don’t have a bottomless pit of money. I’m trying to reduce the energy consumption of the house with the little I have, hence asking about the smaller system.

unkel

Most of the other jobs you need doing have a better return for your money. I guess solar PV will go down your priority list. Best of luck with your improvements!

worlds goodest teecher

That’s the point I was making, if I could put in pv I would be delighted, it’s just at the end of an expensive list of priorities. I doing my upmost to improve the energy saving performance of the house.

gomamochi1

Hi I'm looking for some advice regarding solarpv. I am hopefully buying a Nissan Leaf 2017 model with 30 kilowatt battery in the near future. We already have solar panels up the thermal tube version which heats up hot water directly. I have existing with space free to put up panels but in east west orientation roof may not benefit solar gain from October to February as previously outlined. I'm getting the zappi home charger which is solarpv ready and allows for an electric shower in spare room. What would would you recommend a certain solar PV system ideally with batteries or just use the electric car to the vent the extra power into during the day? Thanks in advance

garo

@worlds goodest teecher: If money is the issue go for a 3kW system without a battery. You should get quotes in the region of 6k before grant for that size system and 4200 after. You'll have to haggle and get several quotes but I assume that would fit the budget. Then get into the habit of putting the dishwasher/laundry/dryer on a timer duto come on staggered during the day.

Also do you have a slate or tiled roof and E/W or S facing. With an E/W system during the summer half your panels would be producing well into the evening. So for a 3kW system you would be getting > 1kW output at 7pm from May-Aug.

garo

worlds goodest teecher wrote: »

That’s the point I was making, if I could put in pv I would be delighted, it’s just at the end of an expensive list of priorities. I doing my upmost to improve the energy saving performance of the house.

I would say attic then boiler are probably your most cost-effective (and best for environment) changes. Windows and doors can be expensive as is cavity insulation. SEAI has grants for most of these improvements - but SEAI registered installers usually charge more as a result. So price up both SEAI and non-SEAI installers.

garo

gomamochi1 wrote: »

Hi I'm looking for some advice regarding solarpv. I am hopefully buying a Nissan Leaf 2017 model with 30 kilowatt battery in the near future. We already have solar panels up the thermal tube version which heats up hot water directly. I have existing with space free to put up panels but in east west orientation roof may not benefit solar gain from October to February as previously outlined. I'm getting the zappi home charger which is solarpv ready and allows for an electric shower in spare room. What would would you recommend a certain solar PV system ideally with batteries or just use the electric car to the vent the extra power into during the day? Thanks in advance

What's your objective? Fast payback, save the environment or self-sufficiency. With a Zappi/EV you could get by without a battery as long as your car will be home during the day. And how much space do you have on the roof? E/W is not bad for 8 months of the year.

worlds goodest teecher

garo wrote: »

@worlds goodest teecher: If money is the issue go for a 3kW system without a battery. You should get quotes in the region of 6k before grant for that size system and 4200 after. You'll have to haggle and get several quotes but I assume that would fit the budget. Then get into the habit of putting the dishwasher/laundry/dryer on a timer duto come on staggered during the day.

Also do you have a slate or tiled roof and E/W or S facing. With an E/W system during the summer half your panels would be producing well into the evening. So for a 3kW system you would be getting > 1kW output at 7pm from May-Aug.

4.34kW. Degrees from south 60, tiled. €10,000 plus vat. Good value?

garo

With or without battery and diverter. With VAT don't think that good value unless you are getting a 5kWh battery and diverter. And still your payback would be long.

worlds goodest teecher

4.34 kWp. Solax X1 Hybrid 3.7 inverter. Peimer 310w panels - 14, solax hv 4.5kWh battery €9800 plus vat.

garo

If VAT is 13.5% on this, it might not be such a bad deal. After full grant you will be out of pocket by 8123.

Gazzler82

Mickeroo wrote: »

The money per kWp is calculated only to the whole kWp isn't it? So a 3.5kWp system with battery would only net 2700 rather than say 2850.

That's correct isn't it?

Didn’t ask that question to be honest! Don’t know.

worlds goodest teecher

garo wrote: »

If VAT is 13.5% on this, it might not be such a bad deal. After full grant you will be out of pocket by 8123.

Yeah 13.5%. €8123 after grant is what I’m figuring as well. Optional extra iBoost unit €450. What is an iBoost unit?

Estimated payback time 7.9 years.

Could I expect get better by seeking other prices? Looking at applying for this along with attic and cavity insulation for an extra €300.

worlds goodest teecher

worlds goodest teecher wrote: »

4.34 kWp. Solax X1 Hybrid 3.7 inverter. Peimer 310w panels - 14, solax hv 4.5kWh battery €9800 plus vat.

Roughly what percentage of an average 3 bed bungalow's electricity consumption could this system cover?

Note, this is a house we just bought. In our previous accommodation we were paying max €65/month on average on electricity.

garo

Average consumption would be around 3500 kWh assuming you have gas heating and hot water and cooker. No way you get a payback time of 7.9 years. Whoever told you that is lying. You would generate about 4000kWh with that system so if you used all of it you would save 640 based on a unit price of 16c. And of course you won't consume all of it. I'd say your payback would be 16 years.

Solar PV does not count as one of your three grants. Si you won't get 300 on the back of that. You should certainly look around for better prices. Get at least three quotes.

gomamochi1

garo wrote: »

What's your objective? Fast payback, save the environment or self-sufficiency. With a Zappi/EV you could get by without a battery as long as your car will be home during the day. And how much space do you have on the roof? E/W is not bad for 8 months of the year.

Bit of both self sufficiency and environmental reasons.
Good sized space for e/ w facing panels on garage and existing house . How many panels do u recommend I get quotes for given6 person home with one ev charging currently? Thanks

worlds goodest teecher

garo wrote: »

Average consumption would be around 3500 kWh assuming you have gas heating and hot water and cooker. No way you get a payback time of 7.9 years. Whoever told you that is lying. You would generate about 4000kWh with that system so if you used all of it you would save 640 based on a unit price of 16c. And of course you won't consume all of it. I'd say your payback would be 16 years.

Solar PV does not count as one of your three grants. Si you won't get 300 on the back of that. You should certainly look around for better prices. Get at least three quotes.

Just an after thought here. I have to replace the fireplace which is going to cost around €3000 for a pellet stove and remedial works. If i were to shell out this level of money on the 14 panel pv system incl battery, would it be more beneficial for me to replace with an electric fire?

wexfordman2

Just to highlight in the grants system as well, as I note a few posters here are looking to do other non pv upgrades as well. We had 3 non pv upgrades on our house also, so qualified for the additional 300 seai grant, but in addition, at the time we were with electric Ireland, and they also gave you a fairly good credit off your electricity bill for each item you had done in the house.

It did not need to be done by them, you chose your own contractor and EI had nothing to do with the process , and you pay the contractor yourself. The only stipulation was they had to be on an EI register, which lots of the were anyway
.

If I recall correctly, we got nearly 400 euro worth of credit from EI when we got our attic insulated and walls pumped. Figures might be off a bit,.bit for anyone looking at doing this kind of stuff, well worth investigating.

worlds goodest teecher

wexfordman2 wrote: »

Just to highlight in the grants system as well, as I note a few posters here are looking to do other non pv upgrades as well. We had 3 non pv upgrades on our house also, so qualified for the additional 300 seai grant, but in addition, at the time we were with electric Ireland, and they also gave you a fairly good credit off your electricity bill for each item you had done in the house.

It did not need to be done by them, you chose your own contractor and EI had nothing to do with the process , and you pay the contractor yourself. The only stipulation was they had to be on an EI register, which lots of the were anyway
.

If I recall correctly, we got nearly 400 euro worth of credit from EI when we got our attic insulated and walls pumped. Figures might be off a bit,.bit for anyone looking at doing this kind of stuff, well worth investigating.

Just entered a contract with Iberdrola but thanks for the advice.

newrossman

Hi
Got quotes for 5.1kw with 2 diverts to storage heaters and hot water. 18 panels.
Because not alot of installs was will to add 5kw battery after 3 more installs referred from me!
House south facing no issue with shadow a great show house
Issue I came across was after ringing local CC regards planning. The planner said was illegal but unless objections they give a blind eye. But if I wanted to sell am I screwed?
Quote was 12k inc grant. Also note no grant if Ber after install is below C. Im D2 at moment but heat is electric.
So do I have issue selling down the line?
Yes law is being changed but doubt will be open ended in Panel no.