Domestic Solar PV Quotes 2022 - No PM requests - See Mod note post #1

DC999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120146871#Comment_120146871

Yep, I have a Huawei inverter and agree with your 1st paragraph. I'd suggest you look at alternatives.

I can't speak for the rest you asked.

OO7FITZY

thx DC999

also have quotes for GiveEnergy inverter and GiveEnergy battery with same question if these good brands / reliable and how will myenergi hub and zappi work with this hardware?

A big selling point for the battery is charging up on the night rate so at least worst case in winter you should be able to get a lot of your energy on night rates and I want to make sure I can set it on a timer to turn on and off at correct times and discharge when needed

CountryExile

Do you require approval from ESB to go above 5kW inverter? ........ 8 kW system but installer inputting 5kW inverter

DC999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120147597#Comment_120147597

Every battery will let you charge up on night rate in winter. Which is what everyone with solar and batteries does to save money. I don't have a battery

And during winter you'd fill the EV and Eddi for hot water on the cheaper night rate too. But you'd likely do that from the MyEnergie app direct - it let's you have a recurring schedule or charge adhoc as needed. As in you don't charge a large car battery from a small house battery (or rarely so). New Zappis (since some time last year) have a Hub built in (Hub is to manage more than 1 MyEnergie device connected together), older ones didn't so needed a separate Hub afaik

Afaik @bullit_dodger has a GiveEnergy battery

Tbh, inverters are pretty much all the same. When buying, I got sucked into the marketing spiel on how X was better than Y. Each installer wants you to believe their offering is superior.

HotSwap

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120151132#Comment_120151132

Well you need to submit an NC6 application regardless of the size of the inverter. But Up to 6kwh is permitted via the NC6 route so you might as well get a 6kw inverter and apply for 6kw too. The amount of panels you have installed behind the inverter is not taken into consideration.

tipping

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120146576#Comment_120146576

Nice idea. I'll look into that. Hoping to select supplier and order this week

HotSwap

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120152621#Comment_120152621

You can go closer to the edge than 500mm if you get an engineer to sign it off with wind load calcs. You can also mitigate some of the wind loading by installing skirts around the edges of the panels so the wind is forced over the panel rather than under it; and these also stop birds nesting under them. But you’ll need an engineer; if you want to go closer than 500 and still get the grant.

Another option is just install them how you want and forget about the grant. As long as it’s structurally safe.

smax71

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120146576#Comment_120146576

Just want to clarify are you advising that you should hold back €2400 from the installer final payment until SEAI approve the installation? I've spoken to a couple of guys and both want full payment of balance o/s on day of installation. I'm a bit concerned about that in case they need to return for snagging issues but I hadn't even considered what might happen if the SEAI didnt approve the installation. Is it normal to retain a balancing paymentfor until snagging issues resolved / SEAI approval obtained

DC999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120153343#Comment_120153343

I paid 50% when ordered. Didn't pay balance on install day. Thankfully. As I had a lot of snags. And some didn't appear straight away until I realised something needed a tweak. Was hard enough to get them fixed owing 50%

banie01

Hey folks,

Just received the following quote for a 3.7kwh system.

9 X Jinko 415w panels

1 X 5kw Huawei Inverter

Supply, fit and commissioning

Total: €9300 - Grant €2190 for a nett total of €7110

I note that the post for BER isn't included. Any steer on whether this price offers any value would be appreciated.

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120153862#Comment_120153862

Expensive, and going with the Huawei inverter you are restricted to a couple of expensive battery brands if getting batteries down the road if that's a hybrid inverter quoted. Some here like the Huawei stuff but most think it's overpriced for what you get in comparison to the alternatives which are cheaper but just as good quality wise.

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120154602#Comment_120154602

Thanks for that Con. I have 5 or so quotes back so far and the variation in pricing and spec is broad. It's interesting that you mention Huawei as being the expensive option. As on the quotes I've gotten to date? It comes out as the cheaper option. The prices below were all quoted for Limerick City install and are gross, without grant applied.

3.6kwp system (9 longi panels) with Solis inverter and pylontech battery. €12400

3.6kwp system (12 Jinko panels)with Solis inverter and puredrive battery (Inc BER). €12350

3.6kwp system (12 Jinko panels) with Solis inverter and no battery (BER included). €9850

3.6kwp system (9 Jinko panels) with Huawei Inverter and no battery. €9300

7.56kwp (18 Jinko panels, 10 of these would N facing) system with Huawei Inverter and 5kwh battery. €19215

4KW system (10 leapton PV Panels) Solis single phase 5G inverter, €8,200

4KW system (10 leapton PV Panels) Solis single phase 5G inverter, 5.1kwh CFE battery, €11,100

Only one provider includes a BER but that does seem to be more than offset by utilising lower cost (not quality) equipment. The gain that seems apparent on that offer is more than offset by booking my own assessor.

I contacted 5 companies, so far I have quotes back from **Now 4** and?

It really does seem to be the same story as often is in Ireland. Grant is being swallowed by both price rises and further price "matching". I'm in no huge rush to get the job done and tbh? At current pricing it may well become a DIY job if I can get an electrician cousin to spare me a few days.

smax71

I've received the following quote for a 6kwp system, 15 Tiger neo 400w panels, 6kw sofar inverter, 5kwh dyness battery and eddi €15.4k (€13k net of grant). I think the battery is €2.5k so panel installation net of grant and less eddi is €9,900 which works out at €1,650 per kw. This is a fair bit more expensive than the €1.2k per kw guide price but just wondering to what extent that guide is currently achievable for a 6kwp system

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120155001#Comment_120155001

Check post #4241 on the previous page.

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120154934#Comment_120154934

Small systems have always been overpriced lately. If you can go down the DIY route you should save money even loosing out on the grant if you can't avail of it. As above look at post #4241

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120155210#Comment_120155210

Certainly seems that way and it's similar to the circumstances I noticed around the difference in pricing pre & post the insulation grant coming in.

I had pumped cavity wall insulation with bonded beads in a 3 bed semi and it cost me @ €800 at the time. A year later the grant came in and my neighbour paid €1400 less the grant.

The Irish habit of a grant being seen by installers as additional margin is very frustrating.

smax71

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120155193#Comment_120155193

Ok so if I adjust for larger battery my quote is €2.5k more expensive than Optoon 3 of that post. Will have to look further

simpsimp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120147597#Comment_120147597

I have Givenergy inverter and battery.

There are pros and cons.

Pro: software is good, there's an API (which is novel), battery is relatively keenly priced, support seems good

Con: You're locked into the battery brand with this inverter, there is an ongoing battery bug which some users are affected by*

* See https://community.givenergy.cloud/d/713-firmware-3007-has-not-fixed-sudden-soc-drop-to-0-problem

Overall I have no major complaints, but good to be aware of the above

HotSwap

When you’re comparing battery’s look at the spec sheet and what the Max charge / discharge rate is.

if your battery’s max discharge rate is 3kwh and your home is drawing 4kwh; even if you have a full battery your still gonna pull in 1kwh from the grid. Really this defeats one of the main reasons of getting the battery.

also if your battery’s max charge rate is 3kwh; and you have a smart tariff like Night boost from EI, which only gives a 2H window 2-4am at the lowest rate; you would only be able to pull in 6kwh in this period. So if you had a 10kWh battery 40% of its charge would not be as

price is a major consideration of course; but if you care enough to be posting here; look a bit deeper than price too. Also good to consider that a system with a hybrid inverter will be more efficient than a system with one inverter for PV and another inverter built into the battery.

eclipsechaser

System has been installed and is going live tomorrow - thank you very much for all the advice on here.

10.4kW panels.

6kW hybrid inverter.

15kWh PureDrive batteries (3x5kWh, two new and one lightly used one sourced by myself and included in the price below)

Eddi Diverter

Harvi

Zappi EV Charging Point

€16,300 after grants. I think that's reasonable enough.

smax71

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120157561#Comment_120157561

If the charging point price is included in that figure that's a brilliant price. Scaling up my current quote to a 10kwp system/15kwh battery would give a total price after grant of €22,000 and that doesnt even include a zappi. It almost seems too good to be true. Love to know the installer!

DC999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120157551#Comment_120157551

Out of curiosity on the Huawei battery, what's the max discharge rate in kWh and same for max charge rate? Afaik some batteries have a higher discharge for a short amount of time, like a kettle boiling or hair dryer. But then it drops. So it can't do sustained loads at the higher output.

tonysopprano

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120157551#Comment_120157551

Newbie question: if I have 2x batteries @ discharge rate of 3kwh, can I draw 6kwh

HotSwap

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120157746#Comment_120157746

It’s 7kw for 10seconds and then 5kW sustained till it’s totally discharged. But between 5kW-7kw is a grey area that’s not documented but it can sustain over 5 and less than 7 for much longer than 10 seconds. That’s assuming you have 2 of the 5kWh modules; adding a 3rd module only adds capacity not any extra charge / discharge speed / etc…

The solar edge is comparable in charge / discharge rates; but hard to source in IE unless you bring it in from EEL in Belfast (but the prices are good as you can avoid VAT legally if you structure things correctly)

most of the low voltage battery’s seem to top out at about 3.6kwh charge / discharge which is way too low for me. But I may of missed something in my research.

HotSwap

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120157933#Comment_120157933

It’s a good question. It depends; if it’s 2 modules that are daisy chained together then prob not.

But if it’s 2 totally independent batteries each with their own inverter then yes; but in this case you would need to be careful that you are still complying with ESB networks limits that you have agreed with them; as you could be exporting more than they are expecting.

What manufacturer are you talking about? Or is this a hypothetical question?

tonysopprano

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120158075#Comment_120158075

Purely hypothetical, as trying to gain as much knowledge for future project.

eclipsechaser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120157696#Comment_120157696

It was the well-known lads from Fermanagh but I should point out that I did have a few things going for me with the price.

1) The original quote was given in April 2022. They honoured that price in late August 2022.

2) They hadn't done a site inspection and so ended up putting up a load more panels than they had originally quoted. So I was able to make a deal on the day for the extras.

3) The extra lightly used battery from one of the boardsies (hi!) here was 1/3 off the retail price.

4) I booked them for 2 installation jobs (one for me, one for a family member close by) so I was able to haggle a little there.

I guess all the little savings added up to give a reasonable final figure. Again, thanks to everyone here for all the guidance. I can't wait to finally be able to post in the daily PV production thread.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120158887#Comment_120158887

Good to know. Ive a bit of work to do to get anywhere near that figure. Good luck with your installation

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120154934#Comment_120154934

I'm quoting myself here to allow everyone to compare and contrast the self importation option that I received a couple of quotes for today.

Hey all.

The struggle to find a balance between performance, value and installation costs is continuing.

I do have a cousin who is a RECI sparks and I am more and more leaning towards a self install at this point.

I am struggling to see the benefit in going down the grant route other than for immediate ease of installation and hopefully though it may it never be needed? Local support.

I dropped an email to a Chinese supplier yesterday and was surprised to have a response this morning given its CNY and they are still recovering 😉

Anyway, I got a quote for an 11 panel system, with options for 415w or 550w with Growatt hybrid inverter, 5kwh (44.8kwh usable) battery, brackets, cables connectors and ancillaries all items CE certfied and compliant .

With an FOB cost to Shanghai of $4558.

Shipping and VAT gives a ballpark landed figure of €5500 for a well specced system with a battery versus @ €10k for similar fitted locally with grant.

That's quite a bit cheaper than anything I've had quoted locally even for a 3.6kw PV only system, with no battery and inclusive of grant.

Now the downsides are obviously no local support or agent. Any warranty issue will need to be dealt with via China.

For some?

The immediate saving will be worth that risk, but it is IMO a risk.Has anyone here gone down this route, ordered their own kit and arranged installation?

How did go for you?

What would you differently?

And most importantly?

Was it worth it?

graememk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120160925#Comment_120160925

As your cousin is in the trade, they could " do the purchasing though a trade account with the likes of midsummer, solartricity, Kelliher Electrical etc. (Trade discount on midsummer is 10-20%)

Could be a new aspect of his business, and a soft start with you!