Anything I can do with €5,000?

SoupyNorman

House has no renewable energy source currently, oil fired heating along with wood burner stoves (no back boiler). Was thinking of upgrading to high efficiency boiler with my budget.

Anything on the renewable spectrum I could get done instead?

the_amazing_raisin

Insulation and air tightness? Reducing consumption is always a good plan and it means whatever heating system you use operates more efficiently

Ubbquittious

You can get a "kick of the ass" solar system for that provided you do the donkey work yourself. You should be able to put in about 5kWp for that price if you're not getting batteries

kabakuyu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058276379/anything-i-can-do-with-5-000

You will get feck all with 5k is you are looking to a solar company to do the work, the grant money goes straight into their pockets and does not benefit the customer.

Maybe forget about renewables and make sure other areas are up to standard,things like insulation(attic and walls)LED bulbs,draught proofing at doors and windows,close unused firepplaces,servise your oil boiler every year, get on Night tarriff rate electricity to avail of cheaper rates.

Take a look at the quotes thread as well https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058219537/domestic-solar-pv-quotes-2022-no-pm-requests-see-mod-note-post-1

MicktheMan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120015690#Comment_120015690

^^^^This

First have a heat loss survey done and take it from there. The 5k could go a long way to really reducing your space energy needs depending on the findings. The greenest, most sustainable and renewable kWhr is the kWhr not needed.

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120015710#Comment_120015710

This. If you buy well / second hand and do everything bar the connection of the inverter in your consumer unit yourself, you could even get a small battery with that €5k system.

12 * 400W panel for 5kwp, €2400, Pylontech battery €900, hybrid inverter €1100, €400 for mounting materials and €200 for a RECI electrician (30 minute job) = €5000

You could get a few quotes for a basic 3-4kwp system with conventional inverter and no battery. After the grant it could still possibly come in not a million miles over budget. Have a look at the quotes thread in this forum

Or look at solar as a service. You pay nothing, installer installs, you get all the savings and you pay from €29 per month (last time I looked) for 10 years, after which time you fully own it

CPTM

Just curious, what happens to that 29 euro per month if you move house in those 10 years?

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120016757#Comment_120016757

I don't know. Ring them and ask them. But I guess you are entering a contract and you will still be responsible for keeping up the payments.

In any case, I wouldn't recommend any home improvement if you are likely to move house within a few years. No matter what you do, you will never get the money you invested back

DC999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120017181#Comment_120017181

Frequently Asked Questions About Solar Panels | My Solar "Installing MySolar doesn’t impact on your ability to sell your home. Should you choose to sell at any stage you can either pay the remaining balance on the proceeds or the new owner can take over the agreement with MySolar."

DC999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120016031#Comment_120016031

You nailed it there. "The greenest, most sustainable and renewable kWhr is the kWhr not needed."

ELM327

Alternate view. Spend the 5k on some batteries and an inverter. Load shift and move to the best night rate provider you can get.

Not renewable, but another way of saving money.

DC999

Adding to what @MicktheMan said on reducing usage, start to track what you use and see can you cut back. Then your baseline is low and you’re saving from Day1. I‘m talking some for free or low hundreds of euros.

1) Reduce: As in might be electric devices that suck power when in stand-by. And all the usual stuff like turn the heat down by 1 degree, adjust the boiler setting..

Do what the stuff the older generations did. Stop drafts, hand curtains, heat the core of the house (not the hall)….

I’ve hung heavy curtains in the very cold WFH room and the difference in temp is huge. Only had a light blind on the old leaky window before. My folks had a pair they didn’t use, so costed nothing. And means I can heat to a much more comfortable temp and for less.

2) Target your heating: Where possible, heat the person, not the room. Hotwater bottle on your legs and a blanket over them. Warm feet, hands and head = warm body. Infrared heaters help with that hugely – once you are directly in front of them. So perfect for a space you spend a lot of time in like a WFH room or sofa. And that might be perfect for some of the day until more people are in the house.

3) Look at smarter devices for likes of heating. Like a Nest thermostat or competitors of those. Saved us a large amount when we moved to it. Once room the device is in gets to temp you define, it knocks off. So room temp starts much more in the range you want. Energy providers used to offer for free or discounted when moved to them.

4) Move gas and electricity provider if your 1 year contract has expired. 20mins on bonkers.ie and can save hundreds

5) Insulate the attic next if not done. Or add more if done more than 10 years ago.

6) Then, while you’re doing all that good stuff start to look at what 5k gives you. And some good suggestions here. I'd be a +1 on solar (I've live less than a year now). Will give you 20+ years and maintenance free. And if you move to an EV car in time, you'll be using more electricity. A boiler might be less if it dies (mine if 15 yrs old now but that's good). You can get a system for 5k (plus the grant) but need to shop around. But insulation & reducing heat loss...are all good ways to reduce costs too

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120017368#Comment_120017368

Actually is renewable as already over 50% of night rate electricity is from wind and this percentage increases every year. Also stabilising the grid. Could very well be more helpful to the environment than actually having solar PV panels...

As for which is a better financial investment - some sums need to be done here comparing similar cost systems. For €5k you'd barely get a 5kWh battery system installed if you don't DIY

Another option is to use the €5k to upgrade to an EV if that is a suitable solution

ELM327

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120017464#Comment_120017464

Yes, so it's somewhat renewable I suppose.

But if you're talking about pure savings calculations between PV with no/small battery, or large battery and inverter and good night rate.. I'd hazard a guess as a null hypothesis if you will, that the large battery would save more on a 12 months basis.

unkel

If you DIY I suppose you could stretch to a 10kWh battery for your €5k budget, probably throw a few panels up too. If you don't DIY, the budget is just too low to make much of a difference

But yes the savings from peakshifting are quite large. My battery is 20kWh (30kWh in a few weeks) and before losses assuming full capacity is cycled, this saves €4 per day in winter. That's quite substantial as my hybrid inverter plus 20kWh battery and accessories cost less than €4k to buy, so a pretty quick tax free pay back time (with the hardware keeping its value very well)

silver_sky

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120015690#Comment_120015690

This is what I'd do with that budget also. Some of the items may not necessarily be all that expensive or disruptive. For example getting the windows and doors checked and serviced - replacement of seals, adjustment etc. That can improve tightness and reduce drafts = less oil used then! same with attic door, check that it's well sealed when closed. Stuff like that are small items but make a difference.