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Solar Electric Panels

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  • 20-11-2018 10:55am
    #1
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 3,656 ✭✭✭


    Hi guys

    (hope this is the right place to be posting).

    I have just got a quote for €5K for 8 Photovoltaic Solar Panels. This includes the grant from SEAI which the company themselves will process.
    Is this a good price?
    I have an East West facing house so 4 panels on both sides of the roof. I have heard great reports and find the prospect of continual hot water very attractive plus no longer being reliant on electricity or gas.

    Thanks

    MOD NOTE: Moving from P&H to Renewable Energies


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    #2
    KCross
    Registered Users Posts: 12,070 ✭✭✭✭KCross


    8 panels wont give you continual hot water and you will still be reliant on electricity and gas so I think you need to have another chat with your installer and get some real figures about what to expect from 8 panels as I think your expectations are way too high.

    €5k also sounds a bit on the expensive side but not outrageous.


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    #3
    unkel
    Registered Users Posts: 64,773 ✭✭✭✭unkel


    An 8 panel solar PV system costs about €2k + VAT in parts. And it attracts about €1.7k in subsidies. So your installer is charging well over 4 grand for the install, which is absurd for what is about 2 man days of work (if that)

    Your installer also gave you completely unrealistic expectations. East west is actually quite good, in a typical household you will get most of your electricity for free during the summer, during day time, provided you run one high electricity use appliance at a time (dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, kettle, hoover, lawn mower), just run one after the other

    Don't even bother trying to heat your hot water with the PV panels, it's cheaper to give the electricity away for free to the grid with a system of the size you are planning

    Some rough figures: your system would generate about 1,800kWh per year. Of which you are likely to use about half if you are careful. This will provide a quarter of your electricity use per year in a typical household (and zero of your hot water heating costs). An average annual electricity bill is €800 so you will save less than €200 per year (taking into account standing charges)

    Pay back 25 years (not taking into account interest, opportunity costs of money or maintenance). But you will be doing your bit for the environment :)

    Note: all my figures are rough figures based on assumptions of you being an average household, etc.


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    #4
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 3,656 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    KCross wrote: »
    8 panels wont give you continual hot water and you will still be reliant on electricity and gas so I think you need to have another chat with your installer and get some real figures about what to expect from 8 panels as I think your expectations are way too high.

    €5k also sounds a bit on the expensive side but not outrageous.

    Oh dear, my expectations are based on what the Company told me! I assumed I would get unlimited hot water!


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    #5
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 3,656 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    unkel wrote: »
    An 8 panel solar PV system costs about €2k + VAT in parts. And it attracts about €1.7k in subsidies. So your installer is charging well over 4 grand for the install, which is absurd for what is about 2 man days of work (if that)]

    Your installer also gave you completely unrealistic expectations. East west is actually quite good, in a typical household you will get most of your electricity for free during the summer, during day time, provided you run one high electricity use appliance at a time (dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, kettle, hoover, lawn mower), just run one after the other

    Don't even bother trying to heat your hot water with the PV panels, it's cheaper to give the electricity away for free to the grid with a system of the size you are planning

    Some rough figures: your system would generate about 1,800kWh per year. Of which you are likely to use about half if you are careful. This will provide a quarter of your electricity use per year in a typical household (and zero of your hot water heating costs)]


    I'm confused ? Why would I not bother trying to heat my hot water with PV Panels? If this system would generate approx. 1800kWh per year what do you mean I would use half if I am careful? Why would I have to be careful? And why would this provide zero of my hot water heating costs?

    I'm genuinely asking - not being smart. I really was interested in lowering my environmental impact so this is disappointing. Why are the SEAI providing grants if this system does not really reduce your costs hugely?

    BTW I live alone and work fulltime so my costs are pretty low anyway as I am out a lot. Kids grown up and gone so its much cheaper. I have no dryer and only use the washing machine and dishwasher once a week!

    I am just thinking ahead to a time when I might be at home more. No way I am throwing €5K upfront at this if its not going to heat my water. Company said it takes just one day to install.

    thanks for help, I really know very little about stuff like this and the company are selling it as the best thing since sliced bread.


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    #6
    unkel
    Registered Users Posts: 64,773 ✭✭✭✭unkel


    Deleted User wrote: »
    I live alone and work fulltime so my costs are pretty low anyway as I am out a lot.

    Don't bother with any solar. It will be a complete waste of your money. Unless you really want to do your bit for the environment and you are happy to spend a few grand on it (but expect almost zero financial benefit from it)

    And that's coming from a fan of renewables. I have a 40 tube solar water heating system and I have a 6 panel solar PV system (very likely to be increased significantly over the next year or two). And my main family car is a full electric vehicle. But we are a family of 5, with someone in the house almost all of the time and we use lots of hot water and electricity (both far exceeding the national average)


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    #7
    bleary
    Registered Users Posts: 495 ✭✭bleary


    My understanding is that with solar pv panels
    You would need to buy a divertor to use the electricity generated to heat your water.
    The cost of that would not be paid back by the amount you would pay to use electricity to heat the water.


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    #8
    unkel
    Registered Users Posts: 64,773 ✭✭✭✭unkel


    bleary wrote: »
    My understanding is that with solar pv panels
    You would need to buy a divertor to use the electricity generated to heat your water.
    The cost of that would not be paid back by the amount you would pay to use electricity to heat the water.

    That's about right in a smallish PV setup (well below say 10 panels). And it certainly would not be paid back by the amount you would pay to use gas to heat the water (which is cheaper than electricity even at the night rate if you have a night rate meter)


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    #9
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 3,656 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Thanks, this is the information I needed. Very hard to do a cost benefit analysis on it and the company aren’t going to say it makes no financial sense - especially for a single person .

    It’s 5K - a heck of a lot of money . Think I’ll invest in serious insulation instead as a way of cutting down on heat loss generally and lowering bills.


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    #10
    Gumbo
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 38,437 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Thanks, this is the information I needed. Very hard to do a cost benefit analysis on it and the company aren’t going to say it makes no financial sense - especially for a single person .

    It’s 5K - a heck of a lot of money . Think I’ll invest in serious insulation instead as a way of cutting down on heat loss generally and lowering bills.

    Invest in air tightness, ventilation and serious insulation first.


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    #11
    niallers1
    Registered Users Posts: 799 ✭✭✭niallers1


    4.2kw (14 * 300w panels) + 4.8kw battery cost me €9900 less €3800 grant = €6100 + approx €150 for BER so €6250.

    I think your 5k quote is a bit expensive for 8 panels. Electric Ireland are probably even cheaper than that and you can pay them back interest free on your bill.
    Are you sure they didn't mean 5k without grant?

    _______________
    For comparison - I dug out a quote from last year and 2.4 kw system with Eddi smart diverter was €4,250 plus vat installed. Panels have reduced by around 15% since this quote.


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    #12
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 3,656 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    niallers1 wrote: »
    4.2kw (14 * 300w panels) + 4.8kw battery cost me €9900 less €3800 grant = €6100 + approx €150 for BER so €6250.

    I think your 5k quote is a bit expensive for 8 panels. Electric Ireland are probably even cheaper than that and you can pay them back interest free on your bill.
    Are you sure they didn't mean 5k without grant?

    _______________
    For comparison - I dug out a quote from last year and 2.4 kw system with Eddi smart diverter was €4,250 plus vat installed. Panels have reduced by around 15% since this quote.



    Nah they said €5K and they’d even process the grant for me !
    Met a guy today who got 8 from the same company a year ago ; €7000 before grant so I think he paid more .

    Anyway I’m not going ahead right now . Really makes poor financial sense as I live alone & work full time . It would be a bit wasteful as house empty a lot . Maybe down the line ............


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    #13
    Ubbquittious
    Registered Users Posts: 6,177 ✭✭✭Ubbquittious


    Well feck me pink this notion of getting a "diverter" is absolutely insane. The device was invented purely for bureaucratic reasons-because the energy regulator and utility company cartel have succeeded in holding off a decent feed in tariff for so long.


    niallers1 wrote: »
    4.2kw (14 * 300w panels) + 4.8kw battery cost me €9900 less €3800 grant = €6100 + approx €150 for BER so €6250.

    I think your 5k quote is a bit expensive for 8 panels. Electric Ireland are probably even cheaper than that and you can pay them back interest free on your bill.
    Are you sure they didn't mean 5k without grant?

    _______________
    For comparison - I dug out a quote from last year and 2.4 kw system with Eddi smart diverter was €4,250 plus vat installed. Panels have reduced by around 15% since this quote.




    Are you off the grid?


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    #14
    niallers1
    Registered Users Posts: 799 ✭✭✭niallers1


    Are you off the grid?

    No. but expect to pay very little for Electricity in the next 12 months.


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