Domestic solar PV quotes 2018

unkel wrote: »

Your grant is going to be tiny if you are not going for a battery.

Oh is it, why

championc wrote: »

I think Sofar is the only manufacturer who appears to support Lead-Acid batteries.

Have a look at the Sofar HYD 3000. I think it's the only one which will support Lead-Acid batteries. I acquired a rake of batteries so it had to be the basis of my system, while it still supports the other battery types for the future.

Manual - https://midsummer.ie/pdfs/sofar-hyd-user-manual-191101-v1.2.pdf

An added advantage of this unit is that it will allow you to charge the batteries from mains Grid power at night, allowing the power to then be used by your house during the day.

Growatt SPH series supports both lead acid and lithium too. And can be set up to charge from grid.

Ginger83 wrote: »

Oh is it, why

You only get a grant for the first two KW of panels if no battery. So 1800. If you get a battery - however small - you get an additional 1200. 300 each for the 3rd and 4th KW and 600 for battery.

By excluding grant, I assume you mean grant gets deducted from your quote so net cost is 8000-1800 = 6200 in your current setup?

garo wrote: »

You only get a grant for the first two KW of panels if no battery. So 1800. If you get a battery - however small - you get an additional 1200. 300 each for the 3rd and 4th KW and 600 for battery.

By excluding grant, I assume you mean grant gets deducted from your quote so net cost is 8000-1800 = 6200 in your current setup?

How much is a battery

garo wrote: »

If you get a battery - however small - you get an additional 1200

Ginger83 wrote: »

How much is a battery

1200

That includes VAT and about EUR50 to install it (takes no more than 30 minutes to install and configure it, provided your hybrid inverter is already installed) for a small battery like the Pylontech US2000 (2.4kWh)

unkel wrote: »

1200

That includes VAT and about EUR50 to install it (takes no more than 30 minutes to install and configure it, provided your hybrid inverter is already installed) for a small battery like the Pylontech US2000 (2.4kWh)

If a battery is installed at a later date is it eligible for a grant?

You certainly won’t get the 600 for the panels then. Not sure if you can get the 600 afterwards. Probably but someone will have to do twice the paperwork!

garo wrote: »

You certainly won’t get the 600 for the panels then. Not sure if you can get the 600 afterwards. Probably but someone will have to do twice the paperwork!

Is it a good quote

6200 net is not bad for what you are getting. Not ridiculously good either. I would push to get a battery and get it all in under 9500 with the full 3k grant.

Here's the Pylontech US2000 for GBP699 + VAT

Linky

garo wrote: »

6200 net is not bad for what you are getting. Not ridiculously good either. I would push to get a battery and get it all in under 9500 with the full 3k grant.

What sounds dear about it

wexfordman2

Ginger83 wrote: »

Is it a good quote

Based on what you are saying, Its 8k inc vat before grant for a 5.5kwp system with a 5kw hybrid inverter and eddi.

My system, which many here said was an excellent price, is a 5.85kwp system with 5kw hybrid inverter, 5kwh battery and eddi, and price was 12k inc vat before grant (cost to me was 8,200).

It sounds like a good price to me, but I would add the battery, it should be at worst cost neutral if you get the grant.

Note:- check if new grant or old grant applies to you, I know there are changes now, just not sure what.

KCross

unkel wrote: »

1200

That includes VAT and about EUR50 to install it (takes no more than 30 minutes to install and configure it, provided your hybrid inverter is already installed) for a small battery like the Pylontech US2000 (2.4kWh)

What planet are you on?! Thats wildly optimistic!

Have you got quotes where €50 for install was quoted? I was quoted €350!.. robbery, but thats what was quoted.

@Ginger83, it will cost more than that to get a battery added.
The installers will add margin to the product so no point looking at direct buy prices, they will charge a "few hundred" extra for install and the hybrid inverter that is required for a battery system is another few hundred extra again over a standard inverter.

And ultimately a battery wont pay for itself so dont go that route if money is important to you.

Shefwedfan

Ended up with 19 panels myself....so 5.89 or so......not sure how I ended up with 19....hahahahaha

KCross wrote: »

Have you got quotes where €50 for install was quoted? I was quoted €350!.. robbery, but thats what was quoted.

No, but I'd expect it to cost no more than that on top of a full installation that includes a hybrid inverter that the Pylontech is compatible with. So that already includes the CT clamp install and configuration of said hybrid inverter

It would literally take 2 minutes to connect the battery to the hybrid inverter and for an experienced installer, no more than 5 minutes to configure it, the Pylontech is usually a pre-set choice of battery, so no manual configuration needed at all

Also the battery costs about €600-€700 ex VAT at trade prices. Really any installer that would charge more than €1200 incl VAT would take the complete p1ss and should be named and shamed (or in other words completely free for someone who already decided to go for an SEAI install with or without a battery like Ginger83 who asked this question)

Not all SEAI installers are rip-off merchants. There are some good ones in there. See some of the recommendations in this thread.

KCross

unkel wrote: »

Not all SEAI installers are rip-off merchants. There are some good ones in there. See some of the recommendations in this thread.

I've got quotes from most of them at this stage and the battery quotes dont add up and dont cost what you are suggesting no matter how cheap or easy you think they are to install.

Sure look at whats involved in installing an EV charge point and what electricians are charging for that!.... your prices are DIY prices, not electrical contractor prices.

Lets see what Ginger comes back with if they get a battery quote.

KCross wrote: »

I've got quotes from most of them at this stage and the battery quotes dont add up and dont cost what you are suggesting no matter how cheap or easy you think they are to install.

You didn't read my post properly. I doubt you got a quote with a hybrid inverter installed and configured (but without battery) and a quote from the same installer for the exact same thing + small battery installed. This is the question the above poster asked.

If you did, you would find the difference would be in the order of €1200 which includes VAT and a generous margin for the installer

KCross

unkel wrote: »

I doubt you got a quote with a hybrid inverter installed and configured (but without battery) and a quote from the same installer for the exact same thing + small battery installed.

No, I didnt, but just because you have installed a hybrid inverter up front doesnt mean you can then discount that from the figures.

Put another way, instead of saying the battery is completely free I'd say get a quote without the hybrid inverter, thats the true cost of a non-battery system and then get a quote inc hybrid inverter and battery and see what the cost difference is.

Its just man maths otherwise.

KCross wrote: »

No, I didnt, but just because you have installed a hybrid inverter up front doesnt mean you can then discount that from the figures.

It is in the case of the poster who asked, as that was exactly what he was going to do.

I was the first to post that that decision doesn't make a lot of financial sense though

In other news, I'm close to getting my own 20kWh battery connected myself, hopefully within a week or so. Not lithium, and I did not get any subsidy. Good old lead acid. But it didn't cost me anything. Just the inverter (EUR450) and about EUR150 worth of disconnects, fuses, etc. and cabling that I couldn't avoid because of the configuration of the pack within the steel cabinet.

Ginger83 wrote: »

What sounds dear about it

It is not dear at all. Just harder to compare now that grants have changed and quotes should be coming down further. If I were you I would go for it but ask them for the quote with battery included. You should end up paying approx the same out of pocket. For reference I paid 6700 out of pocket for 4.8kW plus battery plus Eddi. On the old grant.

unkel wrote: »

Here's the Pylontech US2000 for GBP699 + VAT

Linky

Nice but that still comes to 1000 before shipping after converting to EUR and VAT. Same as on eBay. I am hoping to get a 3000 for around that in a few years to add to my install. An additional battery is trivial to add so hope to do it myself.

So I have been told by the company that a Pylontech battery will cost me €1200 but they recommend a 3.5kWh byd battery for €2000, both prices are before grant.

Alkers

Go with the smaller one with FIT coming down the line

championc

Alkers wrote: »

Go with the smaller one with FIT coming down the line

Would FIT value not be less than the price we pay to buy electricity from the grid ? If so, storing your own would sound ** like a better option.

** Sound is one thing, economically is a totally different thing. It may be that the cost of the additional batteries may never be recouped.

That said, it could also be that spending €6k or whatever will never be recouped either.