Domestic Solar PV Quotes 2020

E30i · 18-02-2020 7:56am #1

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 · 18-02-2020 11:57am

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 · 18-02-2020 1:16pm

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 · 18-02-2020 7:58pm

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

PV or not PV · 21-02-2020 6:46pm

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 · 21-02-2020 6:57pm

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 · 21-02-2020 11:01pm

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 · 21-02-2020 11:03pm

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 · 22-02-2020 1:07am

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 · 22-02-2020 1:09am

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

Freewheel · 22-02-2020 6:35am

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 · 22-02-2020 7:23am

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 · 22-02-2020 9:59am

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 · 22-02-2020 10:06pm

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 · 22-02-2020 10:09pm

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 · 23-02-2020 9:58am

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 · 23-02-2020 10:21am

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 · 23-02-2020 7:17pm

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 · 23-02-2020 9:48pm

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 · 26-02-2020 12:26pm

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 · 26-02-2020 12:32pm

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 · 26-02-2020 12:43pm

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 · 26-02-2020 12:52pm

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 · 26-02-2020 7:00pm

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 · 26-02-2020 8:25pm

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 · 26-02-2020 9:05pm

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

unkel · 27-02-2020 12:57am

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 · 27-02-2020 8:40am

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 · 27-02-2020 10:43am

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 · 27-02-2020 12:16pm

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 · 27-02-2020 4:05pm

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.

Domestic Solar PV Quotes 2020

Comments