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

poker--addict · 24-11-2021 3:42pm #1

The 2020 thread is so large now it is hard to locate the best posts, so here is a new thread with the latest information.

From the last thread, perhaps one of the more important takeaways;

Boards users have recommended a rule of thumb of €1.2k per 1Kwp + €1k per 2.5Kwhr battery, including VAT, after grant deducted. This is not a precise rule and quotes are often more, with some slightly less. However, the rule will stop you getting rolled over by one or two companies who chance their arm and quote prices several thousand over the rule of thumb with little justification.

So if looking for forum opinion on quotes, post below, providing all relevant details including number of panels and kWp, any battery. Make it clear if the price is before or after grant.

Having pages and pages of people asking for DMs, and getting them, suggests the no company name policy isnt fit for purpose. I think the current approach of no name and everyone in DMs actually makes forum users more vulnerable due to the lack of visibility of what is going on. I would hereby ask the moderators to allow users to post company names and brief summary of experiences. If there is concerns about bogus recommendations, I suggest moderators lay out out some ground rules for naming a company, like the comments must be based on first hand experience and come after a minimum 15 previous forum posts (stops new accounts setup for no other reason) and no repetitive posting of a name by single users. Perhaps also a robust shoot first ask questions later approach to removing posts that look suspicious.

Solar PV FAQ

List of Solar PV Installers used by Boardsies

Mod Note

We have become aware that certain posters may be recommending suppliers in exchange for financial reward. This runs against the spirit of the forum and is dishonest.

Please be aware that if you receive an unsolicited PM recommending a company and offering a referral code for discount, this is not an unbiased recommendation and that person may be receiving payment for their referral.

If you do receive a PM like this, please contact @Jonathan

MakersMark · 24-11-2021 3:53pm

Long-time-lurker here.

I 100% second the above - i am looking at getting ground mounted solar panels, and plenty of them.

I've found the 2021 thread to be too unwieldy to be useful, and the inability to name suppliers seems a bit strange.

I n the Electric Vehicles section people rave and complain about their cars, and have no issues naming the Make, Model, Dealer etc etc.

MAULBROOK · 24-11-2021 7:42pm

Thank you poker--addict.

bullit_dodger · 24-11-2021 7:50pm

I'm torn on this one myself. I'll be the 1st, no really "thee first!" :-) to name and shame some of the blatant/shocking quotes i got myself personally such as €13K from one company for a ~3Kwp with a small battery -after grant- ......but honestly starting to name names is the first step towards anarchy. There could even be a legal aspect to it (slander) where boards.ie potentially could be liable. Dunno.

For the big companies, sure it's fine. They'll get enough business anyway, but for some of the smaller suppliers it potentially could be some serious accusations, to the point of job losses and bankruptcy. That's not right.

Picture a scenario where a company in good faith installed a solar installation and there were problems with the hardware which proved elusive to chase down. Through no fault of the supplier, the system was up and down for weeks/months and despite all reasonable efforts it took ages to isolate. Bear in mind that the supplier doesn't make the Solis inverter or whatever piece is at fault here. Now couple that situation with some lunatic (and we all know one!) who is very active on social media and just downright insufferable/intolerable/unreasonable and cannot see the fact that if it was Gold plated, they'd still have found fault.

You can imagine the "feedback" that will ensue. "Ohh never use that company "x" as they are cowboys", and "they ripped me off". etc etc and you never hear the other side of the story. This is then taken as "fact" by others......

No, as much as i dislike the current situation, it's probably far better to "nudge nudge - wink wink" and we all know the guys to actively avoid.

poker--addict · 24-11-2021 8:44pm

With all due respect to forum moderators, it is their role, to police people putting themselves or the forum at risk.

As I said in my OP, I would support a shoot first, ask questions later approach i.e just remove or edit aggressively. This makes a moderators job immensely easier, as less judgement is required, anything remotely uncomfortable - delete. No time wasted debating with each other to themselves internally.

As mentioned by another poster, there are other parts of this very forum where naming companies is allowed. I did not actually know that, and it makes a mockery of the current situation in this part of the forum that it is not actually a boards.ie policy.

You could even have a blunt rule that only recommendations are allowed in terms of commentary about a business, in all other circumstances names are limited to identifying a quote.

poker--addict · 24-11-2021 9:19pm

3 quotes;

7.13KW, using 375w Qcells all black,

Solis Hybrid Inverter

5KW Pure Drive battery

10,150e, after grant.

.........

7.6kWP 380w Qcells

Huweaei 6kW inverter

5kw Huwaei battery

10,250e after grant

............

6.8KW JA Solar panels

6kW Solis Hybrid Inverter

5KW pure drive battery

8500e after grant

I notice that some companies are changing panel and battery suppliers lately due to supply chain issues.

MAULBROOK · 24-11-2021 9:40pm

I think I can guess what companies the first and the third quotes are.

Supply chain issues are causing price rises and some major shortages. Just like every where at the moment.

It is more important than ever to get as many quotes a posable and take your time.

Please post your findings and we will try and point you in the right direction.

mrm · 26-11-2021 8:38am

Just posting this from the 2020 thread.

--------------------------------------------

Below are the quotes that I have received (thanks to all those on here who provided me with recommendations and guidance via PM - this is a super helpful thread)

Quote no. 1:

Array 6kW

6kW Hybrid Inverter

5 kWh battery

Water Diverter

BER included

Sub-total €14,450

Grant €3,000

After Grant €11,450

-----------------------------------------

Quote no. 2:

14x 390w Jinko Panel (5.46kW)

6KW Huawei Hybrid Inverter

5KW Huawei Battery

3.68kW Eddi

No BER

Sub-total €14,600

Grant €3,000

After Grant €11,600

--------------------------------------------

Quote no. 3:

10x 365w Panel (3.65kW)

5kW Solis Inverter

4.8kW battery

Eddi I boost diverter

BER included

Sub-total €13,380

Grant €2,880

After Grant €10,500

-----------------------------------------------

Quote no. 4:

14 x 370W JA Solar PV Panels (5.18kW)

1x 5kW GivEnergy Hybrid Inverter

1 x 5.2kWh GivEnergy Battery Storage

1 x EDDI Power Diverter

BER Assessment

Full Installation & Commissioning with Online Monitoring

Sub-total €12,326

Grant €3,000

After grant €9,326

-----------------------------------------------

Quote no. 5:

16x 345w Solar Tier1 Panel (5.44kW)

6KW Hybrid Solis Inverter

4.8KW Plyon tec. Battery

Eddi water diverter

Wifi Dongle

No BER

Sub-total €11,500

Grant €3,000

After Grant €8,500

--------------------------------------------------

Quote no. 6:

As per quote no.5 but with 5kW Inverter

After grant €8,200

---------------------------------------------------

Quote no. 7:

16 no. 390w panels array (6.24kW)

5.0kw Hybrid inverter.

5.0 kw battery

Myenergi Eddi water heating diverter

Harvi wireless monitor

No BER

Sub-total €11,200

Grant €3,000

After Grant €8,200

---------------------------------------------------

Quote No. 8

Call to your house to conduct a site assessment in order to determine what would be the best system which suits for your home and taking the required measurements to price for these works.

Total €150

System proposal and quote to follow assessment

------------------------------------------------

Quote 8 is way out I guess and some of the higher quotes are from those who conducted a remote online consultancy before providing me with their quote.

Quotes 6 & 7 are the best ones. What is the opinion on these quotes?

mrm · 26-11-2021 8:51am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058219537/domestic-solar-pv-quotes-2022

RE the €1k per 1Kwp + €1k per 2.5Kwhr battery guideline does this relate to an inverter that is the same size as the array/ smaller/ larger? Is there a price difference for a standard inverter versus a hybrid. I know this is being a bit pedantic but the guideline doesn't relate to the differences in systems that one might seek a quote for, and as guidance to the newbies it might short fall of what is needed.

Some of the comments coming back (from those who know best on the thread) are similar to 'those quotes are €2000 too high'. Should the individual go back to those companies and seek a 2000 reduction (some on the old thread advise not to give those quotes a second chance) or go to a new set of companies? I am not trying to knock the benefit of these quote threads or rubbish the responses - this is just to stoke the discussion around the proposal to post the quoting company names.

graememk · 26-11-2021 11:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118224900#Comment_118224900

About the prices of an inverter, a hybrid is close to double the price of a standard inverter.

But then there is less grant for a non battery system - so that usually just comes out in the wash on the rough guide of 1k/kwp

For companies that are way off they aren't gonna drop 2k off the price. Best just looking for more quote.

Also regarding the previous poster of paying 150 for a site survey... no, just no.

bullit_dodger · 26-11-2021 12:02pm

I wouldn't get too hung up on the specifics of that formula, it's primary function is more just to weed out the gougers and give a general ballpark.....but yeah, typically it would refer to a hybrid over a standard inverter as most people will be getting that.

Hybrid inverters tend to be more expensive than standard inverters (couple €100 euros) , with good reason as they have additional hardware inside them to support batteries such as a Battery management system (BMS). You can get away with a standard inverter if you don't have, or want to ever support a battery. People will differ on this but I typically advise people to get a hybrid from the start even if they are going battery-less initially as not having a hybrid rules out the easier upgrade path of getting a battery in the future. Also overspec the inverter size a little.....as you may want to add panels down the road (likely).

In my own experience of getting quotes, I found that some suppliers did have a little "wiggle room". Also, sometimes you just "click" with the person giving the quote from the supplier, that you have a good rappor with and a laugh...... and if they are close enough, I'd give them a chance. There's more to it than -just- money of course, like how responsive they are in email/phoning you back, the quality of the install, what information did they give you, how patiently did they answer your quesiton. etc That said, in reality if someone is telling you they are €2000 over what you should be paying, that's sort of beyond the "wiggle-room envelope" and time to move on.

Plenty of good suppliers out there that'll do a solid, fair price on your install.

jimjoe23 · 27-11-2021 11:55am

I just started looking into solar power . I knew very little so

got my first quote from a very active on social media company

I was recommended

9 panel 5 one side roof 4 the other ,365W cell i think . Total 3.2kw I think

hybrid inverter

eddi hot water diverter

Ber included

Black Friday 400 off

Without battery 6400

Going by the formula this this seems a rip or am I missing something

is there a big difference in panels? 9 sounded like a reasonable amount?

recommended not to go with battery As will quite possibly be getting paid by the grid for spare capacity

jimjoe23 · 27-11-2021 12:01pm

Any advice/comments greatly appreciated thanks in advance

Mr Q · 27-11-2021 12:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118231495#Comment_118231495

That is 2 euro per watt, very expensive. One of the big sellers here sells a 3.2kW kit for about 2.4k I believe to put it into context

bullit_dodger · 27-11-2021 12:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118231495#Comment_118231495

"Going by the formula this this seems a rip or am I missing something"

There's that formula at work..... yes, as you correctly figured out, it's a poor quote. Not the worst I've seen, but you certainly could get the same system for €1500-20000 cheaper elsewhere.

Opinions will vary on this, but my own take is get 5Kwhr battery. Yeah, they aren't lying to you that you will possibly be paid by the grid for spare capacity, but it will invariably be pittance (€10's per year), while a battery will probably save you €100-€200/year. Yeah, you have to pay for the battery and that will take 10+ years for you to get your money back, but for most people a battery will see them better off over a EDDI.

I was thinking that the forum probably should have a "general" recommended entry level spec. I know this maybe contentious, but to chuck one out there myself ....

Panels: 4.5Kwp, Battery: 5KwHr, Inverter: 5Kw, Eddi = No

For most people this will see you right. Yes, I'm waiting for the "Ohh, but I have an EV and I need more power".....I'm talking for most people here. I didn't order this myself, but my consumption is not normal.

jimjoe23 · 27-11-2021 4:31pm

Thanks very much, when your new to it it’s misleading as nine panels sounds a decent amount.I got the feeling it was gonna be overpriced by the crafty sales pitch. I might try get another few quotes but I’m losing interest after that experience and not sure it’s going to pay back if things break and I’d say il have a job getting them to replace anything that breaks.

MAULBROOK · 27-11-2021 4:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118231495#Comment_118231495

You will easily get a battery included for that price from other companies and thats a 5kw battery.

Its a rip-off price.

Pm sent

bullit_dodger · 27-11-2021 5:06pm

For you and anyone else reading this down the road......I feel (and have felt your pain) as have many of the regular readers/posters on this forum. I'll also say additionally, is that there are plenty of solid, reasonable suppliers out there Jim who are there to help and get you sorted. They'll make a few quid in the process and you'll come away with a system which is better suited to your needs along with a few grand in your back burner to boot.

The whole "going solar journey" is a bit of a pain in the hoop getting started. it's not you.....everyone goes through it. Even the time/effort that some of the bigger companies make you jump through just to get a figure/quote out of them.....puts you off going down the road in getting others. It may even be deliberate that they do that, dunno.

Don't give up though. PM me if your stuck and I'll give you the details of the guys I used, and Maulbrook or one of the others another solid supplier who'll give you a competitive quote.

First thing though (and I say this to everyone).....get an understanding of your usage. Even just having a look at your bills for the last year and seeing how many units you used gives you good information to size your system appropriately.

MAULBROOK · 27-11-2021 6:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118232422#Comment_118232422

I got unbelievably lucky with my supplier. Hands down the best contractor I have had.

Don't give up because of some chancer plenty of good honest companies out there.

Griffin87 · 27-11-2021 6:28pm

We were quoated this before grants by a one stop shop listed on SEAI's website.

Solar PV – 3.35Kwp 10 panel roof mounted system including all black panels, inverter and wi-fi monitoring. This price also includes a Hot Eddi Power Divert and a 5.00Kwhr PureDrive battery. Price before grants is €13,541.85

I am trying to determine if we upgrade the house in stages by using indivdual contractoers weather it will work out cheaper.

Is this a good or bad price for solar PV?

Jonathan · 27-11-2021 7:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118232875#Comment_118232875

Poor price. A system like that should be costing around €6,000 after the SEAI grant has been deducted. There are plenty of good suppliers out there. Keep shopping around.

MAULBROOK · 27-11-2021 7:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118232875#Comment_118232875

Delete everything from that company that is a brutal price by many thousands

Griffin87 · 27-11-2021 9:33pm

Thanks folks. Terrible that a one stop shop listed by seai is overcharging people who may not be up to speed. I think all the other jobs are overpriced also.

poker--addict · 27-11-2021 10:31pm

I posted 3 quotes near the start of the thread. I suspect they are not a million miles off what most would consider good quotes. They are reputable providers.

Anyone that is quoting several thousand above the quotes I posted for similar size systems (or much smaller systems as posted above) should be avoided in my opinion. There may be reasons to pay a tad more but proceed carefully.

The number of panels, in isolation, is totally irrelevant when it comes to judging how much power you are getting. Panels can have different output. Hence all systems are quoted in kW units rather than panel number.

DrPhilG · 28-11-2021 5:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118232875#Comment_118232875

It'll be quite a while before that scam price gets beaten.

They're quoting you nearly double what they should be. That system should cost €5.5k to €6k max. They're looking for €10.5k.

DrPhilG · 28-11-2021 5:29pm

Lol, just spotted a similarly scandalous quote on Facebook. Someone in the comments pushing a certain company who are very Active on social media and probably responsible for 8 of the top 10 worst quotes ever seen here.

He didn't even hide the fact that he has referral vouchers and gets a payment when he refers someone.

I have no issue with someone getting a few quid as a referral reward if the company and their prices are reputable and fair. But to be getting a kickback from a company that is ripping people off left right and centre is shameful.

bullit_dodger · 28-11-2021 6:40pm

Yeah, likewise I'd have no issue there with anyone making a few quid - but it's the level of gouging that I have issue with. It's stopping decent working people from getting onto the solar journey or leaving bad tastes in their mouths that they found the whole process fiscally demanding.....when in reality they should only be paying 50-60% of the price they are being quoted.

DrPhilG · 28-11-2021 7:13pm

Myself and a few others from here have tackled the fella on Facebook. He's after admitting that he is happy to recommend this shower in order to recoup some of his costs.

Prick.

graememk · 28-11-2021 7:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118236252#Comment_118236252

they gotta make up the amount of money they were scammed out of themselves! :P

slave1 · 28-11-2021 8:27pm

Perverse Pyramid scheme, trapped into it LOL

rushfan · 28-11-2021 11:09pm

So, I've posted two previous quotes in the 2019/20 forum. Here's another I received a few days ago.

12 x 345 oanels, 4kw ; 4.8kw battery ; 5kw Hybrid inverter; eddi water diverter; wifi dongle; e10900 before grant.

Not actually sure that the roof could accomodate 12 panels though. Thoughts?

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

Solar PV FAQ

List of Solar PV Installers used by Boardsies

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