Solar panels - anyone got them that actually dislikes them??

[WhyCantPeopleBeNice]

Solar panels are ugly, period, they don't look good.
They've got massively expensive in the last 12 months.
Most claim you need to be in your home 10 years before they pay for themselves.
Mixed messages on value added to homes, some say 4% others just £1800

Yet everyone who has them is absolutely crazy about them, no-one has said they regret them, they aren't what they were expecting etc so....
Anyone got them and willing to admit they aren't all that?!

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Updated by MNHQ
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We have solar panels, wood burner AND radiators. The panels heat the water - not enough roof space for enough to heat the whole house.

Generally people purchase solar panels for sustainability & because of the planet. Wood burners are known to be very damaging and indeed have been banned in new and refurbished buildings in London. So I find having the two really curious.

@luckylavender to save money? We have solar panels,ashp and batteries but we also have a fire in the lounge which admittedly we don’t use often but it’s nice to have every so often

I don't have them but if we weren't moving I would.
I live in an area of low house prices where it can take months or years to sell even in the best climate.
While it may not add that much value they certainly add desirability. I would choose a house with solar panels over one without.

BigMadAdrian says in their post “For us it is about having some independence from the grid”

I think they are the future. Nothing ugly about them imhu. What's so beautiful about roof tiles?
Can I ask how much people paid for installation and did you get any green energy grants?

Wood burners use renewable energy (wood), the issue with them is particulates. Two different issues. And wood burners are much better than open fires for particulates. How else could you heat your house in the winter off grid?

I think your assumption that most people get them for environmental reasons is incorrect.

We have them partly for that but mainly to save money on our energy bills. In any event, our woodburners are fuelled using entirely home grown wood from our own land. It's by far the most environmentally friendly way for us to heat our house.

I love solars but I recently tried to buy a house with solar panels and loft insulation foam stuff.

Nationwide and Santander wouldn't give me a mortgage for it.

Natwest were OK with it but said the house was worth much less than advertised due to both the solars and insulation.

It was all rather weird.

I have had solar panels for 7-8 years and think they are amazing. I had no idea about pigeons nesting under them as this hasn't happened to us. We have plenty of trees in the area and pigeons in the garden but have had no problem. I also don't understand the issue about mortgages on houses with solar panels; perhaps someone can enlighten me. I think all new houses should have them. As well as generating our own electricity we also benefit from the export tariff, ie get paid for sending electricity back to the National Grid, which is an estimate based on 50%of what we generate. It isn't much in the winter months but substantially more in the summer.

The mortgage issue is only for those who have leased their roof space to solar companies. If you are buying them outright there is no issue.

Other posters have already answered on my behalf, but yes, it’s not really for environmental reasons in our case - much more about having independent sources of energy. Thank you to the posters who gave me a heads up re solar panels possibly not working if the power goes down - we’re going to look into this.

Our Tesla Powerwall 2 came with a Tesla Gateway that (should) already cover the islanding/offgrid issue. Just in case you have already had a quote for one of those. Definitely worth checking though.

I only say should as we haven’t actually had any power outages to check it yet 🤞🤞

Meant to add photo of the gateway. It’s as big as our inverter and is inside the house so needs space.

The Tesla system isn't being offered in our area yet :(
Like others, we have a wood burner, our alternative is an oil heating system because the house is not well insulated so the air source heat pumps aren't great.
The wood burner heats the whole house, and we can responsibly source the wood, unlike the oil

They are fantastic. I sold my last house that had them on with no problem at all, it's only an issue if you lease them. If you buy them outright it's plain sailing all the way.

I've saved an absolute fortune over the years with them and it's morally the right thing to do too (appreciate not everyone has the luxury of being able to afford them). Love generating my own power.

Also, to add with the mortgage issue, I doubt it was the solar that caused the issue, more the spray foam insulation which is notoriously used by cowboys and unmortgageable

You have solar panels and a word burner? Confusing.

For me, I want to be greener but my priority is being independent. I’d rather give my money to the local electrician company who have done a brilliant job on my house than some energy company who sends their staff to all inclusive holidays in the Maldives.

This popped up in TIO. I posted in Feb that solar panels made a house more attractive as a buyer but I wouldn't have them as I was moving.
Since then we decided not to move. Got solar panels plus batteries in June and I'm delighted.
We have no gas here so high electricity users. I have a multifuel stove and oil heating. The solar is a bonus. It's cost us nothing in electricity since we got them because the batteries power the house overnight. In winter we will switch to a tariff where you can charge the batteries at cheap rate.

They don't look brilliant, but do you honestly spend all day looking at your roof? Even if in the garden you look at the garden, not the roof. Give me lower electricity bill any day

I've heard in roof systems look really smart