Solar panels

[2stressed]

Just trying to help out a friend. Does any body know of good solar pv installers? Has anyone had it done? The good, the bad and the ugly pls want to know it all!!!

I don't think it usually pays. Seriously considered but rejected it ourselves. Very long relevant thread on Moneysavingexpert.com

If you aren't paying for the system yourself then yes maybe just the saving on fuel bills allow may not seem worth it. BUT if you pay for it yourself which means you get the government incentive scheme earning you between £900-£1100 a year.

This is approx 10% return on your invest for 25 yrs where are you EVER going to get such a return???!

My best saving accounts give me 4% and is related to inflation!!

It's the best deal out there!!! No brainer !!!

have a search on the navitron forums; there's a specific section for people looking for installers

The return on your investment only lasts for the time you live in the house of course, so if not a forever house I think you need at least 8-10 years to make it break even

we had ours done by Apollo Solar (big firm in the north) a few months ago. Pleased with it so far, but obviously won't get a true picture of the energy generation for a while.

It's generally only worth it if 1. you have a south-facing roof 2. you have someone at home in the day to use the free electricity.

Inia - the tariff is transferable to the people who buy your house; you can choose whether or not to sell it to them. (I am not entirely sure how the practicalities of owning the tariff for panels on someone else's roof work out but there must be a way because of the companies that pay for your panels in return for you getting the free energy while they get the subsidy.)

I think selling a place while keeping ownership of the PVs would be tricky; most likely you'll get some kind of premium on your house when it comes to selling if it comes with FIT's - the big unknown is how much of a premium of course. We're crystal ball gazing at the moment whether to make the investment on our new build or not - we probably will as I think it not having PV would to some extent 'devalue' all other ecofeatures

Think your confusing solar hot water with PV electric?

Solar is considerably cheap to install and efficient to run while PV takes a number of years to gain a return my neighbour has just shelled out £14k and has worked out that it'll take 10yrs to recoup. Bad investment indeed.

You have to look at as an investment giving you a return on money in the long run shell out £10 000 now get free electric during the day - any you don't use can be sold bk to the grid. After 10 yrs you'll still get £1000 approx a year for the next 15 yrs!!! That's about £15000 !!!

For the first 10 yrs if you don't count the £1000 feeding tariff you still get about 40% off your fuel bills can't be bad?!!

You have to look at it as a return on your investment over 25 yrs. Like long term saving accounts ISA for examples just with better rate of returns.

Plus it's tax free

it's not that any you don't use can be sold back to the grid. You get paid for generating it even if you do use it, because it's not so much selling it back as getting a production subsidy for it.