Solar panels

[MG99]

Can anyone advise on solar panels, ie cost, installation, maintenance, etc. My house is all electric: storage heaters, and an immersion heater for hot water - and the front of the house is south facing. Will they add value to a property as I'm an owner occupier who would like to sell one day.

Just under 9k for a 5kw system and 5kw battery.

Are you on economy 7 or 10?

With economy 7 you are using overnight energy when sun isn't shining so to get the most out of it you'd probably want a battery.

I'm economy 10 so hoping to charge the battery in later afternoon (in winter and assuming have used at least some of solar produced)and then discharge it at expensive times.

My system goes in in October so can't say how effective it will be yet. The projected saving is£1200 a year but it's really hard to get a handle on.

We only use one 0.9 kw storage heater most of the time and use other electric heaters during cheap times. The big storage heaters will probably use more power than you can generate.

So a lot depends on your own set up

Mine were £3k for 2.6kw. Face due south so I get good results for 3 quarters of the year, averages at 200kwh per month. Which at today's prices is 70 quids worth!

No maintenance apart from the window cleaner coming in late spring to clear the pollen. Installation took 1 day, though the scaffolding was already up.

Thanks for your replies. I'm on economy 7 and about 80% of my usage is at night.

If your usage is at night you need a battery. Solar prices have gone up since the beginning of the year. As soon as the vat was taken off, the panel prices shot up.

My recent price is £12k for 5kw plus an 8kw battery. You need grid permission for anything over 3.68kw and they will only give it if local infrastructure is up to date (which basically means if you live rurally you have very little chance)

I had assumed panels would now be something that might add value but apparently people still see them as a complication, something to go wrong and need maintenance.
Prices have gone up and people are struggling to get quotes.

Ours was £13k for a 5kw system with batteries, monthly payments are about £160.
We haven't had them a year yet but our electricity is about a third of what it was. Our dd hasn't been increased yet.
Our batteries still have charge in the morning unless the washing machine/tumble drier has been on.

Someone said if you were rural, you would struggle because of the infrastructure but we haven't and we have overhead electricity in and live in an isolated farm.

Is it true they will need replacing after 20 years or
is that just scaremongering? we were considering them but now got to focus on a new boiler or equivalent first,

Batteries are expected to need replacing after 10 years but I haven't heard 20 for panels.

I think wfh has changed this too, before most of our usage would have been at night but we’re considering solar now we’re at home all day and could run the dishwasher at peak ‘solar time’.

Someone said if you were rural, you would struggle because of the infrastructure but we haven't and we have overhead electricity in and live in an isolated farm.

Its only if you want more than the standard residential allowance.

I live only 5 miles outside of a major city and local infrastructure can’t support the size of the array we wanted to put in our large south facing roof which is very frustrating.

Our panels have a 25 year guarantee but the battery guarantee is ten years. I think the inverters fail before both the batteries and the panels.

Get quotes from any good installer nearby you...I recently had my solar panel installation from Warma UK. I would recommend them..But I'm not sure they are having services in your area...Just check them.