Solar panels - what to ask estate agent?

[ScoobyDoesnt]

I’ve just had an offer on my house and am now deep into house viewings.

I’m going to be viewing a house with solar panels, and I’m not sure what questions I should ask the agent.

I don’t know much about them apart from the very basics, but from what I’ve read I understand generally (not specific to this house), there’s the possibility they could be leased and not owned (avoid?), whether they store energy, whether they send energy back to the grid?

Also, what generally do you get in terms of savings on electric - this is a small 3 bed detached house, c1000 sqft, just 2 of us will be living there.

Can someone help me with some questions I need to ask please?!

And a bit of a layman’s terms explanation on solar panels.

Thank you!

Solar panels don't "store" energy, for that you need batteries. Most people who have solar power "sell" power back to the grid, which theoretically reduces their energy bills ( not always that cut and dried).

You need to know whether they’re owned outright by the seller, or if they are leased. If they are leased, it may cause an issue with your mortgage lender.

Also when they were installed. They degrade over time, so if you are given paperwork starting that they generate x Kwh of electricity and they are ten years old, x will now be a much lower number.

Most solar panel systems are owned outright now. The panels should last 25 years, storage requires a battery, life time around 10 years. Savings are variable, so I would not regard as a selling point requiring a premium.

Thank you, this is really useful.

@theDudesmummy sorry, I was aware the panels themselves don't store, I should have worded that better!

Will report back later :)

Depends how picky you are, but where the cabling goes. Our installed proposed running it through the drainpipes which might have made maintenence tricky. You might also want to ask more questions about the last time the roof had work because they're extra weight on them.

Finally, check which way they face. My parents idiot neighbours had them installed facing North!

Haha @StamppotAndGravy - they are definitely on the south elevation, but I can't believe someone had them installed on the north!

And thanks re cabling - will check that.

Firstly, you need to ask whether the panels are owned outright or rent a roof schedule

If owned outright, when were they installed and do they benefit from Feed in Tariff (FIT) as the FIT stays with the house and not the original owners. The FIT is the most valuable part of solar panels as it is subsidy given back to the home owner regardless of how much electric is used by the home owner

Rent a roof schemes - ownership can be problematic and FIT goes to the solar panel owners, not the property owner

If they are owned outright this can only be a good thing. Ask for an estimation of savings (we pay almost nothing April-October). Is there a battery? This makes it even more useful. If they are 10 years plus then they won’t generate as much power and may be worth replacing, or removing (at cost) at some point however we are expecting close to 20 years useful life from ours

finally ask about(or look for) birdproofing. We have a family of pigeons nesting under ours which isn’t great. Most people are cleverer than us and put birdproofing up (usually a kind of mesh) when installed

if leased (unusual these days) I’d tread carefully as they can cause conveyancing issues

Ask if they work, get it in writing?

Ask if they are part of a rent a roof scheme. If they are you may have difficulty getting through conveyancing - might cause problems with your mortgage (but not necessarily)
Confirm the current owners will be transferring and FIT payments to new owner. Technically it's possible for them to continue to claim it - but then that turns them into a rent a roof scheme so it's unlikely. The transfer doesn't happen automatically.
Other than that just consider them like any other appliance. Just because they work now - doesn't guarantee they wont break down at any time.

Thank you all.

Loved the house, estate agent couldn’t answer any of the solar panels questions at all (she actually didn’t realise it had any as she hadn’t noticed on the details!).

I’ve said I need to know more, so she’s gone back to the vendor to ask.