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Original poster

Talk to me about solar panels

31 replies

JustWalkingTheDogs · 30/03/2025 07:11

Don’t really know where to start, as there seems so many companies who do this and I can’t see the wood for the trees at the moment.

We have 2 electric vehicles and are on the octopus ev tariff, which works well when we charge them overnight and I wfh, but we want to take the next step and generate (and store)our own energy. We are looking to retire in about 6 years so also trying to future proof our house for this. We don’t have the available money to buy outright, but have seen octopus are doing a 0% finance deal at the moment.

What do you wise MN suggest I need to look out for, any pit falls or suggestions?

Updated by MNHQ
Landed on this page in search of solar panel advice? Find our guide to installing solar panels in your home in the UK. HTH!

OP posts:
user1471505356 · 31/03/2025 17:09

ducktape · 30/03/2025 19:29

We've had a 6.4kwp system with a battery for 25 months (in Northern Ireland, not renowned for its sunshine). It has generated 10,300 units in that time despite the last two spring/summers being well below the average for sunshine. At current energy prices it will have paid for itself in 9 years. Our car is 17 years old - I'm contemplating an EV when it dies, but we are already use most of what we generate (81%) because of the battery and export very little, so I'm not sure it would make much difference.

Edited to add... in NI we have a limit on the size of the invertor for domestic generation (3.68kW), so (here) solar would only be capable of small top ups of an ev and not a full charge.

Edited

You may benefit from the night time rate.

Original poster
JustWalkingTheDogs · 01/04/2025 07:48

Thanks for all the advice. We’re going to get a few companies in to quote us.

Seems a bit of a no brainier, we use our monthly electric direct debit money to pay off the finance on the panels, plus a bit more, for 5 years. We retiring in 6 years, so by the time that happens we should be well on our way to buying minimal amounts of electricity. We don’t have gas in our village so we use primarily electric, and oil for the central heating.

OP posts:
marsaline · 03/04/2025 16:33

JustWalkingTheDogs · 01/04/2025 07:48

Thanks for all the advice. We’re going to get a few companies in to quote us.

Seems a bit of a no brainier, we use our monthly electric direct debit money to pay off the finance on the panels, plus a bit more, for 5 years. We retiring in 6 years, so by the time that happens we should be well on our way to buying minimal amounts of electricity. We don’t have gas in our village so we use primarily electric, and oil for the central heating.

Just bear in mind that you will always be buying in electricity since during the winter months you won’t get much at all out of the solar and in any event you’ll always have to buy in when your usage is greater than your inverter allows (and at night unless you have a big battery). But it’s certainly possible to minimise summer usage

PermanentTemporary · 05/04/2025 19:54

Because we charge 2 cars off our system we only cover about 40 to 50% of our consumption. Bear that in mind if you use EVs or switch soon.

theDudesmummy · 05/04/2025 19:58

If you put in a large enough system, with enough batteries, you don't need to be connected to the grid at all (we aren't). And in that case you can install it yourself perfectly legally, you don't have to pay a company to do it. (Obviously you need to have some level of expertise in wiring etc, but just saying that lots of people think it is a legal requirement that a professional company does it, it is not).

Yellowaveo59 · 05/04/2025 20:14

Avidreader12 · 30/03/2025 07:17

Make sure if you install them you understand the Feed in tariff rates, make sure that you own the solar panels not the company as if you don’t own the panels they can be installed on your roof but the company can get the FiT payments and also this is a huge problem if you sell the house as they are not part of the outright sale Costs of solar have come down like anything compare companies is there any houses near you with panels ask for recommendations.

Feed in tariff does not exist any more for new applications it has been replaced by Smart Export Guarantee

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