Scaffolding going up to roof - talk to me about solar panel kits?

[IBorAlevels]

We have work starting fairly soon and they are putting up scaffolding to the roof. While it is there I am thinking we would be silly not to use the chance to put solar panels and a battery in, knowing the electricity hike is happening.

I have only ever looked at Solar via Octopus and Boxt and from what I recall they won't use another firm's scaffolding, so I would need to buy a kit and go from there. I'm about to message my builder and double check this with him, he may well recommend something he has used before, but I wondered what other people on here have used that they'd recommend (or tell us to avoid!).

We had solar panels installed last week! DH has been reviewing, investigating etc for about 3yrs now. We visited solar shops/factories and have done a huge amount of research. He knows FAR more about it than me, but some thoughts/tips:
-Check the angle of your roof and sun direction.

-We had them installed on a 1 storey part so didn't need scaffolding
-Check if they would be laid as a solar array. It means that if I panel is in shade, then it doesn't stop the others working.
-Strangely, we thought that if there is a blackout from the mains, the solar/batteries would take over seamlessly. Many will just shut off completely so NO electric gets to the house at all!

-We ended up buying 3 batteries for storage which it 15kW in total.
-I think batteries are VAT free if purchased with the panels, but they add VAT if bought at a later date
-The only company he found that did it all was Enphase. Others such as Telsa Power wall had different components they aren't always compatible.

Are you thinking of installing it all yourself? You'd obviously need an electrician who knows what they are doing. We had to get special mounts on the roof and it all took alot of time and planning.

Thank you - yes I was starting to plan it a few years ago and decided to wait but now can't delay the works needing scaffolding. I was hoping it had simplified a bit in the few years in between, but it doesn't look so, from your post!

Interesting about the 3 batteries and shutting down with a power cut as I had thought similarly to you that it would kick in. I will see what the builder says as he is likely to know more than me, but thanks for the recommendation - I will also look at that and see what might work.

It is very unlikely you are qualified to install and certificate a solar system yourself.

You are under no obligation to use a national company.

There are local installers all over the place, I had mine done by a local electrician with a small family firm.

You can probably find one on the "find a local installer" webpage of one of the Competent Person Schemes for qualified electricians.

One major example is NICEIC

https://niceic.com/find-a-tradesperson/

BTW, in the event of a power cut, private generators are required to shut down so they do not feed electricity into cables or plant that somebody is repairing.

Some inverters have provision for an "emergency" socket, not connected to the other circuits, which can supply a freezer or boiler or some emergency lighting. It has to be completely isolated from the mains, unless you have a special changeover switch.

I think an inverter with such a socket is well worth having. Sadly my installation is quite old and doesn't have it.

If you want to be paid for energy exports to the grid you'll probably need it installed by an accredited MCS provider. Check the effort tariff rules for octopus or other providers.
Find a local accredited installer that'll do a discount for the scaffold and you might save money on the install.

Good luck

If you are in a conservation area you may need planning permission.
You need to check your roof construction is able to cope with it.
You need to assess the angles.
You need to do heat loss calculations and so on to work out the spec.

There is quite a bit of detailed planning that you really should consult several professionals about.

Agree with all said so far.
I would add that my installer used a mobile scaffold which they brought along. Presumably cheaper than a full scaffolding job.
Batteries almost more useful than panels. We got two x 5kw batteries but DH wishes he'd got three. Bear in mind that some, not all, batteries limit you to using 90% of their capacity.