Solar Panel fitters?

[tinykitchenfairy]

I've been looking into having solar panels fitted but I'm having trouble finding a company that I feel comfortable with. I've spoken to a couple of companies so far and they're so heavy on the sales pitch that it's really put me off them both.

Has anyone had them fitted recently with a company they would recommend? If you're happy to share what you had fitted and the cost that would be very helpful too :)

I'm in central Scotland!

We had them fitted March 2022. Our energy firm SoEnergy had an offer which we took up just before the electricity crisis. The job was contracted out to a firm in Dundee, I'll try and find the name if that is near to you. They were excellent and did a good job. However SoEnergy have been abysmal, I would defo not recommend them. I won't bore you with the whole sorry tale, but they are useless. Still trying to sort them out after all this time. See their reviews on Trip Advisor.
we are pleased with our panels (we had to have a replacement battery 🙄), and everything works well apart from the intermittent smart meter, but we are in an old cottage with very thick walls.

I'm near Edinburgh and recently got mine installed by RB Grant in Fife. They were a delight to work with (and their quote was the most competitive I received). Happy with the way it worked out. Neighbours have used and are happy with suppliers in Gala who were willing to travel. Feel free to PM if useful.

I don't live in Scotland, but I experienced the same thing. The way I made my choice was to speak to electricians listed on the MCS website. MCS are a certification body and it helps to know that the person on the other line is an electrician rather than a salesperson.

BTW, have you given thought about which solar export tariff you might want to be on? It took my a few months, but the first step for me was to get myself on Octopus, so that I could get a SMET2 (so that I could take advantage of their smarter import & export tariffs).

Please PM me if you'd like a £50 referral link, if you are thinking of the same.

We have used Jorro recently (also in central Scotland, though they are Glasgow based) and we have been very happy with them. Very straightforward people, quick to respond with advice/queries and a very neat installation taking in to account the many quirks of our property. Have also been fast to troubleshoot any small issues.

We had absolutely faultless service from Project Solar earlier this year. They first visited for survey etc at the end of November 2022, panels installed early Feb , all paperwork dealt with.

West Yorks, but I believe they work across the UK. They manufacture their own panels, which I found an advantage to another couple of contractors who could not get panels.

Thank you so much for the replies, that's all really helpful. I don't think I can handle a man coming over and best guessing electricity rates to give overinflated savings for 2 hours again🙄

Liking the sounds of Jorro - straightforward and neat are two of my most valued character traits😁

I'm sure RB Grant have been recommended to me before for something else, @AnotherFuckingUsername and I'm quite near the Fife border so that could work, I'll drop them a line.

@FizzingAda I'm not too far from Dundee so if you have the name of the company you used I'd appreciate it. I hear you on the smart meter - we have one installed but they've never managed to connect it, which I believe rules out an export tariff.

I'm with Octopus already @dh003756 (ex-Bulb) and I really hope they're going to sort out my smart meter...

The company who installed ours is
AES
email [email protected]
tel 0800 8100505

Good luck @tinykitchenfairy - it's annoyingly unrewarding getting the quotes etc! That said, by the time I contacted RB Grant, I knew what I thought I needed, they independently confirmed this based on usage and an estimate was given based on google maps/description of property. The installers (sparks and roofers) were all polite and comfortable with them being in the house (I live solo). They also organised the scaffolding (which not all did and I couldn't be horsed organising that separately).

It's now worth it, however!

Out of interest, what sort of savings have people seen after installation? Is a smart meter essential?

We used Greener energy group +44 333 577 6699 in Ayrshire. Very happy with the work and efficiency. If you can, get the battery as well as the solar panels.

Savings are very good. Every morning the in ho.e display shows the standing charge and the recent sunny weather even after one wash load and cooking, and showers it's rarely one pound of usage. The app shows how much usage, how much stored and how much returned to the grid. On central Scotland with six panels south facing expect £500 to £800 a year savings.

@campsieglamper
What was your projected payback period and do you now think it's realistic / are you on target?

We had a "salesman" predicting 5 years for 8 panels on SE facing roof but when I drilled down to the detail, there were a LOT of assumptions in the modelling.