solar panels

[confused]

We are having someone round to our house in a couple of weeks to look at our roof and explain the "ins and outs" of the scheme, the average figures being quoted to us around £1000 p/a profit, i reckon we are in a prime place with our roof facing due south, and nothing to block any sunshine , we are being offered a £2000 intrest free loan , plus a £200 grant
System Size - 1.76kWp
Approx. roof area - 14m2
Installed system cost incl. VAT - £6,633
Likely first year savings - £723
Payback years - 9.2

System Size - 2.20kWp
Approx. roof area - 17m2
Installed system cost incl. VAT - £7,273
Likely first year savings - £902
Payback years - 8

System Size - 2.64kWp
Approx. roof area - 20m2
Installed system cost incl. VAT - £ 8,222
Likely first year savings - £1,066
Payback years - 7.7

System Size - 3.08kWp
Approx. roof area - 24m2
Installed system cost incl. VAT - £9,100
Likely first year savings -£1,254
Payback years - 7.3

System Size - 3.52kWp
Approx. roof area - 26m2
Installed system cost incl. VAT - £10,486
Likely first year savings -£1,447
Payback years -7.2

System Size - 3.76kWp
Approx. roof area - 28m2
Installed system cost incl. VAT - £11,105
Likely first year savings - £1,548
Payback years - 7.2
It looks like a good investment to me, i looked up Martin Lewis's site and he thinks its o.k. What is everyone else's thoughts on this.
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[Green Aura]

Are these figures based on the reduced FITs for solar that Mr Cameron recently announced? If so, it looks pretty good , I'd say.

[confused]

Are these figures based on the reduced FITs for solar that Mr Cameron recently announced? If so, it looks pretty good , I'd say.

As far as i know, yes they are current predictions

[Green Aura]

Check it out thoroughly before committing then. The FITs haven't dropped yet - can't remember when it comes in by how much - I do remember thinking it was a substantial drop when it was announced.

[Thomzo]

I'm interested in doing this too so I'd be really interested to hear how you get on.

I'm really ignorant at how this works. Do you assume a level of own consumption (at your supplier's standard rate) and then sell the rest at the, lower, FIT?

Zoe

[boboff]

Ah I can answer that one.

When you produce a unit of "lectric" not only does your meter go back, if you are using some, but as you only pay say 12p, you save 12p, BUT FIT gives us 42p a unit, so you make it, you use it, plus you get 30p a unit extra from gov't. So those 30p's if it's sunny pay for your panels.....

I think it's a bit of a con, but I am a sceptic, and I in no way want to "wee on your idea" but I think the panels cost at wholesale about 1/3 of what is mentioned above, when people start "pressure selling" or indeed advertising on TV, you know there are BIG margins in it.

I wish life was simple, and everyone working was happy with £10 an hour, call me an old fashioned Communist if you like!

[Thomzo]

Thanks, I hadn't realised that it worked that way round. Sounds a lot more attractive now.

the panels cost at wholesale about 1/3 of what is mentioned above

The wholesale price isn't the whole cost of installation though is it? I suspect the cost of labour and the admin of running the company is more than the cost of the equipment.

However, I do agree about the pressure selling and the margins that must be involved. I looked into this years ago and was put off by the double-glazing techniques.

Zoe

[boboff]

I know about the company stuff, but it just irks paying so much to have such a good thing done, I think there are enough clever and altrusitic people in this world to do it cheaper and better, rather than gettingo sales chavs out to make a buck, teaching me to suck eggs etc, and I have to listen to them, as I HATE LADDERS!

[jim]

Whatever you do, don't fall for the rip off where you rent your roof to the solar panel company. If you do you'll find that you get to use some of the free electricity while it's being produced, they get the FITS. Then, when you come to sell your house, potential buyers won't be able to get a mortgage because part of the building is leased to someone else. (The solar panel company.) You'll see a lot of advertising aimed at older people for this sort of scheme, the same as "Release the equity in your home" ads.

Not saying they're all like this, but there are an awful lot of sharks looking to make money out of those who can be confused by loads of figures,

Love and Peace
Jim

[dave45]

A colleague at work has had a salesman round. He assure her that they work on "daylight" rather than direct sunlight, bla bla bla don't worry about crap Lancashire weather...

I suggested to her that the she ask them to bring a 300 Watt panel around on a cloudy day and show it producing 300 watts in which case they'd get the deal on the spot, and if it failed they would pay her a pound for every watt under 300 for wasting her time and lying.... do you think they'd go for it?

sunny : cloudy = 20:1 as regards power output in my estimation.

[southeast-isher]

You can get some pretty damn definitive answers on renewables from a nice bunch over here:

http://www.navitron.org.uk/forum/

[Bessie&Wallis]

i was talking to a lovely gent in the market who said that he had made his own solar panels. i'm intrigued to know if this would be a possibility to support an average terraced home and, if so, where would i begin to research this??

[greenorelse]

i was talking to a lovely gent in the market who said that he had made his own solar panels. i'm intrigued to know if this would be a possibility to support an average terraced home and, if so, where would i begin to research this??

Just scroogle "diy solar hot water" - there's loads of sites.

[trappa]

We have booked our solar panels for the end of the month. At the moment its a win/win. Its costing us around £6000 for them but should see a return of about £1100 a year for next 25 years. Its a no brainer in my book.
The company were telling me about the air heat pumps, the government are doing a similar grant next year for them as the feed in tarriff for the solar panels now so will be considering that next year.
I want to be as close as possible to self sufficient as i can!

[Broad Bean]

Had ours installed last week and was impressed with how much they were generating today even when it was somewhat overcast. Really please but we are getting a lot of nosey visitors :)