Solar panels and energy crunch forum

“ Beware anyone quoting without surveying your home on-site. Simply quoting a one size fits all price like some solar companies, inevitably ends up with the customer paying more than necessary ”

We will inspect and tailor a quotation to fit your individual needs and supply you with a premium quality solar system which you will benefit from for many many years to come.

Quotes for domestic and commercial installations:

http://www.solar-panels.biz/solar-panels-installations-quotes.php

DIY solar kits also available for the technically minded person at:

The government grants or feed‐in tariff will not be eligible for self installs, but you will still save money on the upfront costs.

http://www.solar-panels.biz/diy-solar-panels/

Their are many reasons for installing solar hot water and solar panel heating systems into your home: They can add value to your property, are cost-effective and are an enviromentally friendly alternative to traditional heating systems.

Beware, the cost of solar panels installations will increase dramatically, install sooner than later.

Bring down the cost of installing solar panels. If you have a friend or family member who has basic plumbing knowledge, then it may be worthwhile teaming up and spending a weekend installing a system.

I have fitted a system diy solar kit last week. I don't mind recommending them because even though it is October, we are getting temperatures of 55 - 60 deg C.

Solar panels have become financially viable says Heat my Home

60% rise in energy bills per annum over the next decade, Stuart Lovatt of Heat my Home adds; “The age of easy and cheap oil is coming to an end. It doesn't suddenly come to an end; obviously it's a gradual change, but we're moving away from cheap oil at a much faster pace with increasingly difficult to extract oil and an outdated energy infrastructure here in the UK, which will push energy bills up further over the coming years."

The UK Energy Research Centre has added, there is a 'significant risk' that global oil production will peak in less than ten years time. It also says that there is a growing consensus that discovery of new oil had peaked in the early 60s. Since then, new oil fields have got smaller and smaller.

The future of energy is unknown but what we do know is global reserves are finite, and global demand has increased, meaning there has to be a day when supply and demand rules dictate higher energy as a best case scenario or a global supply famine as a worse case scenario.

For those concerned about climate change, an unsatisfactory conclusion is that high oil prices resulting from a peak in production might encourage countries to start converting non-liquid fuels like coal to liquid fuels to plug the gap. These techniques are carbon intensive and will only put more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, making climate change worse.
So how does all this make solar panels financially viable? With increasing energy pricing globally, this makes extraction of raw materials, manufacture and installing of such a system more and more expensive as the chronological clock ticks.

Stuart Lovatt of Heat my Home says: “We have promoted the use of solar panels when solar was still a green product and only bought by environmental orientated people. A lot has happened in the last 5 years and the UK is slowly waking up to the realities it faces with energy security, continued energy price rises and the global energy issue’s. Suddenly solar panels are a real financial benefit and are installed not just by green’s, but also energy savvy people with a longer term view.

Yes, quality is important when choosing a system but equally you have considered the costs. I see installing a solar panel system or solar tubes just like having a new kitchen or bathroom. You would not the let consider the cheapest quote because you run the risk of a poor tradesman and/or damage to your property due to poor workmanship. Exactly the same principle should apply when installing solar panels.

The way we see solar panels in the UK, is as a long term investment. Not in green terms although this in itself should be long term view, but because they have such a long lifespan, typically 30 years they are viewed as a long term investment financially as energy prices will forever keep rising, and/or increasing the value and sell ability of your home so a homeowner can benefit even if they decide to not stay in their current property.

Heat my Home has been promoting the use of solar and is educational, so people can find a quality solar system worth their investment.

Although payback is one way of looking at the cost it is perhaps more accurate to look at the return on your investment that renewable technologies offers. The financial savings for solar heating systems or pv solar panels is equivalent to a tax free return on investment of between 6% and 12% per year.

Remember no matter how much oil, gas or coal you buy you will never receive a return on your investment!

The average household will spend £127,000 on oil, gas and coal over the next twenty years! If you install solar thermal and photovoltaic solar systems you will save around £89,000 over twenty years, and this includes the cost of buying the systems! You can reduce your costs by as much as 70%!

The secret to green energy is NOT to look at what you have spent in previous years, but what you are going to spend in future years, scary!

You get what you pay for in life.

Cheap were technology is concerned means corners cut, whether in manufacturing or installation. A BMW costs more because it's engineering is better. Same goes for stereo, washing machines or solar panels.

Hi, a big thanks for all the info, looking at getting a PV solar system installed, i am baffled as to what size will be needed though, is it a realistic option to sell the excess energy back to the national grid ??

Does anyone have any views on the Shuco Panels.

Does £11500 sound a fair price for a 1.8 KW system fitted or am i always finding expensive quotes

Panel branding really does not matter. Most of the large brands have their brand added after the panels have already been manufactured by third parties.

To clarify a couple of points above:

PV solar panel cells don't require direct sunlight to work. You can still generate some electricity even on a cloudy day.

To qualify for the feed-in tariff (FITs scheme) you must use a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) approved contractor who is a member of the Renewable energy Association.

The current feed-in tariffs is 21 pence per unit with a 3p bonus on exported units. You get paid for all units generated whether they are used in the home or exported out. Generally the electricity suppliers deem the export rate at 50% of units generated.

Tariff payments are every three months and are index linked and tax free.

Contracts with the electricity suppliers end in 2035. So the current 21p rate will be for a 25 year contract. After April 2012 the tariff regresses by 7% a year with the same contract end date of 2035.

Earlier adopters get the maximum reward and later adopters will get the least.

Hi, Apple (Conservatories) have just quoted us £11,441 for a system of 5 x 220 or 6 x 240 PV panels (Schott panels).

This seems expensive when compared to other online 'quote me' sites which suggest that the price would normally be between £6,000 and £9,000.

Does anyone know who else might use the German panels made by company called Schott??

We are in Dorset.

Thanks