Costs of installing solar panels on your house

[kev67]

I was discussing my leaving work in October with my boss to go back to university to study and MSc in Renewable Energy. He told me that his father had recently spent £9000 on installing solar panels on his house, because his father was annoyed with the cost of heating oil. My boss was not impressed because he calculated it would take twenty years to get the money back on his investment, and that by that time, the panels may need replacing. He was also not impressed by the contractors telling him that he couldn't have a hot bath or shower in the morning, after they had installed the system. The cost seems rather high to me. You can buy a pack of three solar panels from a B&Q DIY store for £2500. There are surveying and installation costs on top, I assume, but I would be surprised if they amounted to £6500. My boss said that his father also had a lot of fancy plumbing put in and a new boiler. Does anyone have experience of installing solar panels on their home? What were the costs and the problems?

[LMagic007]

Not from experience, but like anything, you can get ripped off if you are not careful. My only advice which is more general advice is to always get several opinions and quotes, before committing funds to a significant project. Get an energy audit of your house by a renewable energy expert, not just a solar panel installer.

It does sound a bit pricey, but I'm more concerned about the appropriateness of the configuration installed given the homes users requirements. i.e. was it all solar cells ? or solar cells plus solar battery storage, plus a separate vacuum tube or other solar hot water system, with electric boost, and or grid connect and or even a wind turbine etc... i.e. specifically what configuration wast it ?

The new boiler implies to me that perhaps they may have installed a new solar hot water system. Thus the question I would then ask is, did it have gas or electric or other boost ? Given the comments that no hot water would be available in the mornings for baths or showers, suggests to me that perhaps it did not have a booster. It suggests that perhaps the system was reliant upon heating up during the hopefully sunny day. Most systems, particularly in cooler climates like the UK, need a hot water booster system. Hot climates can get away without one.

Now £9000 seems rather allot for just a solar hot water system, so I'm wondering what other components were installed ?

For a hybrid system consisting of vacuum tube solar hot water heater, solar electricity cells, battery backup or grid connect, the amount of £9000 seems within a reasonable range based on current prices for a typical domestic situation. The configuration applied for a given situation, can be critical to its success. No one case fits all. With this type of technology I think you need an installer that provides full service to get the best result.

[kev67]

There are some interesting articles in The Telegraph (Earth section) on the subject:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/mai...easolarx22.xml

[LMagic007]

Yea interesting. I think allot depends on how energy efficient your house is. I think most savings are in the energy efficient design of the house. Many old houses were not really designed with energy efficiency in mind. Obviously solar energy is more viable in warmer sunnier climates, like in Australia where I live.

That said, one has to bear in mind that;

1. Fossil fuel prices are expected to rise from here onwards. Globally, demand for energy is exceeding supply. Solar technology is expected to fall in price over time as improvements in efficiency are made.

2. Even now fossil fuels environmental costs are not factored into the price of the energy they produce. i.e. CO2 emissions and its damaging effect on climate and eventually future generations. i.e. if in 10 years time we get more floods and more droughts and more and bigger storms due to climate change, we face more costs in the future as a consequence of dealing with them.

3. If they properly costed fossil fuels in terms of environmental impact and future clean up costs etc... , solar and wind power would be much more cost competitive today.

I guess when considering cost, we need to think about tomorrows costs as well as todays costs. Tomorrows costs will effect the quality of life of future generations. i.e. our children. I guess it's about striking a balance, but I think the sooner we can reign in tomorrows costs, the better off we will be then.

It would be interesting to see how solar heat pump technology fairs in the cooler climates such as the UK. This can be used for heating hot water and space heating / cooling, which consumes around 50% of domestic power.

i.e. Air sourced heat pumps are one of the most efficient methods of heating water!

http://www.ecosmart.com.au/heat_pump.html

http://www.solarhome.org/solarheatpump.html

etc....

[simonm]

Sounds like he was ripped off. A fairly straightforward system serving the average house should cost between 2,500 - 3,500 installed. That will include panels and new hot water cylinder.

There is no need to replace the boiler unless the original system is a combi boiler - advice "don't fit a combi boiler, they don't fit with solar powersystems"

I installed a 3 panel (6 square metre) plus extra large dual core hot water cylinder for £4,000 less a grant of £400 making my cost £3,600.

Of course there are installers who employ salesmen on high commissions who will talk up the installation much like double glazing salesmen back in the 1970's and 1980's. I have no doubt that you can get a smartenergy system for £9,000. There is also spectrum and a few other seriously over priced systems available. Basically, pay more than £4,000 for anything like a normal house and you are being taken for an ride - especially if part of the deal includes having their display board outside the house.

Pay the correct price and you will almost certainly get a product from an installer that cares about the installation and thus a great system that will end up paying for itself in not too many years.

I have written up my experiences www.solarkent.co.uk

Simon

[LMagic007]

Well it seems difficult to really know the facts in detail.

I expect solar hot water panels, plus solar cells would likely cost more than £4000 and more likely be around the £9000 mark. These are typically two separate systems. I wonder if this guy may have even bought £9000 worth of solar cells to provide electricity to heat his home and provide hot water. Perhaps not.

It's difficult to be certain what he actually did. The initial post just says he spent £9000 on solar panels. It does not really get into the detail of what type of panels he bought.

Also it talks about him not being able to have a hot bath or shower in the morning after installation. Now is that for just the morning of installation of did they mean every morning ? That aspect is a bit confusing.

Fancy plumbing and a new boiler would certainly add to the cost. Perhaps he added some sort of home heating system along with hot water system ?

I think we need more information to evaluate the situation further.

[geoguy]

I agree with the above posting.

My brother has installed two systems in a climate much sunnier than Britain. I'm surprised that one thinks that the cost will ever be recovered. The panels will need replacement or maintenance long before 20 years. Also, they don't 'replace' current usage but should 'supplement'usage. It's not all one or the other.
If a system cost 9,000 pounds... invested thatwould bring a annual return of 600 pounds towards energy costs...a good chunk before a kilowatt is even saved. That compounds dramatically over 20 years.

Active solar power is not economic in the North American market. Passive solar power is more of a reasonable investment...as are better windows, added insulation, more efficient furnace and so on.

Solar power has its place. It allows more freedom from the grid, a bit of saving for the environmnet and so on. I'd explore it if I build a new home but not as an 'economic' imperative. There is also the aspect of selling a home with any 'quirky' aspects. you and I might not mind solar but I wouldn't buy such a house unless I installed the system myself. Who do you call in 5 years when you have a leak? the local plumber? the solar power company's bankruptcy receivers? My brother knows his system and knows how to service it. He doesn't call up some service company that sends out a guy who scratches his head and gives a $500 bill after 3 hours of figuring out what valve to replace.

[jimmyB]

Hi all

My experience so far - a Brit living in Colorado. I have installed both Solar Hot Water & Solar Electric.

Solar Hot water - two flat plate collectors - good economics (6 year payback) if you have average family (baths, laundry, etc). Technically not complicated, all system components are readily identifiable and replaceable. Check out this UK site - has DIY kits with latest equipment (glass tubes rather than flat plate collectors) suitable for the UK. Suspect that you could get payback sooner using this equipment due to its relatively low cost (things are getting cheaper as the market develops)
http://www.navitron.org.uk/index.htm


Solar Electric - Payback period at current energy price is not so good - even with US rebates it will take 20 years - panels however should last a long time - guaruntee is for 25 years. I would expect 50 years to be achievable. Technically simple with the only complex electronics held in the inverter - realistically this item would need serviced by the manufacturer (however it has a 10 year guaruntee). Although the system is expensive its still nice getting a $30 monthly electric bill )

Best Regards
Jim

[SEFSL]

I heard that there are a lot of scams currently going on with Solar Power installations.

There are numerous contractors in the UK who can secure "government grants" to help reduce the costs.

However some contractors have no links to any government rebate scheme in any way yet promise massive reductions in your installation.

The fact is that you have to stump up your hard cash first then claim back after completion.

What I heard was that there were a lot of shady contractor's out there who claim to be able to sort this paperwork out. Thing is... when the jobs complete you never hear from them again and when you call, they say the paperwork is submitted and you need to get in touch with the Government..

Perhaps this is hearsay... but it’s just what I heard.

As with anything bespoke, I would go on recommendations from others who have had successful installs, rather than the yellow pages.

Perhaps people who are in the forum who have had home install's could recommend a list of contractors they have dealt with in the past, for those looking to install in the future.

[LMagic007]

A good point to raise. I would suggest trying to determine if the operator / installer is certified and accredited with the government. Thus I would check with your local government etc... They should be able to point you in the right direction.