Theres more to solar panels than the feed in tariff

[Eco Deal]

Over the past few weeks its would seem the general public are considering the fuel bill savings over the tariff , most people I have been in contact with do not know what the current tariff is nor is that the main reason for looking into solae panels.

Is it time for change ? fuel bills are rising !

installers what are vibes are you getting out there?

General public what are your main reasons for looking into solar power?

 

[babba]

I have to say I have not met them yet.... ITS all about price and return.. put your prices up and see how you get on...
I have had the one liner.. I dont buy on price... Ye right... they bought on price...

 

[wstevew]

If its about the bills you need to be getting the scaffold costs down and target East West split systems as well as south.

 

[Eco Deal]

Do not get this statment ?

If its about the bills you need to be getting the scaffold costs down and target East West split systems as well as south.

 

[wstevew]

An east west split (or SE/SW split) generates all day long compared to east, west,southeast or southwest. So although it may not generate quite as much per year. You have more chance to consume what is generated instead of exporting.

 

[jason121]

I have had two enquiries one domestic, one commercial.
domestic wants to use all power generated on heating hot water.
the other worried fuels bills in the 5-10 years he uses £250,000 a year

 

[MicraShed]

My primary reason for me was fuel bills.

Currently consuming 14-16kW/day rising to 22kW in winter for a family of 6.
First week of PV I was able to get my consumption down to between 3 and 5kW/day - but obviously with me it helps having a family at home during the daytime.

2.5kW system with SSE facing roof.
I peak between about 11am and 1pm.

 

[FB.]

If its about the bills you need to be getting the scaffold costs down and target East West split systems as well as south.

Yes, the biggest frustration for me is that I have a massive excess of power in the mornings (of which a lot of it just goes into the grid) and only a trickle in the afternoons which requires me to buy back some power from the grid.

Also, being ESE-facing, I only hit peak power on sunny mornings; sunny afternoons are of little use to me. Unfortunately, the sun comes out randomly and sometimes I "miss out" on generation when a cloudy morning is followed by a sunny afternoon (and SW-facing systems "miss out" when a sunny morning is followed by a cloudy afternoon).

A split SE/SW system would be far more stable (reliable?) in its output from hour-to-hour and also from day-to-day.
I'd choose 2kW SE + 2kW SW rather than 4kW South for the more predictable hour-by-hour and day-to-day steadines of power output, even though total annual generation would be slightly less than 4kW South.

 

[danesol]

My primary reason for me was fuel bills.

Currently consuming 14-16kW/day rising to 22kW in winter for a family of 6.
First week of PV I was able to get my consumption down to between 3 and 5kW/day - but obviously with me it helps having a family at home during the daytime.

2.5kW system with SSE facing roof.
I peak between about 11am and 1pm.

Pardon the question, but are you merely subtracting what you make from your consumption or is that the true net figure and that you are lucky enough to be able to 'use it when generating' ??

 

[MicraShed]

Pardon the question, but are you merely subtracting what you make from your consumption or is that the true net figure and that you are lucky enough to be able to 'use it when generating' ??

I am lucky enough to use most of what I generate as the house is occupied during the day. Its meant changing the way we use certain items slightly (such as putting the dishwasher on mid day, and making sure the washer and dishwasher are not on at the same time) and keeping a bit of an eye on the meters (and notes in my little black book hung up in the meter cupboard!)

As I say, its only a small install and the primary aim is to cut the £60/month electricity direct debit, even if I can cut it by £20 a month I will consider it a result.

The big consumers of the electricity are the shower and the cooker. Left in a null state the house consumes just under 1.5Kw/day with things like the fridge and freezer and one or two things that get invariably left on standby. (This I know from when the house is left empty and the clan are all away).

I know that as we consume more in the winter months and as the days shorten I will use more from the grid and generate less and the window for using what we do generate will shorten (I'll be showering and cooking when its dark for instance) - at the moment when the shower is in use and the cooker on we are lucky enough to be generating some electricity from the PV, to offset what we are pulling from the grid. Its not huge, but it does make a difference.

Im hoping eventually to add in another 6x 250w panels in the future (see other thread) to increase the amount we generate - though it appears that due to FIT this is going to be more complicated than I thought.

 

[sedgy34]

Over the past few weeks its would seem the general public are considering the fuel bill savings over the tariff , most people I have been in contact with do not know what the current tariff is nor is that the main reason for looking into solae panels.

Is it time for change ? fuel bills are rising !

installers what are vibes are you getting out there?

General public what are your main reasons for looking into solar power?

if this is the case the GREEN DEAL will work

 

[telectrix]

can someone give me an idea of what to expect. . basically. located 12 miles east of chester. SE facing roof, 40deg. pitch, no shading. is solar viable ?

 

[SolarCity]

More than viable. It's asking for panels to be installed.

 

[MicraShed]

if this is the case the GREEN DEAL will work

I have been looking at that for boiler replacement, a condensing with heat scavenger attached to the flue. For me it would be a viable way of affording the technology.

On the flip side though, the Yorkshire shopkeeper in me refuses to part with my perfectly working 20 year old Baxi and gravity DHW system on the grounds that if it aint broke....

 

[Scobo]

can someone give me an idea of what to expect. . basically. located 12 miles east of chester. SE facing roof, 40deg. pitch, no shading. is solar viable ?

Have a look on pvoutput.org for systems in your area.
Should be able to get a fair idea of daily, weekly, monthly and total generation.