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These people are advertising in my area http://www.homesun.com/ anybody had any experience with them? the way i see it you sign up for x amount of years they own the panels and any power you put back to the grid they get paid for. very tempting and have had quotes previously of 10k to 15k which seems a lot of money when it would actually take 10 years or more to actually make savings. your advice welcome
before you sign up for the free kit, have a read here......
[url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/solarpower ]Guardian/which? article[/url]
The companies offering the free kit are douing it for the return on their investment - government backed, index linked and guaranteed for 25years.
My advice, if you are going to do it, borrow the money and get the whole cake for yourself.
i agree with smudger, there have been changes recently which mean pv is much more economically viable. the free systems are great for doing your bit but if you can get the cash yourself the returns will exceed interest rates in the long term
I have started looking in depth and the figures of the freebie ones just don't make sense, the companies installing them are going to make a killing. For the next 3 to 4 years the FiT is 41p per Kw I am looking at a 2.5kw system which theoretically can produce 412kw per month which gives an earning of £2000+ per year with what i am paying for electric at the moment would give me £1400 sat in the bank.
412kw per month which gives an earning of £2000+ per year with what i am paying for electric at the moment would give me £1400 sat in the bank.
For southern England 1Kwp of Solar PV will earn around £400pa from FIT so the figures above are rather optimistic. I have a 2.2Kwp rated roof retro fit on the South coast and during the summer can get 15KWhrs a day of generation but cloud cuts output by 75%. During the winter 2Kwhr per day is more realistic. Annual FIT payment around £800 expected plus a £150 reduction in electricity bill.
Pricing a system it is best to follow the 5K per Kwp plus 2K formula - anything above this walk away. Return is likely to be 15yrs+ depending upon what happens to electricity prices and the demand for renewable electicity (currently only 3p per Kw exported).
On thing nobody mentions is the panels degrade by about 1% a year so in year 10 you have lost 10% (hence my 2Kwp system uses 2.2Kwp of panel) and the grid tie inverters need maintenance/repair over the 25 years.
The plus side is a 2Kwp system will probably mean zero net household fuel cost for 25 years at the cost of the upfront investment and you just might help the UK avoid a supply crisis as coal/nuke power stations reach their end of life towards the end of this decade.
Kw = Measure of power consumption (volts x amps)
Kwp = Kilowatt peak output of the panel array
Kwhr = Kilowatt hour, the number of Kw (1000) generated over a period of time
I looked in detail at solar pv during the summer and chose not to go with it. The case is totally reliant on continued government (i.e. our) financial support, and if things get sufficiently crappy that will not survive, and could change substantially in the review due in 2013. Also, I have had contact with someone locally who was getting way below the specified output, even during the really sunny May/June this year(remember that ??).
I support the idea, and have had solar thermal for over 20 years, but I'm waiting for a few more generations of pv panel technology, and increased production volumes, to make it financially sensible.
Oh, and re the OP, if you want to do this I don't think you need someone to broker it for you unless you can't raise the cash.
thanks for the replies as the old saying goes if it sounds to good to be true then it's probably dodgy as hell....
thanks for the replies as the old saying goes if it sounds to good to be true then it's probably dodgy as hell....
I don't think it's dodgy . I think the companies that are offering it are taking a huge risk, for some of the reasons ps44 mentions. If the govt does bin the feed in tariff, then what happens? I bet the company are mot going to pay someone to remove them from your house, as there would be no market for them.
Of course, you have to check the ts and cs but if you are not planning on moving house soon then it might be worth a punt.
The case is totally reliant on continued government (i.e. our) financial support, and if things get sufficiently crappy that will not survive
Check again because the FIT payment is from all electricity consumers not the government i.e. the money comes from consumers, there is no government subsidy and no way for any party to change the game apart from remove/vary the contract for new participants as has happened in Germany. To change the situation would require a change to the 2008 Energy Act, there is zero fiscal savings to be had and it would be economic suicide to remove FITs.
FIT is a lot simpler than the previous ROC's and however you look at it we all end up paying for generation capacity (coal/gas/nukes/renewable) and at least solar PV is one of the low CO2 technologies.
DECC's last quarters FIT settlement was £127,000 so for now it's not costing much per household.
Can someone decode the TLA's please?
FIT Feed in Tariff. Or as it should be termed a generation tariff.
Currently for installations up to 4kW, £0.431 per Kilowatt hour (kWh) tax free and index linked for 25 years. Paid for by the electricity companies and backed by government guarantee. The FIT will drop to £0.378 from 1/4/13 for installations commissioned on or after this date.
It is expected that the FIT will decrease by 7% annually (for new installations) from 2013.
The current export tariff is £0.03 per kWh
Generation potential is based on a calculation called SAP (Standard Assessment Criteria)
0.8 x kWp x S x ZPV
kWp = the peak power of the PV array
S = the annual solar radiation based the orientation and pitch of the collector
ZPE = Overshading factor
I don't have a link for the tables.
To calculate savings / income from a solar PV installation, the SAP will give a generated yield. Based on the largest domestic PV array of 3.78KW on south facing 35 deg roof the SAP would be
0.8 x 3.78 x 1073 x 1 giving 3244 kWh of generation
Financially, this equates to:-
3244 x £0.413 = £1340 (this is the amount your array will generate annually). [b]This amount is earned whether you use the electricity generated or not.[/b]
Plus, lets assume you use half the electricity you generate 3244/2 = 1622 kWh.
Assume you buy electricity at £0.12 per kWh.
Therefore by using the electricity you generate (as it's generated) you are saving (because you aren't buying it) £0.12 x 1622 = £194
Plus, £0.03 (the export tariff) for electricity you generate but do not use. 1622 x 0.03 = £48.66
So using this example, you would earn:
£1340 + 194 + 48 = £1582 per year. Tax free.
Only systems that are installed by accredited MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) companies can attract the FIT. MCS accredited companies should provide a full quotation and SAP allowing a potential customer to evaluate the generation potential of their PV installation.
Also the SAP calculation should be a very conservative estimation of the generation potential of an installation. In a typical installation, the actual amount generated would be higher.