We are grateful to two Wirral residents who have given us their experiences of installation of solar electricity panels. The following is a summary of what was installed and so on.
Equipment installed
As well as the panels on the roof, there is a power inverter (around £900) to convert the low voltage output from the panels to mains voltage (250 volt) electricity, and a controller panel. The technology is tried and tested, and installed extensively in Germany where feed-in-tariffs have applied for years.
Solar panels
1. Nine Mitsubishi 185 watt polycrystalline modules
2. Seven Sanyo panels, total 1.5 kW
Inverter
1. SMA SB1700 inverter
Controller/display
1. Sunny beam personal display.
2. from German firm SMA.
Suppliers
1. Northern Solar of Liverpool (www.northernsolar.co.uk). The customer told us "As a result of my email, I recieved an email quote, and no further contact till I rang a few weeks later (no pestering). I was then given the phone numbers of two homes in the area which they had installed with PV panels. I rang one and visited the other: both were highly complementary about Northen Solar, as am I."
2. Eco Environments Ltd, based in Crosby (www.eco-environments.co.uk). The resident told us that they took a tape measure onto the roof and adjusted the layout to fit in seven panels (which would generate the minimum needed to be eligible for a grant); and that "From our experience we can recommend them highly. They have a very informative website and, being local, they were easy to access and talk to. They were happy to visit and talk the issues through - and absolutely no hard sell nor pressure. They have a close working relationship with experienced roofers and electricians - again local to Merseyside. The installation took only a couple of days."
Other suppliers not chosen
• A local company gave a quote which was said to be a special offer, and had to be signed for immediately, but was no cheaper than Northern Solar's. The company also pestered subsequently.
• An out-of-area company who would have added the cost of two overnight stays
• A company based in the south of England, which had been recommended by a power company (they all have to promote micro-generation in their areas). "We were frustrated having to work at arms length with them. They even determined that our roof was too small for the installation we wanted by measuring it from Google maps! But they gave us a quote anyway."
Cost
1. Total cost £8,447 inc. 5% VAT
2. Total cost £9,000, reduced to £6,500 by a grant.
Grants
1. The installer applied for a £2,500 grant, which resulted in an email grant offer letter the following day. The installer then supplied all the relevant paperwork when the installation was commissioned. After sending this off, the money should be paid within 25 days.
2. A grant of £2,500 was paid by the Energy Saving Trust.
Until April 2010 (if the funds allocated are not exhausted), for each installation of at least 1.5kW output, a grant of £2,500 is paid.
Electricity generated
The systems were installed winter 2009/2010
The projections for electricity generated are
1. Over 1000 kWh per year
2. 1,200 kWh in a year.
This compares with the average UK electricity usage per household of 3,600 kWh.
Experience so far:
1. In December/January, average generated: 1.2 kWh per day, with maximum of 3 kWh in a day
2. In January, on a sunny day with a few scattered clouds: 2.5 kWh in a day.
Even on a cloudy day in December electricity was being generated.
Planning permission
Installing solar panels is normally a permitted development not requiring planning permission. If you live in a listed building, a conservation area or a world heritage site then you may need permission.
Guarantees / Warrantees
There are no moving parts in the panels and so there is not much to go wrong.
1. A 5 year guarantee on the panel with + 10 year guarantee of 90% of minimum Pmax power output + 25 year guarantee of 80% of the minimum Pmax level.
Northern Solar gives a 2 year warranty on parts & workmanship.
Links
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
Energy Saving Trust: an excellent and comprehensive source of information on capital grants, recognised installers etc.
www.solarcentury.co.uk
Good FAQ section
See also the links on the main home energy page