What to look for when having solar panels installed

[Doug]

My mother intends to have solar PV panels installed soon but this is beyond my field of expertise. What should she look for when choosing a PV system and the installer?

She has a bungalow in mid Essex. The rear of the pitched roof faces roughly south. Do any of the top installers on here cover this area?

 

[MCS Renewables]

Put your postcode in here :-

Microgeneration Certification Scheme - Installer Search

Get three quotes from companies within 25 miles.
Buy local from a tradesman with a local address
Ignore national companies using sub contractors
Get twenty or thirty previous customers details
Check MCS, RECC registrations and insurances

Ignore any one who pms you from this site who is outside of the 25 mile boundary

 

[SRE]

We're seeing quite a few customers being caught out by the double glazing type firms who are local but sub contract the work out. I'd suggest you be careful of them - we've had calls from 4 unhappy customers this week alone.

I'm not sure that checking with 20 or 30 customers is necessary and I've often heard customers say that they think their installer is brilliant when the installation is obviously poor. As you say if you don't know anything about it then how can you know if they've done a decent job. Here's a few of my suggestions

You should be offered a choice of panels and inverters depending on your circumstances. If you aren't they've either got stock to shift or can't be bothered to design a system for you.

The inverter shouldn't go in the loft unless there's absolutely nowhere else. If the installer doesn't even attempt to discuss this - walk away.

Your generation meter should be next to your consumer unit for ease of reading unless it really isn't practical. We've never had to put one anywhere else in 3 1/2 years but there's always a first time.

Personally, I'd be wary of anyone telling me I can use 50% of the energy generated. I work from home and have never achieved this despite having relatively high electricity bills (5,500 kwh) I use about a third of what I generate at best. Quoting 50% saving makes your payback look more attractive. Installers are allowed to quote this but make sure you're aware of how the FIT/Export/electricity savings are made so you can make an informed decision about what is best for you.

Don't entertain anyone who comes to your house without a tape measure, a method of measuring your roof angle. If they don't check your electrics and roof structure - don't invite them back.

Your roof should have a border round the panels of at least 300mm and some on the Forum would argue 400 - 500mm. It's not difficult to work out - if you have roof measurements before hand have a go at working out what you think may fit on the roof. The panel measurements are readily available just remember to leave 20mm between each panel. If you have an idea of how may will fit on the roof, then you can't be hoodwinked into agreeing for more then having to compromise when they turn up to fit. To get your roof pitch, get into the loft and measure floor to ceiling and then half the width of the bungalow and triangulate.

Scaffolding isn't an optional extra it's essential H&S. Don't touch a business who doesn't use it.

Most important forewarned is forearmed. Most installers aren't out to scam you and will welcome questions. If they don't find someone who does

Finally, use someone local, if there's a problem you can knock on their door. We're getting quite a bit of repair work at the minute because people have gone to national firms thinking that they would still be here in 10 - 15 years time when we'd gone bust. Most of the big firms serving our area have gone bust and the warranties are void. Meanwhile our customers who didn't quibble about paying a proper price are enjoying continued excellent service from us and telling their friends about it.

Hope that helps.

 

[series530]

Firstly, be prepared to attend when the assessments are being done. Even if you are not an expert or remotely aware of solar energy, two heads are better than one. It is amazing how much you pick up and, equally, its amazing how a good salesman can inject confusion. Make notes on paper as you go and run the meeting at your pace and not this (or hers). Then discuss what our heard and what you think with your family before you move to the next sales person.


Contrary to popular belief, the cheapest price doesn't mean that that a more expensive prices comes with a higher margin for the supplier. Panels are not equal and neither are inverters. Most importantly of all, this isn't Lego, it takes care to come up with an installation suitable for each location. All of these aspects cost money and take time. Over a long period such as a FIT, a poor design makes a huge yield difference.


Many people think that, just because a property is south facing, it's a breeze to come up with a system. This isn't necessarily true. Any shading at any time of the day be it from a chimney, an aerial, an adjacent tree or a building will affect performance. Hard shading or dappled shading are both problems. Be aware also that any shading pattern you see during a winter day will not necessarily be the same in the summer months. Shading during the winter isn't a big deal because the sun strength is low. However, in the warmer spring and autumn and the very hot summer months it can have a big impact. So, any danger of shading, and you should be able to tell for yourself, should trigger alarm bells if the sales person doesn't mention either the need for an analysis or doesn't discuss the risks with you.


Be wary of companies offering to stuff loads of panels on the roof in all types of orientations. Panels of a given design tend to work best in one orientation and not the other. Some horizontal and some vertical will compromise the overall design and PV yield and look a mess. It could adversely affect kerb appeal and house value but also demonstrates a poor grasp of system design.


Personally, I would go with a company offering an insurance backed warranty. Companies come and go, that's business life, and having some peace of mind independently, is a good idea in my book.


If the house has a hot water cylinder and an immersion heater you may like to ask if the company can offer a solution whereby spare energy is sent to the immersion heater to heat the top part of the tank. The incremental additional cost isn't high and it should more than adequately pay for itself during the life of the system.


as said earlier, be wary of payback in less than 10 years or being able to use 50% of generated power. In three years our electricity bill has roughly halved. This is a combination of using PV but is also moving away from an electric hob to a gas one, turning off stuff left on standby, putting LED lighting in our kitchen and running appliances during the day when possible. It is also data from a household where the house is occupied during the day.


some don't agree with this and it is very much a personal matter but I see PV as a longer term investment than a short term gain. We got in when FITs were highest (as were installation costs) and see any money gained as an annuity each year. We have no intention of moving imminently and will see our investment repaid in the mid term. In the short term we see PV as an additional income as our own business is very much in the fledgling phase and income is small. PV is not a quick return investment.


finally, avoid national companies (as already stated) because the sales person is the biggest benefactor and the customer service people are the most over worked and show anybody offering to rent space on the roof allowing you to use any energy created (with no installation costs) the door immediately.