Domestic solar PV quotes 2018

Mr Q

Chewbaca79 wrote: »

5 KW inverter Huawei battery can be added at a later stage

Did they mention these only work with high voltage LG batteries currently? I think this is still the case and they are very expensive and with no small capacity options like some others.

championc

Over and over, people confirm that batteries (in their current form) will NEVER pay for themselves, so it should possibly only be considered if you have a dodgy electricity supply and even then, most inverters are grid-tied and so will be useless during a power cut.

I would also suggest that people use websites like solartricity.ie or midsummer.ie in order to find out the cost of the main parts of the kit they are looking at for their system. It will give you a better idea of what the cost "should" roughly be.

unkel

Chewbaca79 wrote: »

details below are what I have been quoted by a popular (at least through advertising) PV supplier.

Those quotes are ridiculously high. Is that supplier very active and does it have an "8" in their name by any chance?

Mickeroo

Quotes from a well known company I got:

• 12 x 310W Panels (3.8kW) with a 3.6kW Solis inverter fully installed and commissioned = €6,400 + VAT = €7,264.
• 12 x 310W Panels (3.8kW) with a 3.6kW Hybrid GivEnergy inverter & 2.6kWh of battery storage = €8,200 + VAT = €9,307.
• Or with 5.6kWh of battery storage = €9,400 + VAT = €10,669.
• 12 x 310W Panels (3.8kW) with a 3.6kW Solis Inverter with an EDDI power diverter = €6,900 + VAT = €7,832.
• 12 x 310W Panels (3.8kW) with 3.6kW Hybrid GivEnergy inverter, EDDI & 2.6kWh of battery storage = €8,700 + VAT = €9,875
• Or with 5.6kWh of battery storage = €9,900 + VAT = €11,237.

I asked about a 5kw inverter instead and they said it would be the same price.

I also got a quote from another company. 12k for 12 panels, 5kW inverter and 2.4kwh battery (BER not included in price). Way to expensive I think? Only thing going for them is we've had work done with them before and they are very reliable and easy to deal with.

I'm leaning towards pursuing the quote for 9307 which should be 6607 after grants I think?

It would be utterly pointless getting both a DHW diverter and a battery right?

Zenith74

unkel wrote: »

Those quotes are ridiculously high. Is that supplier very active and does it have an "8" in their name by any chance?

Quotes look a bit cheap for those guys, and the poster didn’t mention being harassed by the sales guy or needing secret passwords to get discounts so...

Chewbaca79

Zenith74 wrote: »

FWIW I paid €11800 inc VAT before grant for a similar system in Dublin a month ago, though mine was E/W so a more complex install, higher output panels (345W), a 5.2kWh battery and an EDDI. So yes seems quite high!

Thanks for sharing - in that case the quote I got is way of the competitiveness mark...more phoning and emailing to be done I guess! :-)

Chewbaca79

Zenith74 wrote: »

Quotes look a bit cheap for those guys, and the poster didn’t mention being harassed by the sales guy or needing secret passwords to get discounts so...

The consensus is that there's plenty gouging in what they've quoted me alright. Interestingly the company doesnt have the '8' in their name so I guess there's more than one rip-off merchant doing the rounds.

Thanks for the replies

unkel

Ballpark is €6k after grants for a 4kwp install including small battery. Some on here have got it a bit cheaper than that or got an immersion diverter included for roughly that money.

wexfordman2

Wow, seems to me prices have gone up quite a bit since this thread started.

KCross

Chewbaca79 wrote: »

My home is in West Cork, south facing built 2013, well insulated with an 8KW geothermal HP with a vertical coil (well) - run exclusively on night rate from 11pm to 8am.

Over 7 years & 1 month my usage has been as follows:
37,411 units night rate
25,314 units day rate (averaging 297 units per month)

I have been quoted the following system options:

System 1 option
14 Panels @310W 4.34KW producing 3,650 KWH per year
5 KW inverter
4.8KW battery storage
Fully fitted
Total €15,395
Grant €3,000 once achieve C3 BER rating
Costing total €12,395 Incl VAT with payback 10-12 years based on 3% electric increase per year

System 2 option
14 Panels @310W 4.34KW producing 3,650 KWH per year
5 KW inverter Huawei battery can be added at a later stage
Fully fitted
Total €10,500
Grant €1,800
Coating total €8,800 Incl VAT with payback 14-16 years based on 3% electric increase per year

Sorry to break it to you but you are not eligible for the grant. The house has to be build prior to 2011 to be eligible.

Chewbaca79

garo wrote: »

Agree with everything Zardaz and Zenith74 say. You could get more panels. In fact you should get more panels as it will reduce your payback time. Adding panels is the least costly measure assuming there is space. If you are getting a Zappi plus Harvi I wouldn't bother with the Eddi as your car should soak up the excess. There may be a min surplus before the car charges though.

The quotes are far too high. I paid 10.5k before grant for an E/W system with 16 panels and a battery. Don't go for a 4.8kWh battery. Ask them how much additional a 2.4kWh battery would be. The only reason I would get a battery is because you will get an additional 1200 grant so battery may end up costing very little as from your quote without battery it seems they are putting a hybrid inverter in anyway.

Thanks - the roof footprint for the 14 panels in one string is on a 1.5 story bedroom block of the house - the living quarters are directly behind it (both south facing) with utility, fuse board etc behind that again, so it would be possible to add a second string of panels to the roof of the living quarters. Would an additional 2 or 4 panels be sufficient?

I THINK the minimum an EV can accept is 1.4kw but I could be wrong on this.

So you think that having a larger number of panels with a (smaller) battery + the EV is better but drop the Eddi?

Chewbaca79

KCross wrote: »

Sorry to break it to you but you are not eligible for the grant. The house has to be build prior to 2011 to be eligible.

Yeah, thats what I thought as well but - what I forgot to mention in my OP was that the house was originally built in the 1950s and between 2012 & 2013 we knocked and extended in two phases, keeping the existing MPRN.

I started looking into PV systems initially in May 2019 and got grant approval using my existing MPRN - I didnt go ahead at that time and obviously the grant offer lapsed on the end of Jan this year when the SEAI revised the grant system. So hopeful that when I reapply I'll still be eligible even though the house is post 2011.

KCross

Chewbaca79 wrote: »

Yeah, thats what I thought as well but - what I forgot to mention in my OP was that the house was originally built in the 1950s and between 2012 & 2013 we knocked and extended in two phases, keeping the existing MPRN.

ok, you might get away with that. The MPRN turn on date is the key thing there so you might have found a loophole!
You will have to lie on your form though... it specifically asks the build date as they dont want to give grants to newer houses. They want to target <2011 builds which were built on the older building regs.

If you mention 2013 anywhere in the documentation you will be turned down and your installer will need to be on board too with what you are doing as they might f*ck it up for you as they have to upload their own docs to the SEAI portal so any sniff of a 2013 build and the computer in SEAI will say no!

garo

I really don’t understand this 2011 build requirement. Solar PV electricity is electricity and has nothing to do with when your house was built etc. Not like insulation or other energy saving upgrades where you might want to target older houses that are a better bang for buck. Or even heat pumps where it may not make sense to install one in an old poorly insulated house. I suspect it has more to do with some box ticking exercise where they can say we improved the BER rating of X number of houses.

Rant aside, given your requirement I would say get as many panels as your inverter and roof can handle. In your place I would be looking at 18 or 20 on two strings. With an EV and such high day usage you will export less than the typical household and get faster payback. Small battery may be useful especially as you get an extra 1200 grant but with a big EV battery to soak up the excess you could even go batteryless. Also depends on how much driving you will do. Just remember that solar is very season and weather dependent so you will produce 5-10x as much in June as in December. Also, you may have to unlearn some of those habits of running all those appliances at night - maybe not the GSHP but things like washer/dryer/dishwasher and run then between 10 and 3 to maximise usage and reduce export and thus payback time. Overall I think with your setup it is a great problem to have and battery and Eddi really depend on how much you value self consumption over payback time. Head vs heart.

aongo

We are currently half-way through our PV install this week - Strandhill, Co. Sligo with a lucky break in the weather!
Standard estate house on the coast, but fully south-facing rear, no shading or blockage!

PM me if you would like the name of our installer - I would highly recommend him and his lads, he was very professional and personable right from the get-go, no hard sell, just practical advice when he came by (we got quotes from all suppliers in our area) and passed us another client's name locally so we could see example of his finished work - a big system; 6kWh solar PV coupled to air to water heating, super neat work - almost OCD like! :cool:

We are in the process of getting 15 x Longi 315W panels (max. that can fit!) with hopefully a peak output of 4.725 kW along with 2.4 kWh battery storage, internet based monitoring and Solis inverter / Solar iBoost to send excess to the hot water tank.
€10,390.92 all in, inc VAT. and we should (hopefully!!!) be on an extension to the older grant amounts to the end of Feb, so will be claiming back €3,800 so €6590.92 net cost (plus a BER of ~€225).

We have a young family, hope to change to running an EV (or 2!) in the future so tried to get as big a capacity system as our house can take.

Very excited to be getting everything commissioned and switched on today, looking forward to generating electricity, shaving a bit off our bills, enjoying a bit more hot water and doing a lot to reduce our energy consumption from the grid and our environment!

KCross

garo wrote: »

I really don’t understand this 2011 build requirement. Solar PV electricity is electricity and has nothing to do with when your house was built etc. Not like insulation or other energy saving upgrades where you might want to target older houses that are a better bang for buck. Or even heat pumps where it may not make sense to install one in an old poorly insulated house. I suspect it has more to do with some box ticking exercise where they can say we improved the BER rating of X number of houses.

I think its exactly that too, which is idiotic.
As you said, what difference does it make if the house is already efficient. The idea is to reduce our use of fossil fuels so the BER of the house is irrelevant when adding panels to it.

garo wrote: »

Also, you may have to unlearn some of those habits of running all those appliances at night - maybe not the GSHP but things like washer/dryer/dishwasher and run then between 10 and 3 to maximise usage and reduce export and thus payback time.

How practical/worthwhile in reality is that though?

The savings you make are only the difference between day/night rate and you could find that you have a 2hr wash/dry cycle on and the clouds roll over. You'd be spending everyday watching the weather. Personally, I wouldnt want a SolarPV system taking over my life, it needs to fit into it not the other way around.

If the washer/dryer could behave like the Zappi EV charge point it would be great where it would ramp up/down its usage and pause etc based on excess energy being available or if you have a battery I suppose that would work too, but they are too expensive.

garo

KCross wrote: »

How practical/worthwhile in reality is that though?

The savings you make are only the difference between day/night rate and you could find that you have a 2hr wash/dry cycle on and the clouds roll over. You'd be spending everyday watching the weather. Personally, I wouldnt want a SolarPV system taking over my life, it needs to fit into it not the other way around.

If the washer/dryer could behave like the Zappi EV charge point it would be great where it would ramp up/down its usage and pause etc based on excess energy being available or if you have a battery I suppose that would work too, but they are too expensive.

Fair point. Savings are actually the night rate which you would use instead of the free PV. I find that it is not that difficult to get into the habit of using delay timers which most household appliances have now. Then you don’t have to worry about it. A battery certainly helps tide over a cloud rolling over but remember that in high summer a largish system would still put out 2kW or more of a cloud rolls over. Of course all this would be moot if we had proper net metering or FiT.

wexfordman2

KCross wrote: »

I think its exactly that too, which is idiotic.
As you said, what difference does it make if the house is already efficient. The idea is to reduce our use of fossil fuels so the BER of the house is irrelevant when adding panels to it.




How practical/worthwhile in reality is that though?

The savings you make are only the difference between day/night rate and you could find that you have a 2hr wash/dry cycle on and the clouds roll over. You'd be spending everyday watching the weather. Personally, I wouldnt want a SolarPV system taking over my life, it needs to fit into it not the other way around.

If the washer/dryer could behave like the Zappi EV charge point it would be great where it would ramp up/down its usage and pause etc based on excess energy being available or if you have a battery I suppose that would work too, but they are too expensive.

The givenergy inverters have a setting for "smart home", not yet enabled yet, but I would hope it would be opened for interfacing into the likes of Samsung appliances, smart plugs etc.

So much potential here, from an overall green perspective, carbon reduction is as much about spreading the load as it is about reducing it.

Gazzler82

Hi All,

feel like i'm calling in on the radio with "long time reader, first time writer".
Hoping for a few DMs please on providers - have gotten 4 quotes ranging from 11k all the way up to 18k ex (old) grant...All included battery/hybrid diverter and hot water diverter....with the new grant i'm happy to look only for panels!
the cheapest quote i thought interesting enough came from a provider that was mentioned in the early days of this thread. They are offering a 400w panel these days. I presume the fairest way to compare is price per kW their offering!

Zenith74

Gazzler82 wrote: »

Hi All,

feel like i'm calling in on the radio with "long time reader, first time writer".
Hoping for a few DMs please on providers - have gotten 4 quotes ranging from 11k all the way up to 18k ex (old) grant...All included battery/hybrid diverter and hot water diverter....with the new grant i'm happy to look only for panels!
the cheapest quote i thought interesting enough came from a provider that was mentioned in the early days of this thread. They are offering a 400w panel these days. I presume the fairest way to compare is price per kW their offering!

You’ll probably want to give your rough location so local references can be given

Gazzler82

Zenith74 wrote: »

You’ll probably want to give your rough location so local references can be given

Cork City! Thanks Zenith

Stefs_42

Need your opinions guys!
Im ready to upgrade my existing 3.6kwp system but Ive got roof space at a premium now. All Im left with is:
7 possible panel spots on NE facing roof side and 4 panels on S facing garage roof, all other spots taken by 12 panels in total
I think NE roof spot is pretty worthless no?
Also Ive got 3.5 kw inverter, so if Im adding more panels is it not going to overload current inverter, does it have to be upgraded as well?

garo

The inverter should have a max input value which may be larger than 3.5kW. The bigger issue might be if you have a dual string inverter and both strings are taken and you have nowhere to attach additional panels to. You could get a mini inverter for your 4 or 7 panels. That should be relatively cheap.

NE would be pretty useless for 3-4 months of the year but otherwise will have some generation. Look here PV-GIS
Do you know the angle of your roof? You will probably get about 50-60% total annual production from the NE panels compared to the S panels as long as the roof angle is not too steep.

KAGY

Has anyone gone ground mount? I was thinking of going the diy route and ground mounting over "waste" ground at the back of the house (percolation area). Our roof is dormer + velux and is SE /NW whereas I could angle ground mounted panels at the most useful angle.

A year old quote I got for parts was €4.3k ex vat & no grant for 14 panels, 5kW Solis inverter, 2.4kW pylontech battery plus misc fittings.

I also have Zappi and ev, so might not go with battery

unkel

KAGY wrote: »

A year old quote I got for parts was €4.3k ex vat & no grant for 14 panels, 5kW Solis inverter, 2.4kW pylontech battery plus misc fittings.

Buy the parts and that's €5.3k incl. 23% VAT

Or just a few hundred euro less than the whole lot installed and certified by an SEAI installer under the grand scheme incl. VAT. You'd be mad to do it yourself...

If you have to do it yourself, do it cheaper. Buy your parts cheaper, do not use a hybrid inverter and do not get a battery...

championc

Stefs_42 wrote: »

Need your opinions guys!
Im ready to upgrade my existing 3.6kwp system but Ive got roof space at a premium now. All Im left with is:
7 possible panel spots on NE facing roof side and 4 panels on S facing garage roof, all other spots taken by 12 panels in total
I think NE roof spot is pretty worthless no?
Also Ive got 3.5 kw inverter, so if Im adding more panels is it not going to overload current inverter, does it have to be upgraded as well?

Note to all
First of all, do not mix panels pointing in different directions on the same string - this will kill the potential output down to the lowest common denominator. Either install optimizers or have on separate strings into a Dual String inverter.

Secondly, A panel not being hit by any sunshine will create fook all. And if panels do get sun, the optimum is for the sun to be at right angles to the panels. So if the sun is peeking over the top of a roof ridge onto north facing panels, it's likely to not hit them for 6 months of the year, let alone be at an angle which would produce anything decent. Forget about NE or NW or N*

Look at sun angles for your location at www.timeanddate.com/sun/Ireland/ and pick your nearest

AstraMonti

Semi-relevant question. I 'll be replacing the roof soon, is there anything that I can prepare for the PV installation that will come later in the summer?

championc

AstraMonti wrote: »

Semi-relevant question. I 'll be replacing the roof soon, is there anything that I can prepare for the PV installation that will come later in the summer?

It might be worth getting the mounting rails and brackets and have the roofers install them, especially if it's a slate roof since slates need to be cut to fit around the brackets. That lot will only cost a few hundred.

AidenL

AstraMonti wrote: »

Semi-relevant question. I 'll be replacing the roof soon, is there anything that I can prepare for the PV installation that will come later in the summer?

You could use inroof panels, they are much more integrated looking.

http://www.viridiansolar.co.uk/solar-products-roof-integrated-pv-fusion.html

Shefwedfan

AidenL wrote: »

You could use inroof panels, they are much more integrated looking.

http://www.viridiansolar.co.uk/solar-products-roof-integrated-pv-fusion.html

Also massively problematic and that is why most vendors have moved away from them.

unkel

And not to mention they are ridiculously expensive. Either fit conventional panels or wait until we get reasonably priced roof tiles with integrated solar PV. Which to me still seems like a pipe dream.

AidenL

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Also massively problematic and that is why most vendors have moved away from them.

What kind of problems?

gally74

AstraMonti wrote: »

Semi-relevant question. I 'll be replacing the roof soon, is there anything that I can prepare for the PV installation that will come later in the summer?

big time,

get the brackets fitted, no need to do the rails etc,

have you picked your vendor yet for the solar,

youll save a good few euro's but more importantly have a better roof

Slate or tile?

championc

AidenL wrote: »

What kind of problems?

I would have thought that, to embed anything into a roof is not going to be easy at all. Sealing it around the edges for starters, I then assume that the wiring would then all be internal, and not easy to then add extras later.

It seems like a totally inflexible solution, with little pluses and plenty of minuses.

AidenL

championc wrote: »

I would have thought that, to embed anything into a roof is not going to be easy at all. Sealing it around the edges for starters, I then assume that the wiring would then all be internal, and not easy to then add extras later.

It seems like a totally inflexible solution, with little pluses and plenty of minuses.

It’s about aesthetics. I’d definitely consider it myself personally if I was reroofing. Only if reroofing.

championc

AidenL wrote: »

It’s about aesthetics. I’d definitely consider it myself personally if I was reroofing. Only if reroofing.

Even for aesthetics, I wouldn't bother, unless forced upon you because of a building being of a particular type.

Ok, thankfully, my South facing panels are on the rear of the house, but ii would go with that type just because of what it might look like for the neighbors if I had to put them on the street facing side

air

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Also massively problematic and that is why most vendors have moved away from them.

I think you might be confusing them with solar tiles.
In roof tray systems are simple and very reliable, huge volumes of them installed in continental Europe.
As well as looking far better they also save the dead load and cost of the roofing material that would be under the panels in a traditional on roof intall.

AstraMonti - I have a full system (just add clips for your appropriate panel thickness) for 12 panels for sale on adverts if you're interested, link in my sig.
I'm selling the kit for about half price.
I didn't go ahead with them as they only do flashings for Velux windows and I had a Keylite one.

unkel

air wrote: »

I think you might be confusing them with solar tiles.
In roof tray systems are simple and very reliable

But hugely expensive. You're selling for half the cost, so the full cost was €1,200. That's €120 per panel, which is more than a panel itself costs. Traditional mounting only costs a fraction of that. If you prefer the slightly better looks (agreed) over many years longer pay back period, then you should consider it as an option.

air

Agreed, they're not cheap by any means, they're a premium product which deliver the neatest possible PV (panel) install.

However if you're using a premium roofing material they can still make economic sense on a new build or reroof.

There is a small efficiency penalty as well due to less back ventilation than what is achieved with on roof panels.
However this isn't a factor at all in Ireland most of the year.

Shefwedfan

Seen one company with this advertisement today....a bit of bulls**t I guess

“!!! NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME FOR SOLAR !!!

The SEAI grant structure is finishing this year and a 'sell back to the grid' scheme is being introduced next year. Get the best of both worlds and start saving money today!“

_dof_

Could be true. Feed In Tariff will come since it's an EU directive as far as I know.
Once FIT comes, then SEAI will surely reduce or eliminate the grant, since FIT would probably be enough incentive for solar PV.

AstraMonti

gally74 wrote: »

big time,

get the brackets fitted, no need to do the rails etc,

have you picked your vendor yet for the solar,

youll save a good few euro's but more importantly have a better roof

Slate or tile?

Thank you everyone. It's slates. I haven't picked vendor yet, I guess the rails are not universal right?

Shefwedfan

_dof_ wrote: »

Could be true. Feed In Tariff will come since it's an EU directive as far as I know.
Once FIT comes, then SEAI will surely reduce or eliminate the grant, since FIT would probably be enough incentive for solar PV.

If FiT does arrive the grant will be gone ASAP.....


Just interested that it will be coming next year, when I asked the company they didnt answer

air

AstraMonti wrote: »

Thank you everyone. It's slates. I haven't picked vendor yet, I guess the rails are not universal right?

They are universal, you can fit any type of panels on any rails, you just need the right clips.
Slates are a royal PITA to retrofit roof hooks so make absolutely sure you put the hooks in while the roof is being slated. You should put in a cable entry gland at the same time.
The rails and panels can be fitted later but it may make sense to do the whole lot at once while scaffolding is in place etc.

AstraMonti

air wrote: »

They are universal, you can fit any type of panels on any rails, you just need the right clips.
Slates are a royal PITA to retrofit roof hooks so make absolutely sure you put the hooks in while the roof is being slated. You should put in a cable entry gland at the same time.
The rails and panels can be fitted later but it may make sense to do the whole lot at once while scaffolding is in place etc.

I can't afford to do altogether unfortunately, but at least preparing the rails should be good enough. Thanks very much.

air

Just stick on the hooks then during the roofing and leave the rails until you are putting up the panels.
The hooks won't be very visible then while you save for the rest of the installation. The bare rails would be a bit unsightly.

KCross

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Seen one company with this advertisement today....a bit of bulls**t I guess

“!!! NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME FOR SOLAR !!!

The SEAI grant structure is finishing this year and a 'sell back to the grid' scheme is being introduced next year. Get the best of both worlds and start saving money today!“

I was told similar from a company as well but could be a simple sales tactic.
FiT is being driven at EU level so it does sound like it is coming but it wont make up for the grant. FiT will be worth relatively small money. The grant is quite generous so they dont simply cancel each other out.

Shefwedfan wrote: »

If FiT does arrive the grant will be gone ASAP.....

Just interested that it will be coming next year, when I asked the company they didnt answer

_dof_ wrote: »

Could be true. Feed In Tariff will come since it's an EU directive as far as I know.
Once FIT comes, then SEAI will surely reduce or eliminate the grant, since FIT would probably be enough incentive for solar PV.

I can definitely see the grant reducing when FiT comes in but I would hope they wouldnt eliminate it. For example, the grant is worth €1800 for 2kWp. It could take 20 years for FiT to match that €1800 grant so I think both grant and FiT need to coexist, just the grant at a reduced level maybe.

championc

AstraMonti wrote: »

Thank you everyone. It's slates. I haven't picked vendor yet, I guess the rails are not universal right?

Absolutely then, install the brackets for the rails and, if you're bringing the cables into the house through the roof, the necessary opening too.

Any rails can be used. Clamps match to rails, but clamps don't need to match to any specific panels.

Obviously, you just need to decide as to where on the roof to put them, and as to whether to mount them portrait or landscape.

Mickeroo

Quick question for those with solis inverter & pylontech battery set ups. Is it fairly straight forward to add additional batteries yourself once you're set up or would you need to be giving a leccy a shout each time you want to add one?

garo

Haven’t done it myself but it looks fairly straightforward. Lots of videos on YouTube so do a search and see if you are confident enough to do it.