Domestic Solar PV Quotes 2020

unkel

tech wrote: »

over all are you happy with your investment? do you think you will have pay back within 10 years approx

Not a chance.

If you do a DIY install of a PV system only with no battery and you buy your parts really well (as in at trade prices), you are looking at about 10 years pay back

Even the very best quotes we got in this thread for a 4kwp system with battery for a bit over €5k after subsidy and you are looking at 15 years if you are lucky

A low rate FIT will shave a few years off the pay back period of the former, but it won't do much for the pay back period of the latter...

DrPhilG wrote: »

My calculations suggested a 9.6 year payback

Care to share those calculations? Did you do them yourself or are they what the salesman told you?

DrPhilG

unkel wrote: »

Did you do them yourself or are they what the salesman told you?

The guy who did my install didn't give me any indication of payback time or estimated generation.

One guy did promise me over €900 a year of savings on a 4kw system though, lol. When I bought elsewhere he asked why and his stupidly unrealistic estimates were one of the reasons I gave him.

My calculations are based on the generation figures from last year of a friend nearby, expanded to the size of my system and based on a 75% use/export rate.

For August I'm coming in a little below the predicted generation, and sitting around 70% self use (not including water diversion).

So we'll see. My first bill was down €90 from the same billing period last year and only half of it was post-install so I should see savings of about €600 just for the period from April to September.

unkel

So not really calculations, just your expectations of lower bills then? Or what are those calculations based on the generation figures from your friend?

DrPhilG

unkel wrote: »

So not really calculations, just your expectations of lower bills then? Or what are those calculations based on the generation figures from your friend?

I have made predictions for my generation based on what he has generated in the past (he's only a few miles away).

Then calculated estimated savings based on those numbers, minus expected export, multiplied by my unit costs.

In a years time I'll share 2 years worth of bills for comparison.

garo

To be fair I think the answer is likely to be somewhere in the middle. 75% self-usage is ambitious. You will get 50-60% in the summer (before diverter) and close to 100% in the depths of winter. So you may want to rerun the calculations with different use percentages saving you full rate and night rate electricity. You second battery has definitely added a year or two to payback time.

@unkel: DrPhil got a very good deal on a large system. My 4.8kW system with a 2.4kWh battery but without a diverter - I could have got a diverter for no extra cost but didn't, long story for another day - cost almost the same as PhilG's 6kW system with diverter and Zappi.

My calculation was 430 p.a. saved (payback in 14.5 years) and I exceeded that by ~50 after 1 year but then working from home helped me micromanage things a bit. I'd say PhilG's payback is nearer the 12 year mark before the second battery.

DrPhilG

garo wrote: »

To be fair I think the answer is likely to be somewhere in the middle. 75% self-usage is ambitious. You will get 50-60% in the summer (before diverter) and close to 100% in the depths of winter.

I've averaged 73% self use for August so far (including diverter) but the diverter hasn't taken that much overall so I think my averages are pretty good so far. It helps that today is a Bank holiday in NI so I'll be plugging my car in this afternoon when it peaks. Generating just under 3kw now and only 500kw of that is from the west facing array. In an hours time we'd be able to power the whole town land.

unkel

Aye, WFH and micro management will take years off the pay back period alright

garo

Don't know about you Phil but August has been pretty poor for generation for me. Worst month since March. Only three days over 20kWh compared to say May when I had 25 days > 20kWh. It's those high producing days that bring down your self-use average. If you are not working from home and your system is producing 30kWh you will end up exporting a good bit despite your best efforts.
My August self-use is 78% compared to May which was 62% and the YTD average which is 69%. With a large system like yours you will struggle to use more in the summer. OTOH you should have self-use close to 100% from Nov-Feb.

DrPhilG

August was great earlier on but then died mid month. Bit of a resurgence now.

Most of my export of course was during the early stages partly because of the scorching weather, partly because we didn't have the divertor, and partly because we were getting used to how to manage it better.



The 8th was mental, produced 36 and exported 18. It was a blazing day so we hit the beach and then moaned about how if we stayed home, we could have pumped all 18 of that export into the car instead.

garo

DrPhilG wrote: »

The 8th was mental, produced 36 and exported 18. It was a blazing day so we hit the beach and then moaned about how if we stayed home, we could have pumped all 18 of that export into the car instead.

tom4321

tom4321 wrote: »

Got started on this journey now....

The best quote I have gotten so far....
14 Panels @340W
3.8kw Solis inverter
2x2.4Kw Plyon batteries
iBoost diverter
Wifi Dongle

7000 after grant

Got quotes from one of the utiliy companies...nearly half the panels and they would do either a battery or a diverter only...wouldn't recomend both at the same price...which is weird and expensive!!

Houston we have lift-off!!!.. just got online today with 3.6kwh generated while testing.... now glued to the screen watching the graphs to see how much it fluctuates when its cloudy....A big thanks to DrPhilG, rx8 & gomamochi1 for their valuable inputs and recommendations!!

quazzy

Hi all.
Been think about getting PV for a while but at present I might need to replace my gas boiler first.

Is there any consideration I should make while I'm getting boiler installed and then opting for PV setup afterwards.

It's going to be a straight boiler switch and maybe a new hot water cylinder in the hot press.

Thanks

worlds goodest teecher

Got this quote a couple of months ago, had to hold off due to lockdown.

4.34 kWp Hybrid Roof Mounted
14 panels, 3.7 kW Hybrid Inverter, 4.5 kW battery
Optimum usage payback 7.9 years
€9800 before grant

Reasonable?

That was when we were both working in offices, now and into the future we will be working from home.

rx8

worlds goodest teecher wrote: »

Got this quote a couple of months ago, had to hold off due to lockdown.

4.34 kWp Hybrid Roof Mounted
14 panels, 3.7 kW Hybrid Inverter, 4.5 kW battery
Optimum usage payback 7.9 years
€9800 before grant

Reasonable?

That was when we were both working in offices, now and into the future we will be working from home.

See post above from Tom. He also got water diverter and WiFi dongle for monitoring etc. for 7K after grant. There may have been a different grant system in place when you got your original quote. Sending pm so that you can get a comparison quotation.

garo

quazzy wrote: »

Hi all.
Been think about getting PV for a while but at present I might need to replace my gas boiler first.

Is there any consideration I should make while I'm getting boiler installed and then opting for PV setup afterwards.

It's going to be a straight boiler switch and maybe a new hot water cylinder in the hot press.

Thanks

Not really. Both are separate. If you replace the hot water cylinder get a large one - 300l if possible and get a 1-1.5kW immersion in it - preferably one that reaches close to the bottom. That way you'll be able to use your surplus electricity more effectively.

Also with the boiler, you could opt for better heating controls if you don't have them and possibly apply for an SEAI grant.

championc

For those with new installs, you can post your monthly outputs on this thread - https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2058050685

It's very useful, not only as a means of monitoring your own generation, but also validating your system against others of a similar size, to verify that your installation is performing as expected

Gazzler82

quazzy wrote: »

Hi all.
Been think about getting PV for a while but at present I might need to replace my gas boiler first.

Is there any consideration I should make while I'm getting boiler installed and then opting for PV setup afterwards.

It's going to be a straight boiler switch and maybe a new hot water cylinder in the hot press.



Thanks

I did same order. Was offered a combi boiler which would have qualified for the SEAI grant. Would have meant getting rid of the tank so said no as was planning on getting PV latter. Just got a condenser boiler instead. Wrong move on my part. No value for money on hot water diverter so didn’t get it. If I had know then what I know no would have got the combi for a couple extra hundred eur

quazzy

Gazzler82 wrote: »

I did same order. Was offered a combi boiler which would have qualified for the SEAI grant. Would have meant getting rid of the tank so said no as was planning on getting PV latter. Just got a condenser boiler instead. Wrong move on my part. No value for money on hot water diverter so didn’t get it. If I had know then what I know no would have got the combi for a couple extra hundred eur

Not sure I follow here.

Why would a condenser boiler with a hot water tank not be a good pairing with PV?

Can you explain?

Alkers

quazzy wrote: »

Not sure I follow here.

Why would a condenser boiler with a hot water tank not be a good pairing with PV?

Can you explain?

Because the combi boiler heats water on demand and gas is only 5c per kWh. The added cost of the diverter to get excess pv power to heat the water would buy you years and years of hot water at 5c per kWh

Geeyfds53573

Alkers wrote: »

Because the combi boiler heats water on demand and gas is only 5c per kWh. The added cost of the diverter to get excess pv power to heat the water would buy you years and years of hot water at 5c per kWh

Is there not a cost implication as a combi would be a lot more expensive and a tank also if needed

spose

It’s been said a lot that the diverter won’t pay back and I don’t agree. We use oil and do use a good bit of hot water particularly now with the house occupied all day. Have an Iboost in place for nearly 10 months and it’s put 1050kw in to the tank. At €250 for the iboost it’s probably about a 3-4 year pay back. That’s without any increase in carbon tax that’s likely coming.

MAULBROOK

vmware wrote: »

ok I got my 1st quote, and i know before any tells me this is off THE WALL !!! 100 % rip off


4.06 KW system

12 x G6 240 panels

1 Solis hybrid inverter
1 x Eddi hot water diverter
2 x 3.8 kw batteries


all in for €18000, no GRANT as house is built in 2011

FUXKING MENTAL, can you pm me who gave you that.

Alkers

Geeyfds53573 wrote: »

Is there not a cost implication as a combi would be a lot more expensive and a tank also if needed

You don't use a tank with a combi?

unkel

spose wrote: »

It’s been said a lot that the diverter won’t pay back and I don’t agree. We use oil and do use a good bit of hot water particularly now with the house occupied all day. Have an Iboost in place for nearly 10 months and it’s put 1050kw in to the tank. At €250 for the iboost it’s probably about a 3-4 year pay back. That’s without any increase in carbon tax that’s likely coming.

It's always been said (by me) that depends on your circumstances. At €250 you paid half what an install normally costs. That helps with the pay back

Also helps if you have an inefficient (old) gas / oil boiler, if you use a lot of water and if you have a large PV setup

A FIT, even a low one, would kill of any off the above benefits of having a diverter though, but this FIT might still be years away for some houses as you'd need a smart meter to measure export

Geeyfds53573

Alkers wrote: »

You don't use a tank with a combi?

If needed - but still the cost of replacing a heat only or system boiler with a combi would have to be factored in.

Geeyfds53573

unkel wrote: »

It's always been said (by me) that depends on your circumstances. At €250 you paid half what an install normally costs. That helps with the pay back

Also helps if you have an inefficient (old) gas / oil boiler, if you use a lot of water and if you have a large PV setup

A FIT, even a low one, would kill of any off the above benefits of having a diverter though, but this FIT might still be years away for some houses as you'd need a smart meter to measure export

Yep FIT would make diverter questionable

Actually just got a letter and booklet about the smart meters will be installed in the coming months at my address apparently (south Dublin)

End 2024 to be completed. Does that suggest FIT then! I heard a rumour (can’t name source) next June but that doesn’t seem realistic so 2025!!

graememk

unkel wrote: »

Also helps if you have an inefficient (old) gas / oil boiler, if you use a lot of water and if you have a large PV setup

Or normally heat water from solid fuel (turf) a hot water diverter is useful in the summer, when the fire might not be on as much

unkel

graememk wrote: »

Or normally heat water from solid fuel (turf)

:eek: do people still do that?

Superfoods

unkel wrote: »

:eek: do people still do that?

Use a solid fuel stove which will heat water? yes loads

graememk

unkel wrote: »

:eek: do people still do that?

& even get a big enough one and you can heat the whole house... Dont think my dad has used any oil in 2 yrs.

Bog is only 1-2 km away max. always wondered the carbon footprint of local turf, sun dried vs oil that has to be drilled, refined, shipped, and delivered.


Anyways getting off topic.

Have 16 350W panels, fixings and inverter etc land in the street today, for a steel roof. Ordered from solartricity through a local installer and I'm running the cables and doing most of the roof work. should be all done for about 4k +vat, No grant.

Winterman1234

unkel wrote: »

:eek: do people still do that?

Yes before this year we would have had a turf fire going every second evening throughout the summer to heat our water (2 adults,2 children, Donegal). Since getting PV this spring we have sent over 500KWh to the cylinder and only had to light the stove twice since the end of march. I know it may not be the most financially sound investment and could have just stuck the immersion on timer. But throughout the summer it has been great doing its thing and never having to think about it.

quazzy

HI guys,

Got my first quotes and just wanted to see how it compares - is it good / bad / average?

First quote had no battery option. Second one has a battery.

Quote without Battery:
3.1kWp of modules kitted to a 5.0kWp Inverter
10 x Bisol 310w Monocrystalline modules (All black modules)*
Bisol Mounting system on a tile roof
Santon Fire Safety Switch
Santon Switch Gear
Sofar 5.0kWp Inverter
Costing: €5900 (inclusive of VAT) + €500 (Hot Water Diverter) - €1800 (SEAI Grant) = €4600 Final cost after grant incentive

_____________________________________

Second Quote with Battery System (Alpha)

3.1kWp of modules kitted to 5.7kWh battery storage
10 x Bisol 310w Monocrystalline modules (All black modules)*
Bisol Mounting system on a tile roof
Santon Fire Safety Switch
Santon Switch Gear
Alpha 5 kWp Inverter kitted to 5.7kWh storage capacity

Costing: €8800 (inclusive of VAT) + €500 (Hot Water Diverter) - €3000 (SEAI Grant) = €6300 Final cost after grant incentive

---

tech

Where are you based, both seem ok

quazzy wrote: »

HI guys,

Got my first quotes and just wanted to see how it compares - is it good / bad / average?

First quote had no battery option. Second one has a battery.

Quote without Battery:
3.1kWp of modules kitted to a 5.0kWp Inverter
10 x Bisol 310w Monocrystalline modules (All black modules)*
Bisol Mounting system on a tile roof
Santon Fire Safety Switch
Santon Switch Gear
Sofar 5.0kWp Inverter
Costing: €5900 (inclusive of VAT) + €500 (Hot Water Diverter) - €1800 (SEAI Grant) = €4600 Final cost after grant incentive

_____________________________________

Second Quote with Battery System (Alpha)

3.1kWp of modules kitted to 5.7kWh battery storage
10 x Bisol 310w Monocrystalline modules (All black modules)*
Bisol Mounting system on a tile roof
Santon Fire Safety Switch
Santon Switch Gear
Alpha 5 kWp Inverter kitted to 5.7kWh storage capacity

Costing: €8800 (inclusive of VAT) + €500 (Hot Water Diverter) - €3000 (SEAI Grant) = €6300 Final cost after grant incentive

---

quazzy

Based in D15.

Geeyfds53573

quazzy wrote: »

HI guys,

Got my first quotes and just wanted to see how it compares - is it good / bad / average?

First quote had no battery option. Second one has a battery.

Quote without Battery:
3.1kWp of modules kitted to a 5.0kWp Inverter
10 x Bisol 310w Monocrystalline modules (All black modules)*
Bisol Mounting system on a tile roof
Santon Fire Safety Switch
Santon Switch Gear
Sofar 5.0kWp Inverter
Costing: €5900 (inclusive of VAT) + €500 (Hot Water Diverter) - €1800 (SEAI Grant) = €4600 Final cost after grant incentive

_____________________________________

Second Quote with Battery System (Alpha)

3.1kWp of modules kitted to 5.7kWh battery storage
10 x Bisol 310w Monocrystalline modules (All black modules)*
Bisol Mounting system on a tile roof
Santon Fire Safety Switch
Santon Switch Gear
Alpha 5 kWp Inverter kitted to 5.7kWh storage capacity

Costing: €8800 (inclusive of VAT) + €500 (Hot Water Diverter) - €3000 (SEAI Grant) = €6300 Final cost after grant incentive

---

Price is Ok
Diverter on a 3.1 would be a waste and inverter size is big unless you intend to expand but Alpha seems awesome and the future for it seems bright
If your in the west and have more room for panels then yes

Geeyfds53573

quazzy wrote: »

Based in D15.

rx8 pm quazzy details so

Geeyfds53573

Geeyfds53573 wrote: »

rx8 pm quazzy details so

Sent you a pm rx8 must be on hols

idc

First post every but have been reading this and other Solar related threads quite a bit

These are from 4 different companies, none from the pushy sales man type or those companies that will only talk to you if your wife is also present!
(only referencing main items - eg inverter/panels/battery/diverter/etc - not listing mounting/switches used etc)

Option 1 - 4.03kW Panels, 5.2kWh battery (similar to quazzy)
==========================================
13 x Bisol 310w Monocrystalline modules (All black modules)*
Alpha 5 kWp Inverter kitted to 5.7kWh storage capacity
Eddi (500 euro)

Costing: €10200 (inc VAT) - €3000 (SEAI Grant) = €7200
Backup system during power outage extra 1200 euro

Option 2 - 3.5kW Panels, 2.6kWh Battery
========================================
10 x Longi 350W Panel
3.6 kW Hybrid Inverter (Giv Energy)
2.6kWh Life P04 Battery
iBoost+ & Buddy

Costing: €11300 (inc VAT) - €3000 (SEAI Grant) = €8300

(5.2kWh Battery is extra 1000 euro)


Option 3 - 3.7kW Panels, 5.0kWh Battery
=======================================
10 x Trina 370W Panel
3.6 kW Hybrid Inverter (Giv Energy)
Sonnen eco 9.53 hybrid 5.0kWh & Sonnen Protect 2500
iBoost+ & Buddy

Costing: €12316 (inc VAT) - €3000 (SEAI Grant) = €9316


Option 4 - 3.7kW Panels, 4.8 kWh Battery
========================================
12 x Peimar SG310M 310W
Solis Hybrid Inverter
2 x Pylon tech US2000 2.4kWh Battery
My Energi Eddi Hot water diverter
Full EPS system (max load 2.5kW)

Costing: €12432 (inc VAT) - €3000 (SEAI Grant) = €9432

Option 5 - 3.7kW Panels, 5 kWh Battery
======================================
14 x Peimar SG310M 310W
Sonnen Hybrid Inverter
2 x Sonnen 2.5kWh Battery
My Energi Eddi Hot water diverter
Full EPS system (max load 2.5kW)

Costing: €14470 (inc VAT) - €3000 (SEAI Grant) = €11470

Nelbert

quazzy wrote: »

HI guys,

Got my first quotes and just wanted to see how it compares - is it good / bad / average?

First quote had no battery option. Second one has a battery.

Quote without Battery:
3.1kWp of modules kitted to a 5.0kWp Inverter
10 x Bisol 310w Monocrystalline modules (All black modules)*
Bisol Mounting system on a tile roof
Santon Fire Safety Switch
Santon Switch Gear
Sofar 5.0kWp Inverter
Costing: €5900 (inclusive of VAT) + €500 (Hot Water Diverter) - €1800 (SEAI Grant) = €4600 Final cost after grant incentive

_____________________________________

Second Quote with Battery System (Alpha)

3.1kWp of modules kitted to 5.7kWh battery storage
10 x Bisol 310w Monocrystalline modules (All black modules)*
Bisol Mounting system on a tile roof
Santon Fire Safety Switch
Santon Switch Gear
Alpha 5 kWp Inverter kitted to 5.7kWh storage capacity

Costing: €8800 (inclusive of VAT) + €500 (Hot Water Diverter) - €3000 (SEAI Grant) = €6300 Final cost after grant incentive

---

Could you PM me with details of where you got these quotes?

garo

idc wrote: »

First post every but have been reading this and other Solar related threads quite a bit

These are from 4 different companies, none from the pushy sales man type or those companies that will only talk to you if your wife is also present!
(only referencing main items - eg inverter/panels/battery/diverter/etc - not listing mounting/switches used etc)

Option 1 - 4.03kW Panels, 5.2kWh battery (similar to quazzy)
==========================================
13 x Bisol 310w Monocrystalline modules (All black modules)*
Alpha 5 kWp Inverter kitted to 5.7kWh storage capacity
Eddi (500 euro)

Costing: €10200 (inc VAT) - €3000 (SEAI Grant) = €7200
Backup system during power outage extra 1200 euro

Option 2 - 3.5kW Panels, 2.6kWh Battery
========================================
10 x Longi 350W Panel
3.6 kW Hybrid Inverter (Giv Energy)
2.6kWh Life P04 Battery
iBoost+ & Buddy

Costing: €11300 (inc VAT) - €3000 (SEAI Grant) = €8300

(5.2kWh Battery is extra 1000 euro)


Option 3 - 3.7kW Panels, 5.0kWh Battery
=======================================
10 x Trina 370W Panel
3.6 kW Hybrid Inverter (Giv Energy)
Sonnen eco 9.53 hybrid 5.0kWh & Sonnen Protect 2500
iBoost+ & Buddy

Costing: €12316 (inc VAT) - €3000 (SEAI Grant) = €9316


Option 4 - 3.7kW Panels, 4.8 kWh Battery
========================================
12 x Peimar SG310M 310W
Solis Hybrid Inverter
2 x Pylon tech US2000 2.4kWh Battery
My Energi Eddi Hot water diverter
Full EPS system (max load 2.5kW)

Costing: €12432 (inc VAT) - €3000 (SEAI Grant) = €9432

Option 5 - 3.7kW Panels, 5 kWh Battery
======================================
14 x Peimar SG310M 310W
Sonnen Hybrid Inverter
2 x Sonnen 2.5kWh Battery
My Energi Eddi Hot water diverter
Full EPS system (max load 2.5kW)

Costing: €14470 (inc VAT) - €3000 (SEAI Grant) = €11470

None of these quotes is outstanding. You should be able to get better ones. As a comparison I got a 4.8kWp system with 2.4kWh batteries a year ago for 6700 after grant and prices have come down since. You should be looking for more panels and quotes under 7k with a smaller battery plus diverter.

tech

HI Garo, where are you based? thats a great price on your system

how many panels have you got?

idc

garo wrote: »

None of these quotes is outstanding. You should be able to get better ones. As a comparison I got a 4.8kWp system with 2.4kWh batteries a year ago for 6700 after grant and prices have come down since. You should be looking for more panels and quotes under 7k with a smaller battery plus diverter.

Thanks garo, I would go for more panels if I could fit more! that's as many fit on southeast roof and southwest roof. the southwest roof is only single story with a fair bit of shade depending on the time of year so 8 panels will be on southeast and 5 on southwest

If you can pm your supplier will check them out.

garo

tech wrote: »

HI Garo, where are you based? thats a great price on your system

how many panels have you got?

Don't think it is a great price any more. Others have since got better systems for less. I have 16 300W panels. Based in Dublin.

rx8

Geeyfds53573 wrote: »

Sent you a pm rx8 must be on hols

Thanks, too busy organising my new motor...

Pm sent to Nelbert and idc now.

championc

rx8 wrote: »

Thanks, too busy organising my new motor...

An EV I assume, which one ?

rx8

championc wrote: »

An EV I assume, which one ?

VW ID3. See attached picture.

irishchris

rx8 wrote: »

VW ID3. See attached picture.

Nice car!

Geeyfds53573

rx8 wrote: »

VW ID3. See attached picture.

Going off topic but
Beauty is that the top of the range model?

KCross

Geeyfds53573 wrote: »

Going off topic but
Beauty is that the top of the range model?

From the outside they all look the same except for the alloys.

That particular one is the top of the range one based on the alloys.

championc

rx8 wrote: »

VW ID3. See attached picture.

It's too much of a spaceship for my liking - but choices in the saloon / hatch sector are quite limited. Enjoy.