Domestic Solar PV Quotes 2020

bullit_dodger · 08-09-2021 1:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117862862#Comment_117862862

That looks like a pretty good deal. You may get cheaper - but if so, it would be very marginal and you may be going with "John Wayne" installers ie. cowboys :-)

Very dependent on your usage profile (how many units per day, when in the day you use stuff), and many have different views here, but I'd probably go for a bigger battery if you can afford it. Feed-in-tarrifs are somewhat of a running joke I think, and the bigger battery storage will pay for itself in 7-10 years - but even the one you have is pretty good for 90% of households.

idc · 08-09-2021 1:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117862862#Comment_117862862

Paid similar price for 4.65 kWp, 5kW inverter, 5.7kWh battery and eddie when i bought my system from company in Galway. Doing the grant that way means the onus is entirely on them to do it right and get it sorted.

With the extra panels just be aware if the kitchenette is a different orientation to where all the panels are fitted you may need to fit optimizers on all panels on 1 string plus these two extra panels. even if you have the 14 panels one 1 string, 2 panels may not enough for a string to operate.

championc · 08-09-2021 2:05pm

And one panel with as much as a tennis ball of shading on it, if connected to a main string, will kill the output of that entire string.

Always consider the full 12 months picture rather than just the 3 or 4 months of summer.

The Dr knows only too well what happens in Nov to Feb with a bit of shading on his garage roof

poker--addict · 08-09-2021 2:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117863374#Comment_117863374

Not to drift too far off the topic of quotes, but why does output collapse with some shading on just one small area?

poker--addict · 08-09-2021 2:32pm

what would be the difference in inverters, for example "entry level Solis Hybrid Inverter" and "Premium Solax Hybrid Inverter"

AndyBoBandy · 08-09-2021 2:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117863542#Comment_117863542

This is a very good video which explains how a string works vs a string with optimisers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkszib57M0g

Bobeagleburger · 08-09-2021 3:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117862862#Comment_117862862

The grant can take up to 6 weeks, and more if you're pulled for inspection.

Get the extra panels, but don't pay more. Imo, you're still be paying at least a grand over.

garo · 08-09-2021 3:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117863577#Comment_117863577

I don't think the Premium for Solax or Huawei or Sonne inverters is worth it. The Chionese made inverters are pretty good and much cheaper. The things I would look for when choosing an inverter are:

Max DC Output

Max AC input per string

Input voltage and current ranges

Monitoring support - Does the inverter company have a web/app based monitoring solution? Could I send the data to my own server if I wanted?

Efficiency curve

bullit_dodger · 08-09-2021 3:34pm

Get the extra panels, but don't pay more. Imo, you're still be paying at least a grand over.

You think? Ballpark €1k per 1kwp would be €4700, then add on inverter, 5kwhr battery and eddi. You reckon you could get that for €1800 to get a final price of €6500? Don't see it myself. Sure you might get slightly cheaper than €7500 but a grand is a stretch I'd say.

AndyBoBandy · 08-09-2021 3:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117863882#Comment_117863882

I could very well be paying over the odds still, but its by a country mile the best quote received so far, and the outfit in question have received some fairly good endorsements on Boards of late, and as sales reps go, the guy was a lot nicer than the guy that was out with me the previous week.

The fact they are giving me the SEAI grant discount at the front end tells me that the work will be done to the required standard, as otherwise they won't get fully paid.

I'd say I'm going to go with them.

garo · 08-09-2021 3:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117864000#Comment_117864000

I don't think it is a bad quote. You could save a 1000 by maybe going with a smaller battery (i.e. swithcing to a Pylontech). But if you are happy go for it. Ask them if they can throw in the extra panels for free (though I would take them if they fit even if I have to pay). For reference, when I got my system two years ago: 4.8kWp I paid the same but the grant was 800 more then.

Bobeagleburger · 08-09-2021 4:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117863994#Comment_117863994

The €1k per 1kwp seems way too high. Boards is the only place I heard that calculation. Panels are cheap and the installation is quick.

You can quickly price all components online and see how much the installers are taking for themselves. Then figure out how good the value is.

Some of the quotes on here are scandalous and installers are walking away with multiple of thousands profit for a days work. Crazy stuff.

garo · 08-09-2021 4:37pm

I think the €1k per 1kwp is with a small battery and the full €3k grant. So a 5kWp system with a 2.4 kWh pylontech should come in at 5k after grant.

THE ALM · 08-09-2021 4:39pm

Have been getting quotes and looking at the DIY route myself and, realistically, the difference in price for me buying all the components and the best quote we got was approx. an extra €600 fitted. I had inquired about panels at a very good price which would have made a difference but these were sold out and would have pushed the difference to about €1200.

Now the company are going to get the €3000 grant and will obviously be buying at better prices than I will manage but the €600 difference will be worth it to get the system installed by expects doing it daily and will be done in a fraction of the time it would take me to do it and I will also have the extra cost of an electrician connecting everything up.

The €3000 grant I wouldn't see anyway if going DIY so it rules this money out but the installers are certainly getting well paid for a day or two's work with the grant and there buying prices.

The DIY route really doesn't make sense for us when I take the hassle and getting time to do into the equation unless I managed to get much better prices for buying the materials and the prices for everything at the minute only seems to be going up with lead times hard to call for a lot if things.

EDIT: Actually looking at prices again and it would cost me more to buy the components than to get it installed

bullit_dodger · 08-09-2021 4:39pm

True - the ballpark quote of €1k/1Kwp I mentioned was taken from Boards - but it's useful to have "some" ballpark to guide people off, and 1000 is a nice round number :-)

Your 100% right of course, you can buy a 350watt panel for ~€150 (midsummer.ie/buy/qcell-solar) , so 1kwp sourcing yourself is about €500. Then you have the cost in installing rails and getting people out onto your roof. Is that €500 for three panels? Yeah.....it's probably not. Still, you'd expect them to able to make some profit and I think €1k/1Kwp is probably not "excessive", so I'd argue not a bad estimation.

The collary of course is if it's way more than €1k/1Kwp then they are taking the micky :-)

championc · 08-09-2021 6:53pm

If I was starting again,I would probably get SaaS, buy it out, and then do a DIY an upgrade / expansion.

However, I am comfortable jumping up on my own roof

poker--addict · 08-09-2021 7:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117864909#Comment_117864909

would any of the providers add panels onto a smaller system at a good rate? I wont be going near my roof! I guess most are not interested unless they are pocketing a large chunk of the grant?

bullit_dodger · 08-09-2021 8:07pm

Actually there's a thought - and I've not looked (or needed), but what's the landscape out there like for people adding on to existing installations?

I'd imagine that you can be a little more "lax" when your paying for it yourself and not subjected to the rigors of needing to have things as exact to get the grant application passed. Not that I'm suggesting a free for all, but I'm sure we all have spaces where we could have "squeezed" in another panel :) LOL

has anyone gone through that process (other than self-install)

poker--addict · 08-09-2021 8:13pm

has anyone sourced the components and a reputable installer separately and found it the cheapest way to go (by an amount sufficient to warrant the hassle)?

Bobeagleburger · 08-09-2021 8:29pm

Load as many panels on to the roof when the installers are there is probably not bad advice! The difference in total price of adding a few extra panels is minimal.

poker--addict · 08-09-2021 8:45pm

20 PANELS 340WATT 6.8 KW. JA SOLAR.

6KW SOLIS HYBRID INVERTER

5 KW PURE DRIVE BATTERY.

WIFI DONGLE.

PRICE 11500 EUROS INC.VAT.

Latest, without grant.

Sort of wondering if i should just take the cheapest smallest batteries, seems like their price has to plummet given the EV space performance with much larger batteries.

championc · 08-09-2021 8:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117865167#Comment_117865167

That's absolutely the point. The it's will be dotted and the t's crossed with a SaaS install.

The most important thing with any install is that the starting point is in a corner, rather than symmetrically in the middle, if you have any notions of adding extra panels later.

Personally, I cannot see the same panels being on my roof in 5 years time. So people talking about 25 years guarantees on panels .......

And also, people seem to have forgotten the fact that the life expectancy of inverters is really only about 10 years.

Bobeagleburger · 08-09-2021 9:06pm

I'd hope to get more than 5 years from panels

tnegun · 08-09-2021 9:53pm

Could someone DM me some recommended installers? I'm in Kildare if it makes any difference. I spoke to one today who told me electric bill would reduce 80-90% without even knowing the orientation or size of my roof! It was pure sales speel so alarm bells rang for me and I also realised I don't know enough about solar to make an educated decision!