Domestic Solar PV Quotes 2022 - No PM requests - See Mod note post #1

OK, so here we go, this is very much non standard, so I'll start from the incoming supply, and see where this goes.

Incoming supply is 3 phase, with a day / night meter, at present not upgraded to smart meter. Meter, and other controls are in the garage, so readily accessible for any changes.

Next item in the chain is a large standby diesel generator that goes back to the days when there was a computer in the garage that had to be able to run if ESB went walkabout, which a while back was not unknown, as it's paid for, and runs on green diesel, it was retained when the computer went.

Generator is 30 Kva 3 phase, fully automatic with a Deep Sea control panel that also deals with the changeover contactors, it's auto start on mains fail, and then shuts down a short time after ESB returns.

Not currently in use, but connected to the house only is a 16Kva UPS, needs 3 phase input, but is single phase output, it was got for the right price a few years back, but the crash meant it never got fully commisioned, it used to run a server with appropriate size (large) batteries, but they got recycled a number of years ago. It was originally designed for much smaller (alarm size) batteries, but they had 150Ah batteries on it, due to the extended run time requirements for the server it was in use for. The UPS is also in the garage, so easy access to it and related wiring.

House is dormer bungalow, 70 Ft length roof, approx 20 Ft from eaves to ridge, flat concrete tile roof, it has a chimney in the middle, and 11 small velux windows, but there's a lot of space for solar panels, and I am thinking along the lines of possibly electric and water panels, as there's enough space for them. Orientation is SSE, and full sun for long periods with no significant shading issues, and that's the back of the house.

Heating is at present kerosene fired traditional boiler with steel radiator heating, and a non standard external heat exchanger on the water tank for the hot water. I don't have an accurate usage for this year, as we had to move the tank, and there have been other issues, so my records are a bit messed up for the last while, my guesstimate for this heating season is that we've used about 1200 litres, but that's a bit light because of the trips away.

Original construction is brick external solid block internal wallcavity walls, cavities were polystyrene insulation (1990 standard) but they've been filled in recent times with SEAI approved fill.

Roof was foam sealed in 2021, throughout, and we've noticed a massive improvement as a result, the draughts have gone, and there's a significant improvement in the heat retention, the fibreglass in the roof was dire, despite a lot being done after we moved in and discovered just how bad a job the builder had done, and there were ongoing issues with massive air draughts until the roof was foamed.

Windows are 1990 standard double glazed, which are not bad, but we had one window replaced, and new glazing fitted in the aluminium patio door, and that's made a difference, so the remaining windows and doors need to be upgraded to improve the heat retention.

Cooking is gas hob, electric oven. All lighting has been upgraded to LED, with the exception of 1 office space and the garage that are still flourescent tubes, but they're due for upgrade this coming summer. There is a twin element immersion heater, but it's not used unless there is an outage, we've tended to use the oil boiler for hot water in the summer months, it keeps the boiler running, and used to be cheaper than electric costs. That may be about to change, but for now, we're still using oil. The storage cylinder is recent with a spray foam jacket on it.

Annual electric usage per 2 months is around 450 Kwh in summer months, and around 680 per 2 months in winter, though due to trips to UK for family issues over the last 12 months, the figures are a bit distorted.

Current BER (2020) is C1, but that does not reflect the changes as a result of the foam in the roof, and the window and patio door upgrade, which have made a difference. It was done with a view to installing an air to water heat pump, but with the result we got, we decided that it was not an appropriate upgrade at that time.

So, given the push to make yet more changes, and the recent astronomic increases in energy costs, what's the best options with Solar. The UPS I have here is capable of running the entire house, and the generator is also well capable of covering any outages, so it's a question of what the best options may be for solar to help reduce our costs, and what the right direction would be with the UPS, do I keep the one that's here, given the capacity of the thing, or do I sell it on and get a smaller unit that could also be then allowed to benefit from feed in to the network, given I have 3 phase to play with.

Underfloor heating on the ground floor is not an option, as the entire floor is tiled, and ripping that out to put in pipes is not an option. It's concrete, and some insulation was put in during original construction.

The UPS is in the garage, and as it's already wired, replacing it with a smaller unit would be simple enough, and as it's in the garage, any wiring changes would be simple enough.

I'm not convinced that we will get best value for money by going for a SEAI scheme, in that there are a number of very much non standard things here that could confuse the issue, and finding a contractor that understands what's here may not be straight forward, as it's not a normal domestic environment.

So, any suggestions on the best path forward, and suitable contractors who might understand what's already on site.

Thanks