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

Got a few quotes, hoping for some input. I'll start with the best so far:

6.4kWp, 16 x 400W panels, 5kW inverter & a 10.1kWh battery. Eddi is an extra 650 Euro, and no BER assessment. total after grant: 11,650. Seems to be the best, as they include a battery, they also offer extended warranty on the inverter from 5 to 10 years for 350 quid which I'd take for peace of mind. It's described as an ''Alpha'' so I need to look up to see how reliable they are.

This same company also offers a 'change over switch' for 1,000 Euro to allow battery to power the house in event of a power cut, is that worth it?

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2nd quote, 18 x 430W panels, 7.74kWp, 5kW Huawei inverter & 3.68kW eco smart diverter - 9,900 Euro. This includes a BER and is price after the grant. I believe the inverter in this quote is a hybrid to tack on a battery down the line. Consumption annually is just over the national average. thanks for any advice.

Using the davidhunt.ie/solar tool it's told me option 1 is excellent, option 2 isn't too bad and worth taking. Both are from companies local to me, still have 3 - 4 quotes more to get before I make any decisions, but just looking for ye're thoughts! sound

Have Alpha system myself and very happy, also have the changeover switch (in urban north dublin and since we had system installed we have had 2-3 powercuts a year - it may be a big expense but its handy when it you do have a powercut). One issue with Huawei quote is find out how much 5 or 10kWh battery is if you did decide to add it later. I'm pretty sure iits more expensive than most of other batteries

One other point is the Alpha and Huawei are very much integrated systems - in that battery/inverter are part of the same system. So not possible to just add on DIY or other brand batteries (without adding another inverter for the battery)

Thank you! I still have more quotes to get, but said I'd start locally and I'm impressed with the options so far, good tip RE the systems being integrated, something to consider.

Do you think a battery is worth it, I'm on the fence now as people are saying you're better getting on a good tariff and exporting the excess. I guess it's purely preference?

It’s definitely solar Pv

I'm 3.5km from Dublin city and we just don't get them. Was a 1hour unexpected one 2 weeks ago for 75mins. That's longest I recall in years. I've been WFH for 3.5 years and I don't recall not being able to work for any length of time. So very much depends on where you live. For us, we'd never get the cost of it back. I know rural areas have much worse stability.

If I was to spend another grand, it would be on more panels - fullstop

I was looking into smile5 reviews, i saw someone commented “charge management has a fault where its limit the PV charging during the specified grid charging period used for load shifting. This issue means this is not possible to set and forget configuration that caters for both sunny days requiring no load shifting, and dull days that do require load shifting. I estimate the problem reduces the system overall efficiency by some 15%”

anyone using smile5 can confirm ?

Yes this is a weird issue as when its still in grid charging time period and its already reached the threshold you've set then it won't charge the battery any higher even if its coming from solar. If your on a day/nigh meter your not going to lose much - when the night period ends at 8am and its winter its not going to be an issue. This time year yes but for example today I fed 0.12kWh to the grid this morning.

But bigger issue is your statemenrt "This issue means this is not possible to set and forget configuration that caters for both sunny days requiring no load shifting"

to be honest at this time of year one day you might generate 2.7kWh because its raining dark clouds all day and then next you generate 25kWh. How do you set load shifting to account for that. for the 2.7kWh maybe you'd need 100% battery but then next day default 11% is fine. Some people automate this based on solar/weather forecasting. At the moment I just set it to 50 (and as i approach winter will increase that percentage) , if i have bad day will cover most of the day. once i move off deemed FIT that may all change and just charge to 100 on cheapest night rate and export as much as possible.

I'm no expert but a hybrid is your best bet if you want to add battery storage down the line, or even add more panels to your roof, I think the hybrid inverters can handle more power. If you think you won't do either of those, then stick to a string. Can't really help on price points, except tell you to do what I'm doing and get as many quotes as possible and weigh the pros and cons of each

Anything know about the systems the energia installers use? The panels are 550w each.

We put inverter and battery in eaves and when the were screwing on the fire board they did cause some cracks in converted attic wall where the plasterboard screws were . It didn’t bother me as we were getting the whole place redone anyway

Some people may not need a BER because they got one recently anyway. Then I would hope/presume the price to update it is minimal.

No matter how recently you got the BER you need another one post works if you want the grant.

Ha, ha ,ha. I love your naïveté

Anyone getting a BER should always request the full “dwelling report” from the assessor. That way you can plug the numbers into the DEAP (same tool the assessor uses) and figure out yourself what impact any changes will have on your home.

At this point I’ve lost all faith in the BER system. I didn’t get the PV grant cos I was going to get ripped off; so did them myself.

They changed the system so that the homeowner now has to take full responsibility and risk for applying and processing grant applications; no risk to the contractor as they must be paid in full in advance. If they do a shoddy job; it’s the homeowner that’s out of pocket.

I was close to starting an external insulation project; but Im now taking a totally different approach; I’m going to spend smaller chunks of cash on much more targeted projects; with no regard for BER; and my house will be lovely and well insulated and airtight. Couldn’t care less what the BER is.

Im about to pull the trigger on a PV system but im wondering is this a wise decision with the budget coming up. Would I be better to hold off a few weeks to see if there are any pv packages announced?