For many years we’ve thought about adding solar to our house, but due to the high investment cost we’ve always put it off. Previously there was always something else that was a higher priority that needed to be done first.
By the spring of 2022 we had got our house to a point where the higher priority projects had mainly been completed. Solar technology had also improved to an extent where I felt it was viable option for our limited roof space. The largest improvement over the last ten years was that solar technology had increased power output from circa 150-200W per panel to over 400W per panel. That meant more generation would possible per square meter of roof space. For someone with limited roof space I wanted to make sure we made every inch count.
Why are we going with solar?
The most obvious reason would be due to the recent huge increase in energy prices. I can’t say it’s not made a difference as high energy prices makes solar more enticing. One our main reasons was that we want to become more self sufficient. I love the idea want we could produce our own energy, and become less reliant on the national grid whilst also helping the move to green technology.
Our roof is nearly perfect for solar as it faces south (actually very slightly to the south west) and has an angle of slope of 30 degrees. In a way its so perfect that it would be a waste if it wasn’t used for solar!
One day in passing I mentioned to our neighbour we were thinking of installing solar. To my surprise they were interested in installing solar too. In a way it made sense if we were to install similar solar installations. It would definitely help the appearance as we have a joint roof being a semi detached house.
Gathering quotes
I found trying to find good, reputable and trustworthy companies quite hard. There are some many companies out there that it felt it was quite difficult selecting which companies to contact to gain quotes. I found many companies had good and bad reviews which really didn’t help.
Many will say it’s best to get at least three quotes and never to go with the first quote you get as soon as you get it. I felt this was important as solar feels like a minefield. The recent increase in demand due to the energy crisis meant costs were sadly rising. It also means there are many more companies offering solar, and some are definitely trying to take advantage of the current high demand.
Our first solar quote was many years ago in 2014. Back then we were quoted £3,700 for 12 off 120W solar panels which would have created a 1.44kW system. It just shows how much solar technology has moved forward. Back then 120W panels were 12.8% efficient, now 410W panels are available which are 21% efficient. That’s a huge step forward in just 8 years as it would nearly triple the estimated annual solar generation from the same roof footprint.
Company 1: £8810
8 off 450W solar panels, 3.6kW hybrid inverter & 5.12kWh LFP battery.
Company 2: £6510
10 off 395W solar panels & 3.6kW inverter
Extras: 5kWh battery £3,464, pigeon proofing £650
Company 3: £6995
9 off 395W solar panels & 3.6kW inverter
Extras: 10kW battery £6,000, pigeon proofing £490
Our Solar
Company 1 had given us the best priced quote considering it was a solar and battery system, but when they visited to quote I had an uneasy feeling as their sales person had little knowledge of solar and it felt like a hard sell trying to get us to sign up there and then. I had concerns regarding delivery by Company 2 as it felt it could take a while to do based upon all other work they were taking on in the area.
In the end we went with company 3, Environmental Energies Ltd who are based in Market Harborough. Whilst they weren’t the cheapest of the quotes we obtained we felt they were the most knowledgeable of all of the companies we talked to. I liked that they knew what they were talking about.
Another key point was my neighbour wanted to use them as they were a ‘Which’ recommended company. That suited me as I’d rather pay a bit extra for a qualified and MCS certified installer. We were also able to secure a £250 discount each based upon a combined delivered of our two homes.
Designed layout
Our roof is quite a limiting size. There is sadly a soil vent pipe on the south facing which limits the available space. Environmental Energies came up with a 3 by 3 landscape grid layout of 410W solar panels. This created a 3.69kWp system, which is the limit of the DNO approval without G99 approval.
This layout feels like it makes the most of the available space. It got as many panels as possible within the limited space. I’m not a fan of solar installs where there are both horizontal and vertical oriented panels with steps or ‘corners’ missing. Not that I look at my roof that often (who really does look at their roof?), but I like to know that it's neat and symmetrical with clean lines as all of our solar panels are in the same orientation.
Cost breakdown
We ended up adding extras such as pigeon proofing at a cost of £490 and upgrading to a hybrid inverter at a cost of £500. Our overall install cost after the dual delivery discount was applied was £7,735.
Why a Hybrid Inverter?
It seems strange upgrading to a Hybrid Inverter when we didn’t specify and install a battery at the same time. Our decision to upgrade was based upon the fact we aren’t against installing a battery in the future, but it didn’t feel right at the time of install to spend an additional £6,000 on a 10kWh battery which we were unsure about. Although, I felt like we needed to ensure we could easily install one in the future should we wish to.
The main reason for installing a hybrid inverter now was that it would currently only cost an extra £500 to do so. Should we wish to install a battery in the future we would need to replace the standard inverter that would have cost us around £800. It would have been replaced with a £1300 hybrid inverter. We would effectively be throwing away a perfectly good standard inverter away, along with £800.
The other fact was I like data. I love to look at data to see how things are performing and understand how we can make changes to the way we do things. A Hybrid inverter would give us much more data, such as solar generation, exported energy, imported energy and self use figures, which a standard inverter wouldn’t. I felt that information alone was worth paying extra £500 for, even if we don’t install a battery in the future.
Installation
The installation was quite straight forward. Scaffolding was installed the day before, and the solar panels were installed the next day. The hybrid inverter and other electrical components were installed in our garage the same day as the solar panels.
It was all up and working, on both our house and our neighbours by 3pm on the install day. The bird guards were added a few days later before the scaffolding came down. In all it was a very neat and easy install. It was generating solar energy the very next morning.
Our roof with solar panels fitted (note our neighbours identical install)
The inverter and second distribution board were installed around our existing electricity meter/distribution board box.
In all, we are happy with the installation. From the time of accepting the quote through to install was two months. That was good considering how busy Environmental Energies are.