Is This a Good Solar Panel Quote? Seeking Expert Opinions! ☀️

Hi and welcome!  
 

That sounds like a good deal to me.

I assume they’re to be rooftop panels, onto concrete tiles rather than slate? Just check the precise details of that, any scaffolding required etc., and whether they can provide the address of one or two (local) satisfied customers. 

Do any other similar roofs near you have panels? Perhaps in your road or street?

Does the installation make provision for automatically providing your house with power in the (admittedly rare) event of the grid going down, and if so for which circuits? I’m guessing it probably does, but go through the logistics of where all the (rather substantial) kit and switches and extra fuse gear and metering etc. is to be located.  Key circuits might be, for example, stair and landing lighting (if you are not a single storey household), Combi boiler and thermostat, kitchen and ‘fridge, living room and bathroom would be a good minimum. Probably not all your circuits - if so, just remember not to run the electric shower or the oven in a power cut!
 

As well as a generation meter (how much your panels and inverter produce), make sure the system will easily display an export figure (how many rooftop kWh are surplus to your house’s requirements and so are exported back to the grid). Your very respectably sized battery will help to keep this to a minimum. 
 

Lastly, they will of course be MCS registered by the sound of things, and “full” installation includes all the necessary installation and circuitry paperwork and approvals.
 

And, as well as obtaining at least one more quote elsewhere, you could always check with OVO as well whether they think their installers can install similar for a lower price, but it doesn’t sound unreasonable, to me at any rate! But of course 7 thousand or so would be even better! Every job is different, though.

all the best, let us know how you get on and what you decide, as we all learn from each other’s experiences….

​@ravi342883 

It might sound silly but an important question is why are you doing this? If you are doing this to go green without expecting the system to pay back then ​@waltyboy has given you a good answer already and as he has said, cheaper is probably better.

If, however, you are expecting the system to pay itself back over a period of time then you should be asking the installer to give you an estimate of that payback time based on how much and when you use your electricity. If you end up generating more power than you can use then you can sell the excess back to the grid as SEG = Smart Export Guarantee. The level of SEG you can get depends on who installed the panels and who buys the electricity. As an example if you get OVO to install the system I believe you can get 20p / kWh compared with the average rate of 5p. That will significantly reduce the payback time. Just something worth considering before you push the button.

Peter

Hey ​@ravi342883,

Welcome to the community ☀

Some of our members have already visited and provided helpful advice. This is a great platform for asking questions and getting feedback, so don't hesitate to ask if you have any further questions. 

Please keep us updated on your journey as it’s really helpful to those in a similar situation.

​@BPLightlog has also documented their experiences in a blog that you might find helpful -

• A Solar Sojourn - a user’s tale about getting solar panels fitted to my home Blog

I hope this helps 😃

Hey ​@ravi342883 

Did you go ahead with this install?  Your quote is identical to one I’ve just had from Project Solar so I’m assuming it was from them too.  I’m just wondering how it went.

Dougie

I've recently had similar installed (slightly smaller battery) and quote is not wildly different 

Think about whether you want a diverter to switch excess electricity to an immersion heater for hot water before it goes out to the grid - only in the darkest months have I had to use the boiler for hot water - mine's set to recharge the battery 1st then when that's full it feeds the immersion then excess goes out to the grid

Also ask about bird protection to prevent birds nesting between the panels and your roof - that bit felt really expensive for what you see but worth it!

Hey ​@Dougie1962 

Welcome to the Forum! 

AliM199 has left some great advice here I hope it was helpful. It’s not the first time I’ve seen users mention the bird protection too! 

​@ravi342883 did you go ahead with your quoted installation?

Do both let us know if you go ahead with the installation and how things go.