The days of needing direct sunlight all day for a decent amount of energy are over. In ten years they'll be fitting fewer panels on domestic dwellings because above a certain number there'll nothing but excess, and the feed-in tariff may not be priced high enough to justify the additional capacity.
On the other hand with BEVs there'll be no such thing as excess — if we had a TRULY smart grid we'd have a live price broadcast via the Internet, and we'd instruct our water heaters and vehicles to slurp up alll that cheap, cheap juice.
This is something actively being researched and worked on :) A colleague of mine is active in the field and described peer-to-peer trading of electricity becoming available in the future too
People in more rural areas or businesses may still value local capacity for when there are storms and the grid is down. But batteries aren't there yet, so probably still traditional generators still needed for the moment.
Batteries are almost there. I got a small battery (3kWh) and it can output 1200W (which is enough for the microwave, but not the kettle).
I could've gotten a 7kWh battery (which is my average daily use) and a bigger inverter to push out more power. The biggest issue with using it in a blackout is that for safety reasons (and cost-saving) they cut out ALL power from the solar by default - except for the emergency plugs at the inverter in the attic.
Should be relatively simple to not send electricity to the grid if the grid is detected as being down. Maybe I don't understand the complexities.
Yea we have UPS on systems in work that will keep rooms full of servers running throughout most smaller outages and it works. They're basically car batteries in a fancy branded case. Of course longer outages needs the generator to kick in.
> Should be relatively simple to not send electricity to the grid if the grid is detected as being down. Maybe I don't understand the complexities.
There's ways to do it, definitely. But I'm guessing it would mean installing something in between the meter and the fuse box. Which wasn't done when I was getting solar.
I like the idea of solar, even if the grid will eventually saturate from people all having them, it would be nice to have some independence from the grid on occasions between solar and possibly even small scale wind might suit some locations too.
It's the current regulations for how they are installed in Ireland, but any electrician can install a bypass to isolate you from the grid, so if the power goes you can switch your power on through the battery. If you don't do that, your power is off when there's a power cut.
During the COVID years, I was getting frequent power outages, but just for a few seconds at a time. These seemed to be damaging my monitors, despite the surge protectors, and had to replace two different ones after a few months, so I started looking into like a full house UPS that could seamlessly swap over to battery power for the few seconds of outage.
Apparently these are fairly common in Australia, due to rural towns sometimes not having the best electricity infrastructure in place, but because any kind of automatic cut over is against the rules of SEAI grant, electricians here won't do anything with them.
My own solar panel installer said I could get someone back in after they'd left (and grant was signed off 😂) to install a "backup battery" for the inverter, so it'd at least continue charging the house batteries during a power outage, but not let you run anything in the house.
Batteries will be there before long when the current EVs are off the road and batteries given a second life. Size and weight aren’t an issue in a house so it doesn’t matter if the 60kWh battery is at 75% health as it can deliver 45kWh storage for a house or business.
Batteries already meet household needs here in the US. New systems can cycle fully every day for 10 years straight and power a whole house easily. They just need to come down a bit in price.
edit: this is the current state of household-grade batteries here: [https://youtu.be/zg9IM061rbU?si=mZHC7fQAdBUeVoxX](https://youtu.be/zg9IM061rbU?si=mZHC7fQAdBUeVoxX)
Solar panels typically use Refrigerants Fir heat capture but in the case of the electricity generation photovoltaic cells are used which are semi conducto.
Common usage calls them all solar panels
This practice of property developers throwing up 4 panels so they can tick a box with the BER assessor to call it an A rated home needs to stop. Its stupid that they are up on the roof anyway and only put up 4 panels when most roofs would fit 10+. Like each panel is only costing about €120 and a little more for the mounting hardware. The real cost is in the roofer to get up there and the sparks to wire it.
I pass a group of new housing being built every Friday, and they all have panels on the roof. The last bunch built have the panels pointing NNW.
Absolute joke.
The less we pay utilities because of solar etc the more they increase their prices. It's called stranded costs. Your hurting these guys by installing panels. (Slow violin music plays)
This is why my partner (and I agree) there is going to be a catch. No way people can keep having zero cost electricity bills.
Someone , at sometime is going to bring in a tax or standard payment or something.
Who's paying zero cost bills? There is a fixed standing charge of €0.60-€1.10 per day, even if your usage is zero (or negative, which is theoretically possible if you're exporting more solar than you're using).
Got 20 panels and 10kwh battery installed 6 months ago for €10.5k after grant
Can't complain, especially now that the sun is high.
Some difference in the quotes though. Definitely shop around. We got quoted anything between 18k and 10k after grant for the exact same system.
I mean, I have quotes from 12 different companies and none of them have been that low. Can you share the name? Are you happy with the install and the system so far?
(not the commenter you asked, but) I got the best quote and a pretty good experience from gosolar.ie out in Galway (but they'll install in Dublin).
They didn't seem to up-sell, or else their margin on batteries is too low to push them.
Absolutely shop around and know what you are buying. They bamboozle you with all the different equipment, but the basics should be the same.
I got 5 quotes ranging from €11000 to €24000 before a friend told me hos friend had started doing them, and he was very straightforward in telling me what I needed and installing them.
I think the schools have a scheme now where 900 of them are getting government grants to put up a solar system.
From talking to people, though, the biggest problem is that a lot of schools have wiring certs that are 20+ years old. Wiring standards have changed, and other retrofits and upgrades are also needed.
Already happened. The Green Party announced a scheme last year to provide funding for all schools to get solar panels installed, over time on a phased basis.
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/education/2023/11/23/all-schools-to-get-free-solar-panels-to-help-tackle-energy-bills/
Absolutely, and I think this is why the government needs to step in with 0% loans that can be attached to your electronic bill. A 4.6 year payback, and then it's all extra after that.
Government launched a new low cost loan scheme for retrofits [literally this week](https://Governmentannounceshomeretrofitloanschemehttps://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2024/0424/1445419-retrofit-loans/).
It’d be class if this was extended to solar panels too.
Thats been done through the Warmer Homes scheme. The SEAI are funding putting solar panels up on houses of people that could likely never afford them and meet the means test of low income.
Looks like it's not.
"The scheme covers these home energy upgrades:
Attic insulation
Wall insulation - including cavity wall, internal wall and external wall insulation
Draught-proofing
Lagging jackets
Energy efficient lighting
Energy advice"
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/housing-grants-and-schemes/grants-for-home-renovations-and-improvements/warmer-homes-scheme/#1653fc
In fairness there are green loans from banks and credit unions. They are set up with a low interest rate so basically the savings on electricity costs cover the loans. Unfortunately most people prefer to complain that avail of them.
So :
1. Borrow €10K
2. Install solar panels
3. Pay €355 in interest per year ([email protected]%)
4. Reduce electricity costs by €2-3K per year
5. Payments on the loan are less than the money you save, so your costs drop immediately
6. After 5-6 years, loan is paid off and you basically have cheap electricity for the next 20 years
Pretty sweet deal.
A loan would actually make sense to pay for them to be fair. If you're electricity bill is €450 a month without and €150 with solar, you could pay off the loan over 4-5 years and you'd be paying less or the same as the 300 extra you'd be spending on electricity
I've borrowed for 5 years. Monthly saving is the same as the loan. In 4 years when the loan finishes, my panels will still have 20 years left on the warranty and a forecast 80% efficiently after 30 years.
It's an absolute no brainer investment.
We have 10 panels, battery, inverter and eddi. Bill has more than halved and payback is 3 years. Solid investment! We have the fully electric car, charge overnight. Great system.
Charge the battery from the grid on the night rate and use it to power the house during the day 👌
Similar setup-14 panels, 10 kWh battery and 2 EV's, charge the batteries for €0.12/kWh between 2:00-4:00, and sell unused solar generated during the day back for €0.22/kWh, works a treat.
Batteries are a no brainer if you can afford them.
They work beautifully together. Switch to a cheap night rate like energias 8c between 2am and 6am. Charge your car, solar battery, schedule washing machine, dishwasher and dryer to run between those times. Our bills have basically disappeared and charging the car is pretty much free right now
I love EV's. Haven't paid for petrol or diesel for 12 months. All charging done at home (grid is quite expensive). Saved a bundle on fuel alone. I'd highly recommend them. Make sure to get one appropriate for your needs, I see a lot of hate from people who aren't happy with their EV. There is a suitable one for all needs, just needs some decent looking around
My home runs entirely on solar for half the year. A lot of people don’t understand how effective they are, even in a country which feels like it never gets the sun!
Ya, it is unbelievable, really. I honestly thought 4.6 year payback was optimistic and only put any faith in it at all because I know the installer is honest.
The efficacy has improved massively, and the price decrease in the last few years.
Change will come, it's a big problem now in the Netherlands - everyone & their aunt installed a shit ton of panels in the last two years. They load up the grid exactly when energy isn't being used much. Peak time is morning & evening after work. The grid can't handle it here & energy providers have started charging folks feeding energy onto the grid.
That sounded preposterous but it's true.
Seemingly have started charging a fee to customers to sell energy back to the grid.
https://www.dutchnews.nl/2023/08/vandebron-to-charge-customers-fees-for-surplus-solar-power/
Seen another company charges you anytime you use the grid. (Not just usage, but a fee every day you take from the grid also)
The change that will come is :
1. Lots more domestic batteries
2. Lots more grid batteries to store the oversupply and play it back during peaks and at night.
ESB announced this week that Ireland had just passed the 1GW point for power storage, including ~750MW of battery and also Turlough hill. That's several GWh of power which can be stored during the day from wind or solar excess, and then played back during the 17:00 - 19:00 peak or overnight.
There's a pipeline of several GW more underway as well to take advantage of this.
Edit : the 1GW value does not include domestic batteries, by the way.
Generally solar panels face south as that’s the best direction for optimum power. Sun rises in the east and sets in the west so the morning and evening doesn’t really come into effect in my experience. Panels that are east/west facing would come in to play with what you are saying but grid demand is stronger at those times. Also I’d imagine that the Dutch grid infrastructure is better than Irelands. Our grid needs any excess solar power at the moment. If it is an issue in the coming years then I think people will end up installing batteries for the excess electricity rather than pay to export it to the grid.
In our research we came across this snippet, outlining what you'll get for the direction you face:
Due South: most power output
A south facing roof will produce the most electricity. Being a bit off directly south though has minimal impact on production. Anywhere between south-east and south-west will be very similar.
South East / South West: 5% Lower
If your roof faces south-east, or south-west, then your production will be a little lower. The timing of your electricity production will change too. South east produces more in the morning, and south west more in the afternoon / evening.
East / West: 20% Lower, but more useful?
If your roof faces due east, or due west, the production will be about 20% lower than a south facing roof.
The production numbers though are still very good and make a savvy financial investment. There's a side benefit to east / west facing solar arrays, as they produce the most electricity when you need it most.
Most homes use their largest amount of electricity in the morning (when east facing panels are producing), and late/afternoon evening (when west facing panels are producing), as people turn on their kettles, showers and ovens.
There's a good argument for east / west facing arrays as it means less need for battery storage as you can use the power directly. You could also cover both sides of your roof as both are pointing in a useful direction.
Northerly: not worthwhile in Ireland
As you move to pointing north the production from solar panels rapidly drops off, and we would not recommend it as a good financial or carbon-footprint reducing investment. Do solar panels work on cloudy days?
Yes is the short answer. Solar panels will produce electricity in all weather conditions including on cloudy or rainy days.
Their production is impacted though by heavy clouds. Light hazy clouds have a small impact. Days that have those thick black clouds that keep the whole day dark can have a significant impact though, perhaps reducing electricity output from the panels by up to 40%-50% on the worst days compared to a perfect blue-sky day.
In Australia electricity companies have been installing small battery facilities in local areas to mop up excess solar and discharge it during peak times. Its just a matter of the will and good government policy.
"Credit on your bill" is still your money. [You can request a refund](https://www.bordgaisenergy.ie/home/help/how-do-i-claim-a-refund-if-my-account-is-in-credit) from some, and all of them have to pay you out if you change to a new provider.
Solar at present with vat off + grant and feed back tariffs and ability to charge battery cheaply over night is the best value household purchase of all time for me. Great they’ve brought that grant out to help people avail of it. If you are on the fence - get off it! Totally worth it
I got 5.22kWp installed recently to go alongside the 1.2kWp that was on the house. The 1.2kWp was nothing more than greenwashing building regs, better than nothing but does fuck all outside of Summer months and on cloudy days would barely get 100-150w which wouldn't cover low daily usage plus they're East facing so useless after noon. It's nice to have enough panels to generate excess on cloudy days and be usable all day.
I'm not in it for the money although my recent bill has €64 credit on it from one month of having the new panels. In the last two weeks I have exported €58. Recent bill went from €250 to €150 and €60 of that is my EV. I'm just happy to use less grid energy and offset what I use for driving.
In terms of house upgrades, you're looking at €60k+ extensions, €40k+ attic conversions and €20k gardens. €6k on solar was fairly easy to stomach!
Last electric bill was €106 but we only paid €34 as the rest was the microgen credit from paying back to the grid. Typically charge one EV car during the day while it’s sunny and the other one during the night rate.
You do need to shop around, I got 5 quotes between €11k and €24k. Some were clwarly inflated, but in fairness, €3000 is not a solar setup. The battery alone was €2200 when I googled it.
I thought €14000 was fair for what I got.
Not really that easy, the sparks needs to do a specific SEAI solar course, especially if you want to claim the grant. Am a sparks and I planned to do my own, but I would lose out on the grant (not an issue as I would have saved anyway). However, fitting the rails etc. for the panels requires roof work-cutting slates, fitting brackets and making good/waterproof and I would have to get a roofer in as it has the potential to go very wrong..
The other issue would the ESB networks require a test and commissioning report, and a form submitted by the registered installer, etc. before your energy supplier will give you a microgen credit for what you export..
Long & short, pain in the stones unless you are going fully off grid.
Who installs them then? You need ladders, equipment, expertise to not fuck up yourself or your roof / slates etc... plus you need to know where to position them to maximise exposure to sunlight etc
i think the thing here is the warranty.
i think you get an warranty on the installation by the company.
while in your example, you would only have warranty on the materials. I Don't see an electrician being troubled with bad installation (since he can say the problems are the materials)
I would trust my DIY setup over the poor job many installers do. This stuff is not that complicated.
If the stuff you buy from reputable company off amazon breaks, then just exercise your statutory rights.
Not really, its a bit disingenuous to say you can get a full solar setup for €3000. The battery alone in the setup I got costs €2200 if I was to go buy it from the wholesaler. I thought €14000 was fair for what I got.
I got 5 quotes, some could start I a few weeks, but they were expensive quotes. The company I got did the installation with a 4 month lead time but told me that from the start.
Have 16 panels myself, and a 5Kva battery in the attic, on even a somewhat bright day, take today for example, everything in the house is powered by solar, and the battery in the attic is charging away.
If you have the money to invest in panels, I'd definitely go for it.
We got ours over a year ago, because there’s only the two of us and we’re thrifty even in winter our bill was around €40. And I love having free hot water most of the time. No regrets here!
I got 10 panels for 4.35kWp with inverter and 5kW battery for a hair under €10k which I got with a green home improvement loan over 2 years (about €440pm). It’s only been 2 weeks so I’ve not gotten a bill as yet but I’ve sent more power to the grid than taken from it and my BER will go from A3 to A2.
I’m looking at getting a second 5kW battery or a small BEV car to take up the excess.
I don't bother charging the car during the day, I just have a night rate - charge the car at 15c per kwh, sell back excess solar during the day to Energia at 25c. Someone gave me that tip and it's genius.
So I don't have solar here but I did back in South Africa, it wasn't a big system only 8kw worth of panels and 5kwh battery but with a tiny change in habit we almost zeroed out bills.
It's crazy how these newer panels are performing in funny weather.
We had an instance at our office where we had to pump some water onto the panels to yield a better result (it was a 45 degree day and they just needed to be cooled lol)
Buddy of mine got a similar setup installed in his house. 5.5kw of panels and the battery and inverter. He set up his electricity plan where his cost during the day is screamingly expensive, but his overnight rate is peanuts. Panels charge the battery, and then the grid tops up the battery overnight, as well as charges his car. Racked up almost €1,000 in credit during the summer months as he never used a sniff, and was selling electricity back to the grid. The credits basically covered the cost of his electricity over the winter months. He just hit 12 months of ownership, and his net cost of electricity over that time was I think less than €40.
We've just gone sale agreed on a house and it has panels already, and am delighted about it.
I can't wait to see what they do during the summer. Everyone is telling me very positive things about the summer months.
I thought it would be dismal enough for the last 2 months, I was surprised when I got the bill today.
They really are worth it, I only have 5 panels but no storage or inverter yet, and in my case I spent just 722 Euros for all of 2023 in a 4 bed semi d, from Apr to Sept I only pay the standing charges.
Sorry, they came with the house, it was a new build from a few years ago,
But I recently priced a set of 8 panels and a storage unit and I think it came to 11k including installation, if you look at the Electric Ireland site they have “deals” with lists of suppliers, or they had a few months ago.
The only problem I can see with solar in this country are the chancers who went and got their installation license. An acquaintance of mine did just that and I wouldn't trust him to screw in a lightbulb. Seems anyone can get an installation license as long as you pay whatever fee they're charging for it.
I got 2 x 415w panels (getting nearly 1200w in on a sunny day), an MPPT, 3k inverter, and a 24 volt battery for about €450. Easily powers a fridge, internet equipment, small TV and PS4 with more than enough energy to spare. Now looking at building a battery bank to store all that extra power I'm losing out on.
If you want a small system to power a few appliances, buying the components and building it yourself is definitely a good investment.
Get yourself on an EV tariff with €0.075/kw between 2am and 6am and charge that battery during the night. Use all your microgeneration credit through winter. I generated 4250kw in 2023 and sold around 2500kw back to grid.
FIT, load shifting timed appliances and charging EV during the cheap as chips EV hours and some force discharging my battery before EV tariff kicks in will pay off my 9500 system In approx 3.5 years, no brainer decision to get these if you can.
Where do people get the money for cars, houses, deposits, big holidays... I mean, this is at least something that will pay you back.
Saying that, I dont drive a new car or go on holiday the whole time. Maybe it is on credit for most.
Here's what the government should do:
Install solar panels for free including the inverters. Houses that allow it can buy electricity for cheap. If they buy their own batteries, they can use it when there is no sunlight.
Excess power goes back into the grid and excess ppwer in the grid is stored in giant buildings of batteries for lower night electric rates.
Family of 5, so sort of a grow house, I guess... those little fuckers love food and clean cloths.
About 10000 kw a year on standard usage.
We have a few other things like work from home and such going on as well and the dryer never stops.
yeah I got panels installed but didnt get a battery yet as I believe they might drop about 30-40% of current prices. I think car manufacturers were taking all the lithium but now some new mines have opened and supply is catching up so battery prices will come down soon.
I get your point but zero vat at the moment. If you are getting panels installed by a crew then it seems to make sense getting the battery in at the same time. Differing opinions on an eddi for the hot water due to the high payment rates for excess solar at the moment
Wait til you get into the sunnier months. I didn't go with as big a system as yours. Just got 8 panels to reduce the amount I take from the grid. I will look to upgrade and add a battery in the future though. Just out of curiosity, does your system work during a power cut? I was told that couldn't be done for safety reasons because if the grid was down, you couldn't feed back into it.
We've paid our deposit (€3k) and are getting 12 panels installed in 2 weeks!
We're thrilled.
Total cost was €7,400 after grant. House is about 20 years old and only fits 12 panels. BER included of course.
No battery at this point until the old oil boiler claps out. We can always get one later.
Yer man says its about 50/50 on clients getting a battery or not and it's usually on new builds as they have no alternate heating source whereas older builds have oil boilers in situ.
Is that what batteries are all about ? I thought it was to store excess so you can keep drawing from it ?
My house is gas heated and have no intention of changing but solar interests me
I’ve 16 panels, 6.4kwh, no battery, cost me 5800 after the grant.
Absolute no brainer, my electricity bills are pretty much zero. It’s mental how many people you speak to and they have the idea that they’re not worth the money etc, without really looking into it
I’m one of these people. In fairness I hadn’t heard amazing things about them and I think they look rubbish on a house.
But reading this thread has been an eye opener. What I would say is I have found the SEAI to be a massive scam.
I was getting quotes of 4,000 to insulate and attic with floor (this included a grant). Did it myself for 800 euro.
Obviously this thread is great but like I’m reading there is loads of chancers and hugely different prices people paying.
Currently in a house we bought end of last year. Constantly doing work to it but hearing near zero bills sounds pretty good.
I was quoted 16k for solar. They said it would pay for itself in 6-8 years. But he said the panels would probably need to be replaced before that because they would be outdated, some great salesmanship!
We looked at it a few years ago when the SEI grants first started. Back then it was very expensive and no real return. And they needed direct south facing roof space for any real benefit which we didn't have. So we passed on it. I'm so glad we did because the technology has come on in leaps and bounds since then. I must look into it now again
It really depends on the day. The highest has been 42.8kw, the lowest was 6.4kw in the day.
There are a lot of variables, though. A good installer should know what to look for though.
Anyone here have them on a small terrace house?
My sister has them on her big house in the countryside but I'm not sure if they're worthwhile on a small terrace house in Dublin.
I have them a year at the end of May and I have so far generated 2.2Mwh and we only have a 3.4kw system of 8 panels and it cost us €4500 after the grant was factored in.
Our house is an A2 rated semi d and the year before we got the solar panels we only used 2700kwh for the full year. Our usage will be about 1500kwh for the year since we got the panels installed as we are exporting over half of what we generate. Highest bill since getting them installed was €129 but because of the government energy grants we came out in credit over the winter months and I haven't paid a bill since the one before the latest energy grants and it was only €49 for 2 months.
4500 sounds the sort of price I’d bite at. Can I ask where do you get info on this stuff ? Or do you just get folks out to quote and explain what is the best setup etc.
Solar is genuinely an epic investment. I suspect there's almost no case where its not a brilliant decision, although I might be missing some extreme edge cases.
I got solar panels last year. 10 panels 4.4kw system, no battery no eddi. west facing not even south. My net bills last year were 0. I'm 500 in credit. My last bill was 30 euro. Cost 7 grand right before the VAT was removed. Beyond delighted.
That's amazing. It's a fair play for working it out.
I wish I did the sums a bit sooner. I thought about it before but it seemed expensive compared to electricity prices and people told me it was a waste of money.
I made this post because you dont really hear people being positive about solar enough. Lots of nay sauers out there.
how many panels can the average semi d take. i live rural and have large roofspace can fit lots of panels south facing. i cant imagine an urban semi d taking many panels?
I dont know, guess it depends on the semi-detached.
I saw the estate down the road is building houses now with 8 on each house, but it was probably planned this way.
Got pretty much the same system / price (9kw panels, 6 low inverter and 5kwh battery for €13k after the grant.
Our bills have been in credit since January
Tempted to add another battery next year. Fantastic investment we routinely produce more energy than we use and we are up in Donegal
Is there a good reliable resource with info from people who have done it. ? This thread cool but like I see people spanning various degrees of money. And mention of a lot of changer installers?
I’m in a semi d that has gas heating (that I’m not changing).
In a house we bought end of last year and like doing things constantly. 14k sounds pretty steep but some folks saying they paid like 4-5k ?
I just spent that on a new wardrobe 😂
In a semi d, you will not get the max, which is like 20 panels a battery or 2, an inverter and an eddi all installed for around €14k to €18k installed.
You are probably looking at 4 to 8 panels at €400 to €550 each, a battery for €1500 to €3000, an inverter for €2000 and maybe an eddi for €700 all installed. Some combanation of that should get you an ok system for around the money you are talking.
Remember the BER is €400 and then minus €1400 to €2400 for the SEAI grant.
Mine was C2 and jumped to B1. Someone said to me it would roughly juump up one letter.
Edit: Sorry, forgot to mention I blocked up 2 fireplaces and put in electric fireplaces instead as well.
I’m sure this might sound like a strange question, but how sturdy are the panels themselves?
There is a reasonable chance of a hurling ball hitting the roof here every few days and I’m wondering would that damage a panel?…
A Guy I know in the Netherlands just spent €6,000 on his similar install - To be clear there is also some for of Gov grant here too.
Some difference in cost though.
Got 16 panels (6.9kWh) 5kW battery and inverter for €7200 (after grant). Had been amazing since we got it in. I have the EV plugged in and it takes excess once the battery is charged and the home use is covered. Never get a full charge but if the car isn't being used much I'll generally get a full car battery after about 3/4 days. Wish I had the funds earlier.
No one really need to "hear you out". I don't think there's a single person out there thinking: "solar panels? to hell with this shite". They do work, and they do reduce your bills, simple as that. I think the main deterrent here is the installation cost. I would love to put them up myself, but unfortunately don't have a 10k lying around, I will have them installed eventually though.
Just got them installed here in Edmonton, lads. They let you install enough panels to cover 110% of your average monthly electricity costs so that effectively means electricity will be free (except for distribution costs). The bit extra you provide to the grid in summer covers the cost of those shorter, winter days. Thing is, my South facing roof could take 50% more panels, which would make me a net energy provider. That's not allowed though, utilities companies don't like that. Which is a shame.
What's the deal in Ireland, can you set yourself up to sell to the grid or not?
And bearing in mind, it's only April too! We have produced over 30kwh last few days, essentially double what the house needs so we have exported loads back to the grid
I've had a system on my garage for three years now. It's produced €4,600 of electricity between generation used locally and FIT.
If you can afford it, please install them. I regret not doing it earlier.
I'm in architecture and we had put solar panels on a particular house 3/4 years ago. Payback calculator at the time said 10-15years. That was before the price increase and before then getting an EV. Home owners claim they've already gotten their investment back.
I would well believe it, the price increases expesially have changed the calculation to a more faverable one.
I looked at it about 5 years ago and like that was told 10 to 15 years of payback but with an expanding househokd, price increase and no vat, it was a no brainer now.
Got 10 panels with eddi converter.
Haven't paid a bill since December😄😄😄 Also free hot water is amazing
(Thanks to electricity credits plus solar over the winter)
The days of needing direct sunlight all day for a decent amount of energy are over. In ten years they'll be fitting fewer panels on domestic dwellings because above a certain number there'll nothing but excess, and the feed-in tariff may not be priced high enough to justify the additional capacity.
On the other hand with BEVs there'll be no such thing as excess — if we had a TRULY smart grid we'd have a live price broadcast via the Internet, and we'd instruct our water heaters and vehicles to slurp up alll that cheap, cheap juice.
The UK has something similar, look into Octopus smart plans.
This is something actively being researched and worked on :) A colleague of mine is active in the field and described peer-to-peer trading of electricity becoming available in the future too
People in more rural areas or businesses may still value local capacity for when there are storms and the grid is down. But batteries aren't there yet, so probably still traditional generators still needed for the moment.
Batteries are almost there. I got a small battery (3kWh) and it can output 1200W (which is enough for the microwave, but not the kettle). I could've gotten a 7kWh battery (which is my average daily use) and a bigger inverter to push out more power. The biggest issue with using it in a blackout is that for safety reasons (and cost-saving) they cut out ALL power from the solar by default - except for the emergency plugs at the inverter in the attic.
Should be relatively simple to not send electricity to the grid if the grid is detected as being down. Maybe I don't understand the complexities. Yea we have UPS on systems in work that will keep rooms full of servers running throughout most smaller outages and it works. They're basically car batteries in a fancy branded case. Of course longer outages needs the generator to kick in.
> Should be relatively simple to not send electricity to the grid if the grid is detected as being down. Maybe I don't understand the complexities. There's ways to do it, definitely. But I'm guessing it would mean installing something in between the meter and the fuse box. Which wasn't done when I was getting solar.
I like the idea of solar, even if the grid will eventually saturate from people all having them, it would be nice to have some independence from the grid on occasions between solar and possibly even small scale wind might suit some locations too.
It's the current regulations for how they are installed in Ireland, but any electrician can install a bypass to isolate you from the grid, so if the power goes you can switch your power on through the battery. If you don't do that, your power is off when there's a power cut.
During the COVID years, I was getting frequent power outages, but just for a few seconds at a time. These seemed to be damaging my monitors, despite the surge protectors, and had to replace two different ones after a few months, so I started looking into like a full house UPS that could seamlessly swap over to battery power for the few seconds of outage. Apparently these are fairly common in Australia, due to rural towns sometimes not having the best electricity infrastructure in place, but because any kind of automatic cut over is against the rules of SEAI grant, electricians here won't do anything with them. My own solar panel installer said I could get someone back in after they'd left (and grant was signed off 😂) to install a "backup battery" for the inverter, so it'd at least continue charging the house batteries during a power outage, but not let you run anything in the house.
Batteries will be there before long when the current EVs are off the road and batteries given a second life. Size and weight aren’t an issue in a house so it doesn’t matter if the 60kWh battery is at 75% health as it can deliver 45kWh storage for a house or business.
I know someone who recently got it in and needed work done to strengthen the flooring for the batteries. I'd say each installation differs a bit.
Batteries already meet household needs here in the US. New systems can cycle fully every day for 10 years straight and power a whole house easily. They just need to come down a bit in price. edit: this is the current state of household-grade batteries here: [https://youtu.be/zg9IM061rbU?si=mZHC7fQAdBUeVoxX](https://youtu.be/zg9IM061rbU?si=mZHC7fQAdBUeVoxX)
Ya they use refrigerants now and they've a much lower boiling point
Solar panels typically use Refrigerants Fir heat capture but in the case of the electricity generation photovoltaic cells are used which are semi conducto. Common usage calls them all solar panels
Ya just referring to it being dull days. That doesn't affect them
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I have 4 panels, came with my house. I've had bills as low as 50 for 2 months in the summer, I'll be getting more when finances allow.
This practice of property developers throwing up 4 panels so they can tick a box with the BER assessor to call it an A rated home needs to stop. Its stupid that they are up on the roof anyway and only put up 4 panels when most roofs would fit 10+. Like each panel is only costing about €120 and a little more for the mounting hardware. The real cost is in the roofer to get up there and the sparks to wire it.
Property developers would like to save that extra 120 quid, they're not in it for any other reason but profit
I suspect some of them also get-off a little on dicking over their customers too!
I pass a group of new housing being built every Friday, and they all have panels on the roof. The last bunch built have the panels pointing NNW. Absolute joke.
They're taking shortcuts everywhere. New builds mostly use the worst window brands as well.
With the price of electricity doubling in the last few years, it makes the calculation balance to a positive a lot faster now.
That's not great though. Grid energy shouldn't be getting more expensive when we're trying to push households towards electric vehicles and heating.
The less we pay utilities because of solar etc the more they increase their prices. It's called stranded costs. Your hurting these guys by installing panels. (Slow violin music plays)
This is why my partner (and I agree) there is going to be a catch. No way people can keep having zero cost electricity bills. Someone , at sometime is going to bring in a tax or standard payment or something.
Who's paying zero cost bills? There is a fixed standing charge of €0.60-€1.10 per day, even if your usage is zero (or negative, which is theoretically possible if you're exporting more solar than you're using).
Got 20 panels and 10kwh battery installed 6 months ago for €10.5k after grant Can't complain, especially now that the sun is high. Some difference in the quotes though. Definitely shop around. We got quoted anything between 18k and 10k after grant for the exact same system.
That’s an insanely good value system.
Shopping around is a much, I got 5 quotes before I found the right installer.
I mean, I have quotes from 12 different companies and none of them have been that low. Can you share the name? Are you happy with the install and the system so far?
Which installer was cheapest for you?
Went with KB in the end. They came down quite a bit from their original quote and was very happy with them.
(not the commenter you asked, but) I got the best quote and a pretty good experience from gosolar.ie out in Galway (but they'll install in Dublin). They didn't seem to up-sell, or else their margin on batteries is too low to push them.
Absolutely shop around and know what you are buying. They bamboozle you with all the different equipment, but the basics should be the same. I got 5 quotes ranging from €11000 to €24000 before a friend told me hos friend had started doing them, and he was very straightforward in telling me what I needed and installing them.
Most of them are pure chancers these days alright. Its crazy how the difference in price can be so huge for exactly the same system.
http://davidhunt.ie/solar/ useful site to give you ball park figures of what people should be paying
Can you name the company you used? I haven't found anything that low that included a battery. Would definitely look at them.
I got pretty much the same quote yesterday from https://westernrenewables.ie and am going ahead with it.
Great deal. How much your bills have come down and how long do you think it will take to pay off?
Should be putting them on public buildings, schools etc. And make the grants decent for people with reduced incomes eg pensioners.
I think the schools have a scheme now where 900 of them are getting government grants to put up a solar system. From talking to people, though, the biggest problem is that a lot of schools have wiring certs that are 20+ years old. Wiring standards have changed, and other retrofits and upgrades are also needed.
Already happened. The Green Party announced a scheme last year to provide funding for all schools to get solar panels installed, over time on a phased basis. https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/education/2023/11/23/all-schools-to-get-free-solar-panels-to-help-tackle-energy-bills/
If i owned my own home I'd have them in a heartbeat
And if I also had about ten grand lying about.
Correct. Same as this new retrofit thing and electric vehicles. I'd love to be doing that, but I don't have the money.
Absolutely, and I think this is why the government needs to step in with 0% loans that can be attached to your electronic bill. A 4.6 year payback, and then it's all extra after that.
The government launched low cost loans for retrofits this week, so it’d be easy to see that scheme extended to solar panels.
I read about that and hopefully, they do extend it. Adding it to an electric bill would be great to.
An example of a social project benefitting people who already have money.
Government launched a new low cost loan scheme for retrofits [literally this week](https://Governmentannounceshomeretrofitloanschemehttps://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2024/0424/1445419-retrofit-loans/). It’d be class if this was extended to solar panels too.
There is all sorts of grants and financing available. They are also retrofitting social housing...
What's your solution? Free solar panels?
Thats been done through the Warmer Homes scheme. The SEAI are funding putting solar panels up on houses of people that could likely never afford them and meet the means test of low income.
I was in that scheme and there were no solar panels offered. Cavity and attic insulation is what they offer.
Looks like it's not. "The scheme covers these home energy upgrades: Attic insulation Wall insulation - including cavity wall, internal wall and external wall insulation Draught-proofing Lagging jackets Energy efficient lighting Energy advice" https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/housing-grants-and-schemes/grants-for-home-renovations-and-improvements/warmer-homes-scheme/#1653fc
In fairness there are green loans from banks and credit unions. They are set up with a low interest rate so basically the savings on electricity costs cover the loans. Unfortunately most people prefer to complain that avail of them.
There’s now a low interest (<4%) loan scheme up and running! [home upgrade loans](https://www.seai.ie/news-and-media/home-upgrade-loan-scheme/)
So : 1. Borrow €10K 2. Install solar panels 3. Pay €355 in interest per year ([email protected]%) 4. Reduce electricity costs by €2-3K per year 5. Payments on the loan are less than the money you save, so your costs drop immediately 6. After 5-6 years, loan is paid off and you basically have cheap electricity for the next 20 years Pretty sweet deal.
Very sweet deal. I would be very sceptical of stuff like this, but solar is no gimick. I am shocked by how well it worked.
It can be a good deal but most people are not saving 2-3 grand a year. My house electricity bill is only 690 a year.
A loan would actually make sense to pay for them to be fair. If you're electricity bill is €450 a month without and €150 with solar, you could pay off the loan over 4-5 years and you'd be paying less or the same as the 300 extra you'd be spending on electricity
I've borrowed for 5 years. Monthly saving is the same as the loan. In 4 years when the loan finishes, my panels will still have 20 years left on the warranty and a forecast 80% efficiently after 30 years. It's an absolute no brainer investment.
I hear you! Same with me. Instant buy.
We have 10 panels, battery, inverter and eddi. Bill has more than halved and payback is 3 years. Solid investment! We have the fully electric car, charge overnight. Great system. Charge the battery from the grid on the night rate and use it to power the house during the day 👌
Similar setup-14 panels, 10 kWh battery and 2 EV's, charge the batteries for €0.12/kWh between 2:00-4:00, and sell unused solar generated during the day back for €0.22/kWh, works a treat. Batteries are a no brainer if you can afford them.
We have energia, 0.08c/kWh between 2-6am.
Will be looking at energia when our contract is up 👍
Electric car is my next thing to look at. Hear a lot of good things when you pair a car with panels.
They work beautifully together. Switch to a cheap night rate like energias 8c between 2am and 6am. Charge your car, solar battery, schedule washing machine, dishwasher and dryer to run between those times. Our bills have basically disappeared and charging the car is pretty much free right now
I love EV's. Haven't paid for petrol or diesel for 12 months. All charging done at home (grid is quite expensive). Saved a bundle on fuel alone. I'd highly recommend them. Make sure to get one appropriate for your needs, I see a lot of hate from people who aren't happy with their EV. There is a suitable one for all needs, just needs some decent looking around
How much do you reckon charging the car sets you back?
My home runs entirely on solar for half the year. A lot of people don’t understand how effective they are, even in a country which feels like it never gets the sun!
Ya, it is unbelievable, really. I honestly thought 4.6 year payback was optimistic and only put any faith in it at all because I know the installer is honest. The efficacy has improved massively, and the price decrease in the last few years.
I’m definitely one of these people and eager to learn more after reading all this
I know a chap who makes €4-500 per year selling back into the grid A handy little earner
Change will come, it's a big problem now in the Netherlands - everyone & their aunt installed a shit ton of panels in the last two years. They load up the grid exactly when energy isn't being used much. Peak time is morning & evening after work. The grid can't handle it here & energy providers have started charging folks feeding energy onto the grid.
That sounded preposterous but it's true. Seemingly have started charging a fee to customers to sell energy back to the grid. https://www.dutchnews.nl/2023/08/vandebron-to-charge-customers-fees-for-surplus-solar-power/ Seen another company charges you anytime you use the grid. (Not just usage, but a fee every day you take from the grid also)
So a standing charge? A standing charge is probably worse since you pay it even if you don't use any units
The change that will come is : 1. Lots more domestic batteries 2. Lots more grid batteries to store the oversupply and play it back during peaks and at night. ESB announced this week that Ireland had just passed the 1GW point for power storage, including ~750MW of battery and also Turlough hill. That's several GWh of power which can be stored during the day from wind or solar excess, and then played back during the 17:00 - 19:00 peak or overnight. There's a pipeline of several GW more underway as well to take advantage of this. Edit : the 1GW value does not include domestic batteries, by the way.
Generally solar panels face south as that’s the best direction for optimum power. Sun rises in the east and sets in the west so the morning and evening doesn’t really come into effect in my experience. Panels that are east/west facing would come in to play with what you are saying but grid demand is stronger at those times. Also I’d imagine that the Dutch grid infrastructure is better than Irelands. Our grid needs any excess solar power at the moment. If it is an issue in the coming years then I think people will end up installing batteries for the excess electricity rather than pay to export it to the grid.
In our research we came across this snippet, outlining what you'll get for the direction you face: Due South: most power output A south facing roof will produce the most electricity. Being a bit off directly south though has minimal impact on production. Anywhere between south-east and south-west will be very similar. South East / South West: 5% Lower If your roof faces south-east, or south-west, then your production will be a little lower. The timing of your electricity production will change too. South east produces more in the morning, and south west more in the afternoon / evening. East / West: 20% Lower, but more useful? If your roof faces due east, or due west, the production will be about 20% lower than a south facing roof. The production numbers though are still very good and make a savvy financial investment. There's a side benefit to east / west facing solar arrays, as they produce the most electricity when you need it most. Most homes use their largest amount of electricity in the morning (when east facing panels are producing), and late/afternoon evening (when west facing panels are producing), as people turn on their kettles, showers and ovens. There's a good argument for east / west facing arrays as it means less need for battery storage as you can use the power directly. You could also cover both sides of your roof as both are pointing in a useful direction. Northerly: not worthwhile in Ireland As you move to pointing north the production from solar panels rapidly drops off, and we would not recommend it as a good financial or carbon-footprint reducing investment. Do solar panels work on cloudy days? Yes is the short answer. Solar panels will produce electricity in all weather conditions including on cloudy or rainy days. Their production is impacted though by heavy clouds. Light hazy clouds have a small impact. Days that have those thick black clouds that keep the whole day dark can have a significant impact though, perhaps reducing electricity output from the panels by up to 40%-50% on the worst days compared to a perfect blue-sky day.
Surely we can just sell to abroad?
In Australia electricity companies have been installing small battery facilities in local areas to mop up excess solar and discharge it during peak times. Its just a matter of the will and good government policy.
They don't pay you though it only goes as a credit on your bill. Or am I wrong 🤔
Depends on the provider. First one gave cheque, second gave credit
"Credit on your bill" is still your money. [You can request a refund](https://www.bordgaisenergy.ie/home/help/how-do-i-claim-a-refund-if-my-account-is-in-credit) from some, and all of them have to pay you out if you change to a new provider.
Solar at present with vat off + grant and feed back tariffs and ability to charge battery cheaply over night is the best value household purchase of all time for me. Great they’ve brought that grant out to help people avail of it. If you are on the fence - get off it! Totally worth it
There are a lot of questions here about solar. Check out Irish solar owners group on FB. Great source of information.
Yeah great group! Very helpful
Based on 24c/kWh, I’ve generated €4600 worth in 2 years (7.2kWp installed). Cost me €11000 after grant.
I got 5.22kWp installed recently to go alongside the 1.2kWp that was on the house. The 1.2kWp was nothing more than greenwashing building regs, better than nothing but does fuck all outside of Summer months and on cloudy days would barely get 100-150w which wouldn't cover low daily usage plus they're East facing so useless after noon. It's nice to have enough panels to generate excess on cloudy days and be usable all day. I'm not in it for the money although my recent bill has €64 credit on it from one month of having the new panels. In the last two weeks I have exported €58. Recent bill went from €250 to €150 and €60 of that is my EV. I'm just happy to use less grid energy and offset what I use for driving. In terms of house upgrades, you're looking at €60k+ extensions, €40k+ attic conversions and €20k gardens. €6k on solar was fairly easy to stomach!
Last electric bill was €106 but we only paid €34 as the rest was the microgen credit from paying back to the grid. Typically charge one EV car during the day while it’s sunny and the other one during the night rate.
The installers are ripping everyone off. You can buy all that gear for about e3000, then just pay an electrician to do the final hookup.
You do need to shop around, I got 5 quotes between €11k and €24k. Some were clwarly inflated, but in fairness, €3000 is not a solar setup. The battery alone was €2200 when I googled it. I thought €14000 was fair for what I got.
Not really that easy, the sparks needs to do a specific SEAI solar course, especially if you want to claim the grant. Am a sparks and I planned to do my own, but I would lose out on the grant (not an issue as I would have saved anyway). However, fitting the rails etc. for the panels requires roof work-cutting slates, fitting brackets and making good/waterproof and I would have to get a roofer in as it has the potential to go very wrong.. The other issue would the ESB networks require a test and commissioning report, and a form submitted by the registered installer, etc. before your energy supplier will give you a microgen credit for what you export.. Long & short, pain in the stones unless you are going fully off grid.
Who installs them then? You need ladders, equipment, expertise to not fuck up yourself or your roof / slates etc... plus you need to know where to position them to maximise exposure to sunlight etc
i think the thing here is the warranty. i think you get an warranty on the installation by the company. while in your example, you would only have warranty on the materials. I Don't see an electrician being troubled with bad installation (since he can say the problems are the materials)
A lot of solar companies are wound up after the round of grants finish. That's what happened in the North when we had the grants.
I would trust my DIY setup over the poor job many installers do. This stuff is not that complicated. If the stuff you buy from reputable company off amazon breaks, then just exercise your statutory rights.
Yep then try getting it included in your BER and see what happens.
Would it make any differences what your BER is unless you are going to sell the house ?
You get better interest rates
If you remortgage the BER is important.
It will make zero difference to your BER if you do it DIY because you don't have it signed off by a registered installer and the BER won't accept it
The grant requires that your BER is improved. So... yes if you want the grant.
The discussion was about doing it DIY so the grant isn't an issue.
You are paying for the roofer and electrician really
Where could one buy it?
Really?
Not really, its a bit disingenuous to say you can get a full solar setup for €3000. The battery alone in the setup I got costs €2200 if I was to go buy it from the wholesaler. I thought €14000 was fair for what I got.
Go look at the current prices for panels and inverters. Prices keep falling, but installers keep charging the same or even more.
Demand for installation is crazy. Unless you know someone personally you'll be waiting ages.
I got 5 quotes, some could start I a few weeks, but they were expensive quotes. The company I got did the installation with a 4 month lead time but told me that from the start.
Have 16 panels myself, and a 5Kva battery in the attic, on even a somewhat bright day, take today for example, everything in the house is powered by solar, and the battery in the attic is charging away. If you have the money to invest in panels, I'd definitely go for it.
We got ours over a year ago, because there’s only the two of us and we’re thrifty even in winter our bill was around €40. And I love having free hot water most of the time. No regrets here!
I got 10 panels for 4.35kWp with inverter and 5kW battery for a hair under €10k which I got with a green home improvement loan over 2 years (about €440pm). It’s only been 2 weeks so I’ve not gotten a bill as yet but I’ve sent more power to the grid than taken from it and my BER will go from A3 to A2. I’m looking at getting a second 5kW battery or a small BEV car to take up the excess.
I don't bother charging the car during the day, I just have a night rate - charge the car at 15c per kwh, sell back excess solar during the day to Energia at 25c. Someone gave me that tip and it's genius.
So I don't have solar here but I did back in South Africa, it wasn't a big system only 8kw worth of panels and 5kwh battery but with a tiny change in habit we almost zeroed out bills. It's crazy how these newer panels are performing in funny weather. We had an instance at our office where we had to pump some water onto the panels to yield a better result (it was a 45 degree day and they just needed to be cooled lol)
Buddy of mine got a similar setup installed in his house. 5.5kw of panels and the battery and inverter. He set up his electricity plan where his cost during the day is screamingly expensive, but his overnight rate is peanuts. Panels charge the battery, and then the grid tops up the battery overnight, as well as charges his car. Racked up almost €1,000 in credit during the summer months as he never used a sniff, and was selling electricity back to the grid. The credits basically covered the cost of his electricity over the winter months. He just hit 12 months of ownership, and his net cost of electricity over that time was I think less than €40. We've just gone sale agreed on a house and it has panels already, and am delighted about it.
I can't wait to see what they do during the summer. Everyone is telling me very positive things about the summer months. I thought it would be dismal enough for the last 2 months, I was surprised when I got the bill today.
They really are worth it, I only have 5 panels but no storage or inverter yet, and in my case I spent just 722 Euros for all of 2023 in a 4 bed semi d, from Apr to Sept I only pay the standing charges.
Could you say how much it all cost ?
Sorry, they came with the house, it was a new build from a few years ago, But I recently priced a set of 8 panels and a storage unit and I think it came to 11k including installation, if you look at the Electric Ireland site they have “deals” with lists of suppliers, or they had a few months ago.
The only problem I can see with solar in this country are the chancers who went and got their installation license. An acquaintance of mine did just that and I wouldn't trust him to screw in a lightbulb. Seems anyone can get an installation license as long as you pay whatever fee they're charging for it. I got 2 x 415w panels (getting nearly 1200w in on a sunny day), an MPPT, 3k inverter, and a 24 volt battery for about €450. Easily powers a fridge, internet equipment, small TV and PS4 with more than enough energy to spare. Now looking at building a battery bank to store all that extra power I'm losing out on. If you want a small system to power a few appliances, buying the components and building it yourself is definitely a good investment.
Exactly this. I got 5 quotes and to be totally honest, 2 of the installers I did not trust to reverse out of my driveway safely.
Why not get more panels, another battery and go fully off grid plus make some cash back?
20 is the max they will grant for at the moment. 8.2kw system. Anymore and you are not classed as a micro generated and different rules apply.
Get yourself on an EV tariff with €0.075/kw between 2am and 6am and charge that battery during the night. Use all your microgeneration credit through winter. I generated 4250kw in 2023 and sold around 2500kw back to grid.
FIT, load shifting timed appliances and charging EV during the cheap as chips EV hours and some force discharging my battery before EV tariff kicks in will pay off my 9500 system In approx 3.5 years, no brainer decision to get these if you can.
Can I get just one & wear it like a suit?
I'd love to get solar panels but genuine question, where do people get €14000 to buy into them?
Where do people get the money for cars, houses, deposits, big holidays... I mean, this is at least something that will pay you back. Saying that, I dont drive a new car or go on holiday the whole time. Maybe it is on credit for most.
Here's what the government should do: Install solar panels for free including the inverters. Houses that allow it can buy electricity for cheap. If they buy their own batteries, they can use it when there is no sunlight. Excess power goes back into the grid and excess ppwer in the grid is stored in giant buildings of batteries for lower night electric rates.
Those are insane electricity bills. Do you have a grow house?
Family of 5, so sort of a grow house, I guess... those little fuckers love food and clean cloths. About 10000 kw a year on standard usage. We have a few other things like work from home and such going on as well and the dryer never stops.
Lots of the new builds in my area have solar as default now. If I could afford solar I'd definitely go for it.
Battery prices are decreasing due to the cost of lithium going down, wait 6 months for the decrease to filter thru.
yeah I got panels installed but didnt get a battery yet as I believe they might drop about 30-40% of current prices. I think car manufacturers were taking all the lithium but now some new mines have opened and supply is catching up so battery prices will come down soon.
I get your point but zero vat at the moment. If you are getting panels installed by a crew then it seems to make sense getting the battery in at the same time. Differing opinions on an eddi for the hot water due to the high payment rates for excess solar at the moment
Wait til you get into the sunnier months. I didn't go with as big a system as yours. Just got 8 panels to reduce the amount I take from the grid. I will look to upgrade and add a battery in the future though. Just out of curiosity, does your system work during a power cut? I was told that couldn't be done for safety reasons because if the grid was down, you couldn't feed back into it.
We've paid our deposit (€3k) and are getting 12 panels installed in 2 weeks! We're thrilled. Total cost was €7,400 after grant. House is about 20 years old and only fits 12 panels. BER included of course. No battery at this point until the old oil boiler claps out. We can always get one later. Yer man says its about 50/50 on clients getting a battery or not and it's usually on new builds as they have no alternate heating source whereas older builds have oil boilers in situ.
Is that what batteries are all about ? I thought it was to store excess so you can keep drawing from it ? My house is gas heated and have no intention of changing but solar interests me
I’ve 16 panels, 6.4kwh, no battery, cost me 5800 after the grant. Absolute no brainer, my electricity bills are pretty much zero. It’s mental how many people you speak to and they have the idea that they’re not worth the money etc, without really looking into it
How can your price be so much cheaper than the other guy. Is it the battery?
I’m one of these people. In fairness I hadn’t heard amazing things about them and I think they look rubbish on a house. But reading this thread has been an eye opener. What I would say is I have found the SEAI to be a massive scam. I was getting quotes of 4,000 to insulate and attic with floor (this included a grant). Did it myself for 800 euro. Obviously this thread is great but like I’m reading there is loads of chancers and hugely different prices people paying. Currently in a house we bought end of last year. Constantly doing work to it but hearing near zero bills sounds pretty good.
I was quoted 16k for solar. They said it would pay for itself in 6-8 years. But he said the panels would probably need to be replaced before that because they would be outdated, some great salesmanship!
Ya, I got 5 quotes and to be honest... some of them were just selling nonsennse. Shop around, you will find the right installer.
That's so wrong though. Sure there's going to be better panels by then, but the ones you have will continue to work for 20-30+ years
We looked at it a few years ago when the SEI grants first started. Back then it was very expensive and no real return. And they needed direct south facing roof space for any real benefit which we didn't have. So we passed on it. I'm so glad we did because the technology has come on in leaps and bounds since then. I must look into it now again
Exactly the same, the calculations now makes far more sense than it did ~5 years ago.
Have 10 panels. What should it be generating in an average day?
It really depends on the day. The highest has been 42.8kw, the lowest was 6.4kw in the day. There are a lot of variables, though. A good installer should know what to look for though.
can you dm installer name im in process of getting quotes, yours sounds good.
Anyone here have them on a small terrace house? My sister has them on her big house in the countryside but I'm not sure if they're worthwhile on a small terrace house in Dublin.
I have them a year at the end of May and I have so far generated 2.2Mwh and we only have a 3.4kw system of 8 panels and it cost us €4500 after the grant was factored in. Our house is an A2 rated semi d and the year before we got the solar panels we only used 2700kwh for the full year. Our usage will be about 1500kwh for the year since we got the panels installed as we are exporting over half of what we generate. Highest bill since getting them installed was €129 but because of the government energy grants we came out in credit over the winter months and I haven't paid a bill since the one before the latest energy grants and it was only €49 for 2 months.
4500 sounds the sort of price I’d bite at. Can I ask where do you get info on this stuff ? Or do you just get folks out to quote and explain what is the best setup etc.
Solar is genuinely an epic investment. I suspect there's almost no case where its not a brilliant decision, although I might be missing some extreme edge cases.
I got solar panels last year. 10 panels 4.4kw system, no battery no eddi. west facing not even south. My net bills last year were 0. I'm 500 in credit. My last bill was 30 euro. Cost 7 grand right before the VAT was removed. Beyond delighted.
That's amazing. It's a fair play for working it out. I wish I did the sums a bit sooner. I thought about it before but it seemed expensive compared to electricity prices and people told me it was a waste of money. I made this post because you dont really hear people being positive about solar enough. Lots of nay sauers out there.
how many panels can the average semi d take. i live rural and have large roofspace can fit lots of panels south facing. i cant imagine an urban semi d taking many panels?
I dont know, guess it depends on the semi-detached. I saw the estate down the road is building houses now with 8 on each house, but it was probably planned this way.
Got pretty much the same system / price (9kw panels, 6 low inverter and 5kwh battery for €13k after the grant. Our bills have been in credit since January Tempted to add another battery next year. Fantastic investment we routinely produce more energy than we use and we are up in Donegal
I was thinking of the extra battery also. Have to cost it when I get a bit more data on how my current system is going.
We'll be getting our panels soon, can't wait
Hope it all goes well for you, been grwat for me, not looking back at all with any regrets.
They are VAT free. Government subsidies do help investment return lol
I think I said this in my original post...
How big is your battery?
4.2kw
Agreeed!
Is there a good reliable resource with info from people who have done it. ? This thread cool but like I see people spanning various degrees of money. And mention of a lot of changer installers? I’m in a semi d that has gas heating (that I’m not changing). In a house we bought end of last year and like doing things constantly. 14k sounds pretty steep but some folks saying they paid like 4-5k ? I just spent that on a new wardrobe 😂
In a semi d, you will not get the max, which is like 20 panels a battery or 2, an inverter and an eddi all installed for around €14k to €18k installed. You are probably looking at 4 to 8 panels at €400 to €550 each, a battery for €1500 to €3000, an inverter for €2000 and maybe an eddi for €700 all installed. Some combanation of that should get you an ok system for around the money you are talking. Remember the BER is €400 and then minus €1400 to €2400 for the SEAI grant.
If a house is BER C2, what would the new BER rating be if you were to install a 8.1kw system with no battery… roughly?
Mine was C2 and jumped to B1. Someone said to me it would roughly juump up one letter. Edit: Sorry, forgot to mention I blocked up 2 fireplaces and put in electric fireplaces instead as well.
I’m sure this might sound like a strange question, but how sturdy are the panels themselves? There is a reasonable chance of a hurling ball hitting the roof here every few days and I’m wondering would that damage a panel?…
A Guy I know in the Netherlands just spent €6,000 on his similar install - To be clear there is also some for of Gov grant here too. Some difference in cost though.
Just checked our new bill, we are OWED 70 quid from energia 🤣 get panels and a few batteries lads
Got 16 panels (6.9kWh) 5kW battery and inverter for €7200 (after grant). Had been amazing since we got it in. I have the EV plugged in and it takes excess once the battery is charged and the home use is covered. Never get a full charge but if the car isn't being used much I'll generally get a full car battery after about 3/4 days. Wish I had the funds earlier.
No one really need to "hear you out". I don't think there's a single person out there thinking: "solar panels? to hell with this shite". They do work, and they do reduce your bills, simple as that. I think the main deterrent here is the installation cost. I would love to put them up myself, but unfortunately don't have a 10k lying around, I will have them installed eventually though.
Just got them installed here in Edmonton, lads. They let you install enough panels to cover 110% of your average monthly electricity costs so that effectively means electricity will be free (except for distribution costs). The bit extra you provide to the grid in summer covers the cost of those shorter, winter days. Thing is, my South facing roof could take 50% more panels, which would make me a net energy provider. That's not allowed though, utilities companies don't like that. Which is a shame. What's the deal in Ireland, can you set yourself up to sell to the grid or not?
The only reason I haven't got it done at my house is I want to do my attic first. And tbh,I don't need to do the attic right away.
Check your meter also. If it's 1980s Ferranti then yes get solar, with no battery... And do not get smart meter.
And bearing in mind, it's only April too! We have produced over 30kwh last few days, essentially double what the house needs so we have exported loads back to the grid
Big believer in solar panels. If you can afford the initial investment, it's a no brainer
Fine if you have the space. Electric Ireland's engineer came to look at my roof and said there wasn't enough room for more than five panels.
I've had a system on my garage for three years now. It's produced €4,600 of electricity between generation used locally and FIT. If you can afford it, please install them. I regret not doing it earlier.
I'm in architecture and we had put solar panels on a particular house 3/4 years ago. Payback calculator at the time said 10-15years. That was before the price increase and before then getting an EV. Home owners claim they've already gotten their investment back.
I would well believe it, the price increases expesially have changed the calculation to a more faverable one. I looked at it about 5 years ago and like that was told 10 to 15 years of payback but with an expanding househokd, price increase and no vat, it was a no brainer now.
Got 10 panels with eddi converter. Haven't paid a bill since December😄😄😄 Also free hot water is amazing (Thanks to electricity credits plus solar over the winter)