Solar panels for residential house Post Reply

[Jonny Dyson Property Consultants]

I'm shamelessly copying a post by Julian the tennis coach from earlier on in the year, as I have exactly the same question!! Unfortunately he didn't seem to get any replies so I thought I'd try again:

I live off Northcote Road. I'm interested in installing solar panels for various reasons including reducing our domestic bills and our carbon footprint. Does anyone have any experience of doing that, recommendations, pitfalls to avoid etc?

Thanks very much,

​​​​​​​Jonny

[chorister]

I'm not sure if this really answers your question, as it is based on a study which looked at installing solar panels on the large flat roof of a block of flats, not on a domestic property.

However - you will reduce your carbon footprint, but the economics depends on the pattern of your consumption because of changes to the feed in tariff regime.  Basically if you are using electricity at the same time as you generate it then it will probably be economic (depending on installation costs) because of the electricity purchase costs you avoid, but if you would be relying on selling the electricity you generate back to the grid and buying when you need it then it probably wouldn't be.  It is a ludicrous counterintuitive incentive!  Installing batteries would almost certainly be uneconomic.

There are quite a few consultants, who seem to be more or less honest, who can advise (I'm not one of them).

[Jonny Dyson Property Consultants]

Thanks Chorister, appreciated.

I have done a fair amount of research so far, all of which supports your post.  I understand that having a battery for storing the electricity is pretty much vital (albeit as you say, expensive), however with children growing up and using more electrical kit, plus two of us working from home on a more or less permanent basis, it seems like this is the time to make a switch.  We're intending living here for the foreseeable future too so I don't expect it to add value to the house, it's more about trying to reduce costs, and be more environmentally aware.

Jonny