FabGuys.com forum: Solar panels yes or no

By *abguy09 OP Man
2 days ago

Whittlesey

Hi all are solar panels any good do they pay for them self's etc

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By *hiteroseMan
2 days ago

Neverwhere

One thing to be aware of with solar panels. Unless you have battery storage (which is hugely expensive in its own right) you will not save as much on your imported electricity as you might imagine.

The reason is because you tend to generate the most electricity through the middle of the day in _ummer (and to a lesser extent in spring and autumn). And that is the time of day when you generally use the least electricity ... so it gets exported to the grid.

Whether it will pay for itself, I don't know. That rather depends on what export tariff you can negotiate and crucially, how long you expect to live in the house.

I'd suggest that if you intend moving within 10 years then you will not see a return on your investment, and it probably won't add to the value of the house either.

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By *lansubNWMan
2 days ago

warrington

No, deff dont get them

the problems you will have when you sell your house are unbelivable

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By *ummerTV/TS
2 days ago

I am in Spain, not

It can be very good if you take advantage of grants to get the right system and batteries plus are savvy with use of the different tariffs to buy and sell your electricity.

Friends have a solar system and very low overnight tariff, they use timers to ensure they switch between the different sources.

They top up the batteries overnight on the lowest tariff, their highest power usage items such as washing machine and dryer are also only ever used on overnight tariff.

The batteries store enough power to last all day without needing to use any being produced by the solar panels.

All their electricity being produced by the solar panels is being sold.

They pay about 8p on overnight and sell for about 16p.

It equates to more than double as they are also saving on what it would have cost them at day rates.

You can sell your electricity to a different company than you get your electricity from so as to take advantage of best rates, such as Octopus.

They had it installed in 2020 and are already more than halfway to payback.

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By *ristolbi_bs5Man
2 days ago

Weston-Super-Mare

"No, deff dont get them

the problems you will have when you sell your house are unbelivable"

Strange, recently sold my house with panels. It was a selling point and buyers happy. I'm guessing you mean the old FIT panels that essentially belong to a third party?? Anyway ours were five years old and as long as you have the paperwork for the solicitor there's no problem selling at all. TBH as a buyer I was disappointed our new home doesn't have them.

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By *upertedMan
2 days ago

Nelson

Not about solar panels but linked to them.

Some installed recently on my estate to those as part of housing association.

Throughout the _ummer, I had a fella in just his hi-viz jacket pumping either cum down my throat or up my arse as he was part of the installation team.

Twice a week usually. On his break.

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By *aty AvaleuseTV/TS
2 days ago

Brighton

"Hi all are solar panels any good do they pay for them self's etc"

They tend to pay for themselves in about 6-8 years but probably will need updating after 10.

With storage they will pay back quicker but batteries need replacing quicker.

If you think/want to save money in the short term it is unlikely to help but if you are looking for a long term - 10yr - saving you will get one.

I would say only consider batteries if you have a larger roof as otherwise your capture won't easily offset their (high) cost and you're better just selling to he grid.

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By *amagedgoodsMan
2 days ago

Halstead/ Karsiyaka N. Cyprus

I have solar water heating works great maybe 5 days a year we need to turn the immersion heater on

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By *hiteroseMan
2 days ago

Neverwhere

"I have solar water heating works great maybe 5 days a year we need to turn the immersion heater on"

If you have a conventional hot water tank then solar generated electricity can be diverted to heat the water in the tank via an immersion heater. That is a relatively cheap upgrade.

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By *owestoftBiCdMan
2 days ago

Lowestoft

Yes totally. I have them and big saving and environmentally better

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By *ough stuffMan
2 days ago

Northampton/London/Fakenham

absolutely not!! Im a qualified sustainability expert. retro fit systems aren't viable and you're better getting a green supplier. its not just trying to save money, energy used to make them and replace every ten years makes it unsustainable.

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By *lansubNWMan
2 days ago

warrington

"No, deff dont get them

the problems you will have when you sell your house are unbelivable

Yes sorry, i meant the ones that are leased from a third party.

When we was selling my mothers house, no one could get a mortgage on the property. the company that owned them are a disgrace, never answer mails or calls. It was a 25 year lease taken out, you cant buy out of it

In the end sold the property for much less than it was worth to a cash buyer

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By *hiteroseMan
2 days ago

Neverwhere

When solar panels were first launched the tariffs were very generous. In effect you received a payment based on every kWh that you generated ... regardless of whether you used the electricity yourself, or exported it to the grid. These were no-brainers.

My understanding now is that you only get paid for electricity exported, and the tariffs are less generous. So you really do need to think hard about payback times.

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By *avy99Man
2 days ago

East Yorkshire

What a load of bull,we sold cottage which had panels on you just transferred to new owners, we then brought a cottage in Yorkshire which has panels on

Now we make about £500.00 per year after paying for dual fuel ie gas electric together .

It’s a no brain problem

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By *edsBlokeMan
2 days ago

Stotfold

"I have solar water heating works great maybe 5 days a year we need to turn the immersion heater on"

Same.

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By *lansubNWMan
2 days ago

warrington

"What a load of bull,we sold cottage which had panels on you just transferred to new owners, we then brought a cottage in Yorkshire which has panels on

Now we make about £500.00 per year after paying for dual fuel ie gas electric together .

It’s a no brain problem "

What you on about load of bull

Im just telling you my experience with panels that are leased

Google "a shade greener", they are the company we had to deal with. Couldnt sell the house for 2 years

dont be so rude to people until you know the facts

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By *oosterladMan
2 days ago

ipswich

We had a system installed this year. It has a 6kw battery and a diverter to the hot water cylinder. Not had to switch on the immersion heater at all as excess generation goes in to the tank. Enough left in the battery for evening use but washer and tumble drier are used daytime.

It should pay back it ten years and the way things are going it offers some resilience and protection against ever rising bills.

Panels should last a long time. Inverter maybe 12 years cost factored in and you can add extra batteries if tunning a heat pump or electric car in future.

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By *i_guy_WBayMan
2 days ago

Whitley Bay

"No, deff dont get them

the problems you will have when you sell your house are unbelivable"

The only problem you will run into is if you don't own the solar system but have leased your roof out to a company to host the solar or if you have a credit agreement on the solar that is not paid off. If you own the system outright then there is no issue. We had Solar and batteries on our last house and we had no problems selling it, in fact it was a big selling point.

On our current house we have 18*435w panels so a max output of 7.8Kw and we have a Tesla Powerwall battery with backup Gateway. The entire system and installation cost us a little over £12,000. We are on Octopus Intelligent so pay 7p/kwh from 23:30 - 05:30 and 27.99p at all other times. We charge the Battery at night (13.5kwh * 7p = 94.5p) we run the house off the battery during the day and typically don't deplete it fully. We pretty much export all of the solar we generate back to the grid at 15p/kwh. This year to date we have exported 7,117kw so a bit over £1065 just in payments from the solar.

Solar doesn't work for everyone but for those that it does work for it can mean a great independence from the rising energy costs. The best thing to do is contact a couple of solar companies and get their input and a few quotes. Just like Double Glazing companies there are solar firms who will try to pressure sell and say if you sign up there and then they will give you a huge discount, just march them out the door, this is something you want to get quotes, take your time and research what works for you so don't be pressured.

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By *q oralistMan
2 days ago

Torquay

I have just completed one year with panels + battery. So far it has been a great success, partly due to how the battery helps. Over a full five months the battery is fully charged before mid morning. For the rest of the morning and afternoon any electric we need is coming from the panels or we are selling back to the grid. In the evening and overnight we are powering lights tv etc from the battery. My energy payments are now halved getting about an 11% return on the investment. On that saving there is no tax of course which there would be of the money was in savings and investments.

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By *q oralistMan
2 days ago

Torquay

"Hi all are solar panels any good do they pay for them self's etc

They tend to pay for themselves in about 6-8 years but probably will need updating after 10.

With storage they will pay back quicker but batteries need replacing quicker.

If you think/want to save money in the short term it is unlikely to help but if you are looking for a long term - 10yr - saving you will get one.

I would say only consider batteries if you have a larger roof as otherwise your capture won't easily offset their (high) cost and you're better just selling to he grid."

I estimate that my installation will be paid for in 6 years. It is unlikely that the whole installation would then be re replaced

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By *abguy09 OP Man
2 days ago

Whittlesey

Thanks guys for the information it's been a great help

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By *antsMeetsMan
2 days ago

uxbridge

If you got them when they first come out then yes as you could do well out of them but now not worth it plus they need to be checked and maintained due to fire risks.

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By *abguy09 OP Man
2 days ago

Whittlesey

Thanks guys for the information it's been a great help

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By *emmaDarlingTV/TS
2 days ago

Bedfordshire

I would never have them on my house, I think they look bloody awful

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By *antsMeetsMan
2 days ago

uxbridge

"I would never have them on my house, I think they look bloody awful "

They do, and satellite dishes

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By *hcdTV/TS
2 days ago

Ferndown

invest the money you'd spend in a stocks and shares isa. SNP500 or NASDAQ. Better returns.

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By *hiteroseMan
2 days ago

Neverwhere

"I would never have them on my house, I think they look bloody awful

They do, and satellite dishes "

And monstrous SUVs parked up on the front gardens that have been concreted over.

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By *umlikerMan
2 days ago

Cottam

I have a new build, with SP already installed. Compared to my old place my energy bills are about half even though the house is twice the size.

I dont have a battery, but make a hundred or so pounds a year on top of the reduced bills.

Thumbs up from me, but dont want comment on retrofit systems.

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By *hiteroseMan
2 days ago

Neverwhere

Solar panels should be mandatory on new builds. The cost of installation should be a fraction of a retrofitted system as it can be designed into the build. Panels and inverters can be bought in bulk and you already have the trades (electricians and scaffolders) on site.

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By *ashtoolMan
2 days ago

belfast

had the solar panels installed for about 4 years now been getting back for what we export to the grid plus reduced electric bills. it will take a few years for them to pay for themselves. will be worth it in the long run

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By *etterbiggerMan
17 hours ago

Scunthorpe

"I have solar water heating works great maybe 5 days a year we need to turn the immersion heater on

Same."

Snap. We don't use gas for hot water at all between May and the end of September. Even in November, ok the weather is good, the sun heats the water to 28 to 32 degrees. Not hot enough but the gas boiler only has to top it up a little. So in terms of being green. Solar thermal is best. Mains electricity can come from wind or solar anyway. Gas can't

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By *our-slaveMan
17 hours ago

nottingham

"Hi all are solar panels any good do they pay for them self's etc

They tend to pay for themselves in about 6-8 years but probably will need updating after 10.

With storage they will pay back quicker but batteries need replacing quicker.

If you think/want to save money in the short term it is unlikely to help but if you are looking for a long term - 10yr - saving you will get one.

I would say only consider batteries if you have a larger roof as otherwise your capture won't easily offset their (high) cost and you're better just selling to he grid."

Not necessarily. You can charge the batteries from the grid on the cheap overnight rate. Everyone’s circumstances are different so there’s no ‘one size fits all’.

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By *astersteve906Man
17 hours ago

Near Lutterworth

Solar panel don't have to look ugly and sit on frames above the roof, you can now buy integrated solar roof tiles, there's a new build near me and if you didn't know they were there you wouldn't know. If your not going completely off grid don't go for a battery backup system, use micro inverters any excess will just go back to the supplier

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By *i_guy_WBayMan
17 hours ago

Whitley Bay

"Solar panel don't have to look ugly and sit on frames above the roof, you can now buy integrated solar roof tiles, there's a new build near me and if you didn't know they were there you wouldn't know. If your not going completely off grid don't go for a battery backup system, use micro inverters any excess will just go back to the supplier "

You don't have to be going off grid for the battery to be massively beneficial. We charge our 13.5 kw battery on the 7p overnight cheap rate which costs us less than £1 and the battery runs the house for the day so we never touch the 27.9p rate. We then export all our solar at 15p/kwh. Batteries give you the ability to use the power from the cheap rate when you want to. Also if you get a power cut our system keeps the house running while everyone else is off.

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By *our-slaveMan
16 hours ago

nottingham

"Thanks guys for the information it's been a great help"

Be careful because you’ve received highly conflicting advice on here. Quite apart from the advantages that some have correctly described here, you are partly insulated against future electricity price rises if you have solar panels and battery.

If you choose your electricity provider intelligently, you can, depending upon your circumstances, achieve a reasonably quick payback.

Get several quotes and don’t necessarily go for the cheapest. The size and quality of the panels, inverter and battery are important.

My advice is not to automatically go with the offerings from the main energy companies. Get quotes from solar specialists. You can get top notch gear for no more or even less you’ll pay the main energy companies.

This isn’t really the right place to ask because there are quite a few dinosaurs on here who are against anything new or who have formulated opinions without doing quality research.

I got a lot of my advice from the solar subreddits and I’ve ended up with an awesome system that saves me a lot of money. There’s a bit of a learning curve, but it’s well worth it.

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By *eanDevizesMan
4 hours ago

Dursley

If we were living in the Canary islands then yes but in the UK ?? Probably not.

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By *oosterladMan
3 hours ago

ipswich

The man who installed my system has two batteries in his house and his wife drives electric. They use Octopus and sell to the grid at peak evening times then rebuy overnight when its cheap rate to recharge the car. Your car needs to be compatible to pass energy both ways. As I have space to store several cars ill soon buy an old depreciated electric car and use it as a sla.e battery for my house. Theyll be cheaper than a second 6kw battery with lots more capacity for my needs.

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By *ammy39Man
3 hours ago

Glenrothes

"The man who installed my system has two batteries in his house and his wife drives electric. They use Octopus and sell to the grid at peak evening times then rebuy overnight when its cheap rate to recharge the car. Your car needs to be compatible to pass energy both ways. As I have space to store several cars ill soon buy an old depreciated electric car and use it as a sla.e battery for my house. Theyll be cheaper than a second 6kw battery with lots more capacity for my needs.

Madness!!

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By *oosterladMan
3 hours ago

ipswich

Maybe to your head but have you seen the depreciation on electric cars? early electric cars are down to a few thousand trade price now. Maybe not many miles in them but enough for household hookups. Think outside the box.

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By *ammy39Man
3 hours ago

Glenrothes

"Maybe to your head but have you seen the depreciation on electric cars? early electric cars are down to a few thousand trade price now. Maybe not many miles in them but enough for household hookups. Think outside the box."

I think outside the brainwashing EV box! It's all cobblers mate. Anyway you'll be paying per mile after the budget, along with vehicle tax, a con that was always going to happen! Long live "induction,compresdion,power,exhaust" !!

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By *ammy39Man
3 hours ago

Glenrothes

Compresdion = compression

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By *ames471Man
3 hours ago

Bromsgrove

It depends on your age and how much the grant/price is.

The potential savings didn’t make it worthwhile at my age!

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By *ames471Man
2 hours ago

Bromsgrove

[Removed by poster at 07/11/25 23:06:33]

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By *oose1Man
2 hours ago

doncaster

I’ve had mine ten years and get a good import tariff , my system cost £6000 with twelve panels and Inverter , it’s more than paid for itself and after an inspection it’s still producing well ,

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By *hiteroseMan
2 hours ago

Neverwhere

Someone likes 4 strokes ...

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By *ancsbisexMan
2 hours ago

Burnley

Beware of systems installed as part of Ed Millibands green energy ECO scam. The companies get paid directly from government and most couldn't care less how good the system will be for you as they get paid one way or the other. They want to fit the cheapest system they can without any firm guarantee or warranty. Be wary of these door knocking scam artists.

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By *oosterladMan
2 hours ago

ipswich

I didnt say id be driving the electric car. Im a oetrol head and dont want one. But I would buy one then sorn it and use it as a sl.ve battery when its range has dropped but still some useful battery caoacity left to use.

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By *iggreenockMan
2 hours ago

Greenock

Obviously yes??? Bizarre question. Coal? Yes or no? Wtf?

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