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as above...
starting to see alot of houses about with solar panels on the roof, are they worth it?
no but im working on a design for a client invlving a solar heating system in conjunction with a ground source heat pump. could't comment on their 'value', probably is worth it in the long term but depends what your expectations are. i.e. Cost driven only or doing your bit for the environment? And it will prob depend waht system you go for, and if you have consider other ways of reducing energy usage?
If you have the money yes. Rate of return is inflation beating and guaranteed.
what sort of costs would it be for a 3 bed house, and how long to break even..?
i got 24 panels put on my roof a couple of months back and we are about 70% up on what was stated. That might not continue but at the moment the rates are quite good and if you have a south enough facing roof it is probably worth it long term. also the rates are going to change soon so people that get them after a certain point will be getting less than us as we will keep the old rate. can't remember when tho. it all depends on roof space that you have and the scheme you use but they should pay back in around 12 years i think but it all depends on RPI. that is at the figure we were quoted
I have a few different quotes in front of me for different systems. Most of them is mainly a ground source heat pump system supplemented by a solar panel so those quotes wont be relevant to you. Another quote though is for a solar panel to heat domestic hot water with new cylinder for a new dwelling but may be a guide:
System Design:
The Nu-Heat design and sizing process uses its own unique calculations package to specify the ideal configuration of cylinder, solar collectors and ancillary components for your project.Our specification process has been developed in conjunction with European solar design
software, TSol, as well as the government's SAP building regulations assessment criteria.
Performance and energy savings:
The figures below provide an indication of the potential energy savings achievable based on your approximate daily hot water demand. The solar fraction figure is the proportion of domestic hot water that can potentially be heated by solar panels alone. It is a yearly
average so in summer months, the proportion will be significantly higher. The 'yearly free
energy harvested' figure is based on SAP appendix H and may be required for any RHI funding (subject to confirmation of the scheme).
Hot water demand:185 litres daily, based on an occupancy of 4 people*
Solar input:1517.63 kilowatt hours of free solar energy harvested yearly**
Solar proportion:58% of hot water supplied yearly by solar***
Solar Quotation
Flat panel solar heating system docked with heat pump and un-vented solar cylinder
- Assumed roof direction for panel installation is East/West.
- There is None or very little overshading in front of the panels.
- A 30° roof pitch has been assumed for calculation purposes.
The total quote is appprox £2,500 + VAT
oh and missd the extras... around £600+ VAT in pipework. Dont think it includes installation but havent looked at them too closely yet
do you want a water heating one or photovoltaic panels that actually produce electricity?
pv will set you back circa 12k fitted obviuosly more benifit if on the south coast then in Uist should pay for itself in 12 yrs and be well in profit in 25.. My electrician qualified to install them in feb. in sunny rochdale we ve done two so far.. i'm not convinced BUT with energy costs rising 20% if your in a long term home and use a lot of electric ( 4 or more people at home during the day then yes i can be persuaded if your under 40 odds are you ll move before you see a benefit.
it does add value to your house anyway so you shouldn't lose out much if you move really anyway
House next to mine has had panels on the roof for about 5 years. It's a water heating system. December 2010 the owner slipped outside in the snow, hurt her back quite badly & was in hospital for a couple of weeks, during which time the 100 litre tank in the roof catastrophically failed. She's only been able to move back in to the house in the last month.
and your point is?
All to do with the Feed In Tariff. New rates come in from August, but that's mainly for larger PV systems.
Don't forget, the returns are based on todays electricity prices, but with Ofgem and others warning that household bills will rise way in excess of inflation, then you should see a quicker return than shown in workings now.