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People with solar panels on their roof, how is it working out just now?

Posted by DarkangelUK@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 117 comments

Given the cost of living and increase in energy costs, is it paying off?

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117 Comments

Fit_Negotiation5830@reddit

I have a credit of 500.00 currently on my electric bill
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gagagagaNope@reddit

£11300, looking like it will be paid off in 5 years, then all of our electricity will be covered March-October, and most of it the rest of the year. Can also use cheap power to charge the battery to cover the rest, so we're paying under 7p a unit for all of our electricity. Saving \~ £1100 a year, export from power we don't use is \~ £1400. We'll need to replace some bit in the 10-15 year time frame, about £5-7k then in current money. We put it on a 0% credit card, will bump it to another once that period runs out. We're spending the same amount each month, but 2/3 gets paid into the credit card instead of the electricity company.
View on Reddit #52757889

OldFartWelshman@reddit

I originally installed my solar and Powerwall system with an expected payback of 14 years. It's now looking like 5 year payback, and after that all gravy... Getting 60% from solar and with battery \*never\* pay full price, it's always 6.7p overnight rate for all my power.
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Spencer-ForHire@reddit

All my calculations pointed towards a 10-12 year payback, I'm getting a better return on other investments. YMMV.
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FluffyBunnyFlipFlops@reddit

This is what put me off. I calculated a 10 year ROI. That's too long. I haven't checked but how long are the warranties on the panels and equipment?
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CorithMalin@reddit

Going to University is also about a 10 year ROI. They’re both a pretty good investment in my opinion.
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RandolfSchneider@reddit

The more I calculate, the more I realise that a big battery charged at 7p per kWh is the safer bet, zero maintenance or risk of damage, cheaper to install, no seasonal variation, easier to scale.
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CarpeCyprinidae@reddit

Critical dependency on the energy supplier continuing to offer a night rate or cheap rate though. Part of the appeal and return of solar is being your own power station and being less dependent upon Big Volt
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Spencer-ForHire@reddit

How much solar you generating at night?
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Spencer-ForHire@reddit

Until you see the price of the battery. Most energy intensive stuff I can load shift anyway. 
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BankBackground2496@reddit

3.7kwh, clouds all day but that means nothing. Over the year our 3kwp system with 9 panels makes 2600kwh, 2/3 of our domestic use. Not bad in sunny Glasgow with 9 panels. In summer most I've seen was 20kwh in one day. I don't mind exporting, I get double the price I pay per kwh to charge the battery.
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Anubis1958@reddit

Amazingly yes. We got an offer we could not refuse to install panels in late september. Just about the worst time to do it, but they still made a considerable difference. This month, 64% of my electricity comes from panels. Life time, ie Sept to now, its 31%. We have also exported 24% of what we generate. We have reduced our monthly direct debit by 30%. I called my home insurer, who did said that they did not need to know.
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McLeod3577@reddit

Quite happy as we pay £100pm as our monthly payment for electricity and gas and we get back around £400 in export credit for the whole year. So that's £800 for the year and that also includes paying for 14,000 miles in an EV, which would have been about £3000 in fuel bills each year.
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pruaga@reddit

14000 miles at a guestimate of 3.5 miles per kWh is 4000 kWh of energy. A typical EV tariff is around 7p/kWh, so that mileage would cost £280 a year
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McLeod3577@reddit

Yep. The house comes to about £550 for the year for electric excluding the car. Comparative Petrol and diesel costs of £3k worked out based on the previous cars I owned.
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pruaga@reddit

I guess my point was that if you are comparing running costs of EV Vs ice in your solar calculations you also need to factor in the EV purchase price. Don't get me wrong, I have two EVs in our household and couldn't ever see me going back, but I think you're fudging the numbers in favour of solar, when the EV Vs ice is a separate (but not entirely unrelated) comparison. The saving number you need to use in your solar calculations is the EV running cost, because that's what it would cost if you didn't have the solar.
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McLeod3577@reddit

Man maths of course!
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HengeHopper@reddit

12 panels, 3 batteries fitted 2 years ago. North West England. £11k They have generated just over 8000 kWh in total and I've used 6000 kWh of that - exported the rest to the grid
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arensurge@reddit

What is the total watt size of the solar panels? How big is your battery capacity? Last question, although you have exported more than you imported, I guess you have still had to pay a little in energy bills since the rate you import at is usually more expensive than the rate you export at, so how much in energy bills did you have to pay over that period? I hope you don't mind all the questions, I'm in the North East of England and a setup similar to yours sounds doable for my roof, I've been thinking about it for a long time. It's super helpful to learn from someone who has the exact same setup as what I'm thinking of.
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HengeHopper@reddit

12 x JA 385 W panels. Total: 4.62 kW 3 x batteries. Total: 10.6 kWh Hybrid inverter: 3.6 kW My panels are split across 2 strings: 4 facing south east. They kick in just after dawn until mid afternoon 8 facing south west. Mid morning until late afternoon/ evening I started by using the loop energy app so I could get a good idea of how much I use. It queries your smart meter. I also used easy-pv.co.uk web site to get an idea of how many panels would fit on my roof. Just for rough sizing and placement. I used a company called Spectra Solar from Chorley to install. Awesome experience with those guys. Solar drops off in November and picks up again early February as you'd expect. Winter and standing charges have the greatest effect on electricity bills. Hope this helps
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arensurge@reddit

It does help! Thank you so much! So what are your yearly electricity bills like?
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HengeHopper@reddit

About £500 per year not including standing charges. But my lad has gone through an extended period of being nocturnal. I work from home. So my house rarely sleeps, Xbox is unlikely to rust etc. It is a nice feeling when the batteries are full and the house is running off the panels. The 3.6kW inverter can't always supply full load. Electric oven + everything else etc. if you go bigger on the inverter, there is a bit of additional paperwork/permission needed ( G99 dno application)
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arensurge@reddit

Thanks again!
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Flashyashy@reddit

Almost exactly 50% of my electricity comes from my panels. 35 month period, I've used 17.1mw, the system has produced 9.6mw, with an export of 1.1mw. 2 people working from home. The house is very rarely unoccupied and we have probably close to a dozen screens, computers, NAS & other devices always on. I bought the solar & battery system for £12k. Consolidated the loan into my remortgage. My new mortgage payments are the same as they would have been if I'd let my interest rates go to variable. Very happy with the panels. No maintenance issues. 12 x 500w panels. 5mw inverter, 2 x 3mwh lithium ion batteries. As for the 'now' aspect of your question. The panels are very ineffective from October to mid-March. Only 10-20% of usage per month is generated over this period.
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Henno212@reddit

Had them come with the house, not really seen any massive differences, since the weather where i live is garbage
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TheRaimondReddington@reddit

Probably still about 3-4 years away from ROI but the last 12 months have mostly just paid standing charges for electricity and gas. We also have a log burner.
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meaty999@reddit

I had installed solar panels and a 13kw battery last April. I have an electric car and I run my company from home so my min power draw is 1kw. My combined direct debit has gone from £550pm to £150pm and I am still in credit with octopus. Cost for panels and batteries was £13k. I will have made my money back in a few years.
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Mrthingymabob@reddit

These are the stats from 2024 - Not including standing charges and the gas is missing Jan/Feb data which would add another £100. DIY PV install with battery. I bought all the equipment when it was the most expensive and it cost me £8k at the end of 2022. The rules around installing solar panels and getting paid for export are prohibitive and should be removed IMO apart from the DNO notification and electrician to install a new circuit. The cost of install needs to be reduced. https://preview.redd.it/ozdo7iqtzkre1.png?width=1317&format=png&auto=webp&s=dbcfef960553f129f9a701621aa4aa5b5e18fe88
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my-kal_uk@reddit

Yeah, no question about it. I’ve had mine installed almost a year, but my energy bills have gone from £250 > £30 per month (I have an EV). I should break even within 5y.
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Civil-Attempt-3602@reddit

Damn i wish i owed a house. I'm paying around that much while renting.  Hurts man
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GoonerSparks91@reddit

Look into shared ownership man! Its alot easier to get a foot on the ladder than you think!
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Civil-Attempt-3602@reddit

That's only new build though right?
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boutins@reddit

It’s not new build only, there’s resale (so older homes) or some HAs can transfer any property to SO (but there’s higher costs to you) You can install solar on SO homes but do need permission.
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Great_Gabel@reddit

Most come with them round my way
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my-kal_uk@reddit

It sucks man, but keep saving a little each month. The biggest hurdle is the damn deposit!
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Civil-Attempt-3602@reddit

My credit is dog shit as well, but apparently that isn't really the issue, it's more deposit and affordability, if I can get a 2-5 year fixed then my credit would improve and i can remortgage 
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GoodGollyTea@reddit

Are their any home insurance issues or noticed any sigificant changes at all?
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my-kal_uk@reddit

None, actually no. My insurance has stayed more or less the same. Not sure if that’s because of no claims, or inflation coming down or what. But no material difference at all.
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GoodGollyTea@reddit

Thats good news, have you had a remortgage in the time of owning the solar panels?
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my-kal_uk@reddit

Not yet, no. I’m hoping it’ll play in my favour since it should add value though! Got a couple of years yet.
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GoodGollyTea@reddit

Good to hear from someone with them, thanks for replying
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lordghostpig@reddit

I'm super tempted to look into it. We have a big south-facing roof that catches tons of sun. I'm just put off by 5-6 years' time for it to be profitable.
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Tartan_Couch_Potato@reddit

It's 5-6 years to get your investment back. Then another 20 years of "free" electricity....... Our direct debit for the last 13 months has been £0.00. How could anyone be put off by this.
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wimpires@reddit

Depending on where you live/other circumstances you can also get an interest free loan that's longer than they payback period so you are saving from day 1
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JamesWoolfenden@reddit

Show me another investment that's as safe as this with this level of return. That's a 15-20 per cent return for 5 years and then free money that you've already paid tax on?
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Meister5@reddit

Far longer than that. 11 or 12 years I read a while back. Of course it depends on how much sun you get where you live. Clearly panels are useless if your house is north facing.
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Tartan_Couch_Potato@reddit

Then that system isn't optimised. Our ROI is 6 years. Tops. Likely to be less as prices climb.
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fatveg@reddit

Dont you just install them round the back?
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Meister5@reddit

You could, I suppose. Depends on your roof. More likely to have Velux windows on a south facing roof to let more light in upstairs rooms.
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wimpires@reddit

Scotland, house came with Solar 800W system  650kWh/year generation  300kWh self consumption (save on average 23p/kWh) 350kWh export (15p/kWh) Roughly £120/year benefit  If I paid for it now, probably £1,200-1,600 cost. So 12yr payback. Can get better returns with larger systems (economy of scale) and electrified heating etc. Still very happy with it.
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farmerjimbob67@reddit

I had a 4kw system fitted November 2011, from memory it cost about 11.5k. Now back then the FiT was insanely good and it goes up each year inline with rpi, currently it’s paying nearly 75 pence per unit. I also fitted a solar diverter so any excess power heats the hot water first before anything is exported to the grid, note all exports are based on a ‘calculation’ as export meters were never fitted back then. All white goods are run midday till 4 pm when the system peaks. Best gig going back in the day.
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flaninacupboard2@reddit

Yep working out great, panels and batteries, and two electric cars. 4 bed detached house with 4 people. In March I’ve bought 632kwh of electricity at 8p a unit (at night time, to fill the cars and house battery). I’ve exported 620kwh at 15p a unit. So, the power company owe me money. It’ll be like that until October now.
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TheTackleZone@reddit

I have a hybrid car and most of my journeys are within the battery range. It's pretty much entirely run off my solar panels. Looking into how realistic getting batteries installed will be to charge up over the summer and use in the winter. I do sell the excess back to the grid, but only at half price.
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titlrequired@reddit

I saw a company recommended in a different thread that offers free panels/installation with fixed cost electric bill for 5 years, anyone heard of that?
View on Reddit #52353140

mike_geogebra@reddit

This one actually looks a lot better than some of the other "free" offerings https://www.tomato.energy/tomatopia-solar
View on Reddit #52388210

Ok_Pick6972@reddit

I used to fit them for a living. Wouldn't touch any of the companies fitting them for free. For a start how good a of a job do you think they would do.
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ameliasophia@reddit

I had mine done for free with the Eco scheme and it was fine they did a good job. The installation companies still get paid, just by the energy companies instead of by me. They still make a profit and have a vested interest in doing a good job to get more contracts 
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DaenerysTartGuardian@reddit

There are so many fucking scams out there. Stuff like, they own the solar panels still and you buy the electricity off them, they may be free to change the prices, and if you sell the house the buyer has to agree to the terms as well, which makes your house harder to sell. Read the contracts fucking carefully and think hard about whether you really want to go through with what they're offering. They always want to come to your house to quote and will then use high pressure sales tactics to get you to sign. My mum is a nurse who deals with elderly patients with multiple medical conditions. She's had to call the police more than once when solar panel installers tricked her dementia-riddled patients into signing contracts. They don't care, they got their commission. Much better to save up and get a local company that does quality work. Look for locations like schools, community centres and businesses that had had panels fitted and ask them who did it.
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Kistelek@reddit

Solar panels are the new stone cladding/foam insulation. Folk really need to get recommendations for installers.
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titlrequired@reddit

Yep all good points and exactly why I asked what others have heard.
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ooooomikeooooo@reddit

Tomato energy? The catch is that you don't get any benefit from the panels/battery for 5 years. All the benefit goes to Tomato. You get an energy allowance, similar to a mobile data allowance and you pay whether you use it or not. After 5 years they are yours although Tomato retains first refusal for selling any excess.
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titlrequired@reddit

It was yes.
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Roadkill997@reddit

Some people have had a nightmare trying to sell their house after signing up to (some of) those deals.
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DrawfPlanet@reddit

Sounds interesting depending on the price. Pretty much a loan except you’ll be quids in if electricity prices rocket.
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Nun-Taken@reddit

Guess who’s making all the money there.
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SilverHalsen@reddit

Current estimate is my solar panels and battery which cost around £10k are saving around £80 (2/5's on the total) a month on electricity. So paid off in 10 years, unless electricity prices go up in which case it will be sooner.
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Prestigious_Seal@reddit

What's the maintenance cost over 10 years?
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mike_geogebra@reddit

Zero, rain cleans them in the UK 😅 Inverter probably will need changing after 10-15 years. Panels last 25+ years
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SilverHalsen@reddit

No idea, had them 2 years and so far not needed anything done.
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bobaboo42@reddit

Our ROI and figures are exactly the same. However, if we sell the house there is also added value there - apparently it's one of three questions buyers have in recent times. I wonder if people ask for extra for the panels/battery etc on the fixtures and fittings like they do for appliances?
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Not_Mushroom_@reddit

Yeah, seen on the UK housing sub sellers saying they will take the panels unless x amount is on the purchase price. Poster was advised to tell them to jog as it would be cost prohibitive given the need for scaffolding and repairing any damage to tiles etc. I def think it adds an appeal to a house, haven't really looked into it but can't think of many downsides other than if you need roof repairs it would be an added cost for trades to work around/move etc.
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xerker@reddit

Yep. Got them July 2022 with a home battery about £10k. During the sunny months we pay for very minimal amount of electricity and the daily standing charge. Not so sunny months we charge the battery cheap overnight and drain it down during the day. We imported 2500kwh last year to the battery and exported 1500kwh. The import would be at the cheap rate which is half what we get paid for export practically cancelling out. We used about 7000kwh in the home, 2500kwh of which was from the sun. The remainder 4500kwh was bought straight from the grid. Assuming worst case scenario of approx 25p/kWh at most, our 7000 would have cost £1750 but instead we paid £1125. A crudely calculated £625 saving. Bonus savings for a bit of fun. Most of that electricity went into my car @ roughly 10k miles. My previous car had a 47 litre tank which turned into about 400 miles - 1175 litres @ £1.42/L (RAC) which is £1668.50 of petrol I didn't buy... But I of course had to buy an electric car to access that saving.
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the-chauffeur@reddit

Um, yeah - would say so. Combined with batteries we're unlikely to pay any more than standing charge for electricity from now until October. That'll include using air conditioning in the summer and no fuel bills for cars. The most we paid this year for electric in any single month was about fifty quid, which included some car charging. We overpaid for the panels - put more on the roof than we can use with the inverter on the basis that bigger inverters will be a thing at some point and that there's no guarantee we'd be able to get the same panels in a few years time (to avoid mismatching). We also haven't started selling back to the grid because of the inverter thing and don't want to have to go through the G99 process twice when a bigger inverter comes along (and yes, we could run two but can't be arsed about that right now). Absolutely no idea about the payback period - fully appreciate we're spectacularly lucky for a number of reasons to not have to even think about that. We're using the solar/batteries as a hedge against costs when we stop working; turns out retirement planning isn't only about pensions. If calculations/projections are the sort of thing is interesting to you bear in mind that once you're producing your own electric, there's lots of new things you can do - we would never have thought about aircon otherwise and certainly wouldn't have factored that in when we were deciding what set-up to go with. And you don't have to worry about energy efficiency either - so we can use devices designed for pro kitchens without even thinking about the power consumption.
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thisisthisisp@reddit

The retirement angle is a really good point that is rarely mentioned
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nicallica@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/u5kol13yxhre1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=92e3c3c92ed075793b458b8d2112f84381ea1a68 This is my current week's import/export. Top is export, bottom import.
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Cultural_Tank_6947@reddit

Yes. It is. Something like 40% of my electricity use is generated out of my panels over the last 3 years. Based on what I've consumed, and what I've exported, I've probably saved £3000 in this period compared to an install cost of £6500. With energy prices only going up, it's a matter of time before I break even.
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GoodGollyTea@reddit

Are their any home insurance issues or noticed any sigificant changes at all?
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Cultural_Tank_6947@reddit

Nope, no changes to home insurance.
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GoodGollyTea@reddit

Thats good news, have you had a remortgage in the time of owning the solar panels
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Cultural_Tank_6947@reddit

Yes, but stuck with the same bank and we were already in the best LTV bracket regardless plus don't intend selling this home at least till retirement which is probably 20 years away, so the valuation made no difference. We also have the exact type of home that was in hot demand right after the pandemic (and we bought the week before the first lockdown), so the current valuation is crazy compared to our purchase price.
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GoodGollyTea@reddit

Good to hear from someone with them, thanks for replying. Congrats on the timing, seems like a perfect scenario during a difficult time!
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Cultural_Tank_6947@reddit

Don't really care about the valuation if I'm honest, its our house and until we go to sell (and we might not ever), the valuation is a number on the bank's mortgage application and nothing else.
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sidneylopsides@reddit

What type of house?
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Cultural_Tank_6947@reddit

4 bed detached, with a study and good outside space. In a village but the train station is two miles away, and London in like 50 minutes.
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st1ckygusset@reddit

>it's a matter of time before I break even. Assuming that you live for the next 4 years.
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No-Pangolin-6648@reddit

They came with the house and we get quarterly payouts from EDF based on generated electricity. On average I'd say we get about 800 a year.
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ultimatewooderz@reddit

88% of my consumption so far today has been either direct from the panels, or from the battery. My electricity bills are about 5-10% what they were from this time last year when I didn't have the panels I'm not intending to move so it works for me, if you are only there short term, the up front cost probably isn't worth it
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Representative_Pin80@reddit

Excellent. Charge battery during cheap periods to lower average cost per kWh. Yesterday was the first day this year we exported more than we imported, so free leccy for the day and it we get some cash back
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Matterbox@reddit

Our monthly energy payment for gas and electricity is £110. 4 of us at home. Includes heating, fuel for two EVs. Have 7.7kwp with a 6kW inverter. A 13.5kWh powerwall 2. I cannot fathom how I would afford full price electricity and diesel/petrol. We used 6000kwh a year pre EVs. 12,000kwh with.
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CarpeCyprinidae@reddit

Amazingly. Our direct debit was £180 before we had them, now it's £60. Best investment. Since 25th February we haven't used any gas for hot water as our smart diverter has made all the hot water from surplus solar electricity since then so very environment friendly as well as great economics
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Kistelek@reddit

Brilliant now. Added an extra 13 panels last year to get me to 37 with 23.2kWh of batteries and a 10kW inverter. All cost about £27k and payback is currently looking at 9-10 years allowing for loss of interest. The more electric prices rise, the shorter that gets.
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CanaryWundaboy@reddit

They’re doing great, we’re through the worst period of the year and now into the months where octopus pay me instead of the other way around.
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1995LexusLS400@reddit

Yeah. I didn't realize how much money they save until mine were removed to renovate the roof. Went from using £20-£30 worth of electricity per month, to £20-£30 per week.
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Fish_Minger@reddit

I have: * Solar Panels * Batteries * Solar Hot water * EV vehicle * 6.5p night time tariff. I'm on the original FIT tariff from <2012. Currently getting about 75p per kWh regardless of if I use it or not. I don't export much as the excess is used to fill up everything else automatically. Financially it's 100% worth it. Even without the FIT tariff, but the extra £2500 per year I get from that is nice.
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Cam2910@reddit

Who pays the 75ppkwh? How can you be paid more for generating electricity than we're buying it for?
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MooseFar7514@reddit

We all do through subsidies on our bills. Pre 2012 FIT was a ridiculously good deal. Also why there were so many random installs as third parties took the export at that price and the owner got anything that wasn’t ie lower bills.
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Cougie_UK@reddit

Old contract !
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oldskoolplayaR1@reddit

Had mine since end of 2012 - 3.6kW. It does make a difference but battery tech didn’t exist back then. Winter I may produce 30-330 watts which is nothing, come spring onwards 30kW or so per day. I ended up selling my feed in tariff contract to buy a chip shop - should have kept the feed in tarriff 😅
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Equal-Application731@reddit

Had my panels for about six months now and they have generated more than my daily use, also currently getting £.40 per kilowatt hour exported back to the grid
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KidInd@reddit

honestquotes.co.uk sorted me a decent quote - worth a check
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Tartan_Couch_Potato@reddit

Had our solar and battery for a year now and we have managed to have £0.00 bill for the whole year. That's inclusive of gas, electricity, standing charges, running a heat pump driving an EV. Or ROI is looking around 6 years. Very happy with our kit.
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bri999@reddit

Installed 1.5kw of panels a few years ago and added a myenergi eddi diverter which puts any excess power into the hot water cylinder and in the summer months we have a tank of hot water by the mid afternoon every day. The 1.5kw array generates around 10kwh on a sunny day
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herne_hunted@reddit

3.6kW of panels plus a 2kWhr battery cost me £8k and bills have dropped from £160 a month to £50 a month. I'm saving £110 a month or £1320 a year but I'm no longer earning 4% interest on that £8k so that's an annual loss of £320. Overall I'm saving £1000 a year so theoretical payback in eight years. Rising electricity prices will reduce that as will the value added to the house but I can't work them out. I'm happy.
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J_Artiz@reddit

Moved into a house with an old rent a roof solar installation and although the panels aren't owned it really makes an impact on the energy bills! We also added an air source heat pump to help utilise the power that's generated. We're also considering a used EV to help sponge up the energy that's generated but not used as we're not entitled to an export.
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clizzle19@reddit

I bought my house in 2023 and solar panels came with it. My electric and gas is currently £112 a month and every quarter I get about 35-50 pound back from the fit payments. However I don't think they do the fit payments anymore for new customers as the government stopped the scheme a few years ago unless you take it over from the previous owner. That's what they told me when I first looked into it. I'm not to up on the whole thing so I could be wrong
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MintyMarlfox@reddit

Solar and a battery got installed in November, and a heat pump. Energy bills have dropped from £140 a month to £50. Last month I imported around 450 kWh at an average of 6.48p, and exported around 700 at 16.5p - because it’s eon they’ll send me the money rather than taking it off my bill. Should be paid off in about 6 years. Nice knowing that any future price increases will have next to no impact.
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aezy01@reddit

How on earth are you importing at 6.48p/kwh average?
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MintyMarlfox@reddit

Eon Next Drive is 6.3p overnight (exc VAT).
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aezy01@reddit

So are you not using any electricity during the day?
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MintyMarlfox@reddit

I offload everything possible to between midnight and 7am when it’s cheap - so all dishwasher, washer/dryer, water tank heating etc. Heat pump is set to 2 degrees warmer overnight so it heats cheaper and that lasts most of the day before it needs to kick in. Then a PW3 gets me through the day. Only used 4 kWh of peak electricity in the March bill.
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aezy01@reddit

That’s impressive. I do all of the same things, but I think I have a very leaky house!
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Not_Mushroom_@reddit

Stupid question: how does the system work if you dont have batteries to store and use the energy from? When you hit a switch for power does it bypass your energy company's input until the panels don't provide enough, then takes from them as a sort of top up (if that makes any sense!)?
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avspuk@reddit

My brother, living in Cumbria, has some, but doesn't export any. The whole thing cost £5k For about 4 months of the year he gets all his power free. For about 4 months about an 1/8th of his power is free. For about 8 months he charges the batteries up overnight on the off peak electricity. He has used 28 full price units in 3 & half years. He's months away from recouping his entire cost. He lives on the coast too so I was worried about storms damaging them but it's all been good. It's the batteries as much as the panels
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AffectionateBall7151@reddit

I get money back every quarter. Not sure how it works but I'm not complaining
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denjin@reddit

Current estimates are average house and usage about £5k for panels with an 8-10 year payback time. Battery about the same.  The two together cuts another year or two off the time because for most of the year at our latitude, peak energy cost time isn't bright enough for your panels to be generating enough so instead you run off the battery early morning and evening, charge the battery during the day with your panels.  The heavier user of electricity you are the faster you reach payback time, so if you got EV, heat pump or electric radiators, all electric appliances you're set to pay it all off a lot quicker than if you have GCH or oil. If you can afford the upfront cost of 10k+ and have at least a modestly sized, not overshadowed, not north facing roof, it seems a no brainier to me and if I suddenly found myself with that much disposable income it's the first thing I would do.
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cougieuk@reddit

Yeah. I reckon it'll pay back within about 8 years or so and hopefully they'll last another 20 years after that.  If you can't get solar then adding battery storage can work. You can be almost exclusively off peak if you're smart about it. 
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