10 Things You Need To Know Before Getting Solar Panels Installed in 2024

[@artisanelectrics]

Request a quote from Artisan Electrics here - app.openquote.net/company/artisanelectrics

[@tarassu]

I don't like that bird protection. Find a model with ventilation slits or something. This skirt is foolish 😮

[@st200ol]

You forgot the real step one, make sure your installation costs at least 20-25K or you will not be interested in working with me. ;-) Mine would be a smallish 10-12K so I will wait for you to drop this "entry price" at some point in the future.

[@michaeltca3103]

ADVICE -- GET out of the UK if you want solar or to be free. This is the home of endless anti-white racism, bigots and ugly socialism -- forever socialism/communists - with endless rules and regulations and civil servants who take your tax money and do nothing productive. Americans can't believe it when I tell them that they force you to pay tax for an ugly government run news channel, and spy on you to see if your house watches it. They think it must be some weirdo dystopian movie about totalitarianism or something...Move to the US, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida Texas and be free. Solar is easy here and cheap, and worthwhile and land is cheap and building is easy. Just get out. The country will collapse and civil war is coming. You gotta know that when they start jailing people for telling a joke but let illegals run wild, that it is over. I bought my US property already and left two weeks ago. Best thing I EVER DID in my life. I will NEVER step foot in ugly UK again unless there is a revolution and then I will return and help win it.

[@brianglobe1]

Are you MCS registered?

[@FirstDan2000]

This is a really useful video for those of us who want to embark on supplying renewables to grow a business. You're obviously not withholding any knowledge you've gained over the years and you're passing it on freely. Not many would do that. The bit about a structural engineer did occur to me but I wouldn't know where to start - until now. You've got rid of a lot of unknowns for me. This is a good channel to follow. Thanks for sharing.

[@fredturk6447]

Reasonable summary, thanks! It’s important to realise that any solar or EV charging installation can require consumer unit upgrades. I suggest, apart from the elephant in the room, it is important to choose systems which give good interoperability and give a good user interface to both display and adjust power flows. The elephant in the room, is the cost. I am just dealing with this, already having a solar installation, but needing a Zappi installed. In this case the solar had been installed years ago and now no space in my consumer unit and tighter regulations required a new box to be installed to remount some components, existing MCBs to be replaced with RCBOs to remove a single 3phase RCD to allow space for a 3phase RCBO to connect the Zappi. The main switch also had to be replaced with one including a main circuit breaker. The cost for all this ran to $6,000 AUD or 3,200 pounds including the cost of the 3 phase Zappi including hub. Conclusion, have a stiff drink before reading any quote for solar or EV charging installation.

[@artisanelectrics]

Very true thanks for sharing

[@aftabalikhan11]

It was seriously important to me thank you you have cleared it to me. I won’t spend my money on all of that. Im happy with my current setting for now.❤

[@63muhammadumair5]

The information provided here about solar panel installation is truly outstanding.

[@GregRobsonUK]

Very handy, I've just got my first house and it has a nice south facing, unshaded pitched roof. I want to get solar and this gives me some ball-park idea of what I'll be able to do and how much might need upgrading. 👍

[@beresoaiesergiu6081]

For roofs try horizontal orientation for the panels, you can save a lot of space and you can put more panels in 3 arays😊. Anyway I watching you from Romania. I use to work like electrician for 3 years in Uk, but I move to Romania 4 years ago. All the best!🧨🧨🧨⚡️⚡️⚡️

[@ForTheBirbs]

Nicely done Jordan! And a good looking installation. A mate here in Sydney had his corrugated roof damaged in a hail storm a few years ago. Big dents but no holes. He came to arrangement with insurer. Part was replaced and remainder was covered with solar panels!

[@derekferguson385]

Will the solar panels survive a similar hail storm. 🤔 probably not.

[@misstertash1701]

The most important thing to check is that your installer is MCS accredited. Without an MCS certificate you can not take advantage of the decent export tariffs. Also, if you are being asked to send a lot of pictures over. I would suggest looking for a more local MCS installer who will actually come out to complete a survey. It is always nice to see the actual installer in person instead of giving over lots of money to someone who may just end up subbing it out to others.

[@OneLessCar]

I agree with you about an in person survey. I have a flue and a gable to work around and the difference in designs from the person who did an in person survey and those that didn't is surprising. Each house has it's quirks and I don't want expensive surprises on the day of installation.

[@jas20per]

Extremely informative, and it did make my mind up to the fact that a solar installation would not be cost effective at my age. Being a retired Electronic engineer the physical cost of the recommended installation with all the bells and whistles I would have to live to well over a hundred to recoup a good proportion of the costs . I can see this paying for the younger members of society as long as it is their forever home. In the event of a house sale you would be extremely lucky to recoup a good percentage of the installation cost at the very best, because it is a second user product at that point. Oh I nearly forgot to mention that service contracts only increase in cost year on year, solar cells decrease efficiency over time and batteries live only as long as the manufacturers want them to.

[@hrhlordwurlibird]

One very important part of the installation is indeed location. Often a garage is not a good place to install battery storage as during periods of cold weather the battery core cools considerably. As you know LFP04 storage chemistry does not like an environment where the ambient temperature can drop below c.15 degrees C. If the cell core of the storage is unheated the BMS will derate the charge current substantially to avoid ‘plating’ of the cells. I say this as a FAE for a manufacturer of PV string inverters, AC coupled battery inverters, LFP04 batteries and EV chargers. Sadly many installers do not display the care and diligence of Artisan Electrics and during cold weather we received many complaints like, “Why is all my energy being exported to the grid and not going into my batteries?” It is difficult trying to explain to end users that the battery/BMS is working as it should be.

[@montypythonish]

Taking the first steps into possibly getting PV. Excellent vid. Loads of good tips. Many thanks.

[@amcadam26]

Recently got a 4.7kw 12 panel array on my SE facing house roof. Working great so far. Has a 9.6kwh battery with it and most days since the start of April I barely use more than 0.3kwh of grid power per day. Export income not sorted yet, octopus taking ages to sort this out.

[@ehsnils]

I'd also like to add that if you have a water heater you can consider to heat up the water extra when you have excess energy from solar. Water is an excellent energy storage system, so if you can work with different temperature levels you can save even more.

[@dougbamford]

Yes I got a smart immersion heater installed at the same time as the solar panels. Haven't used gas for hot water in the month since and I won't need to use gas for hot water until the winter (though expect I will stick to electric anyway when it is lower carbon).

[@Trevor_Austin]

Heat storage batteries are also a neat way of storing power. Here the only the internal core is heated up and water is heated on demand as it flows through the device.

[@deang5622]

It's only an excellent storage system if you actually can make use of the hot water. You can heat an insulated tank, but eventually if you are not using all that hot water, that energy is being wasted as the heat is lost to the surrounding environment. Sometimes it is better to charge batteries and store the energy that way. You can hold the energy for much longer and you can use it for whatever you want, when you want

[@ehsnils]

@@deang5622 my consideration was to heat the water when the batteries are full, that's what I did mean by excess energy.

[@deang5622]

@@ehsnils Ok, but you didn't mention the presence of batteries.

[@glockieme]

Thanks. Lots of good information. I have been worried about having to reroof but the idea of in-roof panels might be the answer. Cheers

[@johannbraunstein1190]

I've had a 5kw pv system installed for nearly a year now and the returns are not looking good so far. All the points you raise are particularly relevant but none more so than actually getting sunlight to reach the panels. England doesn't generally have good sun. One can have all the other 9 points covered but if ones aspect is not good then forget it.

[@markymarkreviews]

Great vid. I thought one of the most important aspects of good solar efficiency is to maintain good airflow beneath the panels? Best efficiency is always a sunny and COOL day. Not sunny and HOT day. Pigeon protection is a MUST (as we have experienced to our cost several years after having our panels installed with no problems! before that!) but those skirts in the video would just cause high temps and less efficiency of the panels- the one main disadvantage for in roof panels also. NO airflow. And in high winds you would want air to flow through the installation and not hit solid walls?

[@Group51]

I have the skirts and there’s a gap under skirt that lets air but not birds flow underneath. I know because on windy days I hear some flapping.

[@gregevans8939]

@@Group51 Why are the birds flapping ? I thought the skirt stopped them ??

[@Group51]

@@gregevans8939 cables flapping.

[@solaskirt]

We have chimney sections that encourage air flow, and there is plenty of space for air to flow between the skirt and the panels and the roof. If you look at in-roof solar there is zero air flow and these have been installed for 10-years+ but i am not aware of any major reported issues. With SolaSkirt you still get some airflow. Also in high winds its better to divert the air flow over the panels, rather than under them, as then they are less likely to rattle.

[@ForTheBirbs]

Speaking with my building construction / fire research hat on, I'd strongly suggest an interlinked smoke detector be fitted. If used as a workshop use a rate of rise heat detector. Could save lives!

[@buckshee]

Funny enough that is actually now part of the IET solar codes of practice to do that, it's regulation 11.5.4 in the latest book.

[@shaundakin1612]

Also remember just cause it says 100Amp on your main cut out fuse carrier dosn't mean that it is. often they have 80s in

[@_chrisr_]

Mine was downrated because DNO came round and said if they couldn't visually inspect the tails from the meter to the consumer unit then it was downrated to 60 (IIRC). In my house the tails travel up the cavity (I assume) to the CU. They certainly aren't visible.

[@_chrisr_]

@PETER WILSON I agree but each DNO had their own policy and that’s what the engineer told me. He didn’t even want to look at the other end. It might be that there isn’t visible means of mechanical protection. When I had the service head moved at another property under the same DNO the tails had to be installed in conduit and I made sure that it was visible for inspection.

[@ffviifakeremake9997]

Thanks for the video, I'm very interested in the field/ground mounted solar. I just don't know where to start?

[@JimNichols]

I love your channel, your videos are extraordinarily well made, well scripted and well thought out, the lay out is optimal in logic and ease of viewing and you have a great skill in oration... but some times you do a disservice to the viewer simply from your passion for the subject matter. Me for instance, I live in Thailand and the biggest electrical usage in my home is AC where I picked an inverter unit with an extremely high efficiency rating, a very respectable inrush and a very moderate 900 watts draw when the compressor is running. Taking the inrush current as an average, cost of the batteries needed to run one of the units overnight is outrageous. You have a 10 hour window of charging with fairly steep upramps in the AM and fairly steep downramps in the PM so I need 14 hours of battery power for the house. I need 1.8 Kw per hour so I need 1.8 x 14= 25.2 KwH of battery plus the 20% wasted by the inverter so there is 31.* Kwh of power storage needed from batteries. I did all the math and with my electricity costing 40 USD a month payback is about 20 years. Now that is for a totally off grid situation, but why not go off grid if you go solar? In Thailand during the summer wow you get sun from 630 am till 630 pm with out a cloudy day pretty much every day. Again the vids are banging spot on and you are a great electrician. I just feel sometimes the hype surrounding Solar is a bit exaggerated... thanks ... Jim

[@tonygeal3157]

Thank you, I have watched several of your videos and as a retired Sparks find them very informative, things are certainly changing in the electrical industry there is a couple of points if you could clarify for me , one is isolation if you turn off the consumer unit does this turn off the panel system/ inverter or is there a live cable for instant from the loft and poss battery system to the consumer unit , and does this or these cable / cable's need identifying throughout its/ there lengths , my son has brought a property with solar panels and it appears this cable is just a unmarked 6mm 6242y buried in the fabric of the building, secondly and a few years back I was speaking to a fire officer about panels, he informed me at the time that if the property has panels he has to take this into his risk assessment as the panels are still generating electric all the time it's sunny does having battery storage compound this, does this with modern systems still stand, I suppose the worst case scenario I suppose it could end up with the fire rescue watching you property burn .

[@gordonmackenzie4512]

If you are watching this from Scotland, the roof structure part will probably be irrelevant. Scottish Building Regulations are very different. Roofs in Scotland are sheeted in ply or OSB to massively increase rigidity, and to allow for snow load. This has been the case for many decades.

[@marymadigan9707]

Nice one Jordan that bird protection looks fabulous 🇮🇪😎👏

[@anthonydyer3939]

Top tip: Buy 1 extra panel to use as a spare. Yes the solar panels all have a 12 year warranty, but if they become faulty, the panel manufacturers always insist on basic tests to be done (and proven on camera) on the suspect panel before they replace it. It’s a lot easier to do all those tests on the ground. You only want to be up on the roof when you replace the faulty panel with the spare. You don’t want to go up there to do multimeter tests, and then go up there again once the replacement panel arrives from China! Also: solar warranties aren’t like for like. My solar dimensions (1685x996mm) are no longer sold. There actually is no such thing as a standard module size. So chances are if you need a replacement panel they’ll just ship out the latest and greatest panel that “nearly matches”, and you find it doesn’t fit in your array because it’s too big. So you are then faced with the prospect of fitting it in the corner of your array for an on roof system (or not at all for an in roof system),

[@jsouto77]

Or do one better and fit micro inverters for each panel. A bit more expensive at times but gives you a granular view of what each panel is doing plus will save on space needed on the wall plus you get better redundancy.

[@stephenwabaxter]

Anthony, I agree that its essential to make up a spares list (not just an extra panel) to ensure easy support over an extended period of time.

[@ktefccre]

Wow! Thanks! You may not know it, but your comment made a positive difference in somebody's life. Thank you 😊

[@DaveBoxBG]

Does this bird protection cause the panels to overheat in summer? I hears that you need a decent amount of free air flow below them to ensure cooling especially during summer.

[@philhunnisett7488]

Great video, I think it would be useful to see a smaller setup, this property owner obviously has the means and space to facilitate a large and comprehensive system.

[@lukedogwalker]

Yes, something mere mortals might aspire to...

[@stephennorris6150]

UK PV pricing is crazy - it looks like 4kWp system in the UK costs about the same as a 12kWp system on 10kWp of inverters in Australia. Plus we get a lot more sun, so the output is much higher.

[@johnwarwick4105]

Good video. One thing I think you should have mentioned is the worst place to fit an inverter is the loft, hope companies don’t do this now The summer heat kills them. Loads were fitted like this in the early days of solar. Had 4 kw system fitted back when the feed in tariff first came out ( must be 2010/11?) yes was very expensive at the time but paid for itself in 8/9 years. Yes no feedin tariff now but systems much cheaper. Acquired 8 kw of panels and put on another roof. Wondering how best to utilise at the moment batteries have to be the way, even as a high electricity user I could be self sufficient for a good 6 months of the year. The high unit price of electricity has been a game changer for the solar industry, part of me thinks the powers that be are happy for prices to stay where they are

[@buckshee]

Solaredge are a funny bunch, we had some of their inverters installed outside which suffered moisture damage after only a couple of years, one of their guys came out and said that they shouldn't have been installed there!

[@paullewis9879]

Good video! Is there a risk with an inroof system that if the company ceases trading you are stuck with a system you can't fix if say a panel breaks?

[@PedroSanchez-js8ut]

Tried to get planning to put panels in my field. All the natives went batty. A country of jobsworths.

[@jacobhn2]

Good video information. I have a hole in the garden where there is a concrete seepage drain, it is no longer used so I was wondering if it could be used for the battery, of course it must be dry the hole is 3 meters deep and about 1 meter wide

[@Suburp212]

The installation looks sick. Well done. What fire proofing do you recommend to prevent bleves or fires from storage units from desteoying YOur house? Make a vieeo on this topic in the future.

[@speedmatters]

Massive help, thanks for the video.

[@ianduckworth8595]

Hi, love your channel & the work you do However I personally would never want to fit a skirt that doesn’t allow air flow up behind the panels, have you ever considered the heat generated by the sun on the glass? Potentially a fire hazard & also hotter the panels the less efficient they work is my understanding.

[@steveyoung8376]

wind loadings are more important than weight, and also snow loadings and making sure the number of hooks is required.

[@lehoff]

Have to say getting solar panels was one of the best investments I've made. 31 pitch, south facing, nearly 20kWh of battery, and 7kw of panels. For nearly 2 years I've spent less than £50 a month for energy now. But then again i live in the countryside and have space.

[@gregevans8939]

But have you calculated the cost of the energy that you've 'harvested' from the solar panels ? It's often (incorrectly) assumed that solar panels produce "free" energy... but you have to consider the cost of the installation, its maintenance and useful life. It's not an easy calculation as there's a certain amount of guessing into the future, but you can get a ball park figure. For me (I'm not ideally positioned for PV) it's about 18p/kWh... which compares to a grid rate of about 10p/kWh... so PV makes little sense as of now. (it may do tomorrow)

[@lehoff]

@@gregevans8939 excellent question. I'll need to sit down and do some maths. I mean last year even with the rubbish SEG tariff I ended up earning more than I spent for 5 months of the year. Now on octopus flux it should be easier to actually earn some decent cashback on export as it goes up to 34p per kwh during peak times. But around 24p at other times. I've only been on flux for about a month or so, so I'll need to work it out. Honestly though because we're well positioned and get a lot of sunshine (down south) even the winter months we're using a lot less than we did prior. It's a good challenge though when I'm back from holiday I'll look into it.

[@handle1196]

Hi, I'm about to build a house semi rural area uk and considering in roof panels on a 35 pitch 20 degree south west facing roof, no shading. We currently use 2700kwh per yr, similar sized house but no solar. How do i find out what size batteries I'd be looking at.

[@lehoff]

@@handle1196 that averages at just over 7kWh per day. I'm guessing you use less in summer. Personally I'd fit as many as you can sensibly fit. 10kWh of battery should keep you going even on bad solar days. Especially if you charge them during a cheap tariff at night.

[@handle1196]

@@lehoff yes its around 7 to 8, we currently have gas hob and oven which will become electric, and we'll have a hot water cylinder so will divert excess to this once the batteries are full. If its quite easy to add an additional battery at a later date if required then thats good

[@Thulebeez]

Thanks for the information helps us to make an informed decision about getting Solar

[@neilbroome4941]

Very informative, thank you.

[@ceesweerheim990]

nice video, how about a detailed one where you show testing and wiring of an actual installation. I like comparing rules and regulations in different parts of the world, I am in South Africa

[@artisanelectrics]

We have done a lot of real install videos as well if you watch some of our previous videos

[@feistyphysicist]

As a money saver, it's a joke. A typical 3kW solar array with batteries costs £9,795 (complete installation) It will typically generate 2,500 kWh a year 2,500 kW would cost £850 at 34p per kWh, so you’re saving £850 a year So we can divide the cost of £9,795 by the annual saving of £850... £9,795 ÷ £850 = 11.5 So would take 11.5 years to payback your investment of £9,795 BUT... There is maintenance and servicing (and cleaning) to pay on your solar panels over years So it’s more like 13 years (an inverter may fail which costs £750) Between 13 years and failure of your array after 25 years you would have saved £10,200 BUT... If you invest £9,795 at 5% you would be paid £490 in interest per year After 25 years, that would be £12,250 AND you get your £9,795 back (whereas your solar panels would be worthless) So after 25 years you would have a total of £22,045 Solar panels are a mathematical madness at ‘saving’ you money! If the cost of electricity drops (from the quoted 34p per kWh) then your reason for solar panels are even less. If you can get better than 5% interest, your reason for solar panels are even less. This calculation takes no account of the degradation of the panels (they wouldn’t be producing 2,500 kW after a few years!) and takes no account of interest or inflation changes. Seriously, someone tell me the maths above is wrong.

[@deang5622]

Your analysis is the best I have seen on KZbin and that is even from professional installers. Where nearly everyone goes wrong in their return on investment analysis for solar panels is they *ONLY* come up with a figure for the pay back time expressed in years. I suspect they do this because electricians generally do not have good mathematical skills and are unable to perform or comprehend any other way of assessing the value of a PV system. But the payback time is a very crude analysis and is not the whole picture. Who says whether a 3 year pay back time , or 5 or 8 makes the PV system viable and worthwhile installing? It's arbitrary. So your analysis of investing the money elsewhere and looking at the financial return is welcomed and a good approach.

[@feistyphysicist]

@@deang5622 Thanks, Dean. I have the yearly payback data as well... Year 1. You’ve invested £9,795 in solar panels (with batteries), and your energy saving is (after loss of interest) £605. Your panels degrade by 0.6% every year, so your saving is actually £600 in year 1. You are therefore £9,195 down after year 1. Year 2. You’ve saved £596, so you’re down £8,599 Year 3. You’ve saved £592, so you’re down £8,007 Year 4. You’ve saved £588, so you’re down £7,419 Year 5. You’ve saved £584, so you’re down £6,835 Year 6. You’ve saved £580, so you’re down £6,255 Year 7. You’ve saved £577, so you’re down £5,678 Year 8. You’ve saved £574, so you’re down £5,104 Year 9. You’ve saved £571, so you’re down £4,533 Year 10. You’ve saved £568, so you’re down £3,965 Year 11. You’ve saved £565, so you’re down £3,400 Year 12. You’ve saved £562, so you’re down £2,838 Year 13. You’ve saved £559, so you’re down £2,279 Year 14. You’ve saved £556, so you’re down £1,723 Year 15. You’ve saved £553, so you’re down £1,170 The batteries need changing, that’s £5,037, and the inverter has packed up, that’s £5,251 So you now owe £11,458...more than you originally spent out on the panel array! Year 16. You’ve saved £550, so you’re down £10,908 Year 17. You’ve saved £547, so you’re down £10,361 Year 18. You’ve saved £544, so you’re down £9,817 Year 19. You’ve saved £541, so you’re down £9,276 Year 20. You’ve saved £538, so you’re down £8,738 Year 21. You’ve saved £535, so you’re down £8,203 Year 22. You’ve saved £532, so you’re down £7,671 Year 23. You’ve saved £529, so you’re down £7,142 Year 24. You’ve saved £526, so you’re down £6,616 Year 25. You’ve saved £523, so you’re down £6,093 At this stage, 25 years in, you still owe over £6,000, despite your savings on energy costs. And you are coming close to having to replace the batteries and inverter again. You realise that it’s not worth bothering, and that your solar array will NEVER pay its costs back. The above figures are actually weighted in favour of a solar panel array. I have made an assumption that electricity prices will remain as high as they currently are (34p per kWh) which isn't true. Over the past weeks the cost has fallen to 33p per kWh, and will fall further. I have also made no account whatsoever of ANY parts needing replacement (other than the batteries and the inverter) or service engineer visits, or cleaning charges. This is said to be £4,000 over the life (25 years) of the array - £160 a year. I have assumed a battery pack change at £3,495 for a 3kW array and an inverter cost at £3,714. Both of these costs were obtained from Contact Solar, and have had inflation added at the time they need replacing at 2.5% per annum. It should be remembered that the batteries and inverters could fail twice. A typical solar array will COST you money, not save it.

[@chrisgreenwood271]

food for thought, this was a concern of mine would the system ever pay for itself, before panels, inverters etc start to break down and require replacing. I don't want to invest into an ideology.

[@barryfoster453]

@@chrisgreenwood271 Here are the latest data: Purchase cost of a TYPICAL 3kW system with batteries £10000 Generates 2,500 kW a year. At 21p per kWh that is a saving per year of £525 Put that away in a bank and you’ll get interest of around 3% £16 A yearly total then of £541 So it LOOKS LIKE you will see a return of your £10,000 after about 15 years (£10,000 divided by £541 = circa 15). This is called the ‘payback period’ and it’s the biggest lie told in the solar panel trade. You will see it everywhere. However, sadly it is totally untrue. Remember, you had that £10,000 in a bank account… Minus loss of interest (on the £10,000 you had in an account @ 3%/year) £300 This means that you have to DEDUCT the interest that you are losing. So we’re actually down to an annual saving of just £241 Minus the yearly cost of maintenance & repairs which is £4,000 over the 25 years £160 This means a ‘profit’ of £81 …every year. So, after 15 years, you have accumulated £1215 Unfortunately, after 15 years, a new inverter and battery will be required £9900 This means that over the 25 year period of owning your solar panels, you will have LOST £8,685…which is £579 a year. This loss accumulates, so by the time your panels are knackered (around 25 years) you’ve lost a considerable sum of money. The panels also degrade, so with every year that passes, your panels generate less electricity.

[@kugamanone6472]

Erm….one serious error you’ve made….you haven’t mentioned feed in tariffs. People make thousands back by selling their unused electricity back to the grid. So you maths are ridiculously skewed.

[@MrDBT85]

I'm intrigued by the bird protection seen in the video as it doesn't look like its going to offer any airflow underneath for when the panels are roasting in the sunshine, surely dropping their efficiency.

[@MichaelNick-y6g]

Another ace video, question who would you recommend for an all in one MCS specific QMS system ?

[@Waciglass]

Nice rundown, but no mention of off-grid or backup for power outage, which the Libbi has an option for.

[@tonyhowell5283]

Ive got a 1954 chapel with huge panels on the roof about 6 foot long - but they are bolted down, so perhaps I can take the bolts out and put longer bolts to fix them on -

[@anthonydyer3939]

My brother rents a house with a long thin back garden. Lots of sunshine for that garden. I suggested to him that he could have vertical mounted solar panels in front of his garden fence, and they could be strung up to a portable battery. If he had a removable mounting solution (screw into ground anchors), then he could simply remove them when it comes to moving house. What are the chances of that idea catching on? There’s a lot of tenants looking for a solution that doesn’t depend on their landlord.

[@fafhrd0023]

Hi, I do not think you mentioned feed in limits (pushing power back into the grid). We could have put up more panels but were limited to 8KW by grid supplier (not by our fuse). Would also have appreciated more information on ground based install as issues and costs were not very clear when we ended up going with roof. I would expect ground based is typically cheaper but how much???

[@noelcastle3986]

With the majority overcast weather in England and big changes in sunlight hours between summer and winter makes me think solar in winter in England wouldn't generate much. Of course summer is a different situation where sunny weather and long days would give excellent output. Seems a very expensive installation for only a few months of good output.

[@alexquinn5172]

Can you install all the solar drains in the attic 🤔 Thanks for the video really helpful information 👍

[@peterwilson3108]

Great video as always 👍🏻. One thing that I don’t think was covered is installation angle, I have a large extension with a shallow pitch (15-20 degrees) which is south facing and would be perfect for solar, but would this shallow angle be suitable, obviously with a slight reduction in solar production? Many thanks

[@nbrunojunior]

It would be nice to see an "in roof" example. Nice video as always.

[@GrahamSmart]

Our consumer unit was full, the Elec guys added a small consumer unit without problem.

[@MrCairngorm]

What I have noticed, is that the Inverter at 14.23 (can be seen) is quite close to the ceiling, I don't know the requirements of this particular Solar edge inverter, but usually, there has to be a gap on 3 sides at least 30 cm, for good airflow, for cooling.

[@Andy-ft6yg]

Great explanatory video once I’ve got some more money in the piggy bank I’ll be in touch.

[@wazza33racer]

Its important to use available online tools to calculate solar yield for a location, direction of roof, and angle of roof. The other serious factor is to reduce demand for power by any and all means necessary......... Even sunny countries have periods of poor weather for weeks, where the solar yield will be very poor.......maybe only 5 or 10% of normal. Battery storage has two possible strategies.......one is to store and meet demand for almost all day........the other is to shift peak demand onto storage until the cheaper tarrifs kick in. People should be aware that Lithium battery storage degrades in capacity per daily charge cycle. Tests indicate that even Tesla Power wall degrades 30% in just the first 4 years......and is basically done in 10 years. Lead/Carbon batteries are now leading the field in cost per available kw/hr per day........about half of Lithium, and never catch fire.

[@markiansumaylo3532]

are the black sheets around the panels for bird proofing or it has other purpose?

[@scaredybear8541]

Hi can you please tell me what is the maintenance schedule for a solar system?

[@martinlee5604]

Thank you for this. I didn't realise that so much wall space would be needed to fit all the batteries etc. I have no garage and certainly don't want all that paraphernalia inside my house, so I think I'll pass on solar panels.

[@OneLessCar]

From my research as I gear up to get solar installed this year, this is a very large system. How much room you need comes down to the battery storage mostly.

[@andymacleod2365]

I'm looking at adding solar panels to my roof and trying to work out what it may generate. I'm looking for a program spredsheet that could take into account the deviation in the UK with longdetude, 50deg on south coast to 60deg in Shetland and the direction the roof faces makes a huge differance to the posible generation of a system not to mention Shadeing. do you now of a caculator?

[@Lenny-kt2th]

The first question you need to ask yourself is if the DNO allows you to export energy all the time. In my country, the grid has quickly reached capacity due to the explosion of the number of PV systems, at peak solar production many people experience the inverters shutting down as a result of reaching the upper limit of 253 V. The grid was never designed for a simultaneity factor of 1 which PV systems do. It means upgrading the grid at a cost of billions of euros and several decades to do it in. Go ahead and install PV systems, just don't expect to be exporting all the time. To alleviate the problems, some contracts entail negative energy pricing at certain times, meaning if you import energy, you get money and if you export energy you pay money. Yeah...that's the way it's going. Some farmers with huge PV arrays have started switching them off when energy prices to negative,

[@JamesR1978]

Not seen that solar skirt before, does this allow adequate ventilation of the panels, wiring etc? Definitely agree on the bird proofing though 100% get this done at time of installation

[@kevxsi16v]

Added my 10Kw of solar to my black wooden wylex board on a 30A rewireable she’s a licker! Although I think the fuse wire is actually a nail.

[@wendyharbon7290]

Thank you, you highlighted issues and ideas, we had not thought about, thanks. We now know where to go to for a solar system, but do you install a Combined Solar and Wind plus Batery Off-Grid System. We been looking at these French designed and built, Wind Trees and Wind Bushes, using micro aeroleaf (plastic formed) vertical axis wind turbines! Have you any experience of these Wind Trees, or other Vertical Axis Wind Turbine electric generator systems?

[@jobloggs6528]

Personally we need PV-T to be approved for uk use like Solar Angel, or the new Spanish Abora PV-T panels that are rated at 89% efficient

[@denniscarvell1828]

An edge guard to prevent wildlife under the panels is advisable, But you need to remember not to impede air movement under the panels so as not to loose efficiency of the panel due to high temperatures ,reflected by the roof, that’s why meshing is preferred,but needs more skill to fit. There is a recommended gap between panel and roof ,what gap did you work to

[@speedbird737]

Great video thank you - any UK companies providing solar tiles (like Tesla in the US) ? Prefer the tiles than ugly panels.

[@deang5622]

Solar tiles have a lower efficiency too meaning you will need a greater surface area (and thereby increased cost) in order to generate the same amount of power.

[@lukedogwalker]

Not sure about the last point. Bird protection? Loads of PV systems on roofs around my way and I've yet to see pigeon nests on or around any of them. Also, solar panels are more efficient the cooler they are (seems counter intuitive but that's the physics). I would think having better air circulation behind the panel would be preferable, even at the expense of it not "looking nice".

[@solaskirt]

The bird problem is a massively growing one. It hasnt hit some areas, but 6 - years ago i was only aware of one system getting invaded by birds in the previous 6-years, but now its huge and we are installing and selling thousands of kits a year. Its learned behaviour, so once they have been evicted from one system they to to neighbouring systems to nest. Regarding air flow we have a chimney section we add to the top to encourage air flow.

[@simono4991]

Thanks for the video. Presumably you need to let your buildings insurance provider know about an installation? Do you have any idea about how much it affects premiums?

[@nubie34]

Had no effect on my premium.

[@lawrie3448]

Are batteries a fire hazard ? Seen a few instals where they are in the loft but also a battery fire is a scary thing ,

[@ffviifakeremake9997]

Depends on batteries.

[@KevinSharpe]

be careful fitting batteries outside or in a unheated garage... lots battery chemistry will not charge when ambient falls much below zero centigrade

[@nubie34]

Batteries heat up when working, so may become too hot indoors. Mine in my porch is currently at 18C, when it is 8C outside.

[@dg-hughes]

My province in Canada refuses to allow battery systems in homes. Batteries can only be installed in a garage or a detached building. One person spent thousands of dollars to get an electrician to install it only to not have it pass inspection.

[@veblen674]

Really good video Jordan - thanks! Do you have a view re the effect on panel output of shadow through the day. My south coast roof faces due south but the neighbouring property's eaves cast a shadow across the roof, which by 1600hrs in August covers half the available roof space. I've often heard installers play down the potential negative effects by mentioning by-pass diodes and the fitting of 'panel optimisers' - unfortunately it seems, that with shadow, it's not until the panels are up that you see the true output outcomes. Thanks again for an excellent video.

[@hblomqvist]

Also, inform the fire brigade that you have solar cells on your roof. It will help them if things goes bad.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

Some signage pointing to the location of isolation switches does not go amiss either.

[@ARLGD]

Great video! I love how the Segway Portable PowerStation Cube Series provides massive capacity and fast recharging for extended outdoor adventures. The waterproof design and comprehensive protections make it perfect for unpredictable weather conditions. Plus, the smart app control adds convenience. Definitely a reliable choice for outdoor enthusiasts and family camping trips.

[@don1estelle]

I like the inroof option

[@bandilebongokuhle6378]

I'm in Eswatini, Africa and the best direction to install PV Modules is South face too😂😂 The world is small 😂😂😂

[@jonathanallen985]

Best to use Octopus Eco7. Charge everything up at night 12:30am - 7:30am at 18p/kwH and export ANY surplus solar on Outgoing Octopus at 15p/kwH. No need then to install expensive complex electronic car chargers, immersion heating kit that adjusts to the ever changing solar. No need to plan the solar available next day. Also just charge the car up...18p/kwH - the solar you could have used will get 15p back from the grid - so the real cost of this being no hassle no stress is 3p/kwH.....It's simple, stress free, no planning, no thought required. But best of all all the equipment I use, will not be broken in 3yrs from constantly switching on and off everytime the sun goes behind a cloud.

[@Pugjamin]

But you are 100% reliant on that tariff being available. If octopus withdrew that Tariff or went bump then your plan falls apart.

[@jonathanallen985]

@@Pugjamin I totally agree - and there is another plan that looks even better than the one I am on. These plans should be available as a matter of course. I should not be beholden to the whims of Octopus, but they are the only show in town. The whole system is broken. The govt should be funding solar installation, with the payment of the electricity bill being the repayment schedule of the loan. We are all being extensively shafted by the excessive cost of power, and I am a lucky person that I can afford to buy my way out of the clutches of the system that penalises the poorest. But with respect to cost effectiveness - my current approach is still the best and cheapest and easiest way to charge my car, loft batteries without using myenegi, zappi etc...I do not think those products are worth the hassle, provide the marginal savings that pay for their cost/installation/maintenance. The cost of using o/n electricity is effectively 3p/kwH, divide that into a £1000 car charger and the breakeven point is 33,333kwH.

[@gregevans8939]

@@jonathanallen985 Agree that the system is broken... it was broken by government intervention !! All those companies going bust due to the crazy price cap... just meant less competition ! Classic example of the law of unintended consequences. Now we have crazy high standing charges to pay for all those companies that went bust and the insane subsidies... The government (aka. the taxpayer) should NOT be funding solar installation... they should instead change the Building Regulations to provide for solar on new builds. As to the cost of electricity... it's still too cheap if you see the way it's squandered in the average UK home...

[@deang5622]

You made the mistake twice, so there is a pattern there. Units of energy are kWh, not kwH. Capital W for watts, and lowercase h for hours.

[@MrKlawUK]

honestly just fill your roof. North isn’t that bad - worse in winter as yiou might imagine but summer is still decent. I’m about to get some

[@neale5j]

What about panel types? Mono and poly crystalline panels and their strengths and weaknesses?

[@BerkeleyTowers]

Nice vid Jordan. On the bird protection, one criticism of that system is that it reduces the cooling ventilation behind the panel, resulting in raised panel temperature and reduced efficiency. Is that a valid argument? If so, what's the counter? Cut out fuses........ just cos it says 100A! Say no more........ Prices? Go on, give us some ball park figures..... I know every job is different, but there would be a baseline figure for any notional system.

[@mididoctors]

I am guessing about 20 k

[@solaskirt]

Please see the answer above ;-)

[@tlangdon12]

I'd endorse the idea of getting old roof slates changed at the same time as having solar panels fitted. Having the installers moving across the roof is likely to break any fragile slates, and replacing them is a time-consuming business. If the roof has reached the end of it's life, get a new roof at the same time. Any home owner should be putting aside some money each month to pay for a new roof when this is eventually needed (same with your boiler or heat pump).

[@geoffreycoan]

A good summary but you didn’t cover DNO approval. We had to wait 4 months for our DNO to approve the installation, and then another month to approve the second battery. The DNO might impose import (overnight charging) or export limits. Fortunately for out 10.4kW system they didn’t but on a sunny day you can see the grid voltage delivered to the house being on or sometimes exceeding the limits, caused by home solar charging. It’s the DNO to keep this in balance but with the energy price increases there’s been a lot of solar requests and they’re swamped. I’m not convinced about bird guards, seems a bit like an upsell to me. We’ve had a 16 panel FIT array installed for 6 years and no evidence of birds nesting underneath so when we had the extra panels fitted we didn’t bother with bird guard. 2 months after the install I did have to buy some plastic bird spikes as the birds sit on the TV aerial and poo on the new panels though!

[@sailrockpaperscissors8261]

Do you do the in roof ssystem will be a new build

[@handle1196]

Whats a mod bus mentioned when talking about the consumer unit. Will an invertor be more of a fire risk in a cold loft (non habitable) as it gets hot in summer

[@aliaksandrasaywell3826]

I wonder if it makes sense to install solar makes on semi-detached houses and terraced houses. A lot of them are very old and have less space. Do the same rules apply across the board?

[@jorkirasalas2726]

What's the current situation wrt Planning Permission for ground mount? I have a long E-W garden & could put around 10 panels up against the fence facing South. It used to be solar panels had to be 5+ metres from a property boundary unless they were mounted on a roof (always thought that was weird!)

[@jorkirasalas2726]

Tried to check the Planning Portal but doesn't seem very clear

[@brianthesnail3815]

What about the angle (pitch)of the roof? The pitch must make some difference to the output of the panel depending on the time of year and how far North (or South) of the equator your roof is located. I don't know if there is an online calculator or a rule of thumb that can be used. We have a flat roof, a low built kitchen extension with a shallow pitch and also a main roof with a steep pitch. They are all directly South facing.

[@Huggy7749]

A couple of things. You mentioned using What 3 Words for sending you location information. We have found that W3W does not work if there is no mobile signal or Wi-Fi. OS Locate works much better. It gives you a 6 figure OS grid reference. We’ve used it where there is no mobile signal and/or Wi-Fi and it works perfectly. Also, you make no mention of getting planning permission. If you’ve got a listed building then you need this even if the panels are being put in a field as part of the property. Ps. I’m enjoying the videos.

[@deang5622]

OS Locate uses GPS receiver in the phone, if it has one, and so does not need an active mobile data connection or WiFi.

[@aaronag7876]

What about wind turbines? Could you do a video on wind turbines and how you might combine the two inputs to charge your battery bank ?

[@carstenschmedes6599]

Thank you 😊 for an informative video! But I got REALLY tired of the huge number of advertisements, hence I didn’t want to see the last part of the video. I think it was 10 advertisements during the first 10 minutes! (and starting after only 20 seconds).

[@avidviewer1]

Really interesting. Thanks!

[@CooreyMichael]

solar panel installation is truly outstanding. How does a solar PV system work?

[@triplexdread]

I like the skirtings under the panels to prevent nesting etc. Great idea

[@christurner6430]

...or some wire mesh.

[@christurner6430]

....they'll get extra hot in summer.....not good.

[@Chucklesrailarchive]

I cant find a link that would show a local installer as you suggest. I'm just outside your area South Essex.

[@zenthor13]

For a 1800 sq ft roof how much does a structural engineer survey cost?

[@UserName-q4i5d]

If you have a lot of space you shouldn't put the panels on the roof as there's a chance you will get leaks. Unless you're afraid someone will steal or destroy your panels which happened to my boss.

[@christurner6430]

You may get sun all day but it's that between 9am and 3pm when there is real strength, i.e. peak photons 'hitting' the panels. And, in winter that's the only time there is any sun! Summer sun pre 0800 or post 4pm ain't that great.

[@steveyoung8376]

inroof look good but you didnt mention reduced efficiency due to the panels getting hotter and not cooled like an on roof system

[@James-mahal]

Bess (battery energy storage system) and Hess (hybrid energy storage systems ) systems are going to become more of the norm over standard Pv Ess arrays as governments and electricity suppliers rely on load balancing more and more

[@Lenny-kt2th]

Well yes, the grid (at least here in NL) is largely congested and upgrading it costs billions and takes decades. Even now in the spring, the number of complaints of inverters stopping exporting energy to the grid at sunny days is rising quickly, depending on the local situation.