ᐅ Roof Covering and Choosing a Solar Installer – Making the Decision?
Created on: 10 Aug 2022 18:21
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Elias_dee
Hello everyone,
I am about to decide whether to hire a solar installer. I am building a turnkey single-family house with a general contractor in the 84xxx area, featuring a gable roof with a 25° pitch, oriented north/south. There are no skylights, chimney, or other obstructions on the roof, so conditions are optimal.
I am having some difficulty even requesting quotes and now have at least two offers. I would appreciate help evaluating and choosing between them (both the company and whether to include the north side). I have not asked for a battery system but might consider adding one later if it becomes more affordable.
So, first I am facing the question: include north side or not? I can fit about 25 modules on each side, resulting in roughly 10 kWp. PVGIS estimates around 10,000 kWh for south and about 7,000 kWh for north.
Offer 1 comes from a solar installer with many years of experience, who not only works on single-family houses but also builds large-scale systems in the megawatt range. My general contractor, who is building the house turnkey, also has long-standing experience with this installer and recommends them.
Offer 1 details:
- 20.5 kWp
- 50 x Q-Cells Q-Peak ML G10 410 heat pump compatible modules
- 50 x SolarEdge Power Optimizers, S440 Worldwide (v1)
- SolarEdge StorEdge three-phase inverters: SE10K-RWS-EU-APAC/AUS (v1) and SE7K-RWS-EU-APAC (v1)
- SolarEdge Smart Meter for self-consumption monitoring
- All other materials, installation, and commissioning services included
- Cost: €31,980 net, which equals approximately €1,560 net per kWp — reasonable for today, not really cheap but not very expensive either
Now to Offer 2. This offer is from a very small and new electrical company I found through a neighbor's recommendation. The company does not even have a finished website yet because it is so new, but they have already done electrical work in the development area (not sure about PV though). Two different neighbors have told me this company is good.
Offer 2 details:
- 20.9 kWp
- 51 x JinkoSolar Tiger NE HC N-Type black solar modules JKM410N-54HL4-B
- 2 x SMA inverters STP10.0-3SE-40
- 1 x SMA Sunny Home Manager HM-20
- Other materials are not specified here, but all installation, planning, and commissioning services are included
- Cost: €25,570 net, equaling approximately €1,223 net per kWp
My questions now:
- What do you generally think about the materials used?
- Are the SolarEdge power optimizers in Offer 1 really necessary? I expect practically no shading from trees, chimney, or anything else given the location
- Company 2 is probably a bit risky, but the price is really attractive. Is it worth taking the risk here?
- Does installing modules on the north side make sense at all in the case of Offer 1? If I calculate north and south separately, south obviously makes sense in both cases. North seems worthwhile (based on my calculation) only with Offer 2... with Offer 1 I would be running at a loss.
I would be very grateful for a brief assessment!
Best regards
I am about to decide whether to hire a solar installer. I am building a turnkey single-family house with a general contractor in the 84xxx area, featuring a gable roof with a 25° pitch, oriented north/south. There are no skylights, chimney, or other obstructions on the roof, so conditions are optimal.
I am having some difficulty even requesting quotes and now have at least two offers. I would appreciate help evaluating and choosing between them (both the company and whether to include the north side). I have not asked for a battery system but might consider adding one later if it becomes more affordable.
So, first I am facing the question: include north side or not? I can fit about 25 modules on each side, resulting in roughly 10 kWp. PVGIS estimates around 10,000 kWh for south and about 7,000 kWh for north.
Offer 1 comes from a solar installer with many years of experience, who not only works on single-family houses but also builds large-scale systems in the megawatt range. My general contractor, who is building the house turnkey, also has long-standing experience with this installer and recommends them.
Offer 1 details:
- 20.5 kWp
- 50 x Q-Cells Q-Peak ML G10 410 heat pump compatible modules
- 50 x SolarEdge Power Optimizers, S440 Worldwide (v1)
- SolarEdge StorEdge three-phase inverters: SE10K-RWS-EU-APAC/AUS (v1) and SE7K-RWS-EU-APAC (v1)
- SolarEdge Smart Meter for self-consumption monitoring
- All other materials, installation, and commissioning services included
- Cost: €31,980 net, which equals approximately €1,560 net per kWp — reasonable for today, not really cheap but not very expensive either
Now to Offer 2. This offer is from a very small and new electrical company I found through a neighbor's recommendation. The company does not even have a finished website yet because it is so new, but they have already done electrical work in the development area (not sure about PV though). Two different neighbors have told me this company is good.
Offer 2 details:
- 20.9 kWp
- 51 x JinkoSolar Tiger NE HC N-Type black solar modules JKM410N-54HL4-B
- 2 x SMA inverters STP10.0-3SE-40
- 1 x SMA Sunny Home Manager HM-20
- Other materials are not specified here, but all installation, planning, and commissioning services are included
- Cost: €25,570 net, equaling approximately €1,223 net per kWp
My questions now:
- What do you generally think about the materials used?
- Are the SolarEdge power optimizers in Offer 1 really necessary? I expect practically no shading from trees, chimney, or anything else given the location
- Company 2 is probably a bit risky, but the price is really attractive. Is it worth taking the risk here?
- Does installing modules on the north side make sense at all in the case of Offer 1? If I calculate north and south separately, south obviously makes sense in both cases. North seems worthwhile (based on my calculation) only with Offer 2... with Offer 1 I would be running at a loss.
I would be very grateful for a brief assessment!
Best regards
B
Bausparfuchs27 Mar 2023 10:58I am currently still on the basic supply plan with EnviaM and pay 48.08 cents per kWh for my electricity. That’s why I would certainly appreciate a tip for anything under 30 cents. Maybe such offers exist, but not for me.
Including electric water heating, I need about 5000 kWh per year.
I don’t care about ROI or payback time at all. The system was financed from my own funds. The money is simply invested on the roof.
Without the photovoltaic system and storage, my electricity costs in 2023 would be just under 2000 euros. With the system, I only pay 500 euros for electricity despite the almost doubled electricity price. That’s a saving of 1500 euros.
This 1500 euros I no longer pay to the energy provider but it goes back into my own pocket. Since my system with storage cost 11,000 euros, it is basically paid off after 7.5 years. You can only guess where electricity prices will be in 10 years. Certainly not at today’s level. They probably won’t drop significantly either. In 10 years, we’ll be talking about 80, 90, or 100 cents per kWh if that is even enough.
Including electric water heating, I need about 5000 kWh per year.
I don’t care about ROI or payback time at all. The system was financed from my own funds. The money is simply invested on the roof.
Without the photovoltaic system and storage, my electricity costs in 2023 would be just under 2000 euros. With the system, I only pay 500 euros for electricity despite the almost doubled electricity price. That’s a saving of 1500 euros.
This 1500 euros I no longer pay to the energy provider but it goes back into my own pocket. Since my system with storage cost 11,000 euros, it is basically paid off after 7.5 years. You can only guess where electricity prices will be in 10 years. Certainly not at today’s level. They probably won’t drop significantly either. In 10 years, we’ll be talking about 80, 90, or 100 cents per kWh if that is even enough.
B
Bookstar8727 Mar 2023 11:09Anyone arguing that the kilowatt-hour still costs 30 cents is only thinking from morning till noon. Electricity prices will rise, and not by a small amount.
The good news is that both photovoltaic systems and batteries are dropping sharply in price.
Even more frustrating is how much some contractors charge for them. The worst offenders are Enpal ... but whatever.
My only advice is not to rush into anything based on the last few months, as prices will still come down significantly. If you can do the installation yourself, you should fully equip your roof.
Even more frustrating is how much some contractors charge for them. The worst offenders are Enpal ... but whatever.
My only advice is not to rush into anything based on the last few months, as prices will still come down significantly. If you can do the installation yourself, you should fully equip your roof.
E
Elias_dee27 Mar 2023 11:31And of course, the storage debate has flared up again – everyone has to decide that for themselves.
Regarding backup power: to be honest, I think it’s more of a gimmick. If there is a widespread power outage lasting several days, we will all have bigger problems than keeping the TV running.
Regarding backup power: to be honest, I think it’s more of a gimmick. If there is a widespread power outage lasting several days, we will all have bigger problems than keeping the TV running.
Elias_dee schrieb:
If there is a widespread power outage lasting several days, we will have much bigger problems than just keeping our TV running.Exactly, then no channel will work either 🙄 , and the hungry crowd will be drawn to the only light 😉
B
Bookstar8727 Mar 2023 12:20I just did the calculations with an electricity price of 35 cents. My system breaks even in 9.8 years, while yours would take 14 years. Both are decent values, but proper design plus a battery is the trump card.
Backup power is something everyone has to decide for themselves, but in these crazy times, in my opinion, it’s a must-have.
Backup power is something everyone has to decide for themselves, but in these crazy times, in my opinion, it’s a must-have.
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