cressida Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Solar panels - are they worth the money, it's been a few years now and I've noticed more and more people are having these fitted on their roofs - they look a right eyesore imo Have they made a difference since they have been installed, it would be interesting to hear from those who have them:) How much are they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_rudeboy Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I don't have them myself but I do know two people that do have them installed. Both are very happy with the returns they are getting and anticipate the installation costs to be paid back within about 8 years. I don't think the agreements are quite as good now, so pay back might take longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I1L2T3 Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Very tempted. My house faces nearly in the right direction but not quite enough. I'd have to be convinced the panels were efficient enough to be sited on a south east facing roof. The other thing that troubles me is they go on for 25 years. I have an older house and the roof is in great condition but it does need annual maintenance and it seems to increase a little every few years. This is a question I can never get a clear answer to but what if the roof under the panels needs repairs? Surely it becomes pointless getting panels if roof repairs become much more expensive wiping out the savings from the panels? For example, our roofer goes up and replaces half a dozen slates, puts slipped ones back into place etc.. He's up there for 20 minutes and back down. No scaffold needed and minimal expense. What if solar panels need to be moved even for a simple repair - a scaffold would be needed because of the time involved and it's electrical equipment too so can the roofer actually touch it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_rudeboy Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Very tempted. My house faces nearly in the right direction but not quite enough. I'd have to be convinced the panels were efficient enough to be sited on a south east facing roof. The other thing that troubles me is they go on for 25 years. I have an older house and the roof is in great condition but it does need annual maintenance and it seems to increase a little every few years. This is a question I can never get a clear answer to but what if the roof under the panels needs repairs? Surely it becomes pointless getting panels if roof repairs become much more expensive wiping out the savings from the panels? For example, our roofer goes up and replaces half a dozen slates, puts slipped ones back into place etc.. He's up there for 20 minutes and back down. No scaffold needed and minimal expense. What if solar panels need to be moved even for a simple repair - a scaffold would be needed because of the time involved and it's electrical equipment too so can the roofer actually touch it? I would have thought the panels afford more protection for the tiles/slates underneath and therefore reduce the likelihood of repairs being required to the roof area covered by panels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big_g Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Very tempted. My house faces nearly in the right direction but not quite enough. I'd have to be convinced the panels were efficient enough to be sited on a south east facing roof. The other thing that troubles me is they go on for 25 years. I have an older house and the roof is in great condition but it does need annual maintenance and it seems to increase a little every few years. This is a question I can never get a clear answer to but what if the roof under the panels needs repairs? Surely it becomes pointless getting panels if roof repairs become much more expensive wiping out the savings from the panels? For example, our roofer goes up and replaces half a dozen slates, puts slipped ones back into place etc.. He's up there for 20 minutes and back down. No scaffold needed and minimal expense. What if solar panels need to be moved even for a simple repair - a scaffold would be needed because of the time involved and it's electrical equipment too so can the roofer actually touch it? I think that in this instance you'd need to repair the roof to a standard where it is going to last the duration. I'm no expert on this but I would think that putting panels on the roof may protect the roof but, it may also cause any wind that blows across the roof to be multiplied as it goes under the panels which could put extra stress on the roof. We did think about sticking panels on our roof but we are in a similar situation whereby we could really do with stripping and refitting the tiles beforehand. We simply can't afford it - especially as the FIT payback has reduced now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I1L2T3 Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I would have thought the panels afford more protection for the tiles/slates underneath and therefore reduce the likelihood of repairs being required to the roof area covered by panels. Slates will still slip as the original (over 100 years old) nails wear out. Rain will get under the panels and find any gaps. You probably wouldn't know you had a problem until the water was inside the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neeeeeeeeeek Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 You have missed the boat really. My mum has loads on her roof and had them installed just before the tariff was cut, when yu were paid a decent amount for the energy generated. now, you still get some money, but it's not such a good deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I1L2T3 Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I think that in this instance you'd need to repair the roof to a standard where it is going to last the duration. I'm no expert on this but I would think that putting panels on the roof may protect the roof but, it may also cause any wind that blows across the roof to be multiplied as it goes under the panels which could put extra stress on the roof. We did think about sticking panels on our roof but we are in a similar situation whereby we could really do with stripping and refitting the tiles beforehand. We simply can't afford it - especially as the FIT payback has reduced now. This is the thing. Our roofer says that our roof is in really good condition for its age. We have a few slates replaced each year but in reality to know that it was good for 25 years we'd have to re-roof. Which means we wouldn't save anything financially, unless the panels were highly efficient which they're not yet. More and better insulation is where we'd get the best savings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_rudeboy Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Slates will still slip as the original (over 100 years old) nails wear out. Rain will get under the panels and find any gaps. You probably wouldn't know you had a problem until the water was inside the house.Fair enough, I hadn't anticipated your roof being that old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronthenekred Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Fair enough, I hadn't anticipated your roof being that old. It wouldn't make that much difference. Any roof that new panels are going onto would be assessed for its condition initially. Secondly most systems have a top hung hinged system which gives you access. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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