BUYING HOUSE WITH 2.5KW SOLAR SYSTEM

[dave1967]

Hello

We are in the process of buying a house with 2.5kw system from 2011. System has been confirmed as owned and fit payments shown. We use approx 5000kw per year and just looking for help with the figures and if anything else can be added to improve our savings further.

Thanks

[Roys]

Clothes Line, to cut back on your tumble drier perhaps.

[Temp]

59 minutes ago, dave1967 said:

Hello

We are in the process of buying a house with 2.5kw system from 2011. System has been confirmed as owned and fit payments shown. We use approx 5000kw per year and just looking for help with the figures and if anything else can be added to improve our savings further.

Thanks

 

Check the purchase price includes the FIT payments. I have heard it is sometimes possible to "take them with you" when you sell up.

 

[ProDave]

As above, make it a condition of the contract that the FIT contract is transferred to you.  Our old house has a 2kW PV system on the original 2012 FIT rate and it pays just short of £1000 per year, so you should get something similar.  That will have been a 25 year contract so another 14 years left to run.

 

Then the 2 things to self use as much as you can to further reduce your bills are shift the use of big appliances like the washing machine to the middle of the day (on a timer if you are out) and a solar PV diverter to send any excess to your immersion heater.

[TonyT]

5 minutes ago, Temp said:

 

Check the purchase price includes the FIT payments. I have heard it is sometimes possible to "take them with you" when you sell up.

 

That’s true, so you would turn the breaker off and let them try and get generation figures see how long they kept the FIT.

[dave1967]

All been checked by solicitor and Fit included for 25 years from 2011. Fully paid system. Didn't realize the value of the contract when we offered pre auction. Down side is its been spray foamed which I need to remove hence auction.

[ProDave]

47 minutes ago, Temp said:

 

Check the purchase price includes the FIT payments. I have heard it is sometimes possible to "take them with you" when you sell up.

 

We still have the FIT of our previous house that is now tenanted.  we have to get a quarterly reading from the tenant.  When eventually we do sell that house, the remainder of the FIT will get transferred to the buyer.

[SteamyTea]

Yes, washing line.  Costs a quid, saves 50p each load.

washing machines use about 1.5 kWh (kWh is the energy, kW is the power).  So using the washing machine when the sun it high is useful, though the PV will not supply all the power.

Water heating is a good use of PV, though may mean you need a new/different cylinder.

You may find that it is worth changing to E7/10 but the saving are marginal now over a standard tariff and does take getting used to.

[joe90]

10 hours ago, dave1967 said:

its been spray foamed which I need to remove hence auction.

Why?

[Dillsue]

With panels over a decade old it might be worth checking annual production hasnt dropped to much. With lucrative FIT payments it could be worth renewing the panels if output has dropped.

[Roys]

1 hour ago, Dillsue said:

With panels over a decade old it might be worth checking annual production hasnt dropped to much. With lucrative FIT payments it could be worth renewing the panels if output has dropped.

I have a 2.5kW system, it has been in for 11 years now, I log my quarterly readings, maybe I have just been lucky but I have noticed no drop off in my generation figures so far.

[Temp]

3 hours ago, joe90 said:

Why?

 

Spray foam can be bad news..

 

Portsmouth News: Portsmouth woman's heartbreak as foam insulation scam makes her home virtually worthless.
https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/people/streetwise-portsmouth-womans-heartbreak-as-foam-insulation-scam-leaves-her-home-virtually-worthless-3658803

 

[Radian]

1 hour ago, Temp said:

Spray foam can be bad news..

This subject annoys the heck out of me. At the bottom of it all there will be some proper science but on the surface all we ever seem to get is unscientific sentiment. I wouldn't be rushing to rip it all out until I had established a definite need - which might, unfortunately, include being able to sell on the property. But if you were intending to stay for the foreseeable future then it could be performing a useful energy saving measure. The very thing you asked about in your OP.

 

Edit: started a new topic to discuss this:

 

Edited April 23, 2022 by Radian

[joe90]

1 hour ago, Temp said:

Spray foam can be bad news..

Interesting, a friend did his loft with this and sold his house recently and it was never mentioned about being a problem!!!

[dave1967]

3 hours ago, joe90 said:

Interesting, a friend did his loft with this and sold his house recently and it was never mentioned about being a problem!!!

Hi

I think it depends if they need a mortgage or not. If not they may be unaware it may be a problem. We want to re roof and extend so its coming out.

[Radian]

1 hour ago, dave1967 said:

We want to re roof and extend so its coming out.

 

Fair do's. Warm or Cold Roof?