jayc89 Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 I'm considering a PV array on our extension. We have a reasonable south-facing roof space, but due to roof lights etc. we'd probably be looking at a 3-4 KW array, max. These would be in-roof units to avoid on paying for roofing slates too. I plan to use the PV power to supply the house's demand before dumping any excess into the unvented hot water cylinder via the immersion. My partner and I work from home and when the kids are home from school there's TVs/tablets on all over the house, so there's a constant stream of demand. I have no desire to feed back into the grid. If we can avoid feeding back into the grid, can we avoid using an MCS-certified engineer to fit our system? Ideally we'd get our roofer to fit the mounts and sparky (who isn't MCS certified) to wire it up when he comes to do 1st/2nd fix. Are there any reputable companies online I can look at for purchasing the PV arrays and required ancillaries? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrerahill Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 (edited) 39 minutes ago, jayc89 said: I'm considering a PV array on our extension. We have a reasonable south-facing roof space, but due to roof lights etc. we'd probably be looking at a 3-4 KW array, max. These would be in-roof units to avoid on paying for roofing slates too. I plan to use the PV power to supply the house's demand before dumping any excess into the unvented hot water cylinder via the immersion. My partner and I work from home and when the kids are home from school there's TVs/tablets on all over the house, so there's a constant stream of demand. I have no desire to feed back into the grid. If we can avoid feeding back into the grid, can we avoid using an MCS-certified engineer to fit our system? Ideally we'd get our roofer to fit the mounts and sparky (who isn't MCS certified) to wire it up when he comes to do 1st/2nd fix. Are there any reputable companies online I can look at for purchasing the PV arrays and required ancillaries? You can still feed into the grid without the MCS certified installer, you will find it hard to get SEG payments, but, contrary to popular belief, not impossible. I disagree with the MCS accreditation monopoly, it is really nothing more than a subscription based cash generator. You would install the system as you propose, then send in a G98 to your DNO which simply tells them your have it and its there (keep it under 16A or you need to go to G99 form). I have done what you are proposing, but I have not done the G98 form and will only do so when my procrastinating gets so bad I decide to do it. I bought my mounting system, panels and inverter & cables etc. from 4 separate companies because no one seemed to have stock of all the bits I wanted. I was originally going to use Midsummer Wholesale but they didn't have much in stock, I got some Canadian Solar panels from Bimble in the end, inverter from TradeSparky, mounting rails from Sunshine Solar and DC cable from Voltacon Solar. Edited July 25, 2022 by Carrerahill 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conor Posted July 25, 2022 Share Posted July 25, 2022 (edited) I used ITS, best price I could find as a lot of places didn't ship to NI. Cost was £4200 for a 5pkW system with GSE roof trays. I did have to spend another £150 on cable and MC connectors and crimping tool tho as the kit only came with enough to connect the panels, not enough back to the inverter. Not got the bill from the spark yet but expect it to be about £800. I installed all the roof trays and panels myself. He also provided a test certificate which satisfied my electric supplier so I'm eligible for payments (8p per kWh so not much). Edited July 25, 2022 by Conor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morg-ris Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 Any one know of a good suppilier near southampton ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miek Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 I used midsummer. Very user friendly website, decent price too for private individuals. The demand had been high this year.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morg-ris Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 I was hoping to save on delivery , They also dont have the panels i wanted and ther more expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillsue Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 3 hours ago, morg-ris said: Any one know of a good suppilier near southampton ? Theres a guy on ebay selling kits that is based in southampton. Search for "solar panel" then order the results by nearest first. He doesnt always include mounts so make sure you allow for these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morg-ris Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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