Thanks for the video Rob! Its not an easy task working out the payback on these things as it is based on so many variable. Weather, consumption and tariff changes to name a few. We are extremely happy with how much you love the system!

Thank you for sharing and being honest about the costs, and good to see the quality of work from Oval Renewables as well.

Great video. Totally agree that it is worth paying more for an integrated system and also for the quality of the install by Oval. Thanks for taking the time to explain this so clearly

This panel can put out close to 100 watts kzfaq.infoUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.

I had a similar SolarEdge (SE) system installed this week, although a little smaller. 15 x Longhi 405W panels, 3.68Kw SE Inverter and SE battery. £14k. Quoted early this year. We had a long wait for the battery with an original estimated delivery of December. Almost a year from quote to installation, but fortunately the battery arrived August. System works great and pleased I went with SE. Looked at other systems and wasn’t impressed with monitoring applications (e.g Solar Man) amongst other factors. My installer only fits SE and Tesla as a rule but did offer GivEnergy as an option if we wanted it. In addition to the above price we added a Myenergi Zappi charger as we have an EV due. As well as the equipment, spend time looking for a good installer. It sounds obvious but remember anyone can buy the equipment online. We had quotes from people who didn’t give me confidence they had the experience with Solar. Also avoid placing equipment in your loft, some installers will offer this but my research showed it was best to avoid due to heat affecting the inverter.

Very interesting. Extremely neat installation. We (2 pensioners) had a system installed a few weeks ago on our bungalow which fortunately has a long roof facing directly south, give or take a degree. When we first contacted a company 4-5 months ago there were already equipment supply problems, but we had full confidence in the company (in Hereford) to do their best for us. We ended up with 13 x 370w panels (not black, but actually we really like what we've got), so a total of 4.81 kwh, along with a 10 kwh Solaredge battery system including a 4 kw inverter. Our installation was very straightforward, with the battery and inverter installed on a north-facing external wall just outside where our internal electricity meter is, the panel cables routed through the loft. The installation took a day and a half, three guys on day one, two on the second day. We paid just under £12,000. I am certain that the decision to get a battery was the right one, even though it makes the cost recovery period years longer. The weather here just east of the Welsh border has been quite overcast much of the time since our installation (we missed the heatwaves) and our system has often been producing at a rate of just 1 kw or less - more than enough to keep essential background devices running but not enough to boil a kettle without drawing power from the grid. However, during the day the excess of this low productivity is stored in the battery and gives us a sensible amount to use overnight and on more power-hungry devices on occasion. Our least productive day so far was a paltry 5 kwh, but the best day was 24 kwh. Our battery generally recharges fully by mid-to-late afternoon. On one day we exported 14 kwh which we could not use, but on another only 0.14 kwh. I am slightly disappointed that a 4.8.kwh system often produces so little at this time of year, very late summer or vey early autumn, although I fully anticipated very, very low production in the winter, and correspondingly high production during sunny summer days. The Solaredge app is brilliant for showing you exactly what is going on, almost second by second - it shows that we are still using 0.25-0.5 kwh off the grid each day, for reasons I don't understand, and of course we still pay a daily standing charge. Actually the real motivation to get a battery was to hopefully get on a cheap overnight tariff (albeit with a higher than normal daytime kwh cost). If we can do this when the power companies put these on offer again, I assume that in the low-productivity winter season for the panels we will be able to charge up the 10 kwh battery overnight at a very cheap rate and use the stored power through the next day without needing to use higher-rate units. We are not a high-consumption family, and if we were I would probably opt for more panels and a bigger battery (or more batteries)? We have no regrets. It is nice to feel that you are in a small way contributing to reducing your own and the nation's need for energy produced from gas or whatever, while at the same time, in the long term, hopefully saving money. But it is a big up-front cost.

Great video! I like the way you’ve explained everything and it has brought us to decide it is for us also. Thank you so much

What a sensible, downtown earth, factual video. Thanks

Fantastic video (& part 1) with simple to understand advice. Much appreciated,👍

Thank you. This was hugely useful, young man, for a number of reasons. We look forward to the lessons video.

Thank you for your clear and helpful talk through your system and costs.

Rob thanks for sharing. Excellent video and really good explanation of system set up and costs

Great video. Lots of detail to help with our own planning. Looking forward to the lessons learnt video. 👍🏻

I had my solar system installed last March, similar all black panels but as it’s a small bungalow could only fit 12 panels but all face south. I had them installed by the same company that fitted an Air Source Heat pump a year later (paid a deposit to let them know I wasn’t going with another company) so they gave me a hearty discount on the solar, costing £6000! Although the ASHP system for domestic host water and heating cost £18k to install. I get a government grant of £11000 paid over 7 years. We only have oil in the village and the cost of oil has gone into the stratosphere 😱 Scottish power has reduced my monthly bill to £20!

Nice video. Very clear. Thanks.

Cheers for breaking that down Rob. Something I am considering for our next house.

Great system , well done .

Excellent and thorough very useful explanation. Thank you for taking the time to explain.

Good comprehensive step by step video thanks for your time.

Our setup is very similarly advanced, happy to answer questions if you wish. A+ rated Energy Performance Home 7.2 kWp Solar Array (East / West) 5 kW inverter 27 kWh Tesla Powerwalls battery storage & gateway 2 3 Phase Grid with Smart Meter 2 x 22 kW car chargers (Zappi) 1 x 7 kW car charger (Zappi) for Solar 1 x 7 kW 32A Commando Socket (backup off grid) 2 x Electric Cars (Tesla M3P & Skoda Enyaq VRS) 1 x Solar Water Heater (Eddi) 8kW Heat Pump - Air to Air (4 wall units) 1 Gbps Fibre Broadband on 6E mesh Wifi 1 x SpaceX Starlink on 6 mesh Wifi House remains fully operational and connected during full Grid Blackouts.

Lot of good info in this video, many thanks.

Interesting video, I've just instructed an installer on a very similar sized system, 22 panels (split across 4 roof elevations so a bit more scaffold too) instead of 20 but mine came in within £1500 so when you gave your total figure I felt a lot better. The guys we have instructed are also really good with the aesthetics so seeing a neat install reinforces that that was worthwhile too.

It is really important to give people this kind of detail and talk though your decisions and the cost implications. As you say it is an expensive capital outlay, but it is also a very savvy investment. Over the long term it will repay the upfront costs many times over and increase the value of your property. I’m looking forward to free miles in spring/summer once I get my solar and an EV. When a tank of diesel is £90 a pop, there are huge bonus savings to be had over and above the savings on home electricity

Thanks for sharing, we have had our system roughly two years now 7.5kw battery and 14 panels. Summer savings this year around 92%, winter savings around 50%, but it depends on sunny days mainly. Poor charge days are round about 38%, but in only takes the sun to come out to change that. Also changing the way you use energy, running dishwasher, washing machine and tumble dryer around mid day helps to save money by using the sun. We use a timer connecting to the immersion heater for water heating at optimum times, it’s not foolproof but it works for us. Now with energy prices rising, it comes into its own, just be smart when it comes to energy uses. The downside is your always looking for the sun being out and become a bit nerdy towards your own systems 🤣🤣. Good luck with your systems

Great video - thank you!

A very interesting watch. Thank you for that. I also contacted Oval about a potential installation. Unfortunately, apart from the fact that they aren’t taking on any new business, they wouldn’t be able to install fro me as I need the majority of my panels installing on a south facing wall and they don’t do that as yet. So my search continues. I look forward to seeing your follow up videos on they system.

Thanks for the effort put in to do the video, I appreciate it's not easy to give up your time to share your experience. Ignore any of the keyboard warriors comments. The installation looks neat. You must be exporting a lot to the grid though? That volume of solar production I reckon your export must be 50%? Getting a battery was a wise move. Solar returns little in comparison to backup storage. We had a similar system installed in April, smaller array but more batteries. Wish I had gone for a higher inverter as only 3.5kw hybrid would be my tip on reflection. Keep sharing your experiences 👍

Bird protection... I spoke with an amateur Ornithologist about this, specifically about Pigeons. He told me that Rock Pigeons / Feral Pigeons (Green/Purple necks) are hole seekers, very territorial and will live, breed and die under your Solar Panels. However, not all Pigeons are the same. Wood Pigeons (white necks), are not hole seekers, they prefer bushes & trees. So will walk on and around your roof, but never under the panels. This knowledge saved me thousands... as we have Wood Pigeons, and sure enough... we're safe.

I am in the USA in Las Vegas and had solar installed just over 2 1/2 years ago, we went from spending $2,200 a year to $165 which is the standing charge for the electric meter and being connected to the grid. I liked your video and can honestly say having Solar panel & a Tesla Powerwall installed was one of my best decisions - I'm figure payback will be 7-8 years.

Nice video, mate. I'm looking at getting a system fitted myself so it's given me an idea of what to think about. Thanks.

Lovely set up to dream of. House looks very spacious and clean. Congrats on a proper set up and best of luck for the future. This is the future and security against energy price hikes.

I now see by looking at the installation in the garage that you mean it when you say you are very particular - very neat and clean job - no unnecessary unsightly conduits and cables running on the wall - neat job - very impressed. Just the way I like it too.

Very good of you to give an honest brake down of the costs of such an installation, We didn't need scaffolding as our panels are only on our garage roof. Obviously trying to get an install at the moment isn't going to be easy as suppliers and installers can charge a premium. Didn't here you mention which Electrical provider you are using, If people aren't aware Octopus are paying 15p per KW for anything you send back and if you are on economy 7 you can fill your 10KW battery for 16p per Kw at night making the system work for you even on days with no sun. Worth mentioning as our previous supplier only paid 1.5p eventually raising it to 5p just before we changed, definitely worth being with the right supplier to maximise the payback on your investment.

thanks for letting us no on cost please keep updates coming on the solar as we head towards the winter be interesting to see what its like in the darker days

Thank you for a very honest video.

Your lawn is absolutely stunning!

good comprehensive video. Thx!. I installed a bare bones 3.7kw solar edge with 5kw array for 6.3k installed (zero vat). But that was a few years ago. you can also use excess solar power to heat water using an eddi water heater. its a pretty good job, and only a few hundred quid.

Never thought about bird protection, just had 14 panels fitted going to ask my installer for a quote, luckily i live in a Bungalow, so had no scaffolding charges to pay, really appreciate the heads-up 👌

Excellent detail, thanks

Great review Rob gives us a good idea of expense etc

Really helpful, Thanks!

Lovely tidy house and garden. 🥰

Thank you for this information 👍

Well done!

Though all south-facing panels gives you more energy output, having panels in two directions like you have will give a longer production of energy over the day. We have 6.4kW of panels all south facing, solar edge optimisers and inverter, Tesla Powerwall 2 and gateway. Installed late last year for about £16k total including fees etc. We're heavy electricity users. It will charge the Powerwall overnight using cheap rate on days when the forecast is gloomy, but charges less when sunshine is likely. I've featured the system on my channel and will do a follow up when it's been operating for about a year. Trouble is with present lead times, people couldn't buy the system now.

Really helpful video. Thanks for making this and sharing your experience and learning. I’m just starting to explore the solar option for our house. M

Great video. Thank you.

Thanks for such a useful reply. With those facts in mind, it should make it easier for people to judge.

Hi Rob I'm in the middle agreeing to have this very system but with 28 panels so I'm looking forward to see more updates on how yours goes 👍🏼

I invested early in solar back in 2012 with a 3.5kw system and it paid for itself twice over now as the original install was only £6k. There were no hybrid inverters or batteries back then. But now there is so I'm upgrading to a Solis 6kw hybrid inverter and four 4.8 kw 48v Pylontech US5000 batteries that were only £1,450 each. All told the upgrade with all the new wiring it will come to just over £9k but it will work in the event of a power cut but most importantly for me is that I can expand the system in the future. A lot of these systems out there have limited scalability or expansion possibilities so if you want to add to the system with extra batteries or panels you can't. The batteries I chose can string up to 16 but with a hub I can have many strings. I've oversized my inverter for 2 reasons, one is that I plan to add more panels and the second is that I want more power avaiilable from the batteries, inverters can only supply from the battery what it is rated at I've had to wait a long time though as the supply madness continues but it was worth the wait as I know it pays for itself fairly quickly.

Very informative. Thanks for sharing

Nice system. We already have a 4kW East/West system, and we're adding another 5kW next week (scaffolding already up), along with a Tesla PW. £17K for the new system - just over a grand of that is to remove and refit what is already there, as our original 4kW system gets in the way of the new install. Ordered in January of this year, and it's been delay after delay - finally about to see the light! Should be pretty much independent from the grid between March and September, and using mostly cheap rate at other times to charge the battery and EV's.

Thank you. Very interesting and informative video. 👍

Nice vid 👍. Been building my own 100% diy system, 3kw of panels on two shed roofs, off grid with pass through 3kw hybrid inverter, 14.3kw diy 24v eve grade a cell battery bank with jk bms. Is an awsome project. Total cost £4000... 💷💷💷😎😎😎

Thanks for the interesting content.🙂

Great explanation thank you 🙏👍

Wow - solar costs a fortune in the UK. We have 7.5kw in 2x arrays (with the smart isolators on 4x panels), a 5kw inverter and 12kw modular battery (expands to 24kw for an extra NZ$10k). All for less than NZ$27k installed. At the current exchange rate that is 14,149 pounds total. Now in good old New Zealand we have 83+% of our electricity supplied from renewables (so hydro, solar and wind) - and we have quite decent prices NZD$0.29 per kwh (incl. tax) and NZD$ 0.60 per day connection fee. But I get NZD 0.085 per kwh exported which is pretty low. In New Zealand we get ZERO government support for doing this and it is still worthwhile. We also do not get time of day tariffs either. In the end, we decided that we were setting our energy cost at a fixed price and that 40% of the system would last 15 years (the batteries) and the inverter and panels 25 years. Once we divided the cost to install over these periods and then applied average inflation in electricity prices, it was a complete no brainer - even without any export. Our only regret was getting the smaller battery - we should have gone for the full implementation of 24 kw. Also, The hardware we choose allows us to add another parallel battery and inverter and they use CANBUS to coordinate their activity - also an important feature as the plan is to add another 5kw array with a 2 kw wind turbine and more battery to deal with charging our next vehicle. So the important things are : 1. Buy as much panel capacity as you have roof space. 2. Buy as much battery as you can afford. 3. Get an extensible system so you can grow it using a wind turbine or more solar. 4. Do not get bogged down in trying to calculate whether it will pay for itself - the greed of the energy industry guarantees it. I was horrified at what your politicians are allowing to happen to the citizens of the UK - a legacy of inaction and endemic corruption in your parliament. Love and mung beans from down under guys - and we love what you have done to your house!

Great video thank you

Honest video. Like that 👍👍

Great video!

Nice neat system, professionally done. Thanks for taking the time to do the video, ignore the keyboard warriors.

I've just had solar fitted. In Durham . It works perfectly. I'm quite pleased with it .the quality looks excellent. I don't think I got the cheapest and I didn't want it either. But I got a 12 panels plus 6k inverter plus a battery .all fitted .plus scaffolding. I was happy with the instalation .i thought these guys know what thfy are doing but I' was not too happy with the amout of instruction I received .prior . Mabey it was me but i felt it was not sufficient. As I'm learning more from KZfaq. The total I wanted to pay was about up to £10k but total cost ended up being just over £14k only time will tell whether I got ripped or what ..I had to wait 3 months to get it fitted .and I think the wait is even longer now . Good luck I'd say do it .but don't dilly dally any longer. As you will pay more and wait longer to get it . The Company I used was called Project Solar from the Manchester area

For the system you have installed I think it sounds reasonable. Yes, you could have saved a bit on the inverter/battery, but Solaredge is a good manufacturer. If you watch Artisan Electrics based in Cambridge their installations/systems are between £25~50,000.

Very similar price to what we're installing. 20x REC Twinpeak 4 panels split over 2 elevations, 5kW SE Inverter, 10kW SE Battery, SE Modbus and Zappi 7kW charger.

Just a fraction under £13k for ourselves: 18 x 330W Trina panels, GivEnergy 5KW inverter, 18 Tigo optimisers, 2 x 8.2 kWh GivEnergy batteries, Bird Blocker, scaffold and installation. Not saying it is better or worse than your system, just a bit different for comparison. Like you, I would do some things slightly different if I was to start again: larger inverter and more panels on the garage south roof. I'll probably do this in the future! Our annual electricity consumption is around 7800 kWh (have a PHEV car).

no backup unit? how come? the price is fair. we would do 8.8kW (22x400W) with 8.25kW inverter and the backup unit for about 32k AUD down here in oz. im surprised UK solar is so cheap now. nice tidy install they did too. we would charge about $300/kW extra for the tiled/steep roof, which we generally wont do unless its a big 3 phase system. tiles are annoying. great vid. thankyou. perhaps the SE backup unit is not approved in UK yet? not sure but we generally install them with the backup panel also. no point having a battery without islanding function.

Love the video, looked at Solar last Christmas for a barn conversion I am doing and it was a perfect time to fit, Unfortunately I could not find a reputable company todo the job plenty of blokes saying they could supply and fit for £15,000 but no proper quotations no listing of equipment and no returning of telephone calls, this says tome its a mine field to get a reputable company,, probably making so much money they cant be bothered, still looking for a good company to work with......

Now is the golden time to install panels and do business

Great video and thanks for taking the time to do it and share your experiences. I suspect that prices will rise exponentially.....maybe the Government could put money in to this (doubt it somewhat given the current administration)..

Good video Thanks.

We had solaredge Installed 27/10/2014 never had any problems best thing we ever done ,panels are Canadian Solar

Great Vid , Now i wont a system , Keep p up the good videos .

Thanks again for sharing this very interesting video. It would be interesting to know how much it has been producing since the installation.

As 40 year electrician I can say that is a neat job from the bits I have seen. I have had 4kw if solar for 11 years now was a fantastic investment with the feed in tariffs at the time. These got the industry started as without it it was just not viable. Today is totally different with high energy the investment stacks up easily. Having said that I think your projection is in my opinion optimistic ( unless you have an electric car or something. Living in the middle of the country as a rule of thumb 4kw of panels produces 4000 units per year( newer inverters will be more efficient) the problem is 3/4 of this is produced in the 7 sunnier months and the remaining quarter in the winter months when you need it more. Strangle enough during the recent high summer temperatures the max output has dropped alarmingly. Cold sunny days produce the best output. I am sure it will have been a sound investment even if electricity prices drop back

Brilliant equipment and explanation. The only nit pick swopping video camera around and moving around. I listened and understood all 👍👍 but had to close my eyes it may sound petty but I was getting sea sick😂😂

I'm just starting my "DIY Journey" looking into solar for our house so thanks for sharing your experience. Did you consider roof-integrated panels at all? From my research they're 5% - 10% less effective but then there's no need for nest protection or uplift on the panels if there's ever any tile repairs needed. Thanks

Great video, thanks for sharing. It's still too much for the "average joe", sadly. It's a shame companies, either energy or renewable providers don't offer low interest, long term loans, or even the government/banks. That would really help out a lot of people and attract a lot more people to adding renewables to their homes.

great video, thanks. Wondering if you still ussing energy from grid. I guess yes since you mentioned elecrtic cars

Sounds expensive in the uk 🇬🇧 I’m in Western Australia 🇦🇺 18 panels 6.8 kw system installed with the dual phase inverter . $4.2 k Australian we have a government subsidy . These no battery subsidies here yet but it’s $10 k for a 10 kw battery at present. Thanks for the video

Great video, couldn't help noticing the App screenshot showing 22kWh produced today, are you still exporting to the grid, or are you storing it to battery 🔋

this is exactly what we need for the long run. save $ and the environment. just wonder if you have also installed water sprinklers on very top of the panels so that you don't need climb up to wash off the dust frequently

Very good video, buy cheap buy twice.

Great video, thanks for sharing. I had a solar system installed in January this year using 12 x 370W JA panals, Solar edge optimizers, Solar edge 3.68kW inverter and a solar iBoost to heat the water. I got the quote and installation before the cost of leccy went mad so I think I was lucky to get the whole thing installed for £6k. My only complaint is the wifi in the inverter is very flakey as it loses connection one day and reconnects the next. This has been the pattern since it was installed but is not effecting the operation so I put up with it. At some stage I plan to build a DIY battery for it but will probably make that a separate system to the house electrics. Have you signed up with a company yet for generation repayments? So far we have generated 3MWh since February and I live in Northern Ireland which is NOT a sunny place. Most of the leccy generated has been either used by us or used to heat the hot water tank by the immersion heater through the IBoost.

Hi, thanks for the great video, Could you tell me how to adjust the export level of stored energy before it can be exported on Solis hybrid inverter as I'm losing energy going to the grid before I get to use it after for example

Hi Rob, on your DNO application requirements, did u have to get 3-phase power? Thanks

Be good if you can do a video after the winter to see how it ran. Top work

Very interesting clear breakdown of costs and equipment..if you didn’t have an EV would the outlay justify the costs purely from a financial standpoint…the green issue’s are of course debatable..

good video lad. if you decide to move house in a year or so has the solar system added to the value of the house?

Great video and thanks for sharing the costs. Is there any particular reason for the inverter being 5kw, when you have a theoretical output of 8kw from the panels?

Great vid What is the size of the battery, and what does your house use on a typical day?

Is it grid tied. Just with the dno needing told about the inverter makes me think it's tied into the grid

2 years ago got 5.4kw solar array. 7.5 kWh battery,Solaris inverter, plyontech batteries, zappie smart charger and eddie hot water unit. No scaffolding required.£7500 total. got great deal just after the first lock down prices are up. I have no shading two simple strings, not at same premium tear as this install. My pay back gets shorter every time they push electric up. I'm also saving on my gas usage, In N.I some one did quote me 12k at the time for exact same system. Know what your buying, do your homework.

I just love your northern accent. It’s mint

In the last price hike, our supplier put the bulk of the rise onto the standing charge. I think it's a sneaky way to guarantee themselves an income and make the ROI on solar take longer.

In comparison,, my 3.6 kw panels with 3.6 kw inverter cost £6000 10 years ago. Installation took 4 hrs. Two or three later this would have cost £4000. I am surprised at the small size of inverters mentioned, mine(Aurora) matched the panels yet failed after 5.5 yrs, in UK this had a 5 yr guarantee while in the USA it had 10 yrs. I emailed the company about this but got no response, I repaired it myself and its OK(touch wood) to date. The price changes are due to demand & component shortages but if the war stops tomorrow ....?

Great Video, thanks Rob, I have a question on the Battery, I have a system with 12 x 2 volt batteries, each battery is approx 800 pounds, thats expensive, my system is 17 years old now, and replaced the Batteries ( all 12 ) and am now on the third ( 3rd ) change out now, seems ridiculous !!! But it is fact ! How Long is your Battery Guaranteed FOR ? CHEERS

A little tip, If you want to upgrade your supply to your house to three-phase just ask for a fuse upgrade with your local DNO. Invoice will be free If you say you're going to be attaching batteries and solar. they will charge you for an invoice.

Can you explain how you use the energy in the home to achieve savings and what extra costs were incurred? Do you have electric heating and if so did you install this to use the solar benefits? What about hot water and showers? Have you installed electric amenities everywhere? As an example, if you installed say, an 11kW electric shower could a family of 4 shower effectively each morning using only stored energy?

Depends like everything what panels you want battery size etc and as you say many Options etc

great video not sure what boiler you have, was looking at solar immersion as well?