Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Solar roof tiles?
Has anyone gone in for the solar roof tiles that have appeared on the market? They are supposed to take care of doing your roof and cutting your energy costs at the same time. How has the experience been? Are they good at either purpose? Is the cost forbidding? Would it be better to wait for the technology to improve?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by sophia c on
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Solar Panels technology has been around for several decades now, I would suggest their durability has been tested. Some info here can be found on how long they last and the degradation rate per year: https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/how-long-do-solar-panels-last
Installation should come with a tracker as a standard so one can see how much is generated and when that starts to drop usually not before a couple of decades if not more.
As the conservative Government has cut on feed-in-tariff drastically, it is true that it is an investment that is taking much longer to get back but with the current spike in energy prices, that will shorten (especially if it lasts) and it is well worth it as the energy cost saved from using Solar energy is much more than the feed-in-tariff amount one gets back (of the energy produced, feed-in-tariff assumes one is using half of it even if one uses more). On hour house we are now saving several hundred pounds a year even with small power output of just over 2.1kWh on top of the feed-in-tariff payments we receive.
Apologies Eric Gordy, this is not actually answering your question.
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No personal experience but my son rented a house with solar panels. Property owner got a government grant to pay towards installation. He sold unused power to his energy utility company thus making additional savings.
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Permalink Reply by Pamela Harling on
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Dear Eric, solar tiles have been around for some time and a quick look around seems to show that they have a 25 year warranty. Yes they are expensive compared to solar panels - but look much nicer of course. AND they are made in the UK....I assume that per square metre they generate as much as a pv panel.
You might check out the websites of the Energy Savings Trust, Centre for Sustainable Energy and the National Self Build and Renovation Centre.
If you are going to do work on your roof why not get some quotes (there are not that many suppliers)? In my personal opinion energy costs are not going to come down any time soon, so thinking about reducing your energy use by generating your own electricty makes sense if you have the money up front to do it. And yes, as someone else says below, most electrcity suppliers will now buy any surplus generation from you.
Before you do anything though, do make sure that any contractor you use is accredited. Renewable energy contractors much be registered with the MCS body. https://mcscertified.com/ They have a list of installers.
In reply to the Finsbury Park Ranger - solar panels are still working efficiently after about thirty years now at places like the Centre for Alternative Technology.
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