16-06-2013, 10:42 AM
7
Re: Solar panels
I think solar panels usually look very ugly but they are becoming very popular. I believe there were attractive grants available at one time, but I think they have been withdrawn or reduced recently. I think it is advisable to work out how long it will take to "break even" It could take several years to make any savings when taking into account the cost of the installation. Don't they also wear out and have to be replaced or upgraded. We thought about them, but changed our mind when we looked into the full detail.
16-06-2013, 11:34 AM
8
Re: Solar panels
We looked into solar panels but the expense out weighed the income.Our daughter has lots of them on her barn and is pleased as long as they use their electrical appliances (washing machine, dish washer) during the day. She watches the meter and on a sunny day, it just shows a little use.
16-06-2013, 12:30 PM
10
Re: Solar panels
I haven't even considered solar panels because1. I think they look ugly
2. The payback period is too long.
3. They do not appear to add much to the value of a property.
4. They drop in efficiency with time.
I've seen various figures about savings, and of course the people who sell the panels will always give you the best ones. Even in this day and age, you could invest your money and get some return on it. At a rough guess, this means a payback period of 12-15 years before you actually make money. You will get the feed-in tarriff for 20 years, so you will wait say 15 years to break even and then make some money for 5 years.
You will have an ugly depreciating asset that won't help to sell your house.
Afart from that, they seem like a good idea.
|
|
