Solar Panels

[GillD46]

Loads of the houses in this sea facing village have them and many of them really look ok. We have considered it, but haven't decided to commit ourselves - yet!

[Manoverboard]

I doubt very much that I would buy a house with solar panels but I would however be prepared to offer a price based on their removal and the re-instatement of an acceptable system at the seller's cost.

[Cockers43]

I doubt very much that I would buy a house with solar panels but I would however be prepared to offer a price based on their removal and the re-instatement of an acceptable system at the seller's cost.

And turn down the opportunity to power your home for free for 20+ years?

[Manoverboard]

I doubt very much that I would buy a house with solar panels but I would however be prepared to offer a price based on their removal and the re-instatement of an acceptable system at the seller's cost.

And turn down the opportunity to power your home for free for 20+ years?

Are you absolutely certain that the revenue stays with the house rather than with the original owner ?

Either way, yes I would indeed turn down the opportunity to buy a house which looks like something out of Disneyland and will look even more hideous as the years roll on by as the panels are superseded with something less tacky than is presently the case. It's a bit like heavy Artex internally - a complete turn off

As implied earlier if the house had ' clay / slate tile look-a-likes ' installed then that would be a different matter entirely and would then, for us anyway, be worthy of consideration.

My view is that if you intend to sell the property that you live in at any time in the future then it is not a good idea to do anything to it that will preclude ANY potential purchasers. If on the other hand you intend to live in it for the rest of your life then fine go for it.

[Suekersh]

Whilst I agree that solar panels are not attractive but then again neither are the majority of roofs.

Unless you are very fortunate and live in a country house type residence or a thatched cottage then a roof is a roof is a roof. Our solar panels are on the garage and do not resemble Disneyland whatsoever.

When we first discussed this I was very unsure but as our neighbours were having them installed we decided to do the same. In the end they were so ugly that another 7 houses on the estate had them installed soon afterwards but before the Fit tariff was halved.

Not sure if we will stay here for the full 25 years of the contact as the bungalow is a bit too big for the two of us, but the extra income that the panels are earning will be factored into the decision of when or if to downsize.

Sue

[david63]

Did I read somewhere that the efficiency (certainly of the earlier models) deteriorates over time and that they will need replacing within 25 years?

Whilst I accept that solar panel energy generation has its merits and that the technology will improve over time I am not yet convinced that they are there just yet - another five or ten years and it may well be a different story.

[Cockers43]

Sounds as if you live Somewhere North Of Bornemouth, Blandford I Should Have thought MOBY!

I'm with you Sue, if the government wants to pay me for investing in solar panels sobeit. Currently I can find no better place to invest my money. Best I can get in a bank is 2%, shares are doing little or nothing, even buy-to-lets in the South only yield about 5% - compare that to the 14% I get from solar panels!

As for Artex, I find looking at ceilings very much like looking at roofs - I don't look up that often, except in the boudoir when I find I have very little interest in aesthetics.

[Quizzical Bob]

Did I read somewhere that the efficiency (certainly of the earlier models) deteriorates over time and that they will need replacing within 25 years?

Whilst I accept that solar panel energy generation has its merits and that the technology will improve over time I am not yet convinced that they are there just yet - another five or ten years and it may well be a different story.

I believe that is the case. The panels will reduce in efficiency and the inverter will need replacing after ten years or so. I think the capacitors dry out. You can take out insurance to cover it.

[Quizzical Bob]

Sounds as if you live Somewhere North Of Bornemouth, Blandford I Should Have thought MOBY!

I'm with you Sue, if the government wants to pay me for investing in solar panels sobeit. Currently I can find no better place to invest my money. Best I can get in a bank is 2%, shares are doing little or nothing, even buy-to-lets in the South only yield about 5% - compare that to the 14% I get from solar panels!

As for Artex, I find looking at ceilings very much like looking at roofs - I don't look up that often, except in the boudoir when I find I have very little interest in aesthetics.

The percentage returns can be misleading. I saw a calculation a few years ago in the journal of the IET which put in between 2 and 3%. Don't forget that you can't get your original investment back.

[Manoverboard]

Sounds as if you live Somewhere North Of Bornemouth, Blandford I Should Have thought MOBY!

If you knew me then you would know that I am not even just a teeny weeny bit snobbish, I just gave an honest opinion of my OWN position.

Over the years we have had the super heavy Artex on walls let alone ceilings, blocky plastic windows and doors as well as the more modern narrower profiles and even the tried and tested wood from time to time. Then there was the embossed driveway plus cavity insulation in either Foam or Thermo-pearls, plastic barge boards, soffits and cladding plus alluminium rolled out seemless gutters .... many on the same house that even WE thought looked like something out of Disneyland.

I simply do not like the solar panels on offer at this point in time, nought to do with ' approving ' of them. As I said they look hideous and I would not wish to spoil the look of OUR house even for the full annual cost of our Electricity Bill, you of course are entirely free to do whatever you wish to yours but dont expect me to buy it.

[Dark Knight]

Moby isn't a snob
he is a NIMBY

big difference

[Mervyn and Trish]

But whether he's a snob or a nimby is academic in this case.

He's not opposing the building of some facility of general benefit to society in his environs.

He's simply declining the opportunity of putting solar panels on his own roof and maybe saving himself some cash at the price of disfiguring his own home. Surely he's entitled to do that?

p.s. Moby, I'll PM you my bank details for the thank you gift.

[Dark Knight]

Merv I totally agree
A nimby is not always a bad thing, you know

[Manoverboard]

NIMBY ... yes, that's right, cos we don't live in


North Chideock

or

Iwerne Minster

or

Milborne Port

or

Blandford Forum

or even .....

Yetminster

ps ... Merv - just send a cake tin, Mobietta has just made some cookies

[Dark Knight]

solar panels are like that fake cladding or pebble dash

ok for everyone else but not on my house

[Kaziebelle]

I'd love to have them installed on our house but unfortunately we do not have a suitable facing roof and so whilst we could still install them we would not get the full benefit of them.boo