How much can I practically/legally DIY, and other newb questions

[dangermouse]

What's your approach to installation? Have you got roofer with scaffolding or just everything diy? Have you checked the roof can support the weight? It's all still ahead of me.

I arranged for the scaffolding to be put up (£200) and then found a roofer who had experience fitting panels (£600). Everything else (wiring etc) was DIY. I bought all the parts needed in advance, except the mounting brackets which the roofer supplied.

As far as the roof strength, I never worried about it. The panels weigh about 160kg, spread over the whole roof, that seems like nothing really. I think a greater risk would be wind damage, but ultimately I have to trust that the guy who put them up there knows what he's doing.

[ducabi]

Why have you not fitted it yourself? Would that require lots of additional reading of how-to-do?

[Stinsy]

Why have you not fitted it yourself? Would that require lots of additional reading of how-to-do?

I do a lot of stuff myself. More than 99.9% of people. But I'd not get up on a 2nd story sloping roof.

[dangermouse]

I do a lot of stuff myself. More than 99.9% of people. But I'd not get up on a 2nd story sloping roof.

My thoughts exactly!

[ducabi]

I do a lot of stuff myself. More than 99.9% of people. But I'd not get up on a 2nd story sloping roof.

What about 1 story garage roof?
My worry is whether I can fit it properly without causing any leaks. On the other hand my to-do list is very good so will end up giving some of the items on the list to someone else anyway.

[Stinsy]

I do a lot of stuff myself. More than 99.9% of people. But I'd not get up on a 2nd story sloping roof.

What about 1 story garage roof?
My worry is whether I can fit it properly without causing any leaks. On the other hand my to-do list is very good so will end up giving some of the items on the list to someone else anyway.

I’d be all over a 1-story garage roof!

[ducabi]

Silly question, how to optimize night tariff x batteries x solar panels? Do you set charging to a smaller % during the night tariff then it charges house and batteries from panels? If so, is it done automatically by inverter (eg. sofar hyd) that when batteries are charged during the day when the house doesn't use whole supply from PV?
I think I'll install a few panels (4-6) on my garage roof for now just to avoid buying another battery. Atm I have 3xUS3000C which sometimes are not enough for whole day and for a price of new battery I can get couple panels on the roof.

[AE-NMidlands]

Silly question, how to optimize night tariff x batteries x solar panels? Do you set charging to a smaller % during the night tariff then it charges house and batteries from panels? If so, is it done automatically by inverter (eg. sofar hyd) that when batteries are charged during the day when the house doesn't use whole supply from PV?
I think I'll install a few panels (4-6) on my garage roof for now just to avoid buying another battery. Atm I have 3xUS3000C which sometimes are not enough for whole day and for a price of new battery I can get couple panels on the roof.

I guess you "pays your money and you takes your choice!"

I have deduced that there is no one right answer, what suits some people's needs and lifestyle wouldn't suit others. Also to some extent it must be influenced by how much money you have to sink into the system and how eager you are to either minimise your draw from the grid, or even just to "do your bit" by avoiding peak-hours consumption.

Thinking about budgets, I don't know whether the Ecology Building society will lend on smaller projects (rather than purchases/mortgages or funding new builds.)

[dangermouse]

Silly question, how to optimize night tariff x batteries x solar panels? Do you set charging to a smaller % during the night tariff then it charges house and batteries from panels? If so, is it done automatically by inverter (eg. sofar hyd) that when batteries are charged during the day when the house doesn't use whole supply from PV?
I think I'll install a few panels (4-6) on my garage roof for now just to avoid buying another battery. Atm I have 3xUS3000C which sometimes are not enough for whole day and for a price of new battery I can get couple panels on the roof.

Currently, I've got mine set to charge to 100% on Octopus Go (00:30-04:40). By the time I get up and make a coffee, the batteries (2xUS2000C) are down to about 90%. The sun hits the panels around 10:30, by which time the batteries are down to 70% ish. If it's a good day, by the time the sun goes down, the batteries are at 100% again.

I expect as the days get longer I'll reduce the overnight charge level to account for the panels starting to generate earlier in the day. If you've got a Sofar inverter you use 'time of use' mode and can set a charge level for the charging time, outside of that time it runs from PV and batteries, and any excess PV goes into the batteries, or if they are full, gets exported.

I definitely need another battery though, even on a sunny winter day I'm exporting loads to the grid and not getting paid for it! On a dull day, my current batteries aren't enough and I'm back on grid power by 6-7 pm.

[ducabi]

Currently, I've got mine set to charge to 100% on Octopus Go (00:30-04:40). By the time I get up and make a coffee, the batteries (2xUS2000C) are down to about 90%. The sun hits the panels around 10:30, by which time the batteries are down to 70% ish. If it's a good day, by the time the sun goes down, the batteries are at 100% again.

That's the part I wasn't sure inverter can deal with, i.e. charging batteries from PV outside of time-of-use charging time.

I expect as the days get longer I'll reduce the overnight charge level to account for the panels starting to generate earlier in the day. If you've got a Sofar inverter you use 'time of use' mode and can set a charge level for the charging time, outside of that time it runs from PV and batteries, and any excess PV goes into the batteries, or if they are full, gets exported.

I definitely need another battery though, even on a sunny winter day I'm exporting loads to the grid and not getting paid for it! On a dull day, my current batteries aren't enough and I'm back on grid power by 6-7 pm.

Does it make sense to you to add another battery? On days where i go over battery capacity I probably use on average 1kWh, which is 20-30p extra a day. I guess once i have couple panes it will happen let's say 100 times a year, which means I need a US2000 battery to save <£50 a year. Having another battery would prevent getting close to battery limits around sunny days but still not sure it financially makes sense.