Costs and Benefits of Solar Panels: Is Now the Time?

With recent electricity price increases, many people in Ireland are considering the installation of solar panels as a means of reducing their energy costs and enjoying the benefits of clean energy. This is a timely consideration for several reasons:-

1. Affordability: With the cost of solar panels continuing to drop, now is a cost-effective time to make the investment.
2. SEAI grants of up to €2,400 for those who install solar panels on homes. The availability of these grants may change in the future, making now a good time to take advantage of them.
3. Technological advancements: Solar panel technology has improved greatly in recent years, leading to increased efficiency and cost savings.
4. Environmental responsibility: With the increasing focus on reducing carbon footprints, now is a good time to consider the installation of solar panels as a means of reducing one’s environmental impact.
5. Long-term investment: Solar panels have a long lifespan and can provide significant cost savings over time, making this a smart long-term investment for homes and businesses alike.

Installing solar panels on your home will also increase your property value should you ever wish to sell your property and they offer potential for income: If your solar panel system generates more electricity than you need, you can sell the excess back to the grid, potentially earning extra income.

Lately we asked some solar installers on Tradesmen.ie to give us an idea of rough costs for installing a typical solar array on the roof of an average home.  Frank from Dublin said that for a system without batteries it would be about 7k plus and for a system with batteries you could expect to pay 12k plus.

Alan from Louth said that it depends on whether the system going to be a battery system or not, this will be more expensive by a couple of thousand, and what type of inverter the client requires, but that a typical standard solar system, without all the extras could typically cost around 8k, for a very basic array and again with no battery or extras.

When asked for some tips for customers when posting jobs on Tradesmen.ie, Alan suggests the following:-

1. Provide a clear description of the job on the job post.
2. Be specific about the exact trade required for the job.
3. Select a tradesman with good reviews.
4. Following up with a text, email or WhatsApp message if an initial call doesn’t get connected.
5. Address responsibility for materials and a payment schedule at the start of the project.

I hope it helps some of you who are planning to install solar panels and if you decide to go ahead with it you can get a number of solar panel quotes here .

Cheers

Oliver Dempsey

Tradesmen.ie

8 February 2023

P.S. In addition to the above, I would encourage anyone who is interested in reducing our use of fossil fuels on a more ambitious scale and doing something for your community, to look into setting up a sustainable energy community(SEC) in your own area.  For example, if you live in Ireland, you can find out more information on the SEAI website about SECs here.  Once you have registered your SEC, you can also look into setting up a renewable energy community to generate community energy for your own area with a capacity of up to 5MW.