Advice please on Solar Panel quotes.

[user 35710]

Hello,

I need some advice please. Sorry this is a bit long.

In October I started looking at Solar panels for my south facing home. The house is detached with the next door neighbour’s chimney tracking across the lower part of my roof in winter.

I had 4 quotes, one of which had panels on the north facing roof as well as the south. The below is an original quote from the supplier I decided to go with in the end.

16x Trina Vertex S 415W All Black Mono solar panel £2,995.20
SolaX X1 G4 6.0D hybrid inverter £1,416.39
SolaX Triple 5.8kWh LFP Battery (Master Console) £2,530.00
16 Optimisers with management system £897.00
Scaffolding £600.00
Installation Labour £2,500.00
Other smaller items £1668.00
Total including tax £12,606.86

I looked at all the major items on the web and found the prices were mostly retail which I was pleased with. I know that the trade could get better prices but that is fair enough everyone has to make a living. The above quote was about £700 more than the other quotes but in my opinion used slightly better equipment. Also the supplier spent more time and effort with the quote and inspected the roof inside and out. I suggested that if the quote could be revised as it was the most expensive I may well accept the new quote.

The new quote was £500 less with it coming off the price of the labour. At this point I was looking at this site and taking in the information like a sponge. I then requested a quote with another SolaX slave 5.8kWh to be added to the quote. This was done with the price of the slave and £100 extra added to the labour, total £14051 which now was within my £14K budget.

Quote accepted, delivery and installation of everything accept the panels mid December. Panels would be 15th Jan 23. Nothing was installed in December. Call received 12th Jan saying panels are delayed till mid Feb, would I like to review 2 other makes as they were currently available. The data sheets were sent of the original panel and the other 2 supplier’s panels.

Now I realised my mistake, I should have paid more attention to the second revised quote which was for 16 Trina 410Wp panels. The cost between the original 415w and the 410Wp was £31 per panel. Multiply the £31 x 16 is £496 which was the same as the reduction in labour.

The price of the panels was increased to £3024 in the second quote therefore the revised quote was actually more expensive.

I have lost faith in my supplier and this is before they are installed. Am I crying over spilt milk or should I address this another way. Opinions welcomed.

I really am pleased to have joined this forum.

 

[Murdoch]

Has your installed confirmed how it will be connecting the PV to your existing electrical installation?

 

[user 35710]

Has your installed confirmed how it will be connecting the PV to your existing electrical installation?

Hello,

I think this is want you want?

 

[bladerunnerpv]

To keep the original price quoted and contract signed on the dotted line agreed price could you not just wait to mid Feb? Apart from the frustration level a month or so isn't going to make much difference in the overall scheme of things over the next 10yrs ?

You need to be careful the revised panels which they propose are still suitable for the inverter. Hopefully they've taken all that into account when proposing alternatives.

I think these are the specs for the trina and canadian solar panels, hopefully your quote provided specs if not
And for the solax inverter

The Impp value for the Canadian panel is ~12.9, for Trina ~10.1, the inverter looks to be able to handle 14A, so should be OK?

They're about the same size so should fit ok,

I think the revised panel appearance will be different, the Canadian spec I found isn't all black, unlike the Trina, that's a matter of taste

NB I'm not an installer, just an interested amateur, so don't take my word for it

hope this helps

 

[user 35710]

To keep the original price quoted and contract signed on the dotted line agreed price could you not just wait to mid Feb? Apart from the frustration level a month or so isn't going to make much difference in the overall scheme of things over the next 10yrs ?

You need to be careful the revised panels which they propose are still suitable for the inverter. Hopefully they've taken all that into account when proposing alternatives.

I think these are the specs for the trina and canadian solar panels, hopefully your quote provided specs if not
And for the solax inverter

The Impp value for the Canadian panel is ~12.9, for Trina ~10.1, the inverter looks to be able to handle 14A, so should be OK?

They're about the same size so should fit ok,

I think the revised panel appearance will be different, the Canadian spec I found isn't all black, unlike the Trina, that's a matter of taste

NB I'm not an installer, just an interested amateur, so don't take my word for it

hope this helps

I am happy to wait for mid Feb but what I am upset about is that I asked for a requote which looked like the price had gone down £500 but the panels were changed for cheaper panels by £30 per panel and the price went up for the panels therefore I did not get a price reduction but a lower spec panel. The initial panels were the 425 but were replaced with the 415 panels.

 

[Andy1733]

The 16 panels you are having fitted. Is this the quote where they are fitting 4 panels on the north side of the chimney?

 

[Andy1733]

I am happy to wait for mid Feb but what I am upset about is that I asked for a requote which looked like the price had gone down £500 but the panels were changed for cheaper panels by £30 per panel and the price went up for the panels therefore I did not get a price reduction but a lower spec panel. The initial panels were the 425 but were replaced with the 415 panels.

Is this price the price you can buy them at or a googled price on the net. If it's the latter the company could be getting a bigger discount on the original panels. Imo if your not happy with the revised quote go back to the original

 

[user 35710]

Is this price the price you can buy them at or a googled price on the net. If it's the latter the company could be getting a bigger discount on the original panels. Imo if your not happy with the revised quote go back to the original

Thank you for the reply.
It was a googled price but I don't mind that as everyone has to make a living. What I object to is the price increase for a lesser panel removing my £500 discount on the labour.

 

[Andy1733]

As I mentioned. The company may be able to purchase the original panels at a cheaper discount.
Have you contacted the company to ask for clarification as why they are changing the price of the other items.
Ask why the £500 discount on la our has increased? It could be as simple as a typo, don't forget these people are doing hundreds of quotes per year so mistakes can happen

 

[Andy1733]

Tbh I'm still a little confused with the quotes. The original was 12,600. And the revised one was £14,050. And the difference is a different brand of panel and another solax slave?

Are the solax 5.8kw slaves around £2000? And the panels £500 cheaper?

 

[user 35710]

Tbh I'm still a little confused with the quotes. The original was 12,600. And the revised one was £14,050. And the difference is a different brand of panel and another solax slave?

Are the solax 5.8kw slaves around £2000? And the panels £500 cheaper?

£500 came off the £2600 when the panels were down graded but price increased which left £2100. The slave was £2100 with other minor changes will made £14100.

 

[Andy1733]

Hmmmm. So do I have this correct.

Your original quote was £12,600. Then reduced by £500 for the difference in panels £12.100.
then you asked for another solax 5.8kw slave at a cost of £2100. And they gave you a final price of £14,100

Is this correct? Or am I missing something?

 

[user 35710]

Hmmmm. So do I have this correct.

Your original quote was £12,600. Then reduced by £500 for the difference in panels £12.100.
then you asked for another solax 5.8kw slave at a cost of £2100. And they gave you a final price of £14,100

Is this correct? Or am I missing something?

Almost
Original quote £12,600 with Trina 425 panels
Next quote £12,100 with labour reduced by £500 and Trina panels now 415 panels.
Final quote £14100 with £2100 slave added but other minor reductions of just over £100.
Upset because difference between Trina 425 and 415 was just over £30 per panel therefore £480 so not a real reduction of £500 in the original quote.
All number rounded for simplicity.

 

[Andy1733]

The panels were £480 cheaper between the first and second quotes and they made the quote £500 cheaper by reducing the labour.
What are you upset about?

So basically in the 2nd quote they said the panels were the same price as the first quote but reduced labour by £500. That was the reason it was £500 cheaper. But in both the 1st and 2nd quote the labour would be the same and the panels should be £480 cheaper

if it's not this then I give up..

 

[Andy1733]

Any of the forum members can jump in and help me out hear.

 

[binky]

Any of the forum members can jump in and help me out hear.

Fit your own system , or find local trades that can help you with that.

 

[user 35710]

Any of the forum members can jump in and help me out hear.

Andy 1733

You are correct. The second quote showed the labour £500 cheaper but the panel changed and the price did not. The supplier recovered the £500 by suppling cheaper panels hoping I would not notice.

 

[Andy1733]

Yeah you go girl. You did notice and these rouge sparkys can't pull the wool over your eyes.

Imo give them a call tomorrow and cancel the contract.
It's disgusting they only offered you £500 discount when they should have offered you £480.

In the olden days before the internet we would only learn about these rouge traders on watchdog.

 

[Andy1733]

Fit your own system , or find local trades that can help you with that.

Not helping

 

[user 35710]

Not helping

Andy 1733
Andy you missed the point. First quote Trina 425 panels £2950. Price of panels in second quote £3000. Actual price of Trina 415 panels in second quote £2470. Supplier would make extra £530 profit. This covered the reduction of £500 in labour. If the supplier had been honest the actual reduction would have been £980.