Photo-voltaic panels

[seanie]

If anyone's at all interested in installing PV panels, then now is probably the ideal time to do it, assuming of course it's feasible for you property.

Feed-in-tarrifs are supposed to come in next spring and, although all the details haven't been confirmed, they'll significantly improve the economics of installing PV's.

But also, for the moment at least, grants are still available as well. These are likely to be withdrawn when the FITs come in but together the economics are currently as good as there likely to be for quite some time.

And, the Energy Savings Trust just announced interest free loans up to £10,000 repayable over 8 years for energy efficiency measures and renewables. The pot of money is only £2M for the whole of Scotland so it might not last long, but it's potentially a really great scheme.

I'll post more information if anyone's interested.

[Bob Jefferson]

Tell us more seanie. Over what time scale do you envisage that this would pay for itself? Do they sit flush with the roof? If not then I would anticipate objections.

[seanie]

Previously, paybacks were in the region of 25 years plus so whatever the merits in terms of carbon reduction they were difficult to justify purely in economic terms.

With the Feed-in-tarrifs alone that should come down to somewhere in the region of a 15 year payback. But with FITs and the current grants you're looking at 10 years, possibly less.

That would still require several thousand pounds up front to get a worthwhile installation, maybe £5,000-6,000, but if that's paid for via an interest free loan the PV's just about pay for themselves. A reasonably sized PV array, once FITS come in, could generate more than £500 a year in savings/income.

As to details they can sit flush or proud of the roof and there are advantages/disadvantages to both. Outside of a Conservation Area they're permitted development so as long as you meet certain criteria you don't need approval from the planners.

In a Conservation Area, or if your building is listed, you need permission but since it's permitted development elsewhere you shouldn't need to pay a fee for an application. And conservation/listing, whilst it can present difficulties, isn't necessarily a problem. The planning dept and bodies like Historic Scotland have become more amenable to such proposals if done sensitively.

[seanie]

And on the practical side you want a south-ish prospect, south-east to south-west will do, with no overshadowing. You also want a reasonable area.

A typical domestic installation would be 1.5-2 kWp. Properly sited that'd generate 1200-1600 kWh a year which is 40-50% of average electricity use.

But for an array of that size you need 12-16m2 of roof with a good aspect.

[Bob Jefferson]

I'm interested. We have a south(ish)-facing roof of reasonable size but it is shared with our downstairs neighbour. If I could persuade her to buy in to the idea then perhaps we could share the cost and the benefits. How does the interest-free loan work. Is it paid back by direct debit on a monthly basis?

Could it work for tenemental properties do you think?

[seanie]

The loans are brand new so I don't know all the details. More info can be found here;



From that page, to qualify for a loan the measure must be recommended in one of four documents. For PVs, the most likely route is a report from an Energy Saving Scotland home renewables advisor. Energy Performance Certificates & Home Energy Checks are a bit rough and ready and hardly anyone qualifies for Stage 4 of the Energy Assistance Package.

If interested, call the Energy Saving Scotland advice centre on 0800 512 012. They should be able to give more information on what's involved.

In fact, that number's worth calling regardless of whether you're interested in PV's. The same people run the Energy Assistance Package and that's the best route into energy efficiency measures and grants. There are big gaps in what's supported by grants but it doesn't do any harm to find out what's available.

[seanie]

As for whether they could work with tenements then absolutely. As long as you've got the right place to put them PVs are one of the easiest renewables to install.

The best example I know of what can be done with tenement properties is described and

It's an ongoing project by Lister Housing Association for their property just along from the Edinburgh College of Art. They started off doing the basic insulation and draughtproofing measures and then moved on to installing Solar Thermal panels and PVs. As a model of what can be done it's excellent. And that's a B listed property, in a Conservation area and the World Heritage Site.

[rmolehusband]

As soon as I read the headline, '', I thought that's bound to be in Porty and, sure enough, it was (in part at least) with PAS objecting on aesthetic grounds.

To be fair, I haven't actually looked at the planning application so it may well be a monstrosity, and the property is listed, but I can't believe that it's not possible to fit PVs to a building in a reasonably sympathetic way.

[seashell]

[wangi]

[wangi]

Personally I think the PV panels on that property would have been fine; anyway... Think what the visual intrusion on conservation area argument (seen in this application refusal and on Viridor's) would possibly mean for a PEDAL wind turbine?

See the White House is getting with it too: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/10/ ... hite-house

[wangi]

[seanie]

It's more intriguing than it first appears. Last time the applicant sought Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent, and got refused.

This time they only appear to be applying for Listed Building Consent. They may be angling that it constitutes Permitted Development and so Planning Permission isn't required. That's arguably correct, but given the Planners have already given a refusal for PVs in this location they may take a different view.

[seanie]

Refused again.