Octopus did my install.Wondered if anyone has used Octopus for solar install and any good/bad points and if the cost is reasonable?
- Prices are generally good, but not to the level where they've got to cut significant corners. You will find cheaper if you hunt around (particularly schemes like Solar Together)
- The Givenergy kit is pretty decent price for performance. Again, Octopus are looking for "good but not premium"
- The process went smoothly, MCS packs got sent promptly, they got my export meter sorted fairly quickly and without much fuss
- Octopus do not subco, the installers were octopus employees, all very nice and the quality of work was (IMHO) good
- Their estimated production was scarily similar to what was actually produced last year
- Octopus are looking to do a "standard install", which means they're not interested in dealing with things like EPS or complex installs
- Octopus aren't likely to go anywhere as a company, and while they're not perfect, they do have a complaints handling system which mostly works and they do tend to do the right thing. This was the main attraction for me, I don't want it installed by a company that goes bust 2 months later
- It's a bit of a grey day today, I was pulling about 1500w this morning. With a battery that means running the kettle/oven is partly battery, partly solar, zero grid. It makes little sense pulling 1kw from the grid @28p/kWh one minute and then exporting back to the grid @15p/kWh the next minute
- In the winter, the battery saves me far more than the PV panels
- Battery was also super helpful for savings sessions (Made about £120 with little effort)
- Retrofitting a battery later will be a pain. It's a simple add-on for the hybrid inverter, but you'd need a givenergy installer to put it in
On solar in general, electric prices don't seem to be coming down that much, and at the moment I'm looking at a 6-7 year payback