Thank you very much! Some builders are installing panels to tick boxes but its the bare minimum to pass, in many cases just 4 panels which is pretty useless really.
Another great tidy installation. When I had my first solar installation 12 years ago and my bungalow being 2 years older. The installer strengthened my trusses with 4*2 not something I have seen done before until today but I am glad they did 2 years later we had 3 feet of snow . You asked before where about I am just over the border in wales not far from Oswestry 👍👍👍
Yes, thats the thing, most roofs are built to hold the roof itself, and tiles etc allowing for snow, not solar panels, and so consideration must be taken for these extra loads. Thanks for the comment and for watching, really appreciate it!
Thanks for watching the video - let us know in the comments if you have have a similar shape roof and had solar installed - did your installer advise on a structural survey? :)
I'm astonished they didn't opt for in-roof solar during construction of the house: 1. They would save on roof tiles. Given the cost per sq meter of panels is approaching that of tiles. 2. Lower static load on the roof. 3. Looks Nicer 4. No need to duplicate scaffolding costs 5. If roof loading calcs were necessary, then it would be the house builder that would need to consider this - rather than retrofit, but point 2 above would still be valid. I've got GSE Adaptors on my roof for 4 years, and my electrician reckons they are easier to install than racks, and he has fewer warranty issues relating to leaks due to cracked tiles under the panels. They look the business! But pine needle accumulation is certainly a local issue for my particular property.
Not all builders provide solar as an option, including this builder on this site and so it was not an option for them anyway. Integrated panels may look nicer (in some people's opinions), but they are actually less efficient between 6-17%, due to the restricted/lack of crucial airflow allowed to cool them down, as trust me, solar panels get extremely hot under direct sun. Only time will tell if the integrated panels start to fail sooner than the on-roof panels due to this - it certainly makes sense that they would. On-roof panels can still look just as pleasant to the eye, but the majority of customers, are seeking maximum ROI over what they look like, as most people won't be staring at their roofs for prolonged periods. Right now, and this is extremely fresh news, the MCS is currently discussing the fire safety of integrated panels, which we received notification of last week, and we eagerly await the outcome. Clearly, it could have a significant impact on the industry going forward, but the regulations are changing constantly. It is hard to keep up sometimes. As you mention things that drop from the sky can gather in the recesses which isn't ideal. In my opinion having installed both, and with efficiency/ROI trumping appearance every time, the on-roof panels would be my recommendation.
@@alpselectrical I certainly saw a remark earlier this week on the efixx youtube channel about fire safety and in-roof solar. Apparently the consultant with concerns about this cited a very specific but unnamed panel brand as being a particular problem for in-roof solar. Certainly the GSE adaptors are sitting right on top of the wooden battens, so I can see the potential. I checked out the GSE website for the MCS certificates for their adaptor mounts. They certainly look legit. But sure, there's a risk, especially with loose connections under DC load. That reinforces the importance of the AFDD features, which SolarEdge has - although I haven't seen any tests of these devices.
A very neat install but it left me scratching my head at some of the choices 1. Why have 2 EV chargers? Will the owner need to charge 2 electric cars at the same time? Wouldn’t it have been better to remove the Project EV charger and directly swap it with the Zappi? They could have sold the Project EV charger and use it towards the install costs. 2. Why have a separate inverter when the Powerwall 3 has a solar inverter integrated into it. The home owner has effectively paid for 2 inverters. 3. The powerwall 3 has 3 MPTT’s so the south facing panels could be on a separate string to mitigate shading or other issues. Why have optimisers which add expense ? 4. I noticed you didn’t use the Tesla dolly to move the very heavy Powerwall 3 around and onto the wall. I understand this kit isn’t cheap at around £2000. The videos I have seen on the official Tesla Powerwall install TH-cam site suggest it is mandatory to use. The overall installation looks very impressive but some elements don’t seem the best use of the equipment which has been used.
Hi, thanks for watching and commenting, in answer to your questions: 1. The customer has two cars which they charge at the same time. We moved and added his old charger into the system for free in the end actually as it was not much more effort or cost for us to do so. which they were over the moon with. 2. This is the PW2. The PW3 was not available at the time this job was at the pricing/DNO stage, and the customer wanted to move on with it as mentioned in the video, however more to the point, optimisers were essential on this job as mentioned in the video two panels on their own roof orientation would not be enough voltage for the inverter to kick in for most inverters, PW3 has a minimum of 60v which is too close to call for two panels on days where there is not much sun, therefore all panels needed to go on one string with optimisers to ensure they will work at all times. There is no better system than SolarEdge for optimisation and monitoring individual panels and this customer was very switched on and wanted the best. You cannot use SolarEdge optimisers with Tesla it has to be a SolarEdge inverter. 3. Answered this above. 4. It is not mandatory to use, I have never even heard of it and I have done all the Tesla training. They suggest using a dolly which is just common sense but I will stick with my £50 one which works perfectly well lol. Just to add there is a lot of hype about the PW3 at the moment with no chance yet to see if it stacks up. The fact it includes a built-in inverter could be a negative if the inverter side of things packs up, as that is either going to be a costly repair, or the entire unit is buggered. Only time will tell on this point. The PW2 is a proven model and allows you to spec with any inverter to suit the specifics of the system, and in this instance was the best choice for this job.
Thanks so much for the video. I have accepted the quote from a company called soly-energy to install solar at my 1950s house. Would they ask me to do the structural survey or do I have to insist? Or is it mandatory for the installation? They have said for the technical survey, I just would need to submit a few photographs. Would that be sufficient?? Thanks in advance
Hi, thanks for watching. You don't always need a structural, it depends upon the roof type. If it is a regular dual pitch then most solar design systems will do the structural calculations for us, but you should receive the structural calculations for it in your proposal and paperwork to show the calculations have been done for both load and wind. If the standard dual pitch is a truss roof then we just input that into the system, however if it is a rafter style then we need to take dimensions of the span, rafter width, depth and spacing to input into the system. If nobody has even been in your loft you need to be asking questions for sure. If your roof is a flat roof, or mono pitch, or hip and valley like the one in this video then a structural survey is always required and must be carried out according to the MCS. The consequences of not doing so can be very bad. Most roofs are designed to hold the roof itself, not 2-300KG of solar panels also. If you came to us and said your roof was from the 1950's id be taking all precautions to ensure we were happy to install solar on it. Hope that helps.
@alpselectrical thank you so much for the reply. That is great to hear. My installer also told me that the system would tell them about this and also said they would know just by looking at the roof. Our roof is just a typical roof which is found everywhere. And, the loft conversion had been done before we bought the house, so hopefully all of OK?
I'm just shocked the builders wouldn't install the solar in the roof...... The only thing I would avoid is Tesla kit because of the financial position the company is in.
Shocking isn't it! It all comes down to money. These builders want their houses wired for peanuts, which is why we would never work with a builder. But the electricians doing them need to make at least some money and so will spec the system the cheapest they can get away with. All new builds should be RCBO boards 100%!
@alpselectrical probably all installed by an unqualified person and then signed off by someone in an office. The worst I've seen is 100's of designs "signed off" on the last day of the grace and then being installed years later...
We went to a new build the other week just to carry out some minor electrical work and found crossed polarity at the C.U. Basically the main tails were the wrong way around in the main switch of the new board they had fitted (BG SPLIT LOAD)!!!! Needless to say they came back very quickly to sort it, but leaves you wondering what testing actually took place after installation?
Great video guys, I cant believe new homes are being built without solar. You should have a deal with the builders to setup all them houses
Thank you very much! Some builders are installing panels to tick boxes but its the bare minimum to pass, in many cases just 4 panels which is pretty useless really.
Another great tidy installation. When I had my first solar installation 12 years ago and my bungalow being 2 years older. The installer strengthened my trusses with 4*2 not something I have seen done before until today but I am glad they did 2 years later we had 3 feet of snow . You asked before where about I am just over the border in wales not far from Oswestry 👍👍👍
Yes, thats the thing, most roofs are built to hold the roof itself, and tiles etc allowing for snow, not solar panels, and so consideration must be taken for these extra loads. Thanks for the comment and for watching, really appreciate it!
Thanks for watching the video - let us know in the comments if you have have a similar shape roof and had solar installed - did your installer advise on a structural survey? :)
I'm astonished they didn't opt for in-roof solar during construction of the house:
1. They would save on roof tiles. Given the cost per sq meter of panels is approaching that of tiles.
2. Lower static load on the roof.
3. Looks Nicer
4. No need to duplicate scaffolding costs
5. If roof loading calcs were necessary, then it would be the house builder that would need to consider this - rather than retrofit, but point 2 above would still be valid.
I've got GSE Adaptors on my roof for 4 years, and my electrician reckons they are easier to install than racks, and he has fewer warranty issues relating to leaks due to cracked tiles under the panels. They look the business! But pine needle accumulation is certainly a local issue for my particular property.
Not all builders provide solar as an option, including this builder on this site and so it was not an option for them anyway.
Integrated panels may look nicer (in some people's opinions), but they are actually less efficient between 6-17%, due to the restricted/lack of crucial airflow allowed to cool them down, as trust me, solar panels get extremely hot under direct sun. Only time will tell if the integrated panels start to fail sooner than the on-roof panels due to this - it certainly makes sense that they would.
On-roof panels can still look just as pleasant to the eye, but the majority of customers, are seeking maximum ROI over what they look like, as most people won't be staring at their roofs for prolonged periods.
Right now, and this is extremely fresh news, the MCS is currently discussing the fire safety of integrated panels, which we received notification of last week, and we eagerly await the outcome. Clearly, it could have a significant impact on the industry going forward, but the regulations are changing constantly. It is hard to keep up sometimes.
As you mention things that drop from the sky can gather in the recesses which isn't ideal.
In my opinion having installed both, and with efficiency/ROI trumping appearance every time, the on-roof panels would be my recommendation.
@@alpselectrical I certainly saw a remark earlier this week on the efixx youtube channel about fire safety and in-roof solar. Apparently the consultant with concerns about this cited a very specific but unnamed panel brand as being a particular problem for in-roof solar.
Certainly the GSE adaptors are sitting right on top of the wooden battens, so I can see the potential. I checked out the GSE website for the MCS certificates for their adaptor mounts. They certainly look legit.
But sure, there's a risk, especially with loose connections under DC load. That reinforces the importance of the AFDD features, which SolarEdge has - although I haven't seen any tests of these devices.
Yes, we will await to see what comes of it, but things are changing very quickly. Thanks for the comment and for watching :)
I thought the powerwall had inverters in it these days?
The PW3 does :)
A very neat install but it left me scratching my head at some of the choices
1. Why have 2 EV chargers? Will the owner need to charge 2 electric cars at the same time? Wouldn’t it have been better to remove the Project EV charger and directly swap it with the Zappi? They could have sold the Project EV charger and use it towards the install costs.
2. Why have a separate inverter when the Powerwall 3 has a solar inverter integrated into it. The home owner has effectively paid for 2 inverters.
3. The powerwall 3 has 3 MPTT’s so the south facing panels could be on a separate string to mitigate shading or other issues. Why have optimisers which add expense ?
4. I noticed you didn’t use the Tesla dolly to move the very heavy Powerwall 3 around and onto the wall. I understand this kit isn’t cheap at around £2000. The videos I have seen on the official Tesla Powerwall install TH-cam site suggest it is mandatory to use.
The overall installation looks very impressive but some elements don’t seem the best use of the equipment which has been used.
Hi, thanks for watching and commenting, in answer to your questions:
1. The customer has two cars which they charge at the same time. We moved and added his old charger into the system for free in the end actually as it was not much more effort or cost for us to do so. which they were over the moon with.
2. This is the PW2. The PW3 was not available at the time this job was at the pricing/DNO stage, and the customer wanted to move on with it as mentioned in the video, however more to the point, optimisers were essential on this job as mentioned in the video two panels on their own roof orientation would not be enough voltage for the inverter to kick in for most inverters, PW3 has a minimum of 60v which is too close to call for two panels on days where there is not much sun, therefore all panels needed to go on one string with optimisers to ensure they will work at all times. There is no better system than SolarEdge for optimisation and monitoring individual panels and this customer was very switched on and wanted the best. You cannot use SolarEdge optimisers with Tesla it has to be a SolarEdge inverter.
3. Answered this above.
4. It is not mandatory to use, I have never even heard of it and I have done all the Tesla training. They suggest using a dolly which is just common sense but I will stick with my £50 one which works perfectly well lol.
Just to add there is a lot of hype about the PW3 at the moment with no chance yet to see if it stacks up. The fact it includes a built-in inverter could be a negative if the inverter side of things packs up, as that is either going to be a costly repair, or the entire unit is buggered. Only time will tell on this point. The PW2 is a proven model and allows you to spec with any inverter to suit the specifics of the system, and in this instance was the best choice for this job.
@@alpselectrical Thanks for replying. What you say makes perfect sense. Cheers
You are very welcome, thanks again for watching and commenting!
Thanks so much for the video. I have accepted the quote from a company called soly-energy to install solar at my 1950s house. Would they ask me to do the structural survey or do I have to insist? Or is it mandatory for the installation? They have said for the technical survey, I just would need to submit a few photographs. Would that be sufficient?? Thanks in advance
Hi, thanks for watching. You don't always need a structural, it depends upon the roof type. If it is a regular dual pitch then most solar design systems will do the structural calculations for us, but you should receive the structural calculations for it in your proposal and paperwork to show the calculations have been done for both load and wind. If the standard dual pitch is a truss roof then we just input that into the system, however if it is a rafter style then we need to take dimensions of the span, rafter width, depth and spacing to input into the system. If nobody has even been in your loft you need to be asking questions for sure.
If your roof is a flat roof, or mono pitch, or hip and valley like the one in this video then a structural survey is always required and must be carried out according to the MCS. The consequences of not doing so can be very bad. Most roofs are designed to hold the roof itself, not 2-300KG of solar panels also. If you came to us and said your roof was from the 1950's id be taking all precautions to ensure we were happy to install solar on it. Hope that helps.
@alpselectrical thank you so much for the reply. That is great to hear. My installer also told me that the system would tell them about this and also said they would know just by looking at the roof. Our roof is just a typical roof which is found everywhere. And, the loft conversion had been done before we bought the house, so hopefully all of OK?
I'm just shocked the builders wouldn't install the solar in the roof...... The only thing I would avoid is Tesla kit because of the financial position the company is in.
Some do but usually bare minimum amount of panels to tick boxes, which is almost not worth having!
What the fuck is a 2024 house doing being installed with RCD groups?
Shocking isn't it! It all comes down to money. These builders want their houses wired for peanuts, which is why we would never work with a builder. But the electricians doing them need to make at least some money and so will spec the system the cheapest they can get away with. All new builds should be RCBO boards 100%!
@alpselectrical probably all installed by an unqualified person and then signed off by someone in an office.
The worst I've seen is 100's of designs "signed off" on the last day of the grace and then being installed years later...
We went to a new build the other week just to carry out some minor electrical work and found crossed polarity at the C.U. Basically the main tails were the wrong way around in the main switch of the new board they had fitted (BG SPLIT LOAD)!!!! Needless to say they came back very quickly to sort it, but leaves you wondering what testing actually took place after installation?
@alpselectrical such a crazy, dangerous fault.