I went into this with my eyes wide open after chatting to my mate Simon at length who had a 4kw/4kw system fitted in 2019 for around 10k hence me choosing the very same company for mine.
Both he and the wife are out all day and due to the battery being 4kw it fills fairly quick then everything else harvested spills onto the grid at about 12p per KW now and he has sent 1000’s of KW to the grid over 3 yrs.
When he first had them fitted he was getting around 40p per KW but due to energy company’s folding and being swallowed up by the bigger fish that figure is around 7p for new installations.
This it the reason to try and use everything generated to get the most out of them, so for those out at work all day it may not be the best use of your money.
So back to your question Alan, will I get payback?
Maybe! But I love the idea of trying to go off grid and at 61 if I outlive my battery’s I don’t care
If I don’t god forbid at least it helps Wend and Gabe with there finances a little and I’ll nickname my Two battery’s Colin and David so my love of tech lives on after me
Simon intends to retire in 2yrs but that maybe sooner rather than later as he has recently had a stroke and is currently recovering at home.
One thing of note is his 4kw battery which he says gives him at least 2hrs of evening use when he returns home from work. This fuels making T, the lights, TV and an odd cuppa or two so he intends doubling up on the batteries rather than what he generates spilling onto the grid for a pittance.
Octopus Energy have a tariff to buy electric for about 7p per KW overnight. So if you are out all day, an option worth looking into could be a large battery and if like me have a pure electric car cheap fuel too so win win.
Finally what did it cost me? Well a lot, 17.2k in fact but it was funded by the sale of two of my pins namely Mando LE and TSPP and I had almost 2k left over which I put towards my next EUC as a treat to myself so again Win Win
I could have done it myself with the help of a mate as he has just installed his own panels and battery at a third of the cost albeit a 3.2/4.2 system. He doesn’t get any income but it has made his Holiday Cottage self sufficient and excess electric heats the water for his guests when the battery is full.
Before I bit the bullet I must give another shout out to
@Calimori who I spoke to at length many times so big thanks is due to him.
I will chart my experience over the years and keep you’s all informed of how it goes.