Solar Panels

[dom]

We are thinking about having solar panels installed and was interested to hear if anyone on here has installed them, or considered them and decided against it?

If so is the extra outlay for battery storage worth it?
The eddy hot water diverter seems like a no brainer? Any other considerations?   The side of roof that gets most of the sun is South Easterly in direction if that makes any difference!

The Irish Government gives a grant of 2400 euro towards the cost and you get about half what you pay for the cost of electricity as a credit when your solar generation goes back to the National Grid

[Slim]

I did consider solar panels, then decided against it on the basis that it would take too long for them to pay for themselves. There are a lot of variables to think about.

I would think that the batteries are probably worth it, otherwise you'll only save money if you're running high power appliances when the panels are soaking up sunlight. You could run the dishwasher and the washing machine on bright days, maybe heat water during the day, of course.

Batteries don't give back all the energy you put into them though, and they have to be replaced eventually.

[dom]

The batteries are a significant additional cost and wear out after about 5 years of use. The technology is constantly improving so it might be worth waiting a little longer for that to improve. Then again as we get older the return on investment is going to reduce!