Probably not that much. Typically there are just a few brackets that fit to a main beam under a tile. So you lift a tile up, unbolt it, then put the tile back down.
Isn’t there some electrical side to think about?
You will need an electrician to dismantle the inverter, but shouldn’t be a difficult job. All my 18 panels and electrics were fitted in half a day. That was two people though
You have a point about local use, although blocking someone who cannot charge elsewhere i would consider unreasonable (which was the point i wanted to make). The problem is of course that with limited charging points how to chose who is the most deserving is not very easy. But on the open road I do think its not reasonable to block chargers, especially fast ones on the open road. E.g. at motorway services, fuel stations etc.
As i say, ive not had a problem. But there is some bad feeling about it on the EV forums.
It was reported at the time that a government minister decided to bin it because accountants were advising clients to get solar panels purely foe the financial return - she thought that was outrageous. I thought that was the whole point of financial incentives - make it so that people do it for the money
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I think the early tariffs were quite high, but then the panels were very expensive so there was a big outlay. My system would have cost ~£20k several years back, and I probably wouldn’t have invested that much. The tariff dropped with prices of panels and increased demand. The problem now is as the market has stopped, prices wont continue to fall. Currently I get about a third of the cost back from returned energy. With no tarifs you get no money for returned energy, which seems unfair to me.
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I think prices are still falling - but maybe they would be falling more quickly with continued FiTs. Battery storage costs are definitely falling - we have had half an eye on battery storage for the last ten years since we got the wind turbine. Originally far too much money, about 2-3 years ago Tesla PowerWalls were the cheapest, but now lots of competitors are coming with solar and battery for less then a power wall on its own
We are getting renewable heat incentive for the air source heat pump (fitted last summer) and FiTs from a wind turbine (installed 2011) but want to add solar and batteries to help power the house, ASHP and our new electric range oven (and my electric car) when it isn’t windy but is sunny
Even at the current cost, I dont think house battery addition is cost effective, but getting there.
I think if you can integrate with solar and the octopus changes price every half hour tariff then you can make it work. There’s a YouTube guy (EVman) who has done a video on this https://youtu.be/WbA9q038SaQ
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Daddy! 
Good video with a good idea. Suspect it makes more sense if you have an EV. I wont be looking for an EV for a few years, but hopefully by then I will be able to use the batteries from the car that has charged throughout the day, to then run the house at night. This will only work well in the summer, but come winter, the pressure is back on the electricity suppliers
I was under the impression it was a loss leader to get people in, but proved far too costly to Government once people twigged and started taking up widely. But that is only as an outsdie observer, with no real knowledge of the schems.
I’m sure that’s right. Most most new ideas start as loss leaders, it’s a matter of getting the balance right. There should be new money available now for carbon free targets, so lets see what happens.
Unfortunately for the government, the meter on a house (including nearly all the current smart meters) dont measure the amount of negative current, so instead they “estimate” that half of what you generate probably goes back to the grid, and therefore thats how Feed In tarif works. Therefore it doesnt matter how much you use of your generated electricity, you always get paid the same. I expect most people on this thread knows this. So the trick is to try and use as much of the generated power as possible, which lends itself to people who are at home all day (e.g. retired) who can aim to run all their big appliances such as washing machine, when the suns out. Of course this is unfair to solar panel owners not at home all day, so one must ask oneself, why on earth don’t all the so called smart meters read negative current, then people could fairly get paid for what they give back. Anyway, sorry for wittering on.
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I have an ev and on occasion charge it in our shared courtyard. It’s not really allowed so I do it over the weekend and make sure it’s never there during work hours.
That being said, in the six months I’ve owned it, I’ve not really needed to charge it at home as it still has plenty of charge from my previous journeys. I mostly do long distance, so the discipline is to charge on the go.
It does take a little planning and you will need a plan B if your target charge point is unavailable, but it’s not been an issue so far.
I would look at it like a petrol car, you wouldn’t expect to have a petrol pump in your drive. You just need to be mindful of how much fuel you have in the tank and where you can get a top up.
Admittedly it’s a longer wait with electric, but 20 mins on a fast charger can get you a fair bit of mileage. You might find you only have to do it once a week.
I agree with the previous comment though, it’s a honeymoon period as regards access to chargers, and unless there’s a big rollout, I’d fear it could get a bit sticky. Waiting in a queue for someone to finish charging is not an option in the way it is with petrol.
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From September all petrol will be E10……containing 10% Ethanol. It contains approx 30% oxygen….fuel economy will go down, but the price will stay the same or increase. Nudges it towards EV.?
Indeed - though with a petrol car you fill up and its good for at least 300 miles, many cars 4-500. And you can find fuel almost everywhere, taking 5 min to fill up, and rarely more than 5 min queuing if at all. And should you get things wrong you can go and fill a can, carry it home and get yourself going. Electric charging if not available at home falls far short of that at present, hence (I assume), the fixation with home charging as something desirable.
Also, is it the case like with many other rechargeable battery technologies that fast charging tends to shorten battery life?if so another reason for home charging.
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I thought E10 was being introduced in September with E5 still available until gradual phase out ?
Our neighbour has just bought a very nice EV. £10k more than a petrol equivalent. Range 135 miles.
I don’t get the economic equation at the moment.
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That was my understanding, as not all cars will be able to use the new fuel. There is a page on the gov website where you put in your reg, and it tells you if you can use it.
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Yes….but standard as we have now or E5 will be the super 98 octane/ more expensive grade. E10 will be 95 octane or the new standard fuel at the pump.
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Personally I think too much is made of range. If your driving profile doesn’t require large capacities then it’s less important and moreso if you can charge at home.
I think company cars make up over 50% of cars in the UK. I think economics for private buyers is less immediately beneficial but is almost a no brainer if you pay BIK or like me, bought an EV through the business.
Although having said that, I know a lot of people who commute 15-20k miles pa. If you’re someone who spends at least £25k on a car, an EV would pay for itself in the long term.
Although it’s not all about finance. I think kids would benefit no end if every parent drove their kids to school in an EV instead of polluting the gates twice a day.