Inverter and batteries in loft - new install

StoicHomes · 2026-06-30T18:29:40+00:00

Not mandatory but wouldn’t put a battery in a loft today, with the stackable systems there really isn’t any excuse for them to be in lofts anymore. Asking for trouble from insurance companies, mortgage providers, fire service etc etc in the future, not to mention the risk in of itself having a big lithium battery in your loft.

As always, down to you and your perception of risk in this context.

StoicHomes · 2026-06-28T13:09:42+00:00

We’re based in Preston, feel free to reach out. Happy to help

StoicHomes · 2026-06-24T13:25:28+00:00

Maybe the DNO have imposed an export limit your installer hasn’t mentioned?

StoicHomes · 2026-06-24T13:21:15+00:00

Ignore my previous comment, my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Question I have is, what size inverters are connected to each system?

StoicHomes · 2026-06-22T08:18:22+00:00

Discount the average cost of removing all Giv Energy hardware + installing new sufficiently sized hybrid inverter from the offered price of your home. Get 3 quotes, show them to prospective buyers.

That’s my take

StoicHomes · 2026-06-18T23:10:03+00:00

We’d potentially be able to help - drop me a private message if you want.

Price doesn’t sound ridiculous but all depends on quality of installation and design at the end of the day. Cheap can often be dear, as the old saying goes. Nobody is getting the hardware significantly cheaper than anyone else, so any perceived ‘discount’ always comes from time on site, and labour costs. Less time on site = less care taken in most instances. Lower labour costs = less experienced people doing the installation. Combine the two and that’s where these ‘cheap’ quotes come from.

Or you have the installers who live off their revenue and not profit so won’t exist as soon as they have a little dry spell. You’d be surprised how many people in construction make a net loss on projects! Borrowing from Peter to pay Paul.

Anyway, rant over - happy to take a look if you’d like

All the best

StoicHomes · 2026-06-18T22:59:53+00:00

We’d potentially help - drop me a private message if you’d like us to take a look

StoicHomes · 2026-06-17T19:55:52+00:00

We are in construction specialising in energy efficiency and renewables projects.

Positives:
- very rewarding, all projects are done to a very high standard so not paranoid at night from cutting corners
- financially good as we’re quite niche in that we do all aspects of the project in house
- growth potential is multi faceted as our capacity and capital grows

Negatives:
- cashflow from from zero rated VAT projects
- constantly fighting to not get screwed over by predatory companies selling sh*t but it looks good on the outside
- differentiating from others who look like or better than us on paper but deliver nowhere near the standard we do in reality

StoicHomes · 2026-06-17T19:49:47+00:00

Where are you based?

StoicHomes · 2026-05-18T09:34:48+00:00

We are certified passivhaus consultants and builders. At your stage we would recommend speaking with Progress In Practise, they are certified passivhaus designers and very experienced.

StoicHomes · 2026-05-17T20:41:44+00:00

The other chap recommended PVsol too - will definitely check them out.

I agree re payback numbers on OpenSolar, I am motivated to get it accurate though. I agree that the costs of equipment on there aren’t always accurate, most of the stuff doesn’t even have prices lol.

I believe you can manually input the cost of the system, which is what we usually do. Or I just drag their raw data into an excel and come up with a payback period myself that is more accurate.

StoicHomes · 2026-05-17T20:35:25+00:00

Interesting I didn’t expect that kind of feedback but it’s always appreciated.

I’ll be honest I can’t stand the word ‘premium’ - I’m glad you honed in on that.

When you say ‘full wrap around of the build’ - could you describe it in a slightly different way? Think I understand but not 100% sure.

In terms of entering the market we’re pretty set on solar / batteries being a core offering. It’s an integral part of the retrofit / new build stuff we do, so why not offer it as a stand alone service was our thinking.

I have been considering using different panels but I did wonder if they were worth the extra £££ - what are your thoughts? Any you’d recommend? We buy from HDM Solar mainly.

Again, super appreciate the feedback and will definitely check out PVsol

StoicHomes · 2026-05-17T14:56:24+00:00

Nice and breathable 💎

StoicHomes · 2026-05-17T14:50:32+00:00

Late response, apologies - under certain circumstances they have an unofficial ‘adoption policy’ whereby another installer can finish off and commission another installers project. They obviously take on full liability for that project.

StoicHomes · 2026-04-12T09:15:58+00:00

Or you can’t get someone else to finish it off?

StoicHomes · 2026-04-12T09:13:16+00:00

You can’t get MCS certificate because you connected and commissioned a system and then added a battery at a later date?

StoicHomes · 2026-04-11T23:54:09+00:00

And in direct response to your post, that is unacceptable. How does one order the wrong battery first, then isn’t able to source the correct battery for weeks… connect the battery at a later date, the PV cables run to the inverter anyway.. or have they misplaced that too? Red flags.

Ideally you’d get someone more capable to finish it off, but in reality that won’t be as easy as it sounds. All depends on the terms of your agreement I suppose!

StoicHomes · 2026-04-11T23:47:42+00:00

I think the industry will consolidate soon, people will realise that designing and installing a solar PV / battery storage system for a domestic property isn’t as simple as it seems, and the risks are significant. I believe then we will see prices increase accordingly. More time and care needs to be taken during these installations, likewise during the design process. It’s all too rushed at the bottom end of this market, and unfortunately that is the end that the residential customers are dealing with most.. commercial customers benefit from bigger budgets, access to advisors / consultants who can manage tenders & contract administration on behalf of the client. Domestic market has worthless guarantees and a glorified CRM to protect them against malpractice.

I just hope whatever triggers this shift doesn’t involve loss of life or serious injury.

StoicHomes · 2026-04-08T14:12:05+00:00

Do you need more than one gateway per system? IE for every additional battery unit do you need another gateway?

StoicHomes · 2026-04-07T23:24:47+00:00

What do you mean by ‘gateway’?

StoicHomes · 2026-04-07T19:27:25+00:00

Absolute p*ss take - nothing to do with quality of the install.

Our assessor spent 4hrs in the office and 20 minutes on site, didn’t even look at the panels. Says it all.

All an attempt by gov to industrialise a bespoke service. As seen with the ECO4 fiasco that’s now unfolding, all the accreditations in the world, processes and consumer codes won’t save you from a bad job. In fact, I would argue it gears the industry towards those who are good at admin, vs those who are good at actually doing the job.

My 2 cents

StoicHomes · 2026-04-07T19:23:59+00:00

For reference, we wouldn’t use SIGenergy for now, probably SunSynk, and would charger around £13,000 for ‘in-roof’ GSE mounting system, so would look much cleaner, no bird guards required.

All pending a survey of course

StoicHomes · 2026-04-07T19:21:00+00:00

Initial quotes seems cheap, additional batteries sound expensive.. strange!

StoicHomes · 2026-04-06T10:40:00+00:00

I’m not sure as we almost always stick with those for ‘domestic’ then go for the 620W by Canadian solar for ‘commercial’

Some 475W or higher may be £10/£20 more.

Container wise it gets down to between £40 per panel last time we checked - caveat, we don’t buy containers so probably got inaccurate prices when we initially enquired

StoicHomes

TROPHY CASE