12 Ways to Get the Fastest Solar Payback Period in 2026 | Don’t Make These Mistakes

Comments · 146

• LC

  @LC4thewin · 3 months ago

  My YouTube history says I’m researching solar. My wife is becoming increasingly sceptical. Then she watched one video and, suspiciously, stopped asking questions. Thankfully, the content is genuinely excellent too. 😊

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• GR

  @Greg-r9y7y · 1 month ago

  I'm saving for my first house. My forever house. I will be using spirit for my solar and battery project in the coming years

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• RO

  @RollForHotSauce · 1 month ago

  The DNO application is a big one. We had a company say they'll give us a 12kW inverter, but they'd do it at the G98 level, meaning it was capped at the 3.6kWh for the grid. Absolutely pointless. When we asked about getting the G99 application, they tried to say it was for commercial companies etc - and I said no, that's the G100...and I ended up dismissing them - Name and Shame: Project Solar

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• TO

  @Tony-fl3rl · 1 month ago

  I watched solar energy videos by many people for years . This guy has explained everything related to solar way better in one video than all those other channels  overs the years . Im definitely saved this video and suscribe

• SH

  @shanecook9653 · 3 months ago

  Really great video. What you guys in the UK miss, we have here in Germany and elsewhere in the EU, is plug in solar. I can litterally go down to the DIY store, buy a kit (panels, battery, mounts) and install my own solar kit if I have some way to put solar somewhere. Most people in the UK opt for a fence or garden as we don&apos;t have the typical balcony solar found in apartments in Germany. Of course those systems work perfectly well in the UK, it&apos;s just not &apos;allowed&apos; to install such a system. <br><br>There were the same vested interests here in Germany until the EU hit it on the head and said, no, we&apos;re doing this everywhere. I see so many systems when I walk around now. Even a single 400/450/500w panel and an inverter helps. Add a battery makes huge sense, as it charges during the day and discharges when you get home.

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• BE

  @Ben-gm9lo · 3 months ago (edited)

  What an excellent and balanced video. &nbsp;This chap really knows his stuff.<br>The section on &apos;plan around your solar generation&apos; at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDSTbqdFDks&amp;t=1149">19:09</a> needs the caveat of being tariff dependant. &nbsp;If you are on the same rate all day then the comments are valid. &nbsp;If you are on a tariff that gives you cheap overnight grid electricity and you get paid for solar export, then you are generally better off exporting your solar and using appliances during your cheap rate or from battery charged from cheap rate. &nbsp;I am sure the presenter knows this, but just missed out that clarification.<br>I found the presentation struck a nice balance between dispassionate advice and his need to promote his company (no resorting to &apos;Jordan-style&apos; sensationalism). &nbsp;He also has spent time and effort to carefully answer the comments.

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• TE

  @TejashPatel-z2r · 1 month ago

  Great video, but its the 2nd video Ive seen from you that advises running a dryer overnight. No one should run a dryer when they are sleeping. The fire risk is too high for that 1 time it might cause a fire.

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• AN

  @AndyKennedy · 3 months ago

  Well done guys, great to see a company being honest about micro inverters and water diverters 👏🏻

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• GT

  @gtek8021 · 2 months ago

  Very good video with extremely relevant information 👏

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• ST

  @StillOnLPlates · 3 months ago

  Excellent video, with lots of sound advice.

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• TO

  @tomfahey2823 · 3 months ago (edited)

  On the whole, I&apos;d say the information in this video is excellent and very much on the ball. For my parent&apos;s solar (initially 4kWp, now 6kWp) and battery installation (initially 24kWh, now 32kWh), we had to look at exactly these factors when considering the projected RoI over time.<br><br>On your suggestion of fully charging and discharging the battery everyday, however, I would say the flip side to this is that you will go through your battery&apos;s warranty faster - but more pertinently, you will see a degradation in the battery&apos;s capacity sooner; which, in turn, can lead to substantial costs as you see less of your domestic energy usage load shifted to the cheaper off-peak tariff.<br><br>It actually ends up being a rather complex calculation, where you have to consider your projected payback period, your load shifted savings, the cycle life and capacity loss of your battery chemistry, export rate, &nbsp; future projected battery costs (which are always coming down) and inflation.<br><br>For example, on my parent&apos;s Sigenergy battery system made up of four 8kWh modules, the warranty specifies that each module must retain a minimum 70% of the original 8kWh capacity within the first:<br><br>- 10 years <b>or</b><br>- 23MWh total charge/discharge (whichever comes first). <br><br>When you work it out, that 23MWh actually only adds up to ~8 years, if you were to run it from 0-100% every day and, assuming a linear &nbsp;capacity degradation (the reality is not as bad as this), you will have lost 15% of your capacity in the first 4 years, or approximately 4.8kWh from the 32kWh total, which equates to additional costs of &nbsp;approximately £1 per a day on those days when you have to pull that extra 4.8kWh from the grid during peak times.<br><br>That&apos;s why I suggested that they run the system from 0% to 100% in the Winter, when it is necessary to avoid the on-peak tariff as much as possible, and then in Summer, limit it to whatever is necessary to get through the entire day without having to draw from the grid during peak hours (which on some days can be as little as a 20-60% SoC charge/discharge cycle, due to substantial solar generation).

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• MA

  @mattrowley1978 · 2 months ago

  Really good advice here.