I have to disagree
"£2k pounds won't get you an installation, to be sure. And don't try to do it yourself or get a cowboy in, only approved installers can get you the paperwork you need for the "feed in tariff" contract. That's a 25 year contract, with the payments index linked (went up in April)."
and that is what I see as the problem, and it's a problem that the author responded to in reply to the first post.
firstly, £2000 will actually get you a beast of a system, if you're willing to construct it yourself, or use unapproved fitters.
it'll pay for it's self environmentally (energy to make it compared to energy generated) in the same time as a "professional" system.
economically paying for it's self takes a little longer. because you can't have a feed in tariff because you're not using approved equipment... and that's the exact point that the author made about child care.
£2k will get you an unapproved system and even get it fitted provided that you're willing to put a lot of time and planning research and knowledge yourself into the project, Savings at the power station mean that environmentally the system will pay for itself and your savings on your bills will mean that the system will pay for itself in the money cost terms.
Alternatively you can opt for an approved system by an approved fitter, basically a guy who has sat on a pointless course for a day and gained a certificate for it...
then you can spend 8k on the same system, (which pays for it's self in the same time environmentally), and because of the feed in tariffs will likely pay for it's self in the same time...
the difference in the two approaches is this:
if you go with the approved system you have to have at least £8k upfront, most people don't
if you go with the approved system you'll get a FIT tariff, which is set-up to justify an arbitrary target and robs everyone (rich and poor, but especially the poor since you can assume that the rich can have the system installed themselves and gather money from the poor) to pay over the odds per unit so that you get your system paid for...
and how does this relate to the authors reply...
well, the fitters are UK guys, they are the ones charging over the top for a system that you have installed because they can still see it's worth it because of your highly subsidised unit price. the FITs and ROCs are benefiting the UK installers only.
The panels for your unapproved system can be bought cheaply,
if you want panels approved for FIT/ROC you have to buy from UK distributors, for panels that have been through an approval process, and there is a commission added on top for that.
i.e the FIT/ROC system is benefiting the panel distributors who also realise that the system is worth money to you, so they'll charge you as much as they can as well...
the reality of the situation is that the solar industry even in the UK is good enough now.
the feed in tariffs and green stamping of equipment and installers to qualify for the tariffs are pushing up costs.
the idea that someone is a cowboy because they've not sat on a day long £200 course to tell them what panels they are allowed to use is laughable.
(hint, if you really want a system for £2k, go on the course yourself, approve your system yourself, neither the ROC certified courses nor the PART P certs for electricity working is impossible for your average GCSE school leaver to get -and you'll save yourself about £6k -probably not quite that much as you'll still have to buy rubber stamped more expensive panels).