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Solar Panel Extras: Which Are Actually Worth It? Bird Mesh? Microinverters?

Spirit Energy

12,844 views

Which solar panel add ons are worth paying for, and which are just an upsell? The list of optional extras at the bottom of a solar quote is where you're most likely to be sold something you don't need.

We go through the most common extras one at a time: bird mesh and SolaSkirt, the ArcBox, hot water diverters, EV chargers, optimisers and micro inverters, and extended warranties. For each one, what it does, what it costs and whether we'd spend the money.

Some extras have to be decided at the quoting stage, because retrofitting means paying for scaffolding again. We also cover the mains voltage optimiser, sold by cold callers and door to door, often to older and more vulnerable homeowners.

VAT treatment depends on your circumstances and current rules, so check before making a decision.

You'll learn:

Why bird protection is cheapest at install, and when SolaSkirt beats mesh What an ArcBox does for your MC4 connectors, and why it matters most on in-roof systems How to work out whether a hot water diverter saves money on a gas-heated house When optimisers and micro inverters are worth the premium Why two ten year battery warranties can mean very different things Why the mains voltage optimiser is the one to be wary of.

Below find our video on Shade Mitigation and EV Chargers:
Shade Mitigation
Don't Waste Money On Solar Panel Shading! ...

EV Chargers
Top 6 Solar EV Chargers - Which Is Right F...

0:00 Solar Panel Add Ons: Which Extras Are Worth It
1:28 Solar Panel Bird Protection: Is Bird Mesh Worth It
2:54 SolaSkirt vs Bird Mesh for Solar Panels
5:07 ArcBox for Solar Panels: Do You Need One
8:16 Hot Water Diverter: Is a Solar Diverter Worth It
11:29 EV Charger With Solar: Fit It at the Same Time
12:59 Solar Panel Optimisers and Micro Inverters: Worth It
14:32 Solar Battery Warranty: Powerwall 3 vs SigenStor
16:36 Solar Panel Scams: Voltage Optimiser and Cold Calls

Request a quotation from Spirit Energy: https://hubs.ly/Q04qF4sC0

Watch on of our client's solar journey which shows the process of getting solar from point of enquiry through to the design, survey, modelling, project management, installation, and handover: Sam's Solar Journey

Visit our website - https://www.spiritenergy.co.uk/
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20 Comments

@DomHogan 1 day ago

Diverters are ideal if you are capped on your maximum export. If you had production over the grid allowance the Myenergi system can allow the full export while diverting any excess on top of that to heat your water, charge any home battery or even top up the car. Once everything is full, the Myenergi system modulates the export keeping it at the maximum for longer in the day. They work really well with Enphase inverters so you can generate more from awkward roofs with small numbers of panels so you can use more of the solar energy when your demand is higher.

@brooza664 1 day ago

Speaking as someone who had panels put up without any bird protection, I'd say it's essential!

@carguyuk7525 1 day ago

Great video. This channel always provides excellent information. I have just placed an order with Spirit Energy for solar and a Tesla Powerwall 3, with gateway, and a Tesla ev charge connector. Bird protection is included.

@paulwilliams6827 1 day ago

One point on Charging from a Tesla Wall Connector you should make people aware of, something everyone omits to inform you.
If you are not the registered owner of a Tesla car to CANNOT charge your car via solar. After spending £15K I found this out the hard way with nobody informing me of this fact, after fully investing in the Tesla ( so called ) Eco System.
Really frustrating as your Powerwall and Vehicle have to be linked by your e mail address, so if you lease a car you cannot access this functionality.
Not happy with this omission from installers and Tesla themselves, when you invest this much you should have full access to functionality.
Had the same with my Audi having to subscribe to turn back light bar on 🙄
Keep up the great work.
Paul🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

@rugbygirlsdadg 1 day ago

Bird mesh, absolutely. Without it, your panels are a target for pigeons looking for nesting sites. I've seen several local installations with this problem. Diverter, yes. If you have gas central heating and hot water, using off-peak electricity to power your immersion heater is cheaper (for me at least) and when (not if) tariffs change, you have the flexibility to use excess solar.

@IanReid-n6d 1 day ago

Another great video - thanks Tok. Those warnings are very valuable for people!
I'm a bit surprised that you normally recommend arc boxes - as you say, normally overkill with a decent system/installer - like Spirit. (But I agree in-roof makes more sense!)

@herrtomas6729 1 day ago

I like the idea of Tigo Optimisers for their rapid shutdown capability for safety, but of course we have to be warned that Tesla say you must NOT use them with PW3 as they can cause nuisance tripping. My installer fitted them, and of course charged me for this, and I ended up having to pay for them to be removed (but for that I used an installer who knew what they were doing!)

@RenewableEnergySteve 1 day ago

Nice informative video 👍
At my previous property I didn't have any bird protection and for many years it was never an issue. Then when I moved here, the pigeons moved in after around a year. It's typically worth getting some form of bird protection because the scaffolding and labour to retrofit is much more expensive than adding at the time of installation. There is no way to know for sure if it's going to be an issue so best to be on the cautious side.

@otooleniall 1 day ago

I watch your videos and always amazes me, the difference in Ireland to the UK.
Scaffolding. Haven't seen anyone use scaffold, since my early install in 2008.

@vincejenkins1143 1 day ago (edited)

Useful video! MyEnergi Eddi (diverter), our High Temp Daikin HP (now 12 yrs old) goes off in April/May and comes back on in Sept/Oct. The Eddi supplies the HW throughout the summer, we have 8.5 KW of panels. One thing I factored in was the additional wear the HP would see throughout the summer months for HW production. Hopefully we are extending the life of the HP by only running it 5/7 months of the year. Birdmesh, almost a no brainer I think.

@markyates5744 1 day ago

I bought dark chicken wire for my panels off eBay. Folded it over a few times. Cost me £30 and fitted myself. Bought £3 of self tapping screws and some black washers fixed to panels myself. 2mm hole drilled into frame of panels. Works fine

@peterhughes506 1 day ago

Wish I had the bird protection installed at the time 😂 - had to have it retrofitted.

@james.telfer 10 hours ago

If the MC4 connector is going inside a roof, the cheapest solution is put some Rockwool between it and anything flammable.

@kevinmatthews2620 1 day ago

i remeber a certain "5 star installer" putting a voltage optimiser on one of there installs, because of the mains yo yoing,admittdely the dno in question made a mistake on the import/export limits & gave that customer a free 3 phase upgrade and paid mr 5 star the cost of fitting 3 phase fusebox, not sure about the voltage optimiser tho :)

@stevebeck9470 1 day ago

Worth mentioning that when using micro inverters you have converted the dc panel voltage to ac straight under the panel , any battery needs dc to charge it so you have to convert it back giving small losses

@whitecrowg1 10 hours ago (edited)

The best extra after 3 years or so if you got solar is a manual or water-fed extension pole with soft brushes and water delivery system to clean your solar panels on the roof. If i was solar panel fitter like solar energy i would offer this product for purchase at installation to make some extra money. Of course depends on location of house and if solar panels are getting sap or leafs on them as well. If your getting leafs on solar panels every autumn this should be first purchase of a extra item to remove them leafs every autumn straight away.

@robynrox 1 day ago

Have to be fair. Excellent information. It sounds though that arc boxes should not be necessary with any installer using the proper connections (and we really don't tend to hear much about properties burning down because of dodgy solar - occasionally perhaps but not much at all, which is good).

@simtyful 1 day ago (edited)

It's the same VAT deal with an iBoost solar diverter installed at the same time as a new water cylinder. The iBoost means the whole system becomes zero% VAT rated more than paying for the iBoost. The other BIG problem with many solar diverters is that they are NOT compatible with any forced grid exports like Axle Events because the iBoost comes on when the CT detects energy going out and turns on. This restricts your export.

@Trifusion1 1 day ago

Can you not put solar skirt around the sides and lower edges with the mesh at the top edge to allow hot air out?

@DTech101 1 day ago

The vehicle charger won’t argue with the batteries if they are situated in the right place ie before the gateway, I would argue not getting the same system gives you a bit of resistance should the manufacturer go belly up, get a charger that can do what you want and get you the all important smart tariff. Only stand out is Sigenergy if you has a Neo is vehicle to Home integration. Tesla have not got theirs out at least in the UK