Essentially, for anyone who is considering the use of solar power as a means of supplying electricity to their home, there are two available options. You can either use a company to do the installation, or you can do it yourself.
There are some different things that you need to consider before choosing how you are going to have your solar power system installed.
Perhaps one of the most important things to be considered is the money side of things, with regards to doing it yourself or getting someone else in to do it.
Of course, getting contractors in to install your system will obviously be more expensive than if you do it yourself. In this respect you need to try and establish what the difference in cost will be, when compared to the cost of doing it yourself.
Additionally, you’ll also need to consider whether or not you have sufficient time to do the installation yourself. Even though the actual installation does not take a considerable amount of time, you will however still require at least a few days. The question is, do you have this amount of time to spare, or do you have other commitments? If you cannot afford to devote a few days then it’s obviously better to allow someone else to do it.
You need to decide whether or not you can afford to spend a few days carrying out the installation. Obviously, if you have other commitments then it would be best to rather allow someone else to do it.
Also, if you intend during the installation yourself you need to be willing to learn how to do it, and you must be prepared to follow the instructions to the letter.
Irrespective of where you get your instructions from, you need to be willing to learn from them and to follow them, if you’re hoping to complete the installation yourself.
Before you make your decision as to whether or not you will do the installation yourself you’ll need to satisfy yourself as to how difficult it may be.
Dont rush your decision; instead, research and think about it carefully before you decide because believe it or not, but anyone can install their own system with a little help from research and instructions. It is not as hard as it seems.
DIY can save you thousands, so I think it depends on your budget and technical skills.
I'd strongly recommend against installing a solar panel system on your own roof unless you have both roofing experience and are an experienced electrician. Solar panels generate very high current and if you don't know what you're doing you could potentially electrocute yourself. In addition you may void your roof warranty and could be forced to take the entire system down if you aren't following local building and electrical codes.
When it comes to using your solar panels to heat your hot water I would get a contractor in because when having solar panels installed, your existing cylinder is exchanged for a solar compatible one with two heat exchanger coils: one from your boiler and a second from the solar panels.