Can anyone recommend: Solar Panel Installers

There are lots of independent companies around. However, we have just had solar panels supplied & installed by Iberdrola.

They provided a free estimate by email - they use your current consumption pattern and a google image of the property to recommend the best location for the panels; and then followed up with a site survey to confirm costs. 

After installation, they will then move you onto their Solar tariff - where basically, you pay a low rate for overnight usage (when you're not generating) and then the rate is higher in the daytime (but you shouldn't need to purchase much, as you'll be generating). You also earn approx. €0.05 per kWh that you export into the grid, if you're not using what you generate.

They provide a calculation which shows how long it would take to recover your investment (in our case 6-7 years); and they also offer finance.

Independent companies can do most of the above, but you would have to arrange the change of tariff with Iberdrola yourself.

Many thanks Rich, it has taken us some 18 months to get our supply upgraded from 5 Kw to Kw 9.2 from Iberdrola prior to looking into the Solar panels.  We have had a quote for some 9 Kw of panels for Euro 11,000.  How does that compare?  Regards Andy.

That's a competitive price, but it's a more detailed conversation than that.

We paid €4,000 for 1.7kW, with a 10 year guarantee and maintenance plan and, as I mentioned, we should recover that in 6-7 years. We are due our first bill after the installation any day now and I'm expecting to see a reduction of about €50 from pre-installation bills. Obviously, with 9.2kW potencia, that accounts for €30 of the bill anyway.

Although you now have a potencia of 9.2kW (as we have), that is just the peak that you could use (roughly) - however, I have found that we rarely use more than 5kW at any peak. For example, so far in August we have used on average 9kWh per day and generated a similar amount on average. However, clearly, we only generate from, say, 8am - 8pm, in a fairly regular curve; whereas we have approx. 1kWh of constant baseline consumption (fridges, pool pump, etc.) and then peaks when we cook in the evening. So, if you generate 9kW all day, you will always exceed your consumption, but you will still draw from the grid in the evening and overnight. You will, obviously, be selling your excess into the grid in the day - so it would be interesting to understand what your payback period is.

The other thing I'm thinking of is that in the next 5 years or so, I'm likely to buy an electric car, so would want to charge that for free whenever possible.

Sorry if this has seemed a bit of a ramble, but it got me thinking!

Very helpful reply Rich. We're also looking into installing some solar panels, so would be very interested how much your electric bill went down this month, as they say that this month, we have had the highest price of electricity ever in spain.

I've had my bill today and the invoiced consumption has reduced by €38 compared to last month. 

We are still on our Stable Plan tariff, where we pay a flat rate of approx. €0.16 per kWh for all consumption. 

We are in the process of moving to the Solar Plan, where we will pay €0.12 per kWh for consumption from 6pm to 9am and €0.18 per kWh for consumption from 9am to 6pm (when we will be generating, so expect to have minimal consumption from the grid). We will also receive €0.05 per kWh for excess electricity exported to the grid.

Noting your comment on your bill - I understand that the hours for low, medium & high tariffs were changed for the whole country (from 1st June?). However, if you were already on a fixed plan (e.g. the Stable Plan that we are on), then your tariffs shouldn't have changed. If you were on the equivalent of the Standard Variable Tariff, then you would have incurred higher charges due to the change in hours / tariffs. This is my understanding anyway...

The Stable Plan from Iberdrola is currently available at €0.15 per kWh fixed for 5 years; and they have other plans, so maybe worth looking at what suits you best?