Pre-wiring house for solar PV

[Jastein]

tldr: What type/spec cable would be ran from the solar inverter panel in the loft to the consumer unit?


The longer version:

Going to get the keys to my first house in the next 2 weeks - finally getting free of the rent trap! We are planning a light refurb involving changing a few things around in the kitchen, running data cables throughout the house, installing av cables in the walls of the lounge followed by a full repaint and new flooring throughout.


Eventually I was hoping to get solar panels installed (not enough in the budget to get them straight away). Due to a double story extension the consumer unit is in a cupboard dead centre of the downstairs floorplan. I figured whilst going through initial upheaval now I could put whatever cabling in place that is required to run from the loft as it would save a lot of redecorating or lifting floors in the future. What type and spec of cable is ran from an inverter to the consumer unit, does it require metal or plastic conduit and would sparkys be happy to use an unterminated cable thats been pre fed through by the homeowner? My plan would just be to leave a few metres coiled up at each end to give a future installer enough to work with.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

If you can do it in a straight line, just run a 50mm duct from loft to CU. 2 if you have the room (one for power, one for data).

 

[Jastein]

There would have to be two right angles to get it to the external wall of the loft. (Forgot to mention, loft is fully boarded and plastered out)

 

[winston1]

Trouble is you cannot predict the future and something else will come along requiring you to lift boards and channel the walls.

I bought a house in 1982 and spent considerable effort future proofing. Boards up, complete rewire and central heating put in. Also put in TV aerial points in most rooms and telephone points.

What happens 1989 and satellite TV comes along. Through lounge boards up again to run a dish cable from back to front. Next drama several houses near by are burgled so decided to fit an alarm so more boards up and disruption. Then along comes the internet and now have to run CAT5 cables around. What next? Not sure, my crystal ball fell through the floorboards and smashed on some builders rubble left underneath!

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Trouble is you cannot predict the future and something else will come along requiring you to lift boards and channel the walls.

I bought a house in 1982 and spent considerable effort future proofing. Boards up, complete rewire and central heating put in. Also put in TV aerial points in most rooms and telephone points.

What happens 1989 and satellite TV comes along. Through lounge boards up again to run a dish cable from back to front. Next drama several houses near by are burgled so decided to fit an alarm so more boards up and disruption. Then along comes the internet and now have to run CAT5 cables around. What next? Not sure, my crystal ball fell through the floorboards and smashed on some builders rubble left underneath!

I feel your pain. I did similar in 1991, had to add CAT5 in about 1998, there's also a ton of screened signal cable (for throwing audio round the house) which cost time and effort to put in (making phono faceplates, a patchfield and other nonsense) and it's never been used and low odds it will ever be used now everything is WiFi or Bluetooth. Ho hum....