Discussion
pingu393 said:
10x370W(*) panels, 160°orientation, 35°roof, 52.89°latitude. No shading. Tesla Powerwall 2 battery (13.9kWh). Solis 4kW inverter.
No out-of-the-ordinary electricity consumables. Gas C/H. Gas cooker. No dishwasher.
Octopus Tracker (average between 11/02/2023 and 15/03/2024 = 17.8ppkWh inc VAT)
Octopus Export (15ppkWh inc VAT)
(x) There were two days where the export rate was higher than the import rate, so I imported, just to export
(*) I thought my panels were 490W, but they are actually 370W
(**) 01/03/2024-16/03/22024 and 17/03/2023-31/03/2023
I think that's it.
And so if my maths is correct, that saved you around £418 a year in electricity, plus the £142 income from exporting the surplus, a total of £560.No out-of-the-ordinary electricity consumables. Gas C/H. Gas cooker. No dishwasher.
Octopus Tracker (average between 11/02/2023 and 15/03/2024 = 17.8ppkWh inc VAT)
Octopus Export (15ppkWh inc VAT)
| Month | Consumption | Panels | Battery | Import | Export |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2024 | 290.7 | 124.6 | 78.6 | 182.2 | 0.0 |
| Feb 2024 | 278.7 | 137.8 | 62.7 | 155.3 | 0.0 |
| Mar 23 / 24 (**) | 293.8 | 202.0 | 125.7 | 94.4 | 1.9 |
| Apr 2023 | 262.8 | 404.4 | 149.0 | 9.9 | 116.8 |
| May 2023 | 286.5 | 496.0 | 154.9 | 0.8 | 194.3 |
| Jun 2023 | 261.2 | 539.7 | 130.3 | 3.2 | 250.2 |
| Jul 2023 | 285.6 | 425.2 | 150.8 | 19.1 (x) | 139.3 |
| Aug 2023 | 297.4 | 432.4 | 167.2 | 1.2 | 108.0 |
| Sep 2023 | 277.3 | 341.0 | 142.0 | 57.6 (x) | 98.1 |
| Oct 2023 | 286.9 | 204.4 | 107.2 | 131.4 | 36.6 |
| Nov 2023 | 260.1 | 150.7 | 91.3 | 127.6 | 0.2 |
| Dec 2023 | 287.5 | 62.9 | 39.9 | 239.9 | 3.8 |
(x) There were two days where the export rate was higher than the import rate, so I imported, just to export
(*) I thought my panels were 490W, but they are actually 370W
(**) 01/03/2024-16/03/22024 and 17/03/2023-31/03/2023
I think that's it.
Was it installed with the expectation it would ever pay for itself?
PF62 said:
And so if my maths is correct, that saved you around £418 a year in electricity, plus the £142 income from exporting the surplus, a total of £560.
Was it installed with the expectation it would ever pay for itself?
Originally, it was ordered with that intention. But then Octopus Tracker came along. This makes panels and battery as useful as a new car. It's more economical, but will never pay for itself.Was it installed with the expectation it would ever pay for itself?
If I had a spare £13k, would I spend it on a new kitchen, a new bathroom, a new car or a solar setup? Only one of these has ANY financial return worth speaking about.
I have the warm and fuzzy feeling that I am not under any financial pressure from the electricity companies. In fact, today I am importing at 14.33ppkWh and exporting at 15ppkWh, whilst most other people are importing at 29.6ppkWh. As I sit here now, I can see that I have 13.9kWh in the battery, and I am consuming 300W and exporting 2.9kW.
My best financial decisions (in order) were to go with Octopus Tracker, then it were to get solar, then it were to sign up with Octopus Export, then it were to get the battery. Octopus is definitely beneficial, solar + Export will probably be beneficial, the battery probably won't be beneficial.
The battery is used to feed the house when solar can't. The financial benefit of the battery is the difference between the import and export tariffs. This is around 3ppkWh. There is absolutely no way that the battery is worth the money - but what price freedom?
Edited by pingu393 on Sunday 24th March 11:25
pingu393 said:
Originally, it was ordered with that intention. But then Octopus Tracker came along. This makes panels and battery as useful as a new car. It's more economical, but will never pay for itself.
If I had a spare £13k, would I spend it on a new kitchen, a new bathroom, a new car or a solar setup? Only one of these has ANY financial return worth speaking about.
I have the warm and fuzzy feeling that I am not under any financial pressure from the electricity companies. In fact, today I am importing at 14.33ppkWh and exporting at 15ppkWh, whilst most other people are importing at 29.6ppkWh. As I sit here now, I can see that I have 13.9kWh in the battery, and I am consuming 300W and exporting 2.9kW.
My best financial decisions (in order) were to go with Octopus Tracker, then it were to get solar, then it were to sign up with Octopus Export, then it were to get the battery. Octopus is definitely beneficial, solar + Export will probably be beneficial, the battery probably won't be beneficial.
The battery is used to feed the house when solar can't. The financial benefit of the battery is the difference between the import and export tariffs. This is around 3ppkWh. There is absolutely no way that the battery is worth the money - but what price freedom?
I think that is a very good point and justification for this type of home improvement, it seems to be that people are obsessed with it having to have an ROI within X years where any other house improvements in general do not pay for themselves at all except maybe windows or some insulation.If I had a spare £13k, would I spend it on a new kitchen, a new bathroom, a new car or a solar setup? Only one of these has ANY financial return worth speaking about.
I have the warm and fuzzy feeling that I am not under any financial pressure from the electricity companies. In fact, today I am importing at 14.33ppkWh and exporting at 15ppkWh, whilst most other people are importing at 29.6ppkWh. As I sit here now, I can see that I have 13.9kWh in the battery, and I am consuming 300W and exporting 2.9kW.
My best financial decisions (in order) were to go with Octopus Tracker, then it were to get solar, then it were to sign up with Octopus Export, then it were to get the battery. Octopus is definitely beneficial, solar + Export will probably be beneficial, the battery probably won't be beneficial.
The battery is used to feed the house when solar can't. The financial benefit of the battery is the difference between the import and export tariffs. This is around 3ppkWh. There is absolutely no way that the battery is worth the money - but what price freedom?
Edited by pingu393 on Sunday 24th March 11:25
£10k on a garden/patio etc you have to still maintain or cut a few £100's or £1000's a year off energy bills and potentially be off grid if done right.
pingu393 said:
Originally, it was ordered with that intention. But then Octopus Tracker came along. This makes panels and battery as useful as a new car. It's more economical, but will never pay for itself.
"more economical" - I suppose it depreciates less.pingu393 said:
If I had a spare £13k, would I spend it on a new kitchen, a new bathroom, a new car or a solar setup? Only one of these has ANY financial return worth speaking about.
At least with a new kitchen, bathroom, or car you can enjoy it whilst it depreciates, but electricity is electricity.pingu393 said:
In fact, today I am importing at 14.33ppkWh
That's expensive - at 11.21 when you posted I was importing at 5.51p/kWh...KTF said:
Agile is having a good weekend I must admit.
It is, plus there was also a three hour free electricity 'Power-Up' session on Thursday as well.KTF said:
Export the battery then get paid to charge it overnight when it drops into the minus 
More 'man maths' to convince you that buying a battery did make some sort of sense...PF62 said:
pingu393 said:
Originally, it was ordered with that intention. But then Octopus Tracker came along. This makes panels and battery as useful as a new car. It's more economical, but will never pay for itself.
"more economical" - I suppose it depreciates less.pingu393 said:
If I had a spare £13k, would I spend it on a new kitchen, a new bathroom, a new car or a solar setup? Only one of these has ANY financial return worth speaking about.
At least with a new kitchen, bathroom, or car you can enjoy it whilst it depreciates, but electricity is electricity.pingu393 said:
In fact, today I am importing at 14.33ppkWh
That's expensive - at 11.21 when you posted I was importing at 5.51p/kWh...KTF said:
Agile is having a good weekend I must admit.
Export the battery then get paid to charge it overnight when it drops into the minus
I just had a look at Agile prices today. How do you manage your consumption? It was negative this morning for 90 minutes, but it will be above the capped rate for 2.5 hours out of 3 this afternoon, and is currently 29.15 (variable cap = 28.02)Export the battery then get paid to charge it overnight when it drops into the minus
Edited by KTF on Sunday 24th March 15:33
https://mysmartenergy.uk/Prices/East-Midlands
It just went up to 29.86 at 1630.
PF62 said:
That's expensive - at 11.21 when you posted I was importing at 5.51p/kWh...
I'm on Agile ... Octopus have been paying me some some half-hours both yesterday and today. Yesterday I used 22.77 Kwh at a cost of £1.54. Not always as good as this but I'm struggling to make the case for solar and or battery.pingu393 said:
I just had a look at Agile prices today. How do you manage your consumption? It was negative this morning for 90 minutes, but it will be above the capped rate for 2.5 hours out of 3 this afternoon, and is currently 29.15 (variable cap = 28.02)
My management is that I just don't use too much electricity when the prices rise, which is generally 4pm to 7pm. That isn't too much hassle for me at all as I wouldn't even think about cooking anything until after 7pm, but for families with young children it is likely to be more difficult.33q said:
I'm on Agile ... Octopus have been paying me some some half-hours both yesterday and today. Yesterday I used 22.77 Kwh at a cost of £1.54.
You are not trying! Yesterday I used 39.85kWh and it cost me... 31p.33q said:
Not always as good as this but I'm struggling to make the case for solar and or battery.
As far as I can see it there is no economic case for either. Sure it might be an interesting hobby if you have nothing else to do with the money, but as a mechanism to get cheaper electricity - nope.romft123 said:
Road2Ruin said:
On average we pay under 8ppkwh for the electricity we use. We have a battery, which we charge at night, and an EV. The house then runs from.the battery and we export all the solar at 15ppkwh.
What do you pay monthly for your electricity...on average Road2Ruin said:
romft123 said:
Road2Ruin said:
On average we pay under 8ppkwh for the electricity we use. We have a battery, which we charge at night, and an EV. The house then runs from.the battery and we export all the solar at 15ppkwh.
What do you pay monthly for your electricity...on average In case anyone does not know, if you meet certain criteria, you can get up to eight free solar panels plus a 5kw battery for free, in Wales. New boiler as well if yours is fifteen years old or is faulty.
Certain long term health conditions qualify without means testing.
Certain long term health conditions qualify without means testing.
Edited by Masiv on Monday 25th March 12:18
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