Discussion
Could you actually provide some specifics - there's a lot irrelevant info there
e.g. Battery cost ?
What tariff are you on ?
Consumption?
etc
"As is", I think I worked out it'd be 4.7 years - but I don't have enough data to be precise on that at all, yet.
ie, Taking march as an average month, I'm already seeing close to a 90% reduction in my energy bill.
If this pattern is reliable enough, I expect we'll probably be able to consume close to 0 off the grid during the summer months.
And during the winter months when solar production will be rubbish, we'll still be able to fall back to off peak grid consumption only, I think - which will still be a 75% saving on the Go tariff.
But then on top of that, we're unlikely to consume on a like for like basis. Since I do not have a FIT, I will instead heat the kids pool (intex above ground thing), which runs at 3.13kW.
So if I have spare capacity from the panels, I'll dump that in to the kids pool heater, which could work out at 36kWH per day on top of normal use (3.13kW electrical power rating, 50% duty cycle)
36x0.42=£15 per day - across the 3 months of "summer" - which works out at about £1360 extra, but is also not a like for like comparison.
But then will electricty prices drop dramatically? Or go up even more? Who the hell knows.
So what is the comparison? I dunno. In all cases I'll try to manage to keep grid consumption as low as I reasonably can.
e.g. Battery cost ?
What tariff are you on ?
Consumption?
etc
Arnold Cunningham said:
dmsims said:
What's the ROI for the battery?
Yeah, that's the 16K question - which is what my total setup was."As is", I think I worked out it'd be 4.7 years - but I don't have enough data to be precise on that at all, yet.
ie, Taking march as an average month, I'm already seeing close to a 90% reduction in my energy bill.
If this pattern is reliable enough, I expect we'll probably be able to consume close to 0 off the grid during the summer months.
And during the winter months when solar production will be rubbish, we'll still be able to fall back to off peak grid consumption only, I think - which will still be a 75% saving on the Go tariff.
But then on top of that, we're unlikely to consume on a like for like basis. Since I do not have a FIT, I will instead heat the kids pool (intex above ground thing), which runs at 3.13kW.
So if I have spare capacity from the panels, I'll dump that in to the kids pool heater, which could work out at 36kWH per day on top of normal use (3.13kW electrical power rating, 50% duty cycle)
36x0.42=£15 per day - across the 3 months of "summer" - which works out at about £1360 extra, but is also not a like for like comparison.
But then will electricty prices drop dramatically? Or go up even more? Who the hell knows.
So what is the comparison? I dunno. In all cases I'll try to manage to keep grid consumption as low as I reasonably can.
Edited by Arnold Cunningham on Thursday 30th March 12:08
M1AGM said:
I charge my batteries to full every night on the off peak. If I overproduce solar and export to the grid the difference is 3.5p. I’ve got better things to be doing than worrying about a few pennies and risking paying 34p because it turned cloudy when I was hoping for sunshine.
Yeah, that's fair. But on the flip side if I under-charge the battery, it might mean I consume a couple of kW from the peak rate, it's no biggie either. I feel like I’ve got the right balance at the mo, albeit will prob turn it up to 100% in the winter. For now will leave it all alone for a while and see how it goes.Edited by Arnold Cunningham on Thursday 30th March 18:54
About meters going backwards,
Except it doesn’t. The rest of us pick up the tab!
markiii said:
indeed, tbh I think everyone should have that ability, saves the energy companies a fortune during generation times in terms of what they need to supply
Thing is, on average, people will be feeding the grid in the summer in the middle of the day when the grid is generally cheap and low co2, and taking it back for free on winter evening peaks when it’s mostly gas being burned and electricity prices are high. Costs the grid a bloody fortune. Except it doesn’t. The rest of us pick up the tab!
Jambo85 said:
About meters going backwards,
Except it doesn’t. The rest of us pick up the tab!
The energy companies should find a way to store all this locally produced solar. It's unlikely they will be able to store it for more than 24 hours, but even if they can save the use of one power station at peak time, that's a win.markiii said:
indeed, tbh I think everyone should have that ability, saves the energy companies a fortune during generation times in terms of what they need to supply
Thing is, on average, people will be feeding the grid in the summer in the middle of the day when the grid is generally cheap and low co2, and taking it back for free on winter evening peaks when it’s mostly gas being burned and electricity prices are high. Costs the grid a bloody fortune. Except it doesn’t. The rest of us pick up the tab!
The problem for us is that they can just charge the consumer, and the consumer has no alternative but to pay.
There is a crisis coming for the energy companies and the Government. Solar + battery makes you independent. They can't take money off you if you don't consume. They can't tax you if you don't consume. The real crisis will come when people decide to go off the grid. That will be a game changer if it happens. They won't even get the £150 standing charge and the £10 VAT
pingu393 said:
The energy companies should find a way to store all this locally produced solar. It's unlikely they will be able to store it for more than 24 hours, but even if they can save the use of one power station at peak time, that's a win.
The problem for us is that they can just charge the consumer, and the consumer has no alternative but to pay.
There is a crisis coming for the energy companies and the Government. Solar + battery makes you independent. They can't take money off you if you don't consume. They can't tax you if you don't consume. The real crisis will come when people decide to go off the grid. That will be a game changer if it happens. They won't even get the £150 standing charge and the £10 VAT
It's pretty much cheaper to generate when required than store it and save it, and at the moment the solar is just displacing gas anyway, there are few times in the year that solar + wind + nuclear is "too much" power. The problem for us is that they can just charge the consumer, and the consumer has no alternative but to pay.
There is a crisis coming for the energy companies and the Government. Solar + battery makes you independent. They can't take money off you if you don't consume. They can't tax you if you don't consume. The real crisis will come when people decide to go off the grid. That will be a game changer if it happens. They won't even get the £150 standing charge and the £10 VAT
Solar + battery might make you independent in summer, but sure as hell doesn't in winter! Feel free to go off grid yourself, but don't request reconnecting in November when you can only have your lights on until 7pm and cooking is done from a camping stove.
Condi said:
It's pretty much cheaper to generate when required than store it and save it, and at the moment the solar is just displacing gas anyway, there are few times in the year that solar + wind + nuclear is "too much" power.
Solar + battery might make you independent in summer, but sure as hell doesn't in winter! Feel free to go off grid yourself, but don't request reconnecting in November when you can only have your lights on until 7pm and cooking is done from a camping stove.
The biggest complaints would be from the neighbours when I fired up the generator Solar + battery might make you independent in summer, but sure as hell doesn't in winter! Feel free to go off grid yourself, but don't request reconnecting in November when you can only have your lights on until 7pm and cooking is done from a camping stove.
Condi said:
I'm looking at that at the moment. If I am reading it right, I can charge the battery to 100% for 20p /Kwh overnight, and then if I am exporting because the battery is still full, I get 22p /Kwh. So basically, getting 2p per Kwh of electricity I use! As long as I dont draw from the grid at peak times (49p or so) then its a win win. If still exporting at that time, its 40p / Kwh.It really does seem to be the perfect simple tarrif.
Condi said:
pingu393 said:
The biggest complaints would be from the neighbours when I fired up the generator
Indeed, but the whole "sticking it to the man" thing kinda falls down when you work out how much money you pay in tax buying petrol vs buying electricity! 
Jambo85 said:
About meters going backwards,
Except it doesn’t. The rest of us pick up the tab!
Except this is pretty much a fallacy. The solar generation during the peak of summer reduces gas consumption, nothing else. The CO2 mix of the grid is irrelevant, it’s what the solar offsets at the time. markiii said:
indeed, tbh I think everyone should have that ability, saves the energy companies a fortune during generation times in terms of what they need to supply
Thing is, on average, people will be feeding the grid in the summer in the middle of the day when the grid is generally cheap and low co2, and taking it back for free on winter evening peaks when it’s mostly gas being burned and electricity prices are high. Costs the grid a bloody fortune. Except it doesn’t. The rest of us pick up the tab!
It’s a national absurdity that people have to buy batteries when the grid can serve that purpose for almost negligible additional cost.
TriumphStag3.0V8 said:
Condi said:
I'm looking at that at the moment. If I am reading it right, I can charge the battery to 100% for 20p /Kwh overnight, and then if I am exporting because the battery is still full, I get 22p /Kwh. So basically, getting 2p per Kwh of electricity I use! As long as I dont draw from the grid at peak times (49p or so) then its a win win. If still exporting at that time, its 40p / Kwh.It really does seem to be the perfect simple tarrif.
Solar panel firm suspended as Londoners are warned about their deposits
The main installer behind mayor Sadiq Khan’s multi-million pound Solar Together scheme has been forced to suspend operations following an Evening Standard investigation.
https://apple.news/AaIEBj5SwQGe9B66-G4cJAQ
Hopefully no one here caught up in this. I opted out of the similar one here when want 25% deposit by bank transfer and were going to be at least 6 months later than what they had tendered for.
The main installer behind mayor Sadiq Khan’s multi-million pound Solar Together scheme has been forced to suspend operations following an Evening Standard investigation.
https://apple.news/AaIEBj5SwQGe9B66-G4cJAQ
Hopefully no one here caught up in this. I opted out of the similar one here when want 25% deposit by bank transfer and were going to be at least 6 months later than what they had tendered for.
We're booked in for a mid-May installation, and the company have suggested it should be completed in a single day. Perfect timing to maximise the benefits during summer.
Thanks to everyone who shared info and experiences, as it likely wouldn't have happened without input from posters on this thread.
Thanks to everyone who shared info and experiences, as it likely wouldn't have happened without input from posters on this thread.
Edited by C70R on Saturday 1st April 08:35
silentbrown said:
jesusbuiltmycar said:
Quick question - do any of you have an old style mechanical meter with a spinning disc? my Wife's friend has 20 panes and hers "goes backwards" when the Solar panels generate more electricity that she uses.
Is that an issue with suppliers?
If the whole meter goes backwards, she's effectively receiving 35p for every surplus kWH delivered to the grid!Is that an issue with suppliers?
https://greengumption.co.uk/2015/11/electricity-me...
In a lot of these although the wheel goes backwards the numbers dont go down as there is a ratchet mechanism to prevent it.
It’s only the really old ones that don’t have this
Have you modelled how much you will lose on the compromised install because they cannot be bothered with a slate roof ?
C70R said:
We're booked in for a mid-May installation, and the company have suggested it should be completed in a single day. Perfect timing to maximise the benefits during summer.
Thanks to everyone who shared info and experiences, as it likely wouldn't have happened without input from posters on this thread.
Thanks to everyone who shared info and experiences, as it likely wouldn't have happened without input from posters on this thread.
Edited by C70R on Saturday 1st April 08:35
C70R said:
We're booked in for a mid-May installation, and the company have suggested it should be completed in a single day. Perfect timing to maximise the benefits during summer.
Thanks to everyone who shared info and experiences, as it likely wouldn't have happened without input from posters on this thread.
Make sure you have a smart meter in place before the install. I had a nightmare with EDF on this.Thanks to everyone who shared info and experiences, as it likely wouldn't have happened without input from posters on this thread.
Edited by C70R on Saturday 1st April 08:35
Thebaggers said:
C70R said:
We're booked in for a mid-May installation, and the company have suggested it should be completed in a single day. Perfect timing to maximise the benefits during summer.
Thanks to everyone who shared info and experiences, as it likely wouldn't have happened without input from posters on this thread.
Make sure you have a smart meter in place before the install. I had a nightmare with EDF on this.Thanks to everyone who shared info and experiences, as it likely wouldn't have happened without input from posters on this thread.
Edited by C70R on Saturday 1st April 08:35
I'm considering going against the advice I was given and switching to Octopus now and requesting the meter from them. I was told it was quicker to get EDF to change the meter and then swap but it doesn't seem to be happening. I really want it in before the summer when I'm Sur eI will have spare to export.
pghstochaj said:
Jambo85 said:
About meters going backwards,
Except it doesn’t. The rest of us pick up the tab!
Except this is pretty much a fallacy. The solar generation during the peak of summer reduces gas consumption, nothing else. The CO2 mix of the grid is irrelevant, it’s what the solar offsets at the time. markiii said:
indeed, tbh I think everyone should have that ability, saves the energy companies a fortune during generation times in terms of what they need to supply
Thing is, on average, people will be feeding the grid in the summer in the middle of the day when the grid is generally cheap and low co2, and taking it back for free on winter evening peaks when it’s mostly gas being burned and electricity prices are high. Costs the grid a bloody fortune. Except it doesn’t. The rest of us pick up the tab!
It’s a national absurdity that people have to buy batteries when the grid can serve that purpose for almost negligible additional cost.
No one [i]has/i] to buy batteries, they are for the curious and the hard of thinking at present.
starsky67 said:
I'm having a nightmare getting one installed by EDF as well. Before I had solar they kept pestering me to have a smart meter fitted. Now they keep promising and nothing happens, I've requested one abbot 3 times over the past month but nothing.
I'm considering going against the advice I was given and switching to Octopus now and requesting the meter from them. I was told it was quicker to get EDF to change the meter and then swap but it doesn't seem to be happening. I really want it in before the summer when I'm Sur eI will have spare to export.
That's what I had to do, got EDF to waiver the termination fee as they installed a non smart meter instead of a smart one (pointless exercise) and then couldn't fix it. I moved to Octopus in 2 days and the smart meter is going in within 2 weeks.I'm considering going against the advice I was given and switching to Octopus now and requesting the meter from them. I was told it was quicker to get EDF to change the meter and then swap but it doesn't seem to be happening. I really want it in before the summer when I'm Sur eI will have spare to export.
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