Reply With QuoteI can’t help you with your question unfortunately but would it be worth you getting a Tesla Powerwall? You can then store all the energy you produce to use yourself.
I've done a quick search in here before posting and can't see anything but apologies if there are other threads.
Due to move house soon and the new place has just had the latest solar system installed. I currently don't really know much about it with regards to energy production etc I do know however it's doesn't have any kind of energy storage.
It seems like any new system installed after March 19 won't be able to benefit form the old feed in tariff but will be able to go on to the new export tariffs which are slowly coming out
A quick question to anyone in the know........
I guess it depends on what system you have installed but am I assuming correctly that any energy you produce which isn't used within the house gets sent to the grid?
So if I've used for instance 1000kwh and I've produced 500 kWh theyll only bill me for 500?
Or do they still bill you the full 1000 and you then receive back any monetary value of the 500 you've produced?
It also seems that octopus are the only company currently doing this are there any others?
FFF
I can’t help you with your question unfortunately but would it be worth you getting a Tesla Powerwall? You can then store all the energy you produce to use yourself.
If the system was installed after the end of March and so you are not receiving any feed in tariff.
This means in practice you will only gain financially when consuming the solar energy that you generate. Typically for a normal working family this means you will actually export around 80% of what you generate from your panels with no recompense.
From 1st jan 2020 and If you opt for a smart meter, energy companies will be obliged to offer smart export guarantees which effectively means an export tariff. With the SEG they will pay you for each kWh you export - ( likely to be anything from 0.1p to 5p)
...,however the best use of PV generated green energy is to store it yourself in a battery and then use it when you like. There are various companies but the best are sonnen and Tesla with many other Similar cheaper less quality Chinese options.
This will increase your ‘self consumption’ from 20% to circa 80%
My own systems are on the original tariff so things may have changed but from my experience,Originally Posted by Franky Four Fingers
- you pay for the electricity you have used, which will be whatever you've used in excess of what you've generated.
- you are paid for the energy exported
- if both your export and generation are metered, that payment is based on the amount exported
- if only your generation is metered, your export payment is based on 1/2 your generation.
Looking at my graph from 22 October, I incurred costs in the morning and evening with a decent amount of export over lunch.
I'm not sure about the octopus tariffs but typically you get paid a lot less for your export than you have to pay for what you've used, so as others have said, you're a lot better off storing it than exporting it.
Things like the Tesla powerwall are great but pricey. A simpler (cheaper) solution is to direct your excess to an immersion heater so you get your hot water for free.
If you fancy having a look at my install you'd be most welcome; I'm next in Bassett on Saturday.
Reading it back, I'm not sure that's clear so I'll try again.
When you are generating more than you are consuming, your consumption meter isn't moving.
Use 1kW but generate 2kW, the meter shows 0kW
When you are consuming more than you are generating, your consumption meter is increasing by the delta between the two.
Use 2kW but generate 1kW, the meter shows 1kW
The key is it's all instantaneous, not calculated at the end of the day, so if you use 1kWh in the morning and another in the evening but generate 2kWh when the sun's out at lunchtime you'd pay for 2 and get paid for 2.
If you consume 2 exactly when that 2 is generated, you'll pay for 0 and get paid for 0
Having had a quick look (and simplifying) octopus looks to be charging 15p per kWh and paying 5p per kWh
In the 2 scenarios above both generating 2 and using 2, the first results in a bill of 20p, the second in a bill of nil.
Hopefully that helps...
Kind of, so assuming you have 2 meters?
As mine's an older installation, yes; one (smart) consumption meter and a second (dumb) generation meter.
I pay octopus for the energy I consume and British gas pay me for the electricity I generate.
British gas currently pay me 54p for every kWh generated irrespective of whether I use it or not, and a further 5.4p for every kWh I export (though with me having a dumb meter that's estimated at half what I generate)
My neighbors still rubbing her hands together, system fitted 2011 from memory, gets paid 49p per KW she exports.
4kw system on south facing roof.
Yes we divert to our immersion heater works well for us and due to wife working from home most of what we generate is used by washing machine dishwasher etc , we essentially have very small bills for gas and electric for 6 months of the year because our hot water is free through the summer. I’ve toyed with a power wall or similar but for our usage any return is just too small to justify the outlay, it’s such a pity they scrapped the feed in tariffs because people where just starting to realise the benefits of it however there where too many companies milking it and profiting from the returns that where meant for the householder.My own systems are on the original tariff so things may have changed but from my experience,
- you pay for the electricity you have used, which will be whatever you've used in excess of what you've generated.
- you are paid for the energy exported
- if both your export and generation are metered, that payment is based on the amount exported
- if only your generation is metered, your export payment is based on 1/2 your generation.
Looking at my graph from 22 October, I incurred costs in the morning and evening with a decent amount of export over lunch.
I'm not sure about the octopus tariffs but typically you get paid a lot less for your export than you have to pay for what you've used, so as others have said, you're a lot better off storing it than exporting it.
Things like the Tesla powerwall are great but pricey. A simpler (cheaper) solution is to direct your excess to an immersion heater so you get your hot water for free.
If you fancy having a look at my install you'd be most welcome; I'm next in Bassett on Saturday.
Tesla Powerwall owner here.
If your system was installed after 31st March this year you will get zero tariffs. Even for the stuff you export. Sorry.
However in answer to your question. if your PV system is generating 2kw peak and you are only using 1kw, at that time, then you pay nothing. If however you are using 3Kw peak and are generating 1Kw at that time, you are buying (consuming) only 2kw.
However if you have storage, then any surplus you generate will be stored and can be used later. Today for example our 5kw system generated a total of 15.5kw/h, of which 12.4kw were stored by the Powerwall. Our house typically uses about 13.5kw/H over a 24 hour period and we still have 48% of the Powerwall still charged.
Most importantly today we have used only 0.1Kwh from the grid (about 1.65 pence)
Regarding Teslas are pricy however they offer a few additional benefits.
1) they are slim and can be externally mounted. Not all can do this.
2) they offer great value for money for each kw/h of storage - the Tesla is expensive at about £8k, but they do offer 13.4kw/h of storage. A 5kw system will cost about 4.5k so actually it works out more expensive.
3) the Tesla provides a high draw rate meaning you can draw a max of 3.5kw/h. Many other types are more restrictive. Plus remember that a kettle draws 3Kw on its own. Also important if you want to charge a car quickly.
4) The Tesla App is excellent
5) The support is excellent and the unit comes with a 10 year warranty.
6) Teslas can be daisy chained, if required, enabling even greater capacity if you want it down the line. I am seriously considering getting another because during the summer I was still exporting lots of excess KW/h back to the grid, which I could have stored.
7) they look really cool.
8) it offers a mains back-up in the event of a total power failure, although ours isn't configured for this.
Since it's installation in Aug we have used 1140kw/h (about £118 worth at £0.165kw/h ), however because of the PV and Powerwall, we have generated 1190kwh and was able to store and use over 550kw/h. As a result we have only consumed 237Kw/h from the grid, so my bill from SSE for the 3 month period was about £40. Not bad considering my direct debt before the Powerwall was about £50/month.
To be honest the Powerwall will take about 12 years to "wash its face" (based on current energy prices) but it's nice knowing you are doing your bit for the environment as well.
Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
The 49p is for generation even if she uses it all herself. The export Tarriffs is about 3.5p on energy which goes back to the grid. As from April it's about 54p for generation.
Plus it's indexed linked, tax free and will continue until 2035.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Im probably misunderstand the whole concept but octopus have a beta system set up called outgoing octopus which does pay you for the excess power not consumed. So when you say you will get zero tariffs do you mean with the old feed in tariffs?Tesla Powerwall owner here.
If your system was installed after 31st March this year you will get zero tariffs. Even for the stuff you export. Sorry.
However in answer to your question. if your PV system is generating 2kw peak and you are only using 1kw, at that time, then you pay nothing. If however you are using 3Kw peak and are generating 1Kw at that time, you are buying (consuming) only 2kw.
However if you have storage, then any surplus you generate will be stored and can be used later. Today for example our 5kw system generated a total of 15.5kw/h, of which 12.4kw were stored by the Powerwall. Our house typically uses about 13.5kw/H over a 24 hour period and we still have 48% of the Powerwall still charged.
Most importantly today we have used only 0.1Kwh from the grid (about 1.65 pence)
Regarding Teslas are pricy however they offer a few additional benefits.
1) they are slim and can be externally mounted. Not all can do this.
2) they offer great value for money for each kw/h of storage - the Tesla is expensive at about £8k, but they do offer 13.4kw/h of storage. A 5kw system will cost about 4.5k so actually it works out more expensive.
3) the Tesla provides a high draw rate meaning you can draw a max of 3.5kw/h. Many other types are more restrictive. Plus remember that a kettle draws 3Kw on its own. Also important if you want to charge a car quickly.
4) The Tesla App is excellent
5) The support is excellent and the unit comes with a 10 year warranty.
6) Teslas can be daisy chained, if required, enabling even greater capacity if you want it down the line. I am seriously considering getting another because during the summer I was still exporting lots of excess KW/h back to the grid, which I could have stored.
7) they look really cool.
8) it offers a mains back-up in the event of a total power failure, although ours isn't configured for this.
Since it's installation in Aug we have used 1140kw/h (about £118 worth at £0.165kw/h ), however because of the PV and Powerwall, we have generated 1190kwh and was able to store and use over 550kw/h. As a result we have only consumed 237Kw/h from the grid, so my bill from SSE for the 3 month period was about £40. Not bad considering my direct debt before the Powerwall was about £50/month.
To be honest the Powerwall will take about 12 years to "wash its face" (based on current energy prices) but it's nice knowing you are doing your bit for the environment as well.
Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.
... which is why my father stopped using his kettle and started boiling his water in a Pyrex jug in the microwave.
Ok, it took 5-times as long, but a greater proportion of the electricity used was coming from the roof than the grid.
A quick powerwall query...Tesla Powerwall owner here.
As well as mopping up excess PV that would otherwise go back to the grid, can you also top it up from the grid?
As I'm on an economy 7 type tariff, it would be handy on less sunny periods to fill the thing at night when it's cheap and use it during the day.
i am not familiar with it, but it's not a guaranteed government feed in tariff. That ended for systems installed after 31st March 2019. The question is whether this scheme will apply to systems installed after after 31st March. If yes then go for it.
Regarding my PV system. For the system I installed in 2011, the tariffs are fixed until 2036. For the system I had installed along side the Tesla I get nothing.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Alas not. I also looked at using Economy 7 to recharge it over night, but it doesn't support it yet.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to grab the system type and model etc today so will be able to look in to it more deeply.
From all the info and advice I've received I think that a battery storage option is probably going to be best. The thought of losing any excess to the grid and gaining nothing from it seems very wrong.
Whilst it'll take a few years to recoupe the initial investment as Andy says you're doing your bit and over time it'll be worth it. After speaking to a energy/ solar company today the government are bringing out a new incentive scheme for battery storage systems and so it may be worth while holding fire until they know what the basis of those incentives may be. He also urged that anyone looking at a system now shouldn't assume that a relitively new system would benefit from any scheme when it's released!
Cheers for that Franky I’ll keep my eyes peeled, I found we started using timers on washing machine and dishwashers to take advantage of what we where generating (before the Mrs started working from home most of the time) also if the new place has a hot water tank and immersion heater have a look at the diverter for that in the mean time circa £200 I think essentially a low tech energy storage system and you’re still benefiting from any generation.
No worries👍
You're spot on, that's what was recommended to me short term. Although the export tariff will generate currently about £60 a year an Iboost or Immerson will divert the solar energy directly to the hot water tank. His estimate was roughly 1-2 years to recoupe the money from that.
This may be the first time I’ve heard of anything being better in Canada when it comes to government policy.
We recently installed a 10kw solar system on the roof. Provincial legislation means that our private/public owned power corporation must buy any energy that is made. Therefore our two way meters show only the difference between what we make and what we use. Whatever we can’t use gets sold back to the grid for whatever we are currently paying for consumption.
Now the cost is that the power company pays us for our generated energy about three times what it would cost them to produce their own so rates will go up as more people install systems... but if everyone installs them then I guess they basically become the storage system.
Payback from such system is about six years although the first time you get a power bill with a cheque made out to you... it feels like the install is already paid for.
Christ, I'd have had one before now if that's what we had over here.
It's an iBoost that I'm using in RWB.
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