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If you're a bit geeky then Home Assistant is worth a look -
Thanks, I'll have a look at that. Submitted all the paperwork to Octopus today so just waiting until they set up the export tariff.
I reckon the Octopus saving sessions aren't worth the faff any more. This evening's session would've netted me about 50p.
I’m getting closer to switching to something like Eon Next, with the longer and cheaper overnight. Octopus’ decent service is just keeping me hanging on!!
FYI Spain has had its first ever weekday 100% renewable grid. NESO think the uk could have a summer of lower demand than the 2020 lockdown potentially, with so much renewable solar going in to the grid.
I didn't bother with the saving session the payment is now so derisory it's not worth discharging the battery for.
I know it's the regulator that's stipulating the lower payments but surely someone's seeing the lower participation hardly encouraging people to use less at peak
I’m getting closer to switching to something like Eon Next, with the longer and cheaper overnight. Octopus’ decent service is just keeping me hanging on!!
FYI Spain has had its first ever weekday 100% renewable grid. NESO think the uk could have a summer of lower demand than the 2020 lockdown potentially, with so much renewable solar going in to the grid.
Eon aren't Octopus when it comes to CS but they get there eventually. I'm topping up batteries at 6.7p 0000-0700 and exporting at 16.5p during daylight, somedays I've been exporting just after 7am
Most of my grid use is importing at cheap rate. The SEG payment is a bit antiquated only get paid every 3 months and you have to send readings in, since march I've exported 840kwh and imported 230kwh . I dont brown export.
Long-time considered solar panels here but want to take the leap this year.
Who's best to consider - big suppliers (like Octopus) or local installers?
My recommendation is a long time established local installer, if i was doing it again
I found a national supplier for mine, who went bust... so in the event of any issues i'm not quite sure what i will be doing
I guess at least with Octopus etc you will have a point of contact for ever more
If you want it doing, get on it now i would say
Interesting observation.
May 2025 has given me just under 100kwh more than any previously recorded max from any month since 2021 install.
Answering my own question. We've now been on intelligent flux for a few months. So far earnings are just under double the spend each month. I think though it could be even more intelligent (e.g. let us use battery power in mornings when it's a sunny day and they will likely be full again way before needed). Mostly though I'm happy at moment. If the trend continues like currently I suspect we will spend very little on electric at all
We’ve had an incredible April and May in North Yorkshire. Been brilliant!
Same story down South. For us March 25 generation beat April 24, April 25 beat May 24 and May 25 is on track to beat June 24.
Solar and battery is working well so far. Only had export set up this month and have exported 666kWh Vs 495kWh use, over 99% of the use is off peak charging of the battery or car overnight. On Octopus for the car and export so 7p charging and 15p export.
Anyone care to comment on this? It's a scheme offered by EDF.
Why only 6 panels? The panels are relatively cheap and if they are there with scaffold and doing all the wiring etc may as well do more if you can. 19 panels were fitted in basically a long day by one electrician and one roofer. Panels had to go on day 2 as it was too breezy on the first day but all the rails were fitted. Peak rate for usage is quite high and you won't be generating much at that time of day. Speak to the guys at Skylar Solar, they were very good for our system and have a good reputation.
Why only 6 panels?
Guessing that's all the front of house roof will fit looking at satellite image. What's your daily kwh usage? I'd increase the battery storage if you have space to, I had 10kwh battery storage, my daily in autumn/winter is just over 10kwh, recently I added another 5kwh this gives me a bigger range of stored power.
Once you have solar/battery this opens up access to cheaper rate electric to store up battery at night, useful in winter months when not generating much if any. Also get a seg account set up to get paid for and unused generation
My export payment for last 3 months was £264, thats just green export. Seen many boasting about their brown exporting ££££ I'm guessing it won't be long before there is a clamp down on that. Buy at 7p sell for 16.5p....
Seen many boasting about their brown exporting ££££ I'm guessing it won't be long before there is a clamp down on that.
This is what our tariff deliberately offers. Import and charge when grid demand is lower so it can be export at high demand. All controlled by the supplier.
All controlled by the supplier.
That's a completely different set up when the utilities co are controlling your set up, why you grant them access is beyond me but not something I'd allow.
That's a completely different set up when the utilities co are controlling your set up, why you grant them access is beyond me but not something I'd allow.
If the utility knows when it can access your battery for export then it becomes dispatchable and is worth more to them. Which is why they can in turn offer the consumer a better rate.
why you grant them access is beyond me but not something I'd allow.
It's a trade off isn't it. I'd rather have the control but on present evidence giving the control will reduce our bills. Can revoke access at any time I please.
I’d at least look at the bigger battery option or at least how easy it is to upgrade it and whether you’ll need a bigger inverter. The signergy kit Sklyar install has modular batteries where you can just add another to the stack and tell the system with no rewiring etc. Since we got our export sorted this month we have run the house off the overnight EV cheap rate topping up the batteries and exporting the excess solar during the day.
Apologies if this isn't meant to be here, I'll start another thread if that's deemed better.
Anyone here familiar with the rules around replacing & adding to the system when you're on a FiT tarif? Our inverter has failed (I believe so anyway, someone coming to look at soon) and we have around 8 years left on the FiT scheme. I'd like to replace the Inverter with one that is battery ready, and, ideally add some batteries too so that when FiT finally ends we aren't left wanting to change inverters again. Obviously we dont want to loose FiT payments entirely (for reference approx £1800 p.a) but I've read that these changes are possible without loosing the generation payments. It would affect export payments as we'd no longer get the 50% asssumed export and it would be metered instead.
The companies I've contacted so far about fixing/replacing the broken inverter are saying that if we change anything to a part that isn't like for like that we'd loose our FiT payments.
Can anyone confirm or deny this?
Anyone here familiar with the rules around replacing & adding to the system when you're on a FiT tarif? Our inverter has failed (I believe so anyway, someone coming to look at soon) and we have around 8 years left on the FiT scheme. I'd like to replace the Inverter with one that is battery ready, and, ideally add some batteries too so that when FiT finally ends we aren't left wanting to change inverters again
I'm fairly sure you can't - well you can but it might be seen as an upgrade which isn't allowed and you'd probably lose your FIT entitlement - if you think about it the batteries would reduce what you export which goes against the FIT rules.
You can replace the inverter but not with a battery ready one. With all the money you're making on the FIT payments you can afford to buy a new inverter when your FIT term ends 😉
It would affect export payments as we'd no longer get the 50% asssumed export and it would be metered instead.
That's not a great loss though really is it? (compared to the generation payment)
..... I mean, you could change to a hybrid inverter and hope they don't notice your export has changed or that they don't come and check your system in the next 8 years - but whether you think the risk is worth it is another matter!
Have you got room for a separate array? That could be anything you like if it's not linked to the existing array in any way.
@doomanic Take 5mins and pop your details into BOXT to see how much they'd charge, when I did this it was cheaper and I then used it to get EDF/CS lower. BOXT actually spec'd a larger inverter the 5kwh one which then got upgraded on the OG quote, I'm glad I went for it now over the 3.6 as tea times can see periods of above 3.6 and this is where you'll then import at the high rate between 1600-1900.
Between agreeing the contract and install I then added a second battery for £1500.
DM me if you'd like any more info about my experience, but overall, happy with the experience and install, it then only took 3-4 months for me to stop watching the sunsynk app to check generation and export figures!
I've had a couple more quotes. I now have a selection from £6400 (7 panels, 3.2kW Fox inverter and 5.2kWh Fox battery) to £10.5K (7 panels, 3.6kW GivEnergy inverter and 5.3kWh GivEnergy battery). Obviously they all say their kit is the best and the GivEnergy supplier was very rude about Fox when I pointed out his kit was £4k more for no obvious benefit. Is there an independent site that reviews this stuff?
Also, if anyone can suggest an installer they've used I'd be grateful.
Take 5mins and pop your details into BOXT to see how much they'd charge, when I did this it was cheaper and I then used it to get EDF/CS lower.
£6449 for my requirements using Sunsynk inverter and battery.
Anyone here familiar with the rules around replacing & adding to the system when you're on a FiT tarif? Our inverter has failed (I believe so anyway, someone coming to look at soon) and we have around 8 years left on the FiT scheme. I'd like to replace the Inverter with one that is battery ready, and, ideally add some batteries too so that when FiT finally ends we aren't left wanting to change inverters again. Obviously we dont want to loose FiT payments entirely (for reference approx £1800 p.a) but I've read that these changes are possible without loosing the generation payments. It would affect export payments as we'd no longer get the 50% asssumed export and it would be metered instead.
Replacing the inverter wouldn’t invalidate the FIT as the generating capacity is not being altered. This wouldn’t even need notification. Adding a battery would require notification, but would not necessarily invalidate the FIT as , again, the generating capacity remains unaltered. FIT is tied to generating capacity. If that capacity is unaffected by a change, it’s okay - even the battery should, in theory, be okay as you’re not altering generating capacity. Export, sure, but that’s not what the FIT scheme is constrained by.
I've had a couple more quotes. I now have a selection from £6400 (7 panels, 3.2kW Fox inverter and 5.2kWh Fox battery) to £10.5K (7 panels, 3.6kW GivEnergy inverter and 5.3kWh GivEnergy battery). Obviously they all say their kit is the best and the GivEnergy supplier was very rude about Fox when I pointed out his kit was £4k more for no obvious benefit. Is there an independent site that reviews this stuff?
Also, if anyone can suggest an installer they've used I'd be grateful.
Very happy with my Fox setup and would have another one. Make sure the batteries are equipped with heaters, but I believe nearly all the new ones are.
Make sure the batteries are equipped with heaters, but I believe nearly all the new ones are.
They are, but will be installed indoors.
Export, sure, but that’s not what the FIT scheme is constrained by.
We'll not exactly.... 50% of my generation is deemed as export (and I get paid for that) which would obvs change if I had a battery.
Maybe they're not bothered about that though?
if anyone can suggest an installer they've used I'd be grateful.
Whereabouts are you? Are you buying the kit and expecting to hand it to an installer? Most will have a preferred brand or two and if for instance they usually work with GE they might not fancy installing Fox.
Oh and very happy with GE kit here.
How do you find the app? Gets a bit of slating online.
I’m not actually using the Fox app. Instead mine is connected to Home Assistant via RS485, but there’s an alternative to the Fox app that most people use anyway (Energy Stats).
Has anyone here gone for an install via Octopus with interest free credit?
Has anyone managed to go off grid? I'm really starting to begrudge paying standing charges.
We will put solar panels on when we move.
would take a lot of kit, this month has been bad for solar
my 4kw panels have made at best 7kwh in a day, but the majority of the days have been closer to 3kwh, IMHO you'd need a generator for when times are hard
one of my puredrive batterys went ping tong.
so far thanks to obstructive customer service its taken 6 weeks to get a service engineer out.
a far cry from my previous warranty interactions with them.
(These are now rebranded duracell)
I am "almost" off grid. But am in the very privileged position to live on a hill near a small stream. I have installed a pico hydro system to complement my 6KW of solar panels. I am grid tied but do not export. Have 14KW of LiFePo4 battery storage. The chart shows my figures for the past 12 months. I have a mate who is trying to go fully offgrid with solar. He did have a small hydro system but it was destroyed in storm Darrah. He has put almost 20 KW of panels on his shed to cover him through winter. He has no mains to his property at all so needs a generator for those odd occasions when the sun don't shine.
The installation supplies 2 houses and a major radio/internet relay station on the shed. Without the constant draw of the radio station we would easily be able to go completely off grid.
Without careful management or more battery storage (we already have 22kWh) we couldn’t possibly go off-grid. There’s simply not enough solar in the winter to manage it. We can manage a 2, sometimes 3 days with careful use, but on the 4th day we’d be sunk.
Had my SEG renewal in from EON today gone from 16.5p to 6p 😯
Questioned if this was correct and the reply was that I was now eligible for a 10.5p reduction in my SEG 🤣
I'm sorry to hear that you're unhappy with the recent SEG renewal. We have made amendments to the SEG tariffs we offer, and the eligibility criteria have also changed. You are now eligible for the Next Export v1 6p tariff, I understand that seeing a drop from 16.5p to 6p can be disappointing.
Kind regards,
EON Next
Oh well back to Ollie it seems
Any thoughts on why the fairly big drop?