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Just had a quick glance at a BBC news article about these likely to be on sale within the next few days.
These sound like a no brainer to me and should be encouraged - not as expensive as fully integrated solar panels, but also not cheap cheap.
Are they likely to make a difference? Estimates savings of about £120 a year, so doesn't sound massive, but could it be used for a washing machine during the day?
I've done no real research but where I am, we have a conservation order on our side of the street (houses built around 1860 and we aren't allowed to put solar panels on the roof...other side of the road has affordable housing built in the last 5 years and all have solar panels.
So this sounds like it could be an idea to help reduce the bills a wee bit. Anyone else looking at these and what do you think - worth doing or not worth it?
I've got panels on a roof so I'm not looking at plug in but will help, depending on how much electricity you use during the day, as you can't export it to the grid.
When plug in batteries are approved (already available elsewhere) plug in panels will be more useful, as you'll be able to store for use at night, plus charge at cheap rates and either use it during the day or export at a higher rate.
As with everything it's probably best not to be first in.
I'll keep an eye on them as I'm sure the price will drop when more retailers get in on the act.
Should be OK, limit is 800w so the same as a toaster or small air fryer. The only difference is that it'll run for longer periods.
Personally, plug in batteries sound more appealing - store cheap overnight electricity, use it during the day. Works all year round - London gets 8-10 times the insolation in summer vs winter and it gets worse the further north you go.
I'm interested in one to but the best spot for it would be a small balcony at the front of my house, however I can see them being a target for theft though especially whilst new on the market. If situated at the rear that either means mounting on the wall of the house of freestanding in the garden, none of which are ideal (for hassle/looks as well as likely reduced generation)
They look ace but ROI on them is still quite long, I'll be very interested once prices drop.
I also wonder if they are a theft target? A few hundred ££'s of tech sat outside and easily removable.
I'll certainly keep an eye on them. Our roof faces the wrong way for a worthwhile installation. I'd be interested in the output of the panels, as I've a fair bit of experience with portable panels for camping. I've two 100w panels, and you only really get 80w per panel in ideal conditions. This actually drops to about 65w in the height of summer with the heat and hazy sunshine. You also have to re-direct the panels every few hours for optimum charge.
But, these new panels could easily run your fridge, TV and laptop/screens during the day !
We really should be using my big power station to charge phones/laptops more, then recharge for free on solar. Just a bit of faff getting the panels out and putting in the garden to charge the power station.
I looked at ROI, and additional costs updating RCDs here made it very long. We'll probably still do it if/when we need an electrician for another job. Check your consumer unit.
The answer is "it depends" how much you can buy them for, does your garden/balcony catch plenty of sun, can you use it as you get it or are you out all day etc. As others have said, having a battery allows real benefit.
We have solar on our roof and a battery and we are lucky to have a large south facing roof so it works incredibly well for us and I love it. It also saves us loads of money and per annum on our large house our bills are negligible but I didnt do it just for the saving we made a decision to reduce our footprint where we could (ASHP also)
limit is 800w so the same as a toaster
an 800w toaster? On STW? Blasphemer!!!!!!!
2200w dualit or GTFO!
As with everything it's probably best not to be first in.
Why these units have been used in other parts of the world (Europe) for ages.
I think the safety concern is not with the unit itself, its how you use it and whether your electrics in the home are good enough
As others have said, having a battery allows real benefit.
I'm eternally frustrated that I have a 64kWh battery sat of my driveway that I charge cheaply overnight but I cannot use to power my house during the day. It does have V2L but its usability is limited.
Why these units have been used in other parts of the world (Europe) for ages.
We are a fresh market though - all primed for being ripped off! 🤣
Looks like you need a nearly new Consumer unit (post 2019) to be able to do it tho...
what ive seen so far seems massively marked up vs the price of panels and an equivalently sized battery system. Pumps the ROI up.
you appear to be paying quite alot for the simplified hook up .
IF i was in a rental -- thats a different game.
Good explainer from Gary
He's not wrong, but I think he misses the point: a plug in product allows significantly more people to install solar. I haven't checked but I assume a significant portion of the German plug in solar market is renters.
