Solar panels and battery - any real world recommendations?

SkyTerran · 12 Jun 2025 at 21:00

Do Eon check the MCS certificate or the G99 approval from the DNO?

200sols · 13 Jun 2025 at 08:52

SkyTerran said:
Do Eon check the MCS certificate or the G99 approval from the DNO?

Yes they do, I think all providers ask for it though, whether ones like Octopus will read it who knows.

Anyway the Eon party may be over for non EV customers, looks like the latest version of the tariff is no longer open to those without an EV.

Next Drive Fixed V8 is now Live!

Hey Community Our new Next Drive V8 is now Live! We're keeping the same great rates as Next Drive V7, the key difference is we've updated the

community.eonnext.com

SkyTerran · 13 Jun 2025 at 10:27

Wonder what would now be the best tariff for people with solar and battery, but without an EV. Maybe Intelligent Octopus Flux.

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 13 Jun 2025 at 10:39

200sols said:
Yes they do, I think all providers ask for it though, whether ones like Octopus will read it who knows.

Anyway the Eon party may be over for non EV customers, looks like the latest version of the tariff is no longer open to those without an EV.

Next Drive Fixed V8 is now Live!

Hey Community Our new Next Drive V8 is now Live! We're keeping the same great rates as Next Drive V7, the key difference is we've updated the

community.eonnext.com

Darn it I was thinking to move later on this year.
Oh well at least Octopus are getting the free energy sessions going again, I miss those, we gained a lot from them, especially in winter.

They seem to have changed the name from powerups to saving sessions though, "Free Electricity is back and better than ever as part of Saving Sessions." yeah thats not going to be confusing at all seeing as it was the name for the demand reduction scheme in Octopus world. Maybe that will be rebranded as well, suggest "export for peanuts" could be the new name

Not sure if the EON tariff would be available anyway, we do have a Hybrid but it never gets charged as my other halves company won't pay for the electric.

b0rn2sk8 · 13 Jun 2025 at 11:32

How do they check you have an EV or not? it doesn’t look like they have anything like the IOG test charge.

I expect they can’t actually tell, particularly if you are charging batteries overnight daily.

200sols · 13 Jun 2025 at 11:43

Pretty easy to tell I'd say. I only use about 10-11 units in the off peak window and then nothing for the rest of the day usually. Fairly obvious that I have a battery not an EV.

tamzzy · 13 Jun 2025 at 11:45

Before v7 I just told them I had an EV and was using the V2 tariff. Might need to advance my plan to buy an EV sooner then :cry:

The PV-specific tariff sucks major donkey balls.

b0rn2sk8 · 13 Jun 2025 at 11:52

200sols said:
Pretty easy to tell I'd say. I only use about 10-11 units in the off peak window and then nothing for the rest of the day usually. Fairly obvious that I have a battery not an EV.

10-11 units will take my car 35+ miles. More than though for most people’s daily milage.

Gazanimal · 13 Jun 2025 at 11:52

Urgh. I was looking at the Eon tariff for my solar, but looks like I may have to look at other options as I'm with Octopus already.

rtho782 · 13 Jun 2025 at 11:53

SkyTerran said:
Do Eon check the MCS certificate or the G99 approval from the DNO?

All the providers want MCS, Octopus have a route to export without MCS.

EON in particular look at your MCS cert, check the expected generation, and if you produce more than expected refuse to pay you, and query how. They don't like brown export (e.g. you importing to charge battery and discharging back to grid).

Octopus don't care about this. I'm with octopus as I have more solar than just my MCS certified array so definitely export more than the MCS cert says I will produce!!

200sols · 13 Jun 2025 at 11:54

b0rn2sk8 said:
10-11 units will take my car 35+ miles. More than though for most people’s daily milage.

And not using any power the rest of the day. As I said its not hard to determine.

Also they have your MCS and DNO stuff and a system schematic showing battery. They know.

Ron-ski · 13 Jun 2025 at 13:22

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior said:
Darn it I was thinking to move later on this year.
Oh well at least Octopus are getting the free energy sessions going again, I miss those, we gained a lot from them, especially in winter.

They seem to have changed the name from powerups to saving sessions though, "Free Electricity is back and better than ever as part of Saving Sessions." yeah thats not going to be confusing at all seeing as it was the name for the demand reduction scheme in Octopus world. .

These are not the power ups, I think these are the national free sessions, but if on an intelligent tariff it gets really confusing, quite a debate going on in the Octopus forums, but no clarity.

john_smith · 13 Jun 2025 at 13:24

SkyTerran said:
Wonder what would now be the best tariff for people with solar and battery, but without an EV. Maybe Intelligent Octopus Flux.

Octopus GO with 15p export. Octopus don't need proof you have an EV on GO.

john_smith · 13 Jun 2025 at 13:26

rtho782 said:
EON in particular look at your MCS cert, check the expected generation, and if you produce more than expected refuse to pay you, and query how. They don't like brown export (e.g. you importing to charge battery and discharging back to grid).

Weird. I was speaking to an installer about this yesterday. EON rejecting applications based on expected generation being under estimated.

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 13 Jun 2025 at 13:32

Ron-ski said:
These are not the power ups, I think these are the national free sessions, but if on an intelligent tariff it gets really confusing, quite a debate going on in the Octopus forums, but no clarity.

Oh maybe, i thought they were also called powerups not saving sessions.
Silly names

200sols · 13 Jun 2025 at 13:41

john_smith said:
Weird. I was speaking to an installer about this yesterday. EON rejecting applications based on expected generation being under estimated.

I think they've been caught out with the amount people are exporting. It's like they didn't realise people who charge their batteries will be exporting almost all of their generation.

b0rn2sk8 · 13 Jun 2025 at 13:57

Octopus have the same rules on Go, they just don’t enforce them.

On the plus side, if I did go to Eon, my MCS says I have a 10kw array but it’s east - west so in reality it performs more like a 7kw array, that will give me a bit of headroom.

SkyTerran · 13 Jun 2025 at 14:14

john_smith said:
Octopus GO with 15p export. Octopus don't need proof you have an EV on GO.

I was wondering the other day - let's say I'm on Go or iGo - during the night can I charge my battery at 7p or 8.5p and straigth away sell the energy back to them at 15p. That is buy 1kw and then sell it right away, repeat untill end of time tariff. Can probably make a couple quid every night this way.

b0rn2sk8 · 13 Jun 2025 at 14:22

SkyTerran said:
I was wondering the other day - let's say I'm on Go or iGo - during the night can I charge my battery at 7p or 8.5p and straigth away sell the energy back to them at 15p. That is buy 1kw and then sell it right away, repeat untill end of time tariff. Can probably make a couple quid every night this way.

You probably will not because it will take a few hours to charge your battery and you’ll want to exit the cheap period with a full battery.

Likewise, the more people do this, the quicker Octopus will make similar moves to Eon or just can the 15p rate.

john_smith · 13 Jun 2025 at 14:27

SkyTerran said:
I was wondering the other day - let's say I'm on Go or iGo - during the night can I charge my battery at 7p or 8.5p and straigth away sell the energy back to them at 15p. That is buy 1kw and then sell it right away, repeat untill end of time tariff. Can probably make a couple quid every night this way.

Yes you can.