Solar panel production figures

Ive put this up before on a previous thread. This is predicted production for my postcode area for the year, based on my system size.......i got the target for January wrong as i though it was 117, but its not, its 97 and we are already on 103.6

 
Last edited:
Just checked ours and we got 10880, cost just under £4 so £9.60 in profit… can’t wait until Tuesdays results are in as this may cover most of the standing charge this month
 
Mercenary Keyboard Warrior said:
I pulled in probably 4kwh at that point, but I would have pulled it later anyway, my batteries were flat at around 10pm
Click to expand...
thats the thing though, i was pulling nothing from the grid at all on tuesday until after 4pm.......during the day i was working from home and had the washing machine on, but was still exporting to the grid. So no way i could have boosted my use, to make gains in the saving session, was just too sunny.

I'm just glad that im a low energy user anyway, so its not really aimed at someone like me, who only pays around £40 a month on electric, including standing charge ( only used 85kwh) last month
 
Last edited:
Welshman said:
thats the thing though, i was pulling nothing from the grid at all on tuesday until after 4pm.......during the day i was working from home and had the washing machine on, but was still exporting to the grid. So no way i could have boosted my use, to make gains in the saving session, was just too sunny.

I'm just glad that im a low energy user anyway, so its not really aimed at someone like me, who only pays around £40 a month on electric, including standing charge ( only used 85kwh) last month
Click to expand...

I'm the opposite a reasonably high user. We use around 20-21 kwh daily this time of year.

But simply speaking the formula they are using is broken.
Its the same formula used on the generation side, but on that side there will be less opportunity for manipulation.

The formula used here I guess assumes that the 10 day average in the actual "savings session" window will be the main factor adjusted, and that the daily adjustment will be small like it would be on the generation side.
But its not necessarily the case. And its easy for a homeowner to a) move a load of usage into that window and/or b) having unusual usage due to solar/batteries, mainly batteries.

So I can easily manipulate my usage due to batteries. Since mine cant cover a days usage unless solar is very high I have a few scenarios,
1) I can time my charge and release times to make any window high or zero usage
2) My shortage I can fill by charging batteries in the day and use them again that day, or I can just allow the grid to operate then

I have too much control over my usage in effect.

The other angle is the economics promote doing the wrong thing.
Lets take Tuesday, and lets use 40p a unit for elec from grid (its my rate).

If I didn't have batteries but decided to do my washing and tumbling in the -4-1 slot.
Say I used an extra 3kwh in that slot compared to normal as I normally wash in the afternoon.

I would be rewarded 3/6 = 0.5kwh on each savings session half hour. Tuesday was 1.5 hours so I was given "credit" for 3x 0.5 = 1.5kwh "saved". That was at £4 per kwh. So £6.
Its energy I would have used at the same cost just a different time, but by load switching into that window I gained.

Without batteries you have to accept there may be some amount of being put out in order to maximise that window. With batteries its practically zero.
You can take maximum advantage and se basically no impact.
And worse, due to the high reward value it practically promotes inefficient and wasteful use.

For you the same would apply.
1) Turn your solar off.
2) Use grid as normal until end of the day adjustment window.

Your usage would mean you had "many" units higher usage in that window and would be rewarded per unit at a rate far higher than you purchased them at.
 
Mercenary Keyboard Warrior said:
I'm the opposite a reasonably high user. We use around 20-21 kwh daily this time of year.

But simply speaking the formula they are using is broken.
Its the same formula used on the generation side, but on that side there will be less opportunity for manipulation.

The formula used here I guess assumes that the 10 day average in the actual "savings session" window will be the main factor adjusted, and that the daily adjustment will be small like it would be on the generation side.
But its not necessarily the case. And its easy for a homeowner to a) move a load of usage into that window and/or b) having unusual usage due to solar/batteries, mainly batteries.

So I can easily manipulate my usage due to batteries. Since mine cant cover a days usage unless solar is very high I have a few scenarios,
1) I can time my charge and release times to make any window high or zero usage
2) My shortage I can fill by charging batteries in the day and use them again that day, or I can just allow the grid to operate then

I have too much control over my usage in effect.

The other angle is the economics promote doing the wrong thing.
Lets take Tuesday, and lets use 40p a unit for elec from grid (its my rate).

If I didn't have batteries but decided to do my washing and tumbling in the -4-1 slot.
Say I used an extra 3kwh in that slot compared to normal as I normally wash in the afternoon.

I would be rewarded 3/6 = 0.5kwh on each savings session half hour. Tuesday was 1.5 hours so I was given "credit" for 3x 0.5 = 1.5kwh "saved". That was at £4 per kwh. So £6.
Its energy I would have used at the same cost just a different time, but by load switching into that window I gained.

Without batteries you have to accept there may be some amount of being put out in order to maximise that window. With batteries its practically zero.
You can take maximum advantage and se basically no impact.
And worse, due to the high reward value it practically promotes inefficient and wasteful use.

For you the same would apply.
1) Turn your solar off.
2) Use grid as normal until end of the day adjustment window.

Your usage would mean you had "many" units higher usage in that window and would be rewarded per unit at a rate far higher than you purchased them at.
Click to expand...
the thing is with the high production of solar for the day, i actually made money...as im working during the 1 to 4 window, i dont have time to switch things on and off and move stuff around.

For me, i made money on they day, so happy
 
SoliD said:
Surely with such low usage your payback term for solar must be in to 20+years?
Click to expand...
not when your getting good export and only paid 5k for the solar..........and your system is sized to suit your needs. on Tuesday we only imported 2.7kwh from the grid, which is 88p say. I exported 9.1kwhs @15p = £1.25. In the the longer sunnier days we could be exporting 20kwhs+ quite easily, so 3 bucks a day and paying out even less than 2.7kwh as the sun comes up earlier and the kettle, toaster etc etc will probably run mostly off solar and the early office use.

It was a no brainer for me and also...i did it more for the green energy than the money.

so far today i have used 1.6kwh from the grid.....and i work from home and my mrs is retired and downstairs with TV, Sky Q on and we have used the washing machine today too
 
Last edited:
Troop said:
Your usage matches mine nearly to a T, must be a Welsh thing :). mine is 98% in the 8p window.

I'm fighting the urge to work the system, just seems wrong, I could put 10kw through the before window.

Might do it just once ;)
Click to expand...
i totally agree with your sentiments on working the system..... i just do my normal daily thing, if it makes me money, then so be it, if it doesn't, then so be it...nothing lost, nothing gained
 
Welshman said:
not when your getting good export and only paid 5k for the solar..........and your system is sized to suit your needs. on Tuesday we only imported 2.7kwh from the grid, which is 88p say. I exported 9.1kwhs @15p = £1.25. In the the longer sunnier days we could be exporting 20kwhs+ quite easily, so 3 bucks a day and paying out even less than 2.7kwh as the sun comes up earlier and the kettle, toaster etc etc will probably run mostly off solar and the early office use.

It was a no brainer for me and also...i did it more for the green energy than the money.

so far today i have used 1.6kwh from the grid.....and i work from home and my mrs is retired and downstairs with TV, Sky Q on and we have used the washing machine today too
Click to expand...
When was it installed as surely at 5k the export prices weren't what they are today? Just curious as you're such a low user you're not the typical solar customer.
 
SoliD said:
When was it installed as surely at 5k the export prices weren't what they are today? Just curious as you're such a low user you're not the typical solar customer.
Click to expand...
it was installed in late October 2022, it was installed 21 days after i said yes to my installation company and octopus had already announced their new export rate of 15p before i pushed the button and as i was a customer i was able to get that rate as soon as i got my mpan number.

And as i stated, i did it as much for the green energy as i did the money. My home office was already being run on a solar generator and a 200w panel in the back garden, so it wasnt using grid energy or very little indeed.

I mean who decides what a typical solar user is???
 
Last edited:
Welshman said:
it was installed in late October 2022, it was installed 21 days after i said yes to my installation company and octopus had already announced their new export rate of 15p before i pushed the button and as i was a customer i was able to get that rate as soon as i got my mpan number.

And as i stated, i did it as much for the green energy as i did the money. My home office was already being run on a solar generator and a 200w panel in the back garden, so it wasnt using grid energy or very little indeed.

I mean who decides what a typical solar user is???
Click to expand...

For most people it doesn't make sense to install solar if they don't use much, so it really boils down to what it costs you, how much it saves you, and how much it pays you. I says most as not everyone will have the same parameters to work with.

What is your expected ROI out of interest? Anything under 10 years is reasonable as things go.

I ran some figures and my install was about £8.5K and I am expecting current setup to save me £1000-£1500 per year, probably closer to the top end of that. Could even exceed it depends on unit rates and a few things.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom