Solar panels and battery - any real world reccomendations?

SBo said:
If you are going on Agile Export then you will be selling export at a higher rate kwh for kwh than you pay for gas, in which case a diverter is a false economy.

Also note that some eg the Eddi have a timer option which is useful for setting in winter if you have an off peak rate, when leccy may be cheaper than gas, but if that is the only reason for getting one then a timer switch would be much cheaper!
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I'm with Ovo not sure if they have a tariff like that.

I doubt it's worth changing providers at the moment? Of course I'll have to let them know I've got PV panels but not sure if it'll be more cost effective to move to a different provider with more options (such as economy 7 etc).
 
SBo said:
This is an outrageous rate. Well done.
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It wasn't that good at the time I signed up, it was still 25% higher than what I was paying the week before. At the time, it was slightly above the price cap but has no exit fees for 2 years. Back then no one envisaged Russia invading Ukraine and prices were expected to go back down.

I rolled the dice and won I guess, a few of us ex Green. customers got on it as they were going down the toilet. Martin Lewis was screaming at everyone to fix and I think it was pulled before the end of the day I signed up.
 
Just locked in at the right time. And lucky my renewal came up when it did. Ummed and arghed over whether to go one or two years st the time. Looks a better decision by the day.
 
This is what we’re on but sadly only till January 31st.
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@gpuerrilla I tracked down a local electrician who's getting in to solar - someone on another forum was looking for an electrician in Kent to install there own gear, he's coming out Thursday
 
Just had a chat with the more technical guy from my likely installers.

He says the batteries BMS does know the temp, and its available to get (I think via app), he said its available all the time.
His he said for example never dropped below 8 degrees internal temp.
So for me you would certainly be able to learn your system and hence know what sort of external temp would likely to be in the "shutdown" range for you (ie too hot or too cold)

He says I should definitely create a small cover to keep the direct sun off considering they would be perfectly aligned south.

He also confirmed the BMS would not allow charging to take place if the temp was too cold.

I said I supposed the biggest risk would be sustained cold when say on holiday as there wouldn't be the usage so maybe some additional insulation and he said yes something like those builders blankets the put over brickwork if they expect frost.
Although thinking about it, sustained cold for that period in the UK and being away sounds more like a once in 200 years type event than a frequent one.
I mean if your not using the battery then the temps don't really matter, just an issue for when you get home if its got really cold, with no usage the battery is likely to be much closer to ambient.

Think I am basically ready to sign up in that case.

Thought I would drop all this info in here as its potentially useful for anyone else who may actually read the spec sheets!
 
HungryHippos said:
I had to call them, the number they gave me was 0300 30 30 635 (Mon - Fri 9am to 5pm)
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Just signed up to Bulb, took 11 minutes, very easy to do, paying exactly the same as the capped rates I'm on now, but will mean when I finally get my battery I can switch to the EV tariff (no EV required), and with a bit of luck Octopus will buy out bulb.
 
Yup 100% same approach here!

Apparently I'll be fully switched over in about a week but I can see EDF seem to have issued me a bill, so looks like might already be switched.
 
The speed surprised me, they said I'll be switched over by next Wednesday. I used to switch every year and never remember it being that quick, guess very few are switching now.

Now all I need is for it to go well with electricians tomorrow then I can try my luck at ordering some gear.
 
Ron-ski said:
Now all I need is for it to go well with electricians tomorrow then I can try my luck at ordering some gear.
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Are you still going with the 8000kVA Victron? If so is it the Multiplus (II) or Quatrro, or even the Easy Solar if they do an 8kVa model of that?

Busy getting my swap over sorted, just waiting on a couple of supplier prices to come back, one of them is offering trade pricing, so lets see if that is actually competitive.
 
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It's tough trying to predict what's going to happen. Latest yearly figures for energy are £4,300 according to the MSE email I received last night. Maybe £16k on a solar setup with batteries is worth it.

On the other hand, we'd love to move house so investing in solar might be a bad move if we're not staying long enough to see the returns outweigh investment. Can't find anything on the market that matches what we're after either..

The way things are going I can see homes with solar being more attractive and therefore contributing to a house's value.

Has anyone here navigated a situation like ours? I can't imagine it's uncommon. Would love to know what the decision was - stay and invest / invest but move a year or so later / stay and decide to weather the storm of the unknown.
 
You can never guarantee solar will add value, nice to have, but not to be taken for granted.

Plan for it to be useful whilst you live there accordingly. £16k is very expensive unless you're getting a baller system for that.
 
I don't think solar has penetrated the market enough yet. Literally none of the hundreds of houses I viewed or considered had solar. Usually folks buying solar and those staying put; I'd wager.
 
Cadder said:
Has anyone here navigated a situation like ours? I can't imagine it's uncommon. Would love to know what the decision was - stay and invest / invest but move a year or so later / stay and decide to weather the storm of the unknown.
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Ultimately you need to find out if you need or want to move. There's lots more to it for some folk, what with rising rates and and the potential in the near future for a house price drop, even if only temporary.

I'd say spending £16k is on the high-end to being unable to get the money back in the added value, especially if a similar system would be available for less. What specifications are you being quoted for £16k?
 
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