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Solar and smart meters
Hi, In the past I've read a few reports of problems with smart meters when the house has solar panels. Are there still any downsides to installing a smart meter? I've got a 4 kW PV system with one of the oldest FIT tariffs, with an Immersun diverter and ASHP. I already have an emonPi system so i can monitor my own…
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Wattson Display Unit
I think that my Wattson display unit is on the way out. I measure 16 volts DC at this power supply when it is not under load. There are internal batteries which look like a pack of five AA batteries that are encapsulated in plastic. I surmise that the batteries are probably at fault. Has anyone else had any problems? Are…
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Self Install Solar PV
As I have a loft conversion looming I'm considering doing a small self install PV system whilst we have scaffolding up and easy roof access. 7 x ~300W panels Growatt 2500 Inverter Fastensol Mount System Current meter is old analogue type and will possibly run backwards under export conditions. If/when this is changed I…
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Extractor Fan?
Any thoughts on whether a heat-exchanging extractor fan gives a worthwhile energy saving?
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Thermal honeycomb blind conundrum!
As our double glazed windows lose around 2kW of energy per day I'm rather taken with fitting Thermal honeycomb blinds as they appear to offer an insulative benefit over the existing items. I appreciate we shall only save a portion of this figure but I've purchased four initially to cover those windows that are north…
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SSE launches ‘free electricity’ tariff for EV drivers
https://www.yourmoney.com/household-bills/sse-launches-free-electricity-tariff-for-ev-drivers/ Opinions? Need to look what is the price for the energy outside 12-7 AM and the SC. Will update later. Edit: Unit rate17.53p per kWh Standing charge21.97p per day Not cheap.
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BG FIT PAYMENTS cheque or BACS
Whereas other providers have been paying their FIT payments by BACS British Gas still sends out cheques at cost and inconvenience to their clients and themselves. I was told by BG several years ago that a change to BACS was "imminent" but still nothing on the horizon. One would think Centrica might be interested to improve…
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Are solar PV installer proposals and quotes intentionally lacking in transparency and detail?
Never having had solar before, and not knowing too much about the tech at the time, when I’ve gone through the paperwork for our system, the solar installation quotes (from five different installers) seem to lack transparency and specificity. Not a single quote I received stated the size of the inverter they’d install or…
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Best hot water tank?
I plan to install a hot water tank. At present I have a combi boiler retrofitted to a house that used to have a tank but this made the pipe runs too long so you can fill a bucket with cold water before the hot flows through the tap. I figure this can be achieved by plumbing the feed to the tank as if it is a second…
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Heat Battery
I heard a mention of this piece of technology this weekend; something I had not come across before. As far as I can tell a "heat battery" works like a thermal store but rather than using water as the storage medium it uses a material that undergoes a phase change at around 60 C. Cooling through a phase change often…
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Installing solar panels on my Van. Looking for some advice.
Hi guys. I've just started getting into renewable energy but I haven't got a clue what I'm doing really. I've done a little research but I still find the numbers baffling. I've bought a few bits and bobs that have been recommended to me by others but now comes the part where I put it all together. I have a sneaking feeling…
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Hybrid Vs BEVs
Hybrids (very different from the past) will win the race this is why Model 3 Low range ..........£30k....100 miles......150kg. <--- this option doesn't exist but it should Model 3 Standard range ..£40k... 210 miles......320kg Model 3 long range...........£48k....310 miles.....480kg Range extender generator. 80kg £1,500…
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California bans sale of fur clothing
Fantastic news, and hopefully other states/countries will follow suit: https://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-fashion/california-bans-sale-new-furs.html "On Friday, California's governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill that will ban the sale of all new fur products. The bill (AB44) applies to clothing, handbags, shoes,…
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Solar Panel Help
Looking for some advice regarding solar panels and registering them... I moved into a new build on 29th March 2019 which had solar panels installed, the builders raved about them when selling the house and how it cuts cost of the bills etc. Thats as much as I understand about them. I tried to register the panels with…
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The race to self drive software
What if instead of full self drive software the tech companies or car companies or Uber just hire people to remotely drive their taxis? Business model: As now Imagine a model 3 let's say it costs $100,000 over 1 million miles $50,000 car $25,000 electricity $25,000 maintenance $750,000 to pay a human driver to drive for…
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100GW offshore wind power by 2030 possible?
Moving to an electricity system which charges a high line rental and a wholesale per unit price is essential to decarb more deeply more rapidly. 100GW additional offshore wind power by 2030 could be possible with this method else it will be impossible simply by the fact PEAK winter demand is only about 50GW so we can't…
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Northern California braced for mega power cut
I wonder if this will make people in California (and elsewhere if they also have unreliable power supplies) look at gaining some measure of energy self-sufficiency? While the monetary costs of solar and batteries may not add up when you have a very reliable grid, I'm sure it starts to add up when you don't...…
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RHI Products
Hi I am about to replace my Gledhill hot water cylinder which no longer works. I would like to know if it is possible or even plausible to replace it with a renewable heat incentive product?
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How green is your energy tariff?
Apologies if this has been done before. Yesterday I was approached by my FiT provider Good Energy with details of their electricity supply tariff. It was more expensive than my current provider Bulb and I provided feedback to that effect. I received an email from Good Energy this morning which said Most Renewable suppliers…
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Renewable heating grants
Hi does anyone know if there are any Grant's available for installing renewable forms of heating into a new self build house
