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Lights on electricity meter
Sorry I bet this may read a bit noddy....... The lights on my electricity meter can be solid red, flashing red or off. Sometimes I get the word red on the led screen. When I am generating electricity with PV how do I check that I am using my own generated electricity rather than drawing from the grid? Hope this makes…
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Help with string inverter problem
Hi everyone I had a 3.99kW solar panel installed in Oct 2010 with an SMA brand inverter which was a Sunny Boy 3800 - in production for >5years by then. 5yrs8mths on, the readings per day seemed to halve. My installer sent an electrician who confirmed the voltage levels were OK and that it is the SMA Sunny Boy 3800 inverter…
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Would you do it again?
Hi there I have been lurking in the background for a number of weeks and finally got brave and have decided to post. Recently moved house to the South Lakes, in a sun trap quite close to the sea and plan to be here a good while. Have been reading the posts and doing the calculations and I am considering having solar panels…
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PV Monitors
I've had a quote which includes Solaredge inverter, plus a real-time monitoring device. Is the device really necessary or is it just another expense/piece of unneccessary electronica? I thought with Solaredge I could log-on to it with my computer? Or have I mixed that up with another system?
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Tumble dryers: energy efficiency
Tumble dryers are rated according to an energy label. They are rated according to energy consumption per year, i.e. kWh/year. This is given as a precise figure. However, dryers with a lower energy ratings may have a good annual consumption figure and vice versa. Why is this? My Hotpoint TVFM70B is a vented version, a B,…
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New government grants- solar panels
Hello, My partner has said he seems to think new grants are available for solar panels. Can anyone point me in the direction as to wether this is true and where this information on how to get could be found please. All I can find is old information. Thanks in advance Helen
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4ECO (Immersun) Insolvency
Was considering adding the monitoring to our current ImmersunII only to be greeted with this on visiting their website. "It is with great sadness that we must announce the impending closure of 4eco Limited and consequent immediate cease of trading. The solar industry has had many highs and lows over the years, with the…
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nation grid and solar
so this is the place you solar guys live, do any of you ever take note of the national grid to see how much solar and wind produce? I use to always think we must have decent production from free energy but after checking online I see we really don't. it seems every house would need solar panels and fit wind turbines all…
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Sapphire panels
Anyone got any experience of these or now anything about them or the company? I've had a quote which includes these panels, but i've not heard of them before and haven't found a lot on google!
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hot water immersion heater
Just roughly, how much does it cost to have a hot water immersion heater installed? I'm getting quotes for getting solar PVs and wondering if it's worth using the power to heat water (can that then be diverted to use in the central heating?)
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removing solar panels cost
hi all, searched this forum but havent found answer to this but maybe someone has an idea.......... considering having a new roof fitted and would have to factor in cost of removing then refitting panels, roof was ok at time of installation and I am thinking longtrem sort of do it now than later . If anyone has an inkling…
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Battery system for Solar PV
Hi everyone Today I was visited by an outfit trying to flog a battery system for my solar PV (3.5kW system installed in 2011). Fortunately, I had my relevant numbers in mind (c.3200 kWh annual generation, current electricity costs, broad split of generation across the year, electricity consumption). I knew I was in for an…
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Thermal Heat Store question
Dear Money Savers We have been having trouble with our hot water cylinder, and feel it may be on its last legs. I have wondered about a thermal heat store to replace it. Our current system is a hot water cylinder, using off-peak electricity. Water pressure is via a Salamander pump, now broken after 2 years. We use night…
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Generation meter has no display
Hi Wasnt sure if here or `in my home` was the best forum for this.. We have an E110 generation meter that has lost its display , the inverter in the loft has power and a green light , and the meter itself also has power (i had an electrician come in and he confirmed this for me) We inherited the system in June and previous…
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Solar PVs - worth the investment?
As the interest rates are so rubbish now (and I do appreciate they might not always be this bad), we are considering investing in solar PVs. I know the tariffs have dropped significantly, so is it still worth the investment? I'm particularly concerned about what would happen if they had a fault, or say, something hit them…
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quote check
First quote (verbal, not written and from company owner, not surveyor) includes installation, scaffolding, guarantees (backed by insurance, etc) 14 x SunEddisson 285 panels with solarx inverter - £4500 or same panels with individual enphase inverter £4995 what do you think?
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Solar Immersion
Thinking of getting a solar immersion for water .I have a 2.5kw system but at the moment the water is heated from the gas boiler old style gravity fed , with no control only from boiler for water temp.So have it on in the summer for 1/2 hour a day to heat water, in winter it s on automatically with the central heating.So…
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Wooden/Laminate Flooring
Hi guys, I have a son with bad asthma and a wife with sinus problems, so have decided to get rid of our carpets. Laminate flooring seems the obvious choice (looks good and reasonably priced), but I'm concerned about toxic off gassing (eg formaldehyde). The guy I spoke to in the shop tells me that the Egger brand -…
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Solar PV viability?
I had solar pv 4 kwp installed in the early days so was on full tarrif. We moved a week ago so left 6 or 7 k in debit. I know things have changed a lot, but on our old system we had a digital electricity import meter whereas here its a whirling disc. I seem to remember that this meant it went backwards when you exported…
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How to keep birds off my panels?
My top row are covered in bird***t. Which no doubt means they're not producing to their optimum, and going into our so call peak summer (HA!!!!) I really want them working at full capacity for those fleeting moments that the sun comes out to say hello. This must be a common problem. How have others tackled this problem? My…