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Snow on Solar Panels
Earlier this morning I noticed our panels were still covered in snow, after it had melted off the surrounding roof. I don't know why that would be. But the surprise was seeing that even in that state they were still whacking out 2kW when the sun was out.
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Anyone Using Solax X1 AC 3.6kW Inverter with Batteries
Looking at battery storage, my solar is 5.2kW split on two roofs, 7 JA 380 each covers most of the day with Solax X1 Boost 3.6kW since last September 2021. Octopus Go is now at 34p Peak and 7.5p Off-Peak and 44p daily standing charge when I renew in four months, big increase in annual cost need EV tariff for Car. Now…
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Greener Days EV Charging Octopoints
been charging our EV overnight on 🐙 ‘Greener Days Forecast’ for the last couple of months and today got our email from 🐙 saying we had charged 4 week long streak on greener days so received 80 octopoints - which equate to 10p - obviously aren’t doing it for the money 🤣 but it’s good knowing we are charging when the grid is…
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Experience with Intelligent Octopus Flux
Hi, Now this is available for my system I'd be interested in any comments from people on the tariff, or who've been on it in the past. Some specific questions .. (1) How much control do you still have over your system? They refer to using the Octopus app to "manage your smart charging", implying you still have some…
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Octopus Flux Import Tariff vs Loyal Octopus 16 Month Fix
I received an email from Octopus about possibly moving onto a fixed tariff as prices are going up in April. The details of the new tariff did not include the cheap night time rate. I called Octopus and spoke to one of their customer service representatives. He clarified that the cheaper night time rate would still be…
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Solar, battery, worth it for partly occupied house?
Questions for the group. I'm lucky enough to have a second house (before you get jealous, it's in that well-known Northern resort of Bolton). It's occupied around 30% of the time. I need to fit an EV charger at the house. So the questions are:* Given the occupancy, is it worth fitting a battery? * Given the occupancy, is…
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MSE News: Hive admits some users can't connect their electric vehicle chargers to its app
Smart home tech provider Hive has admitted it's aware of a problem that's seen some customers unable to connect their electric vehicle (EV) chargers to the Hive app. While you CAN still charge your car if you're affected, you CAN'T use the app's features, such as scheduling to charge your car when it costs less. The fault…
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Best kettle
Our exPM mentioned getting a more efficient kettle to save energy, I am guessing most people already have modern kettles as they don't last for decades and can be a fashion item. But what is the most efficient kettle? I noticed earlier today, my oven was on and and for a few moments it was being powered by my solar panels.…
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New setup export options
Hello, we're having 14 solar panels and 10kwh worth of battery storage installed next month. We are currently on a fixed until Sept dual fuel deal with British Gas. I see that BG have a variable tariff for existing customers currently set at 15.1p. Early exit fees are set at £50 for both gas and electricity. Would I be…
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Help with all the kit I need for connecting Batteries to home
Please could you help me with the list of materials I need to connect the following batteries to my home to use The batteries I am looking at are the Fogstar 16kwh https://www.fogstar.co.uk/collections/solar-battery-storage/products/fogstar-energy-16kwh-48v-solar-battery I have a small consumer unit in the garage with a…
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Are biodegradable sponges also compostable?
I've seen these and they're fairly cheap https://amzn.eu/d/fVBBuDo However they're not explicitly marked as being compostable. I would have however thought that given they're made from plant based materials, that they'd also compostable? My scraps are composted through a commercial composter too which should in theory make…
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Landlord installed solar panels MCS issue
Hi, I can't find an answer to this, and please point me in the right direction if there is one somewhere! I'm in social housing, the property is owned by a housing association and I rent. The HA has just installed solar panels on my roof, and the inverter runs through my fuse box. I was initially told that I could get a…
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Solar system savings - sense check
Hi all, We had our solar panels installed in early 2023 but I've only just recently had a chance to sit down and look at what return we're actually achieving (not helped by some issues we had with our electricity meter). With that said, I was hoping you might be able to sense check my calculations, please? In terms of what…
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best arrangement for solar on a flat roof.
I already have solar on my south and west facing roof, but also have a south facing flat roof, approx 2m x 5m. Can any one suggest a system and panels that would optimise solar on this area. I know you need to leave a bigger gap at the edges of the rood (up to 500m) which means that most solar panels are now to big to go…
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Do I need a bigger inverter?
I'm intending to get solar panels in the near future. An installer has proposed: 8 panels totalling 4.08 kWp DC-coupled battery 10.36 kWh Inverter 3.68 kW Eventually our house will have: Air source heat pump 5 kW Electric oven Induction hob (No intention of getting an EV) Clearly the inverter is adequate for the solar…
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Solar installation: Matt:e PV+ Grid Voltage Monitor
Please can someone help me with some information on a "Matt:e PV+" Grid Voltage Monitor?I have recently bought a house with a solar PV installation, and it has one of these monitors connected.The switch on the monitor itself is in the off ("0") position.I would expect this to mean that the solar panels are isolated from…
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Expanding Solar Array
Has anyone gone about expanding their solar array recently? I'm thinking of adding additional panels to my garage in a possible 4+3 split. My current system is an Enphase IQ7+ micro-inverter (20) coupled with Givenergy AC and a DNO export limit of 8.8KVA. But I rarely hit 5.5KVA export. Am I correct in thinking this should…
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Trouble accessing GU10 bathroom bulb
I am struggling to access thr bulb to replace it. I have just managed to change 8 around the house and this shower room one is causing me a headache. I have removed the outer chrome ring, and i cant be surenif the whole unit needs replacing or if inshould going at digging at the plastic seal by the indent or if it is a…
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Best battery set-up for large(ish) solar array but with low export limit set by DNO?
Hi, I have really been struggling to get my head around the best battery setup for my situation. We have had a 9.57kW solar array installed onto south (5.22kW) and south-west (4.35kW) facing roofs but have been limited to a 4kW export by the DNO (we requested 8kW via G99) We have only been in the property for a few months…
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Which EV charger?
Am about to buy an EV and am looking at chargers, which is a bit of a maze. I am switching to Octopus for energy, so will be able to switch to one of their suitable tariffs. Where I am confused is that certain chargers say they are only compatible with certain energy company smart tariffs, which seems crazy to me, why…
