So now I have a solar PV system how do I make the most of it???

cdunne

I hadn't realised until my paperwork came through yesterday that the generation tariff was almost 6 times more than the export one anyway. Is the 1.63p the proposed generation tariff rate? I can see how that makes installs non economical (I was quoted a payback of 8.5 years with the current tariff *if* that's right (I'd be surprised) it means it will become 80 years in the future!

this was the water dispenser thing my mum brought me (I didn't want to post the link before in case someone brought it). They seem to fit the bill well. I love the amazon marketing ' Whereas a kettle uses 2,000-3,000W every time it's boiled, the Neostar uses only 680watts to boil water and a measly 2watts to keep it constantly hot'. Someone has worked this flaw out in the reviews! 'Bear in mind it will take approximately 30 minutes to bring cold water to the boil. Heating this quantity of water will cost the same in this boiler as in a kettle'.

I'm thinking take the gamble on the weather and time it to start at midday each day then leave it running through the evening for hot drinks, cooking and washing up etc, then fill a small flask up with 0.5L of the water top it up and turn it off until the next day, then in the morning use the kettle to reboil the 0.5L of water. I suppose I could buy a 'smart switch' to disable it if at midday the panels don't look to be generating.

Has anyone tips on a flask by the way this is about the cheapest glass lined one I've spotted on Ebay but they are using the trade name Thermos when it's not.

Also with regard to smart switches Ebay has this one for only £9.09 but is this reliable / safe to be left on? Do I go for a known name for double the price?

Martyn1981

cdunne wrote: »

I hadn't realised until my paperwork came through yesterday that the generation tariff was almost 6 times more than the export one anyway. Is the 1.63p the proposed generation tariff rate? I can see how that makes installs non economical (I was quoted a payback of 8.5 years with the current tariff *if* that's right (I'd be surprised) it means it will become 80 years in the future!

Yes that 'was' the proposed new FiT tariff. Don't forget the leccy savings and export payments, so the payback term won't be directly linked to just the FiT rate.

News is still breaking, but the government may have backed down (slightly) and the new FiT rate may be 4.39p/kWh for all installs from 0-10kWp. We should learn more later today.

Mart.

ChrisJD

cdunne wrote: »

Whereas a kettle uses 2,000-3,000W every time it's boiled, the Neostar uses only 680watts to boil water and a measly 2watts to keep it constantly hot'. Someone has worked this flaw out in the reviews! 'Bear in mind it will take approximately 30 minutes to bring cold water to the boil. Heating this quantity of water will cost the same in this boiler as in a kettle'.

Indeed so. Although a kettle is a large load, it is not on for long, and at my current tariff I can boil a full kettle for less than 2p.

In fact, it is usually less than full, and having brewed a pot of herb or fruit tea, subsequent mugs are re-warmed in the (lower rated) microwave.

Once you get to this level of detail, you then realise that I save more by getting several mugs from one teabag than I would from free power to heat the water.

[Deleted User]

So now I have a solar PV system how do I make the most of it???

Well that's another nice quarterly FIT payment recieved and chucked into the pension SIPP for more lovely tax relief cash to be added on top

Never had the balls to submit my quarterly reading on the 25th Dec so always do it early...

Cheers

silverwhistle

ChrisJD wrote: »

Once you get to this level of detail, you then realise that I save more by getting several mugs from one teabag than I would from free power to heat the water.

Teabags? Ugh! Not freshly boiled water? Ugh! Not using a teapot...

OK, only teasing, but there are certain lines I draw when it comes to money saving and my regular cuppas are one of them!

I do try not to boil more than I need though, and use a lower rated kettle.

orrery

Martyn1981 wrote: »

....but the government may have backed down (slightly) and the new FiT rate may be 4.39p/kWh for all installs from 0-10kWp....

I suspect that this is just this appalling government's cynical way with manipulation:
- decide on a 'bad' policy
- leak that you are going to introduce something 'very bad'
- wait for the kick back
- reduce it down to just being 'bad'

cdunne

LOL about the tea bag comments!I have a little washing line ready.

On the control front has it *ought* to be possible to automatically look at the power generated by the web monitoring and control a WiFi switch based on this (using https://ifttt.com/?) but I can't find any webpages that detail how to do this exactly.

Cardew

orrery wrote: »

I suspect that this is just this appalling government's cynical way with manipulation:
- decide on a 'bad' policy
- leak that you are going to introduce something 'very bad'
- wait for the kick back
- reduce it down to just being 'bad'

Another way of looking at it is this appalling(we agree there) Government decided on, and leaked, an 'excellent' policy and then didn't have the courage to implement that eminently sensible policy.;)

Martyn1981

orrery wrote: »

I suspect that this is just this appalling government's cynical way with manipulation:
- decide on a 'bad' policy
- leak that you are going to introduce something 'very bad'
- wait for the kick back
- reduce it down to just being 'bad'

I think you are spot on. Similar tricks to before. I got suspicious when they actually did the opposite and set a max CfD bid price for PV farms that was higher than the STA (Solar Trade Assoc) had asked for. Interestingly the government figure was higher than the (then) recently announced nuclear subsidy, suggesting they didn't want two technologies (on-shore wind and PV) both predicting lower rates whilst trying to 'sell' the nuclear subsidy to the populace.

That's already backfired with this years CfD bids for on-shore wind and PV both being cheaper than nuclear already, despite only a tenth of the 60 years of subsidy support nuclear has already received. No probs, says the government, and simply drops PV from the CfD process and imposes draconian rules on on-shore wind deployment ........ somebody, somewhere likes nuclear, or is hoping for a directorship when they retire?

Personally I can't understand how a support figure for domestic PV now of less than nuclear in 2025 can be justified. There's not even a cost implication, just delay 1GW of off-shore wind, which with it's higher subsidy rate and capacity factor would finance 5GWp of domestic PV, (around 250,000 houses pa for 5 years) cheaper and more total generation, and the monies going to households not giant energy companies.

It's been so sad to see all the renewables investment monies flooding out of the UK this year, just when the subsidies were dropping. And in 10 years we get to see the nuclear subsidies flooding out too to China and France.

Of course having a 'just too low' FiT (rather than 6p or 7p) and silly quarterly limits, means the govt can claim to support PV, whilst ensuring they don't.

Must add, not against off-shore wind, it's critical to our mix, but it's high cost of generation (like nuclear) makes a joke of any claims that reducing PV and on-shore wind are for financial reasons.

Mart.

pinnks

I am wondering whether anyone has tried one of the smart sockets mentioned by cdunne and if so how they measure up compared to the more expensive but branded type?