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

Exiled_Tyke

70sbudgie said:

Reed_Richards said:

70sbudgie said:

Has anyone else looked into FIR (far infrared) heating? It can also be referred to as high efficiency electric heating.... 

But only by marketing types who don't care about telling porkies.  All direct radiant heating is bound by the laws of physics to an inverse square law of efficiency.  If you are one metre away you get X amount of heat, 2 metres away you get X/4, 3 metres away it's X/9 etc.  So anything claiming to heat the person not the room only works if the person remains very close to the heat source. 

I suppose you could focus the FIR and move the lens around to track the position of the person in the room, that would give you better than inverse square drop-off.  But they don't work that way and if they did it would still only work for one person at a time.      

I'd not thought of it, but this is why it works so well in my home office - I sit about half a metre from the panel. Hmm, perhaps that makes my "trial" a bit misleading and the context is even more important than I'd considered. It works well if you are heating a stationary individual who is near to the panel. 

It is still only 300W though, which is far better than most small heaters which are typically 1.2kW or more.

Last winter I bought a 1kW electric radiator. I can turn it down to 400W which is perfect when I'm working at home.  It cost me £30 and has been excellent value for money.   

To take it to a further extreme I think I remember a discussion on here of people using heated seat pads which are even cheaper to run and apparently adequate for keeping warm in an office.  I haven't gone down this route though, 

QrizB

Exiled_Tyke said:

To take it to a further extreme I think I remember a discussion on here of people using heated seat pads which are even cheaper to run and apparently adequate for keeping warm in an office.  I haven't gone down this route though, 

That was probably me   it pulled about 20W and worked a treat last winter, I'll have to get it out and make sure it still works for this one.

heskethbang

We moved into our house 5 years ago and it came with solar panels. I’ve just been sending British Gas the meter readings every quarter and getting a payment. Now that energy is much more of an issue, I have 2 questions:
1) is it worth switching FIT provider in the hope of larger payments and will it affect my normal energy provider deal - or are the 2 not connected in any way?

2) am I better off using energy by day to benefit from solar energy generated, eg, washing machines, or does it make no difference?

ed110220

heskethbang said:

We moved into our house 5 years ago and it came with solar panels. I’ve just been sending British Gas the meter readings every quarter and getting a payment. Now that energy is much more of an issue, I have 2 questions:
1) is it worth switching FIT provider in the hope of larger payments and will it affect my normal energy provider deal - or are the 2 not connected in any way?

2) am I better off using energy by day to benefit from solar energy generated, eg, washing machines, or does it make no difference?

You're better off using your own solar generation instead of buying from the grid as the FIT is paid on all electricity you generate whether you use it yourself or not. So you'll also save whatever it costs to buy electricity, eg for me that would be 28.4p/kWh.

paul991

depends on  how old the house is and and  what year fit scheme was joined. was it  a new house?
fit is the same which ever supplier you use. 

heskethbang

Thanks for replies. I think the previous owner had them installedbetween 2012 and 2015. I too thought the rate was the same, but then I saw this table
of different suppliers offering different rates on export? https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/free-solar-panels/?__cf_chl_tk=WasA6PZFZ9_QV.qvZU7JYrHq11aJI95JP.eYcK9C59I-1660727376-0-gaNycGzNC70

EricMears

heskethbang said:

We moved into our house 5 years ago and it came with solar panels. I’ve just been sending British Gas the meter readings every quarter and getting a payment. Now that energy is much more of an issue, I have 2 questions:
1) is it worth switching FIT provider in the hope of larger payments and will it affect my normal energy provider deal - or are the 2 not connected in any way?

2) am I better off using energy by day to benefit from solar energy generated, eg, washing machines, or does it make no difference?

1.  Assuming you're on the FIT scheme,  the amount you're paid for generating would remain the same whichever company are paying it.  On the standard scheme they (separately) assume that you export 50% of generation (unless you've got an actual export meter that they know about) and pay a small amount for that.

You could uncouple generation & export,  get a smart meter and sell your actual surplus to a different company. That might be a better deal but could be worse - depends entirely on your usage patter.  Basic generation can remain with original provider or be moved elsewhere but no difference in amount you receive - just speed at which you get it.

2. If you're exporting at more than your import rate it's best to maximise export.  If not (and that's usually the case) it's best to minimise export.

Exiled_Tyke

heskethbang said:

Thanks for replies. I think the previous owner had them installedbetween 2012 and 2015. I too thought the rate was the same, but then I saw this table
of different suppliers offering different rates on export? https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/free-solar-panels/?__cf_chl_tk=WasA6PZFZ9_QV.qvZU7JYrHq11aJI95JP.eYcK9C59I-1660727376-0-gaNycGzNC70

This article refers to the SEG (export scheme) which is available to those not entitled to FIT payments (i.e. more recent installations) . If your system was installed before the end of 2015 then the FIT payments will be much higher than this and rise with inflation.  You should be able to look at a statement to see what you are getting.  In short if the payments are coming through without a problem you should NOT consider making any changes. 

And as others have said you should always be looking to use the electricity you produce rather than import.  For us the dishwasher and washing machine are the main expenses and we can set both to come on at particular times to try to match with the best times for production.  You would do well to monitor your system and learn when it is at its most productive (depending on orientation).   Ours is mainly West facing so early afternoon tends to be the peak. 

orrery

Exiled_Tyke said:
And as others have said you should always be looking to use the electricity you produce rather than import.  For us the dishwasher and washing machine are the main expenses and we can set both to come on at particular times to try to match with the best times for production.  You would do well to monitor your system and learn when it is at its most productive (depending on orientation).   Ours is mainly West facing so early afternoon tends to be the peak. 

It doesn't always follow. If you are on deal like Octopus Go, then the rates are around 7.5p for 4 hours overnight and over 4 times that for daytime. With a ratio of over 4:1, you'd need to make sure that more than 75% of what you use is generated by your own solar, otherwise you are better off just setting the timer for overnight. Very few days in this country are clear blue sky, despite recent experience.

Exiled_Tyke

Fair point.  Although you are assuming EV ownership and access to Octopus Go - in the same way that I'm assuming batteries to smoothen out the peaks and troughs of production on a sunny spells kind of day.