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

Krakkkers

Any other messages on the screen? It may not have "saved" anything hence zero but just failed and the immersion took what power it needed.
Have the batteries in the clamp failed?

sjb92

Krakkkers said:

Any other messages on the screen? It may not have "saved" anything hence zero but just failed and the immersion took what power it needed.
Have the batteries in the clamp failed?

No, no other messages. Looks otherwise totally normal. Am assuming the batteries in the clamp are OK as the "transmitting" symbol is flashing periodically as it should. 
Am confused by your second sentence - are you saying it might be heating hot water via the immersion, drawing power from the mains if not sunny enough and/or more than I'm generating?

Ellbe1

We have just had solar panels fitted. We are presently with Octopus flexible rate. We are trying to work out whether Octopus Flux or Octopus Intelligent Flux would be best for us. Anyone using these and can give us some advice please?

Netexporter

Welcome to the forum.

You haven't said whether you also have batteries installed. Also, what size PV array/battery do you have and how much electricity do you consume annually? The answer to that will dictate whether Flux, or an entirely different Octopus tariff, would suit you best. In the meantime these videos may help you:

Best Octopus tariff for the Summer? - Simple rule of thumb (youtube.com)

Is Intelligent Octopus Flux Even Better than Octopus Flux? (youtube.com)

gardenharrison

Hello all, can I ask about views on Flux vs standard SEG (ie 15p/KWh, whenever) please? (I'm not able to utilise Agile, or anything else that requires more agility) We've had our setup for about 2 months and just got the export side of things set up with Octopus.

We have 3.8 array, 3.6 inverter. 7KWh battery. Our average daily usage seems to be 6.5KWh. One of us is WFH almost every day. Usage varies a bit (eg heavy clothes wash day) but not much. In April (which seemed to be very cloudy) we have exported about 150KWh in total

We've got growatt, which seems really limited in terms of control. So I'm trying to work out whether it's worth the hassle of switching to Flux, and trying to programme the inverter to maximise the benefits (fully drain in peak time, fill up again in the off-peak night period). Or perhaps there's not much financial difference once you factor in everything, and risks for things going wrong

gardenharrison

...I could also add, if relevant, that our panels are SW-facing. So in theory that really helps in terms of the peak period. (Although this first month I've not really seen that - power generation seems really to dip by 6pm)

Screwdriva

Flux is much more lucrative if you can schedule/ time your heavy appliances (washer, dishwasher etc.) to run during the 2-5am Flux window and minimize consumption of the high draw stuff during the 4-7pm window. If you can, expect to earn well over 20% more for your export, given your SW aspect, which makes a substantial difference outside of the colder months.

Alnat1

@gardenharrison I've also got SW facing panels. I find that with a 3.6 inverter there is often so much still coming off the roof on those good summer days that it's not possible to discharge anything from the battery until after 6pm, even then only a few watts before 7pm.

Last summer Flux was a no-brainer but this year, prices are not so good, I'm still thinking about it. In my region it's 14.3p for export outside the peak, so Agile 15p wins as most of each days export will be outside 4-7pm. "Cheap" Flux import is 14.01p, Agile so far has had cheaper slots if I've needed them and often in the afternoon, good on a dull day. There's also the standing charge to consider, Flux would be 65.37p per day for me, Agile is 53.95p.

Another thing to think about is, if you're filling a DC battery overnight from the grid on the (not so) cheap Flux rate, you can lose up to 10% on the conversion. Then when you discharge the battery, you're losing out again as it converts back. Probably better to only fill it from the grid when weather is poor.

gardenharrison

Thanks @Screwdriva and @Alnat1 that's really helpful. It sounds like I'm probably best off just sticking with a standard octopus tariff (I'm on flexible now, maybe I should fix or go tracker) for the import and use the standard SEG export (15p) as the export. My set up means I can't easily be responsive to daily or hourly changes, which I think rules out things like Agile, if I've understood it right. Thanks again!

Alnat1

gardenharrison said:

Thanks @Screwdriva and @Alnat1 that's really helpful. It sounds like I'm probably best off just sticking with a standard octopus tariff (I'm on flexible now, maybe I should fix or go tracker) for the import and use the standard SEG export (15p) as the export. My set up means I can't easily be responsive to daily or hourly changes, which I think rules out things like Agile, if I've understood it right. Thanks again!

Over the summer months until the end of September you'll not need much from the grid at all, so you don't really have to worry about what time you run the washer/dishwasher etc.it will mostly be covered by the battery or sunshine. I'm sticking with Agile import just in case we get a run of really poor days and I do need a top up, I can then pick out the cheaper slots. Looking back at last year imports were May 20kWh, June 16kWh, July and Aug both 36kWh (it rained a lot) and we tend to use around 9kWh a day on average.

You'll learn a lot over the next few weeks and months and it really takes a full year to understand how to make the best use of your kit through the seasons. This will be my 3rd summer and I still find and try new things, still find it fun too, best toy I ever bought.