Renewables: "talking 'bout my generation"

KevinG

From my best day ever on Monday to 2.08 kWh yesterday (an O and a bit). At least the sun's shining this morning.

legoman62

Oscargrouch wrote: »

I can see why none of the regulars have posted yet....

3.57 O's yesterday....today will be my worst day here on the E. Coast:(

EricMears

Oscargrouch wrote: »

I can see why none of the regulars have posted yet....

I wouldn't exactly call myself a 'regular' ( I tend only to post when I've something unusual to report or to give longer term summaries)

Yesterday we generated 4.96 kWh - giving an E value of approx. 2.6 (i.e. FIT payment was 2.6 times cost of investment). Back in December we'd have been dancing in the streets at that

But we're already above the pvgis generation forecast for May (getting an E value of 8.8) so I'm not going to burst into tears about one poor day. Indeed, I've a dual celebration from that in that (a) my water tanks are completely full ahead of any potential drought and (b) the panels are beautifully clean ready for the sunshine to come.:T

John_Pierpoint

Wh05apk wrote: »

25.32kwh or 6.88 "o's" yesterday, today is pretty similar, production more or less over for today, but 73kwh over the bank holiday.

Only had the system installed for 24 days and about 385kwh produced, which even with some of the lousy weather is still about 50kwh up on predicted.

Very happy monitor watcher so far!

Oh these pedantic people who correct other people's spellings, don't you just love 'em.;)

Welcome to the Essex chapter of the club.

Fruit_and_Nut_Case

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Oh these pedantic people who correct other people's spellings, don't you just love 'em.;)

Welcome to the Essex chapter of the club.

kWh* would be even nicer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muphry%27s_law

John_Pierpoint

csh wrote: »

Yeah I do own them, FIT account is still being transferred into our name at the moment so waiting to hear back from British Gas.
The last reading was submitted 6/4 by the girl who sold us the house. It was her Dads house but he died so she didn't have much info on the panels to pass along to us.

My electricity is currently with Scottish Power, but I chose British Gas for my FiT, mainly because they were prepared to do the arrangements using email, so there would be no argument about when I registered with them and got the pre-march 2012 deal.

You should get an email every quarter instructing you to enter your reading on a form. Then a cheque, with a counterfoil explaining the calculation, turns up 7 - 10 days later:

Send us your Feed in Tariff meter reading and get paid
>>
>>
>>
>> Your Feed in Tariff (FiT) payment for , AANN NAA is due very soon. So
>> we can send your FiT payment, we need your FiT meter reading. If you’ve
>> sent us your reading in the last few days then please disregard this
>> email.
>>
>> Give us your meter reading online
>> Please send it to us within seven days of the date of this email.
>>
>> You'll need to give us:
>>
>>
>>
>> • Your meter reading
>>
>>
>> • The date it was taken
>>
>>
>> • Your installation ID, which is 9500000nnnnn
>>
>>
>> • Your Meter Serial Number, which is: Annnnnnnnn
>>
>>
>>
>> Please ensure that you enter your installation ID and Meter Serial
>> Number exactly as shown above and do not include any additional
>> characters.

http://www.britishgas.co.uk/fitreads?cid=memgmrfit
==================================================

There has been a lot of argument on MSE over the last 3 years about the effect of PV panels on the capital value of a home.

Obviously the design of the panels and the out-look of the roof involved does have a bearing on the matter; but what were your thoughts as you evaluated an appropriate offer for what is now your property?

csh_2

From my point I view, having not made the decision to spend the capital, the PV system did not add any value to the house. In my last house I spent 10k on a high spec kitchen and it did not add any to the value of the house and I sort of view them te same.
I'm really pleased to have them but I was not prepared to pay a premium for someone else's decision, especially since I don't think the previous owner got a particularly good deal on price. I was not prepared to borrow the money on my mortgage to 'buy' the system as I would be paying around £2 back for every original £1 borrowed.
In the end I made it clear that I could take or leave the panels and if they wanted me to buy it would be an offer based on house value alone. I did pay £5k above my original offer. The original offer was for the house with the PV panels removed, for no other reason than I wanted bargaining power as I bought the house for £20k under HR and that way they thought they had 'sold' the panels for 5k.

Sorry that was a bit of a ramble but it seems to be down to personal preference. Some folks loathe the panels and wouldn't buy a house with them under any circumstances.
I like them but not at a premium price.

EricMears

csh wrote: »

From my point I view, having not made the decision to spend the capital, the PV system did not add any value to the house. In my last house I spent 10k on a high spec kitchen and it did not add any to the value of the house and I sort of view them te same.
I'm really pleased to have them but I was not prepared to pay a premium for someone else's decision, especially since I don't think the previous owner got a particularly good deal on price. I was not prepared to borrow the money on my mortgage to 'buy' the system as I would be paying around £2 back for every original £1 borrowed.

A kitchen might attract buyers but I agree it wouldn't actually persuade them to offer any more. Indeed, many house buyers might well decide to rip out a perfectly good kitchen and replace it with something they think would suit them better.

However, buying a house with solar panels is slightly different in that you're also buying an income stream. Certainly not worth the (exorbitant) original fitted price but surely worth something.

csh_2

Yeah, but if you are borrowing money over 25 years to buy that income stream the return may not be worth it.
The whole set up is certainly worth the initial investment but there doesn't seem to be any added value in the secondary market so I wouldn't have thought it would be worth it unless you planned to be in the house a long time.

John_Pierpoint

You had better be careful or you will be going "That is another inflation proof tax free fiver day today" - and checking that your inverter has not inadvertently turned itself off, like the rest of us.

Don't forget to save up for a replacement inverter in say 10 years time.
But costs have been falling fast, up to now that is. We will have to see what the EU anti dumping measures have against the Chinese.