Best tariff to choose

pagan8c_2

I now have solar panels fitted to my house and am thinking of switching provider or changing to another tarriff.My question is ,is it better to choose a tariff with a lower daily rate but slightly higher Kwh rate or a higher daily rate but lower Kwh tariff.Before the fitment of my 4Kw system I was using approx 4500 Kwh. It is difficult to work the figures out at this stage because I won't know how much I will save on my electric bill.Just wondered if anybody had an idea who has a similar system.I have been given a predicted figure of around 3500 Kwh yearly output from my system.

theboylard

For me, with the summer savings by not using the boiler and diverting excess generation to the immersion, a lower standing charge would be better.
Aug '14 - Gas used = £2.42, Standing Charge = £8.06 (both ex vat)
Jul '14 - Gas used = £7.71, Standing Charge = £8.06 (both ex vat)
Jun '14 - Gas used = £1.63, Standing Charge = £7.80 (both ex vat)
May '14 - Gas used = £17.74, Standing Charge = £8.06 (both ex vat)
Apr '14 - Gas used = £41.67, Standing Charge = £8.58 (both ex vat)

Dunno what happened in July?! Diverter fitted in April, but forgot to flick a switch till end of May. Boiler is old xyz rated Ideal W2000 60F (G really!).
We want to replace boiler and tank before xmas but hard work finding someone good and available!! Money sat in account, waiting to be spent!!!

pagan8c_2

Thanks.I don't have an immersion heater as I have a new combi boiler so no saving there.The trouble is there are so many different fixed dual fuel tariffs with all the utilities it is hard to decide what to do.I will just have to contact various companies and get a quote.

jimjames

For a 4kWp system in the ideal direction and angle you should be looking at well over 4000kWh per year generation.

We have 3kWp panels and are getting about 3200kWh. Unfortunately it's hard to know how much you'll actually be able to use which makes the calculations more difficult. We're lucky in that we effectively use 100% at the moment but when that changes we'll have to plan things a bit more to optimise use.

ed110220

pagan8c wrote: »

Thanks.I don't have an immersion heater as I have a new combi boiler so no saving there.The trouble is there are so many different fixed dual fuel tariffs with all the utilities it is hard to decide what to do.I will just have to contact various companies and get a quote.

I doubt that will be an easy method given the number of companies and the different pricing structures. I'd take a very rough estimate of what your consumption will be, say 3500 kWh a year and feed it into one of the comparison websites like uswitch. Then it will list the cheapest deals for you. I didn't chose the cheapest of all as it had terrible reviews. Then in a year when you have your new consumption figures repeat the process.

pagan8c_2

Thanks everybody, I have done a couple of quote tests on different sites and they all seem to come out not dissimilar to each other depending how long I want to fix for . I am going to stay with Scottish Power as my fix doesn't run out till next February and I want to avoid the £60 switch fee it would cost now. It will give me a chance to get my Fit payments sorted and an idea of what kind of savings I can get even in the Autumn/winter period.

silverwhistle

This is always a difficult one to answer as it depends also on usage patterns. I'm on a very expensive unit rate, for example, but with a zero standing charge, but then my last 6 months bills for both fuels came to £81. I'd hope to not use any gas for hot water heating until mid/late October so my next gas bill will also be low. The issue is further confused by the recent installation of a wood-burner (not for money saving purposes!), but it all impacts on my usage.