LPG or Solar Panels... Opinions Please!!

Martyn1981

supermassive wrote: »

Anywho - your best option all around is to use solar for electricity, so you can run your electric heating at low or no cost, amongst other electric appliances. You would then be able to use a Solar IBoost in your hot water tank to transfer the spare electricity to your tank as and when. This is almost the same as having solar thermal, but instead of just the water heat, you get the electricity, too.

I agree about the benefits of PV over solar thermal. The issue has come up a few times on Navitron, and generally the flexibility of leccy over hot water, and the FiT subsidy payments means that PV is generally accepted as preferable.

However, I can't agree with:

so you can run your electric heating at low or no cost, amongst other electric appliances.

After deducting normal leccy use, and any diversion to heat water, there won't be any leccy left for space heating ..... perhaps a small bit in the shoulder months Mch/Apr & Sept/Oct but not much.

Looking at Dec/Jan, a house would easily consume 4kWh of leccy for general purposes (and a bit for hot water) so nothing left for space heating. I chose that figure as picking Sheffield as a reference point, even a 4kWp system on a south facing very steep (50d) roof would only generate about 4kWh per day on average.

Using any spare leccy via a heat pump (ASHP, GSHP, A/C) would via the COP increase the value, but if there is little to no spare leccy to start with then .......

Mart.

jacko74

Thanks again for all the replies, I think I'm starting to get some clarity on it all now and definitely swaying towards Solar PV and just committing to an all electric set up... electric shower, electric room heaters, electric water heater in the kitchen.

Don't really have any need for stored hot water as I never have baths, so I'm guessing it would make more sense for any excess leccy to go towards the FIT rather than heating a water tank.

It certainly doesn't seem to make sense to pay out for a conventional wet heating combi and CH system and then still be paying top whack for bottled LPG to fuel it.

Cardew

jacko74 wrote: »

Thanks again for all the replies, I think I'm starting to get some clarity on it all now and definitely swaying towards Solar PV and just committing to an all electric set up... electric shower, electric room heaters, electric water heater in the kitchen.

Don't really have any need for stored hot water as I never have baths, so I'm guessing it would make more sense for any excess leccy to go towards the FIT rather than heating a water tank.

It certainly doesn't seem to make sense to pay out for a conventional wet heating combi and CH system and then still be paying top whack for bottled LPG to fuel it.

From that quote it doesn't appear to me that you have understood the situation.

it would make more sense for any excess leccy to go towards the FIT rather than heating a water tank.

You get the FIT for all the electricity you generate regardless of only using 1% or 100% of that electricity in your house.

definitely swaying towards Solar PV and just committing to an all electric set up... electric shower, electric room heaters, electric water heater in the kitchen.

As has been said above, the amount of electricity you generate when you need heating(i.e. winter) will be minimal. PV doesn't generate at night and virtually nothing on some cloudy days. So the contribution PV will make toward heating and electric showers is insignificant.

jacko74

Thanks Cardew, yes you're right I don't fully understand it and have obviously got plenty of reading up to do.

I assumed the FIT payment was variable and dependent on the electricity I generate but don't use.

Seems a bit of an odd payment system.

Smiley_Dan

There are two parts to the FITs: the generation tariff and the export tariff.

The former IS dependent on how much you generate whether you use it or not.

The latter is supposed to be based on the amount you export back to the grid for others to use, however in most domestic cases it is currently just set at the arbitrary level of 50% of the amount generated (the first figure above). This may be measured in future, when/if export meters are rolled out.

In winter the best you can hope for re. space heating is that the PV covers the electrical costs of a boiler.

There are more complicated systems that get you closer to your aim. But IMHO rather than getting more complicated you're better off simply reducing your energy use via insulation and reducing air infiltration. Simpler solutions are generally best (but not necessarily cheapest short term).

Cardew

jacko74 wrote: »

Thanks Cardew, yes you're right I don't fully understand it and have obviously got plenty of reading up to do.

I assumed the FIT payment was variable and dependent on the electricity I generate but don't use.

Seems a bit of an odd payment system.

That's for sure!


Early participants in the scheme are getting around 50 pence for every kWh they generate and don't even have to export a single kWh.


Those payments are not from the Government but from a levy on all other electricity customers.


Oh! and you might have read how UK's generating capacity(with help from France's nuclear power stations) is forecast to only just cope with maximum demand this winter. At that time(early evening) solar will be generating zilch - zero - nothing!

Smiley_Dan

Er, well FITs cover wind turbines too... #nothinghappened and all that...

captainhindsight_2

Fit also covers electricity from anaerobic digesters, biogass chp micro chp all of which work at night...

captainhindsight_2

Oh and its not a tariff on all electricity customers just the customers of the biggest obligated energy companies.

So if you don't want to pay into the pot you can choose not to

snowscreamer

We live in a house with oil-fired heating. Whilst we didn't have to install an entire new system (we arrived to an electric wet central heating system which was reusable), we did have to get a new oil boiler in a different location, new oil tank and new hot water tank connected to new boiler. Our total outlay was £6000 (£1000 for steel single skin oil tank, £1000 for hot water tank, £4000 for boiler and new connections)
With an efficient boiler we've found the costs are really not much than gas, and whilst there is the slight inconvenience of having to reorder oil when you run low, other than that you have all the convenience of gas central heating! Much more controllable and convenient than storage heaters.