Cheapest way to monitor solar pv is working

tunnel

pinnks wrote: »

Mart,


Just been reading your posts about ENViRs and Optismart. I have the EOn monitor and had found it to be pretty useless with PV but dug it out to play with having come across your posts.


Am I right that to make sensible use of it you need then Opti? Without it is seems only to sense total current flow but not its direction.

Yes it works fine with the Optismart. I, like Mart have them, I have an opti on the import and 2 more on 2 of my systems. I tend to just keep an eye on the import though and switch stuff on when its showing zero, really is helpful to know I'm not buying leccy.

pinnks

Great, thanks. Thought that must be the case and given that I have invested in the remote monitoring from immerSUN, I am not minded to spend more money on monitoring kit, not least to avoid the wrath of Mrs Pinks.

So far I am pleased with that investment. As per IMMERsun's website and the pictures there, myimmerSUN as they call it, shows what you are generating and using (other than diverted), plus diverted use and import/export in real time (15 second display updates).

On the daily display you get hourly representations of all 5 (import and export shown separately) and the weekly, monthly and year displays do what you would expect.

The weekly etc displays are still a little immature in that they show the last 7 days, or last 30 days, not the month to date etc but that may still develop.

In theory you can export data to a CSV file but that still needs some work at their end - I wait in hope.

But overall pretty good and viewable on any device with a web browser, which as you say, means you wait for the red import real time watts to turn to green export watts before making the tea. Diversion is of course taken care of automatically.

ely_ellis

I have just mentioned a similar thing on another thread.
All I want to do is to 'repeat' the import meter LED in the kitchen.
A few have mentioned the energy monitors with the Optismart add-on, but after looking around the Optismart is a bit more than I want to spend and I don't really need to see how much I am importing, just to know when I am importing/exporting.
What I have in mind is a simple light detector and maybe a blue tooth transmitter/receiver with a light, that will just repeat whether or not the LED is on, off, or blinking.
This should cost just a few £'s.
Unfortunately I am in the middle of the Caspian sea at the moment and won't be able to start my tiny project until middle of next month when I get home.
If I am successful, I will of course post my results on here.

EricMears

ely_ellis wrote: »

I have just mentioned a similar thing on another thread.
All I want to do is to 'repeat' the import meter LED in the kitchen.

You could just point a webcam at it and watch its output on a tablet. If necessary, use an IP camera (aka wifi cam) rather than a simple USB version.

System

Switch to Ovo and get a smart meter with a home gateway. There is a thread about the gateway on the energy forum.. Free to good homes.

EricMears

Hengus wrote: »

Switch to Ovo and get a smart meter with a home gateway. There is a thread about the gateway on the energy forum.. Free to good homes.

BUT , be aware of the policy that SterlingTimes discovered in this thread :-
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5272829

Ovo seem to be insisting that you have to move to metered export rather than deemed if they fit a smart meter for you. For many people that would probably be an advantage but for those of us managing to use more than 50% of generation it would be a disadvantage.

That would probably only affect you if Ovo paid your FITs as well as sold you their electricity but who knows what other amendments to your contract they might want to make.

Sterlingtimes

There are advantages and disadvantages in taking the Smart Gateway from Ovo.

Critically, you do lose your right to the deemed export arrangement presuming that Ovo is also your FIT "supplier". If Ovo is not your FIT "supplier" then you may get away with it, but technically you should inform the other FIT "supplier" that you have an export meter. I calculate the loss for me at about £40 per year.

But once the system works, there are some benefits.

[1] You can accurately record your export.
[2] You get the usual advantages of smart metering.
[3] You get a Smart Gateway that is a nice piece of kit.

I have created a Powerpoint showing the set-up incorporating a few of my photos.



Here is a typical screenshot of the My Ovo stats.



When the live power figure is negative the system indicates that you are exporting.

ely_ellis

I am with EDF and only joined them about 2 month ago when I moved into the new house. It was previously on E.ON but I have had a lot of grievances with E.ON over the years and find them to be expensive and poor customer service. (But that's another story).
I have already enquired with EDF for a smart meter and I am currently on their waiting list.
I wonder if, now I have solar PV they will move me up the waiting list?

Martin (with an I)

Martyn1981

ely_ellis wrote: »

I am with EDF and only joined them about 2 month ago when I moved into the new house. It was previously on E.ON but I have had a lot of grievances with E.ON over the years and find them to be expensive and poor customer service. (But that's another story).
I have already enquired with EDF for a smart meter and I am currently on their waiting list.
I wonder if, now I have solar PV they will move me up the waiting list?

Martin (with an I)

That's interesting. I'm with EDF (FiT and bills). Last year I exported 3,200 units but got paid for 2,300. That's about a £30 loss on the old export rate. I'm not overly bothered but would be really interested in knowing my actual export as it is a bit of a hole in my PV data.

I think I may enquire, however with 50%+ export they might move me down the waiting list!

Martyn (with a y)

Sterlingtimes

Martyn1981 wrote: »

I'm not overly bothered but would be really interested in knowing my actual export as it is a bit of a hole in my PV data.

The other thing about moving away from deemed export is that the case for immersion diversion becomes marginal. My calculations favour use of the iBoost but its advantage is probably reduced to a tenner a year. As I collect more real data I should be able to become more aware of the Wattson errors. At the moment as a percentage of solar generation I am estimating 50% use as electricity 25% diversion to immersion 25% export.