(Anouther Thread of) Solar Panel Install Questions

EricMears

cdunne wrote: »

My washing machine (hotpoint wdl540) does not appear to have a delay timer (but Google finds pages that suggests it has) also it requires you to press the power button when it is first turned on so I don't think it'll work with a timer.

We used to have a tumble drier that required a button to be pressed whilst power supply was live before it would start. That of course made it rather difficult to operate with an economy 7 supply. But I overcame that problem by holding the button down permanently (ISTR it was done with a small block of wood held in position with duct tape) then the thing started up as the E7 supply became live and still switched off when the timer reached its allotted period. There are undoubtedly other, better solutions for your washing machine - e.g. tracing the wires that the start button would operate and connecting them together with a timer-operated relay.

HOWEVER, it's really not a great idea to set equipment to operate at (say) Noon to take advantage of the free electricity that you expect to be generating then. Weather forecasts are seldom precise enough to say that there will be unbroken sunshine over Acacia Avenue between 11:00 and 13:00 and even if you believe that's a likely outcome, there's always a chance of a small cloud coming your way just as the heater element connects. You then move from using 2kW of 'free' electricity to buying 2kW ! The only reliable way to use that free electricity is to be there to switch on (though having a webcam looking out of a S facing window - or being able to read your inverter output online - and switching things on remotely with a mobile phone app would be technically feasible though not specially easy to arrange)

cdunne

The idea of iboost I believe is that it looks at the current supplied by the panels and controls a voltage to the immersion heater so that the immersion heater uses this power, clever idea I think especially if you haven't got a smart meter fitted and the 50% assumption of export is applied (but if you have an iboost or similar set up properly then I'd have thought it was more like 0% exported). Now my main meter is old (GEC branded) but the installer thought it might be newer than the ones that go backwards, I've asked Eon to register for a smart meter so I imagine if it does go backwards I'll get one.

EricMears

cdunne wrote: »

The idea of iboost I believe is that it looks at the current supplied by the panels and controls a voltage to the immersion heater so that the immersion heater uses this power, clever idea I think especially if you haven't got a smart meter fitted and the 50% assumption of export is applied (but if you have an iboost or similar set up properly then I'd have thought it was more like 0% exported). Now my main meter is old (GEC branded) but the installer thought it might be newer than the ones that go backwards, I've asked Eon to register for a smart meter so I imagine if it does go backwards I'll get one.

Have a look through these pages to find out the downside to having a smart meter when you're also trying to maximise own use !


BTW iboost doesn't control the voltage to the immersion heater - it moves it out of phase. Result is fairly similar although it has been known to cause electrical interference. AFAIK, Immersun is the only such device that actually controls output voltage; all the others shift phase.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

cdunne wrote: »

The idea of iboost I believe is that it looks at the current supplied by the panels and controls a voltage to the immersion heater so that the immersion heater uses this power, clever idea I think especially if you haven't got a smart meter fitted and the 50% assumption of export is applied (but if you have an iboost or similar set up properly then I'd have thought it was more like 0% exported). Now my main meter is old (GEC branded) but the installer thought it might be newer than the ones that go backwards, I've asked Eon to register for a smart meter so I imagine if it does go backwards I'll get one.

Hi cdunne

Thank you for registering for one of our Smart Meters. We're currently rolling them out in many parts of the country but not every property is eligible yet. It depends on things like the actual area, the strength of the mobile phone signal and the current metering set up. As you've registered, a member of one of our Smart Meter teams will be in touch to let you know. There's more information about these meters on our website.

Hopefully you'll be okay. If not, and your present meter starts to go backwards once the solar installation is up and running, we'll replace it with a conventional type.

Hope this is of interest cdunne.

Malc

cdunne

My meter doesn't appear to go backwards! Last week when watching it at mid day on a sunny day it's disc that normally spins around when power is being consumed was stopped dead still when the panels were generating.

My stats so far in the first week are: Energy today 452.05 Wh Energy this month 18.4 kWh Lifetime revenue £2.29. I'll start another thread on controlling appliances based on the power generated.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Sounds good cdunne. Doesn't seem to be a problem with the meter.

Malc