iBoost life expectancy

Dave_Fowler

legoman62 wrote: »

I'm using a system also 12V DC, copied from energysavingexp's excellent idea using

2 light sensitive switches £10.00) and an SSR (bought from flea bay for less than £2.00.

Bought 2 SSR's JIC and been running successfully for next to nothing over nearly 4 years:T

The SSR I'm using on my auxiliary output is the one suggested by energysavingexp's circuit. It's an excellent low cost SSR.

Dave F

Dave_Fowler

michaels wrote: »

Isn't the killer issue the roll out of smart meters so no more deemed export....

Even with all my electronic diversion circuitry, I am unable to use more than 50% of my generated power. At the moment, in winter, I am using most of my generated power, but in the summer months there is no way I can use anything like 50% of the generation. (I've got a 6kWp system). If I had, say, a 2kWp system then perhaps I'd be unhappy to be forced to adopt a measured smart export meter.

Dave F

Rheumatoid

michaels wrote: »

Isn't the killer issue the roll out of smart meters so no more deemed export....

When is that likely to happen and can you not just keep shifting suppliers to avoid it?

and presumably if most are exporting more than 50% they may not be keen to get them on all properties with solar arrays due to increased costs?

just some thoughts. Maybe lunacy

michaels

Dave_Fowler wrote: »

Even with all my electronic diversion circuitry, I am unable to use more than 50% of my generated power. At the moment, in winter, I am using most of my generated power, but in the summer months there is no way I can use anything like 50% of the generation. (I've got a 6kWp system). If I had, say, a 2kWp system then perhaps I'd be unhappy to be forced to adopt a measured smart export meter.

Dave F

I guess it depends, for me diverted units are 'free' so worth it - with measured export they would cost 4.85p or whatever the rate is at which point heating the hot water with gas that now costs well under 3p/kwh probably makes more sense and defintely wouldn't pay for the install cost of the iBoost.

The electric car also conveneintly uses lots of our generation although it won't accept iBoost type input so we just use a timer to try to maximise the use of generated units.

zeupater

michaels wrote: »

I guess it depends, for me diverted units are 'free' so worth it - with measured export they would cost 4.85p or whatever the rate is at which point heating the hot water with gas that now costs well under 3p/kwh probably makes more sense and defintely wouldn't pay for the install cost of the iBoost.

The electric car also conveneintly uses lots of our generation although it won't accept iBoost type input so we just use a timer to try to maximise the use of generated units.

Hi

Surely it would be better to have a non-proportional switched supply to charge the car during daylight else, using a timer, you'd always be open to daytime imported energy costing more than E7, even with pv.

With some inverters you have the possibility of using a multifunctional relay which can be used to control a switch when a generation threshold has been exceeded which would provide some form of protection against charging at imported daytime tariff rates when generation is too low, else for the majority of the year the EV would likely be better (/cheaper) charged on an E7 timer than any timer set to match pv peak times - this would be the case even with pv export being on a deemed basis .... although we were generating 3kW+ a couple of hours ago, we're generating ~200W and consuming ~150W at the moment and with a ~SW system a timer would be set to consume right now - effectively one day of a mistake such as this means that the next 2 - 4 days would need to be almost perfect to make up the cost differential from not using E7 ....

189W now, still using 150W ....

Anyway, Dave's point is simply that even having built and installed his automation systems, with a large proportion of overall generation being summer excess he simply can't use it, so it's still exported and this is the case whether export is measured by smart-meters or simply deemed ....

.... of course, we're really all waiting for deep cycle battery prices to fall significantly and the introduction of a storage support scheme to be introduced, then we'll all be utilising automation to squirrel away harvested electrons to be used when it's dark, which is a far more sensible secondary self-utilisation of own generation, pushing proportional diversion to DHW down the priority list ...

HTH
Z

gefnew

Hi All
If you have a sma sunnyboy inverter they have a in built switch on the inverter that can be programmed to divert via on board switch to divert when excess of base load is not being used, you can set a minimum when diversion occurs. Do not know how other makes compare but maybe they have a similar thing.
Regards
gefnew

zeupater

gefnew wrote: »

Hi All
If you have a sma sunnyboy inverter they have a in built switch on the inverter that can be programmed to divert via on board switch to divert when excess of base load is not being used, you can set a minimum when diversion occurs. Do not know how other makes compare but maybe they have a similar thing.
Regards
gefnew

Hi gefnew

Agree, that's what I referred to as a 'multifunctional relay' in the previous post, however, the threshold in the SMA inverters (model specific) is simply based on power and would therefore need an additional relay controlled by the level of consumption to enable true excess diversion.

HTH
Z

gefnew

Hi zeupater
Yes this relay could be used to drive the another relay with the ability to feed power to what ever you require it to do EG large fan ETC.
Regards
gefnew

michaels

Don't have E7 but will now investigate, isn't the daytime a lot more expensive and the night only a bit cheaper than the most competitive tariffs?

EricMears

michaels wrote: »

Don't have E7 but will now investigate, isn't the daytime a lot more expensive and the night only a bit cheaper than the most competitive tariffs?

Prices vary over the country.

In the E Midlands, I'm currently paying 11.152ppu in the daytime and 6.203ppu at night. I'm not too sure what the most competitive non-E7 tariff charges but very much doubt it will be "only a bit" more than 6.203. I suspect my standing charge per day will be more than a non-E7 customer but really not sure how much.

But of course anybody can use a tariff comparison site and get the actual figures that would apply to them from different suppliers with or without E7. Indeed, you can even pretend to live somewhere else and see what you'd get then