"Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it."

badmemory

Yes but when you are exporting 60 my very best day over the year has been only 26, I don't think I can even generate 60 a day.  I had weeks last winter when I didn't even generate 1 kWh a week.  I am thinking swings & roundabouts with this.  I am never going to use less than 1.5 a day no matter how much I generate because my batteries cannot throw out enough for my sons 8.5 kWh 30 min shower.

Being brutally honest here, the solar was pretty much an impulse buy.  For once it is one I have not regretted.  But I really should know better at my age especially as I don't want people to think I am going senile just yet.  A friend of mine was quite annoyed with me & said I probably wouldn't live to get payback, so what!

edinburgher

I have a fairly old solar setup in Scotland, so perhaps a more sober view of what some people are achieving! We will have had our 3.13 kW setup for a decade come the start of December, and have averaged approximately 2,500 kWh a year generation (no battery, orientation probably not the best). We do, however, receive FIT payments, so I think we've more than broken even on our initial costs. 

Considering how cheap panels are now, I'd consider replacing the system if we're still here in a decade when the FIT expires. We have 11x 285W panels, think we would do 17x 400W+ (6 on the back for the afternoon sun).

Eco considerations came first, money saved has no doubt been a net positive, too

No idea about export, we get a "deemed export"? contribution through the FIT, can't tell more as we don't have a smart meter.

redofromstart

No view at all on solar (can't have it here) but absolutely would get a hot tub if I had the option of running it economically. 

badmemory

The really daft thing about our solar is since I have had it I am doing things like - instead of putting the tumbledrier hose out of the window I use it to defrost the meat for tea instead of the microwave.  Absolutely crazy but it has in a way become a challenge.

edinburgher

Is that safe badmemory? 😅

greenbee

I have 29 450W panels Badmemory, so rather more than you! The original south-facing ones are shaded in the morning by the house. The new south-facing ones get a lot of tree shade in the summer but will actually do better in the winter when there are no leaves on the trees. The west-facing ones are probably making the biggest difference (and TBH in the summer I could get good generation off the north-facing roof of the garage!). I do have another south-facing roof on a cart shed, and an east-facing shed roof, but I'm not sure they're worth doing. The cart shed roof might be worth it if I convert the cart shed into an indoor heated pool... 

Baileys_Babe

I'm loving all this talk about solar panels and I am keen to improve my knowledge.

We would so love to have them fitted to our south facing roof and we would of fitted them 20 years ago but we live in a listed building, so it is a big no no from our council 😭 

I think all new builds should have to built with solar panels and the roofs should be orientated to make the most of them. Both for the benefit of the household and the country as a whole.

greenbee

Agree with you re. new builds. My electricians (and builder friends) get really annoyed by the token half dozen panels fitted on new builds round here rather that maxing out the capacity (particularly when heat pumps are being put in but not enough solar/battery to make them really effective). And commercial buildings - there are masses of huge warehouses not that far from here - they should all be covered in panels. 

badmemory

edinburgher said:

Is that safe badmemory? 😅

The only problem was the first time I did it when I forgot about the fluff a td created.  The food has always been covered & the hot air just goes over it.  Part of the cook once eat twice way.

greenbee

Finally took my mum home today, and I'm hoping she'll manage OK until Thursday evening when my brother arrived. She's still in a lot of pain, but wanted to be in her own home. She's having supper with friends tonight, and has various people visiting so should be OK as long as some of them will agree to administer the local anaesthetic eyedrops which are her only pain relief. She's back in for more surgery on the 18th so will then be back here again - followed by another surgery 10 days/2 weeks later. Hopefully this will be the last lot, but we won't know until they check the tissue that's been removed. 

Stinky and I took her home, installed a fly screen on her patio doors, made sure she had food, put the bins out, checked her fruit trees (need to do LOTS of picking next weekend).

Tomorrow I need to remember to call the hospital to get my appointments booked for the end of this year (I have surgery every three years, but the NHS appointment system has a maximum 12-month lead time for appointments, so to avoid a pointless annual review I have to call up and get the consultant's secretary to book me back in). And given my mum's recent issues I'm also going to book a complete mole check at a local clinic. 

As the rest of my department are on site in the US this week, other than delivering my three sessions, I should have a relatively quiet week. Stinky is only doing 3 days away (I have two very late nights, and Friday is swimming, so it feels mean to ask him to come home early - like telling a child that they have to go to school every day but can't go swimming on the last day of term!) rather than the whole week - it'll be a good test for when I do need him to spend longer with the dog walker. He'll probably be exhausted at the weekend!

Not much done on the house or garden front while my mum has been here, and this weekend I've been very tired. I have carrots and beetroot to deal with as well as the courgettes, and really do need to get things in to cover where crops have finished (and feed us through the winter!).