A year with home Batteries (and more solar and an EV)

Solarchaser

Perhaps see if you can pick up batteries cheaper from ebay and buy the controller seperately.
For what its worth, most DC systems come without an isolator and you can get the cheaper versions on ebay for much cheapness
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/371525937926

EVandPV

Solarchaser said:

Perhaps see if you can pick up batteries cheaper from ebay and buy the controller seperately.
For what its worth, most DC systems come without an isolator and you can get the cheaper versions on ebay for much cheapness
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/371525937926

Beat me to it.
Is a dc switch even necessary given the Pylons have an on/off switch ? 
Our installer didn't bother with one.

Solarchaser

I havent bothered with one.
You switch off the switch and they are isolated.
In the extreme case of something going wrong, the quick connects on the pylons would just pop off as quick as turning an isolator, so i seen no need, but others think them essential, so....

EVandPV

Solarchaser said:

In the extreme case of something going wrong, the quick connects on the pylons would just pop off as quick as turning an isolator, 

I did that the other day before fitting a double socket to the EPS connection. They're tight but come off no bother.
Came across this video about updating the Pylons firmware.

https://youtu.be/xWjBox683vY

Solarchaser

Yeah i see that on Michaels channel, but wondered why you would need to?

joefizz

Solarchaser said:

Yeah i see that on Michaels channel, but wondered why you would need to?

Improvements and bug fixes to the bms. If you change inverter or upgrade software it may not be compatible (read as talk to properly) with earlier versions of the BMS.

It wont make a lot of difference as if it works, it works, its just you may not get all the possible required info or get the latest management version.

Certain car manufacturers do updates which show the remaining battery capacity in a better light, i.e. percentage of rated capacity rather than installed etc etc.

Solarchaser

Yeah thats what i thought too Joe, which is why i was asking why you would need to.

As in, all is working properly.

I recently let samsung update my s9, now i have no predictive text.
You find predictive text really annoying until you realise how much you actually use it, when its gone.

Ive been editing alot more posts lately🙈

ChopperST

As someone toiling with this very question (4kw PV array - 15p FIT payments.  An EV and a solar diverter).  Would you have installed the batteries if TOU tariffs like Octopus Agile were around when you installed.  Obviously you based your assumptions on 12-13p per kWh but when you can shift use to sub 5p a unit if you are happy to jiggle your routine slightly then the payback becomes less clear...

Solarchaser

I would, yes.
However i come at it from the place of being a father of a young family, with an ocd wife.
I say that because even if i wanted to change usage patterns etc, i cant enforce that house wide, (if she wants to put a washing on, do ironing, charger her car etc, she is not gonna wait till i say its cheaper) so for me, i need the house to run as it always does, and for the batteries to do the time shifting for me.

But if you have a quieter house, or are retired/ work from home or any number of other configurations, where you can time shift, then i think you would struggle to make it cost effective considering the TOU tarrifs you mentioned.

onomatopoeia99

I've had my panels a year but the battery only eight months so I don't have a full year of data yet.  July, August September I used very little from the grid, since then I've used more obviously, but it's hard to draw conclusions when three of the best months for generation are coming up to complete the year.

 My typical domestic use is around 5 to 6 MWh / year.  I generated 5.1 MWh in the first year of having the panels but even with the battery to store it doesn't balance out.