Economy 7 smart meter. Solar panels SEG. British gas.

Phones4Chris

QrizB said:

ProDave said:

QrizB said:

ProDave said:

I installed my PV myself, self use almost all of it and it will have repaid it's cost in 5 years.

Depending where you are in the UK and exactly how you've installed it, that is likely to be illegal. Just FYI and for the benefit of other readers.

No it is not.  It will need to be connected by a qualified electrician, which I am, and it will need to be notified to the DNO, which it was, and it will need to use approved kit which it was.

Relatively few MSE forum users are qualified electricians. I stand by my comment.

ProDave said:

The easiest way to self use as much as possible is to fit one of the many solar PV diverter devices that automatically sends surplus to your immersion heater to heat hot water.

Using electricity that you could sell for 10p/kWh to heat water that you could heat with gas for 4p/kWh doesn't sound very money-saving to me.

Let's say that you divert 1000kWh/yr that way. You'll have saved £40 on your gas bill but will have lost £100 of export in doing so.

Do you live in cloud cuckoo land, gas for 4p/kWh?

[Deleted User]

ProDave said:

QrizB said:

ProDave said:

I installed my PV myself, self use almost all of it and it will have repaid it's cost in 5 years.

Depending where you are in the UK and exactly how you've installed it, that is likely to be illegal. Just FYI and for the benefit of other readers.

No it is not.  It will need to be connected by a qualified electrician, which I am, and it will need to be notified to the DNO, which it was, and it will need to use approved kit which it was. It only needs to be installed by an MCS company if you were previously claiming the old FIT and now to claim the SEG payment.

The easiest way to self use as much as possible is to fit one of the many solar PV diverter devices that automatically sends surplus to your immersion heater to heat hot water.  I find the only times I export anything at all is in the height of the summer if nothing else is on in the house, the PV can generate more than the immersion heater can use, so a little gets exported.  Currently running at about £5 worth each year if I was eligible for the SEG payment.  Work out how long it would take to pay back the "MCS premium" at £5 per year.

Most of our self use is just running the big aplliances (washing machine etc) in the daytime, about 1/3 of what the panels generate goes to the immersion heater.

Octopus require MCS Certification (no other quality schemes are accepted) before it will enrol customers onto SEG. 

4.6. For PV, wind and micro-CHP installations up to 50kW, generators should demonstrate that the installation and installer are suitably certified. An applicant may have an installation certificate to demonstrate this. This may be a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certificate, but the SEG recognises other schemes may be equivalent to MCS.

QrizB

Phones4Chris said:

QrizB said:

Using electricity that you could sell for 10p/kWh to heat water that you could heat with gas for 4p/kWh doesn't sound very money-saving to me.

Let's say that you divert 1000kWh/yr that way. You'll have saved £40 on your gas bill but will have lost £100 of export in doing so.

Do you live in cloud cuckoo land, gas for 4p/kWh?

@Phones4Chris I'm paying that now on a capped variable tariff.

How much are you paying, and why?

Phones4Chris

QrizB said:

Phones4Chris said:

QrizB said:

Using electricity that you could sell for 10p/kWh to heat water that you could heat with gas for 4p/kWh doesn't sound very money-saving to me.

Let's say that you divert 1000kWh/yr that way. You'll have saved £40 on your gas bill but will have lost £100 of export in doing so.

Do you live in cloud cuckoo land, gas for 4p/kWh?

@Phones4Chris I'm paying that now on a capped variable tariff.

How much are you paying, and why?

In the context of the current energy crisis, 4p/kWh will be/become pie in the sky for the majority of users, especially from April, and it consequently detracts somewhat from the rest of your post. Aren't you the lucky one then being on a capped variable tariff

QrizB

Phones4Chris said:

QrizB said:

Phones4Chris said:

QrizB said:

Using electricity that you could sell for 10p/kWh to heat water that you could heat with gas for 4p/kWh doesn't sound very money-saving to me.

Let's say that you divert 1000kWh/yr that way. You'll have saved £40 on your gas bill but will have lost £100 of export in doing so.

Do you live in cloud cuckoo land, gas for 4p/kWh?

@Phones4Chris I'm paying that now on a capped variable tariff.

How much are you paying, and why?

In the context of the current energy crisis, 4p/kWh will be/become pie in the sky for the majority of users, especially from April, and it consequently detracts somewhat from the rest of your post. Aren't you the lucky one then being on a capped variable tariff

I'm not sure it takes luck to be on a capped variable tariff. Most people reading this message are on them.

I'll ask again, how much are you paying, and why?

"it consequently detracts somewhat from the rest of your post"

Would you rather I'd written:

Using electricity that you could sell for 15p/kWh to heat water that you could heat with gas for 4p/kWh (now) or 7p/kWh (from April) doesn't sound very money-saving to me.

ispookie666

@Purpleboots Sorry about Economy 7 position with British gas(not been with them for nearly 10 years!)  
I'm with Eon Next and recently switched from Economy 7 to Smart meter with two rates, they also do SEG but its as good as useless.  

Petriix

I used to be fairly scathing of solar diverters for hot water (when 2p per kWh for gas was the norm but after the deemed exports on the old FIT scheme were discontinued). But, with imminent price rises the economy has tipped in their favour. It's still only a minimal saving vs SEG payments and wouldn't pay for its initial cost unless prices go (and stay) significantly higher but it's not totally ridiculous like it previously was.

Back to the OP, simply switch away from BG. Solar is totally sensible at current prices and battery storage is starting to look like a good investment too. If you can get a really cheap overnight rate (such as Octopus Go) then batteries become a no-brainer. 

Phones4Chris

QrizB said:

Phones4Chris said:

QrizB said:

Phones4Chris said:

QrizB said:

Using electricity that you could sell for 10p/kWh to heat water that you could heat with gas for 4p/kWh doesn't sound very money-saving to me.

Let's say that you divert 1000kWh/yr that way. You'll have saved £40 on your gas bill but will have lost £100 of export in doing so.

Do you live in cloud cuckoo land, gas for 4p/kWh?

@Phones4Chris I'm paying that now on a capped variable tariff.

How much are you paying, and why?

In the context of the current energy crisis, 4p/kWh will be/become pie in the sky for the majority of users, especially from April, and it consequently detracts somewhat from the rest of your post. Aren't you the lucky one then being on a capped variable tariff

I'm not sure it takes luck to be on a capped variable tariff. Most people reading this message are on them.

I'll ask again, how much are you paying, and why?

"it consequently detracts somewhat from the rest of your post"

Would you rather I'd written:

Using electricity that you could sell for 15p/kWh to heat water that you could heat with gas for 4p/kWh (now) or 7p/kWh (from April) doesn't sound very money-saving to me.

Begging your pardon, the boot is on the other foot here. You original comments were in relation to @ProDave 's post about his setup and the way he uses energy and not bothering with SEG. I assume from the way you've commented you have a solar installation, so let's assume your current tariff is just expiring. So without inventing figures, what tariff can you sign up to before the end of March that give these fantastic figures, because this is the situation most with solar installations and expiring tariffs could find themselves in right now.

EssexHebridean

Phones4Chris said:

QrizB said:

Phones4Chris said:

QrizB said:

Phones4Chris said:

QrizB said:

Using electricity that you could sell for 10p/kWh to heat water that you could heat with gas for 4p/kWh doesn't sound very money-saving to me.

Let's say that you divert 1000kWh/yr that way. You'll have saved £40 on your gas bill but will have lost £100 of export in doing so.

Do you live in cloud cuckoo land, gas for 4p/kWh?

@Phones4Chris I'm paying that now on a capped variable tariff.

How much are you paying, and why?

In the context of the current energy crisis, 4p/kWh will be/become pie in the sky for the majority of users, especially from April, and it consequently detracts somewhat from the rest of your post. Aren't you the lucky one then being on a capped variable tariff

I'm not sure it takes luck to be on a capped variable tariff. Most people reading this message are on them.

I'll ask again, how much are you paying, and why?

"it consequently detracts somewhat from the rest of your post"

Would you rather I'd written:

Using electricity that you could sell for 15p/kWh to heat water that you could heat with gas for 4p/kWh (now) or 7p/kWh (from April) doesn't sound very money-saving to me.

Begging your pardon, the boot is on the other foot here. You original comments were in relation to @ProDave 's post about his setup and the way he uses energy and not bothering with SEG. I assume from the way you've commented you have a solar installation, so let's assume your current tariff is just expiring. So without inventing figures, what tariff can you sign up to before the end of March that give these fantastic figures, because this is the situation most with solar installations and expiring tariffs could find themselves in right now.

Or, alternately, you could just explain to us all why you're paying so much more than those of us on capped tariffs right now, when in fact ANYONE could have gone onto a capped tariff at any stage - as QrizB says, it's nothing to do with luck! 

If you're stuck on a fix that was taken out perhaps because an energy company convinced you you "should", is it still going to be more expensive after April? If so have you done the sums regarding paying any exit fees and moving to SVR? If you're with Ecotricity or another of the uncapped "super-green" providers then presumably that was a moral choice you made - if so it would be a little unreasonable to have a chip on your shoulder about others paying less per unit as a result! 

gefnew

This my gas rate
3.60/kwh sc 16.79p fixed until 23 oct 2022 with  eon next.
electric rate is 18.30/kwh sc 17.46  plus vat to be added.