Solar PV and Smart Meter

Benny2020

If you have a smart meter installed do they then measure your export if you have solar panels? 

QrizB

Benny2020 said:

If you have a smart meter installed do they then measure your export if you have solar panels?

Who do you mean by "they"?

The smart meter will measure your export. If you want to be paid for metered export, you will need to have an export MPAN assigned and then supply export meter readings to your FIT or SEG supplier. Some (possibly all?) suppliers can take smart export readings.

By the letter of the FIT terms, if you have an export meter your FIT supplier is meant to use the meter readings for export rather than continuing with deemed export. In practice a lot of suppliers ignore this unless you specifically request to do so.

I'm going to wait until I've got a full year's generation under my belt before deciding whether to switch to metered export. So far it's inconclusive (I've generated 1289kWh since the meter was fitted in late July and have exported 638kWh) but that's a whole winter and less than half a summer.

Benny2020

I keep getting pestered to have a smart meter but i am quite content to get paid for my export based on the 50% estimate on my FIT contract as i squeeze every last drop out of my solar generation.
I just wondered whether going on to a smart meter meant you have to be paid for your measured export which i don't want.

QrizB

Benny2020 said:

I keep getting pestered to have a smart meter but i am quite content to get paid for my export based on the 50% estimate on my FIT contract as i squeeze every last drop out of my solar generation.
I just wondered whether going on to a smart meter meant you have to be paid for your measured export which i don't want.

I think I edited my reply while you were writing yours.

Benny2020

Do you have a diverter? If so then would pretty much use all your winter generation and 6 plus kwh of all summer generation will go on hot water too. I have an oil filled radiator connected to my second iboost output to use anything after a tank of hot water.
Summer generation is another matter as i have up to 28 kwh a day to use.

Benny2020

Just noticed that you have had panels since 2012 so you already know how the generation is spread over the year.

mickyduck55

Benny2020 said:

I keep getting pestered to have a smart meter but i am quite content to get paid for my export based on the 50% estimate on my FIT contract as i squeeze every last drop out of my solar generation.
I just wondered whether going on to a smart meter meant you have to be paid for your measured export which i don't want.

In my case not, I am still on deemed 50% If I was on actual export I would be about £40 a year worse off, I know every little helps but its not large beer when you look at annual fit payments for early adopters.

Exiled_Tyke

mickyduck55 said:

Benny2020 said:

I keep getting pestered to have a smart meter but i am quite content to get paid for my export based on the 50% estimate on my FIT contract as i squeeze every last drop out of my solar generation.
I just wondered whether going on to a smart meter meant you have to be paid for your measured export which i don't want.

In my case not, I am still on deemed 50% If I was on actual export I would be about £40 a year worse off, I know every little helps but its not large beer when you look at annual fit payments for early adopters.

I agree with this.  Export is a small proportion of the  overall FIT payment for most and may not be worth worrying about. 

Also I read that in cases where homes have a battery then (and I find this bizzare) it's not possible to calculate what has been exported as a proportion of self-production (I'm not sure if the implication is that the battery may export to the grid?) and so even with a smart meter deemed exports remain. 

However regardless of this.  I'm left with two questions/issues: 

If the FIT provider is a different company to the electricity provider will they even know if a home has a smart meter to use for export payments? 

Do the terms of a FIT contract state 50% deemed export or do they state it could be changed for actual? 

QrizB

mickyduck55 said:

Benny2020 said:

I keep getting pestered to have a smart meter but i am quite content to get paid for my export based on the 50% estimate on my FIT contract as i squeeze every last drop out of my solar generation.
I just wondered whether going on to a smart meter meant you have to be paid for your measured export which i don't want.

In my case not, I am still on deemed 50% If I was on actual export I would be about £40 a year worse off, I know every little helps but its not large beer when you look at annual fit payments for early adopters.

My FIT is early enough that the export rate is lower than is offered on some SEG tariffs. Hence my interest in seeing how my actual export compares to the deemed value.

mickyduck55

QrizB said:

mickyduck55 said:

Benny2020 said:

I keep getting pestered to have a smart meter but i am quite content to get paid for my export based on the 50% estimate on my FIT contract as i squeeze every last drop out of my solar generation.
I just wondered whether going on to a smart meter meant you have to be paid for your measured export which i don't want.

In my case not, I am still on deemed 50% If I was on actual export I would be about £40 a year worse off, I know every little helps but its not large beer when you look at annual fit payments for early adopters.

My FIT is early enough that the export rate is lower than is offered on some SEG tariffs. Hence my interest in seeing how my actual export compares to the deemed value.

Good point my array is 3.99 kWh so yes not often generating the power to cover the house and divert 3 kWh to the immersion so I need a proportional diverter.  Having my batteries full is always a priority over heating the water as I have gas for that if required