Iboost

Meatballs

1961Nick said:

shibli said:

Needle was near the max

That flex needs trimming neatly & securing in the cable clamp.

Think I've just realised what was bugging me when I put some ferrules on mine after it started smoking, I don't even have a cable clamp 😅

QrizB

shibli said:

I was advised by the installer the 4kwP is sufficient and to see how the system operates before making any further decisions.

That sounds like poor advice. Extra panels would have been cheap to add as part of the original installation but will cost substantially more to retrofit (you'll need scaffolding again, for example).

shibli said:

... my daily consumption is around 11 to 12 kWh but with the iboost can be upto 20kwh.

OK, that's still around double the average even without the iBoost. How many kWh did you use in the year before your solar installation?

On the plus side, if you're using pretty much every kWh you generate it will reduce your payback period. If you generate 3500kWh in a year and use them all, 60* to replace imported electricity and 40% in the iBoost to replace gas, that's a saving of about £700 per year.

shibli said:

Not sure what you mean by Flex? I know some basic wiring but not sure what needs triming ? The earth cable ?

As paul991 says, the black clamp (with the two silver screws) should be over the white sheath of the flex, not over the individual coloured conductors. It's bad practice to fit it like your picture.
See 8m40 in this video for an OK example (I'd have put it maybe 5mm further through the clamp):
https://youtu.be/mZ2MT0SKVZY?t=520

shibli

QrizB said:

shibli said:

I was advised by the installer the 4kwP is sufficient and to see how the system operates before making any further decisions.

That sounds like poor advice. Extra panels would have been cheap to add as part of the original installation but will cost substantially more to retrofit (you'll need scaffolding again, for example).

shibli said:

... my daily consumption is around 11 to 12 kWh but with the iboost can be upto 20kwh.

OK, that's still around double the average even without the iBoost. How many kWh did you use in the year before your solar installation?

On the plus side, if you're using pretty much every kWh you generate it will reduce your payback period. If you generate 3500kWh in a year and use them all, 60* to replace imported electricity and 40% in the iBoost to replace gas, that's a saving of about £700 per year.

shibli said:

Not sure what you mean by Flex? I know some basic wiring but not sure what needs triming ? The earth cable ?

As paul991 says, the black clamp (with the two silver screws) should be over the white sheath of the flex, not over the individual coloured conductors. It's bad practice to fit it like your picture.
See 8m40 in this video for an OK example (I'd have put it maybe 5mm further through the clamp):
https://youtu.be/mZ2MT0SKVZY?t=520

The installers never used scaffolding, it was a couple of guys on ladders, but will look into the possibility of additional panels but with my current setup I am at the max.

Typical annual usage is around 4200kwh per annum which is probably close to average, so add the additional iboost usage and with the increased cost of energy think my savings will be closer to £1k annum, at least. 

ggmf

I've only skimmed this and your other thread, where are you based? what does your PVGIS estimate for your location show? Your configuration is similar to mine. Gas for heating and hot water, but I installed a wi-fi immersion switch so I can control when excess generation is or can be used to lift the water in the tank to a much higer temperature. At the moment in the morning when the gas thinks it needs to heat the water tank, the boiler is only on for around 5-10 minutes or so while the water heats in the boiler circuit, if I have dumped excess generaation into the tank from th previous day. How is your battery doing, does it fill? Our install has been live since 01/12/2021, our position is not ideal, and in the darker months from what I have been able to determine, in the 7 months of running, I do not generate enough to fill the battery let alone have enough generation left over to dump into hot water, why woud I at £0.30 kWh for electricity and £0.04 kWh for gas? but I still have generation which is reducing the electricity bill. Our daily consumption is around 11-12 kWh if I dump into the hot water then that is around 15-16 kWh, I only dump iexcess f the weather looks as if I can recoup generation and fill or re-fill the battery. Hope that makes sense.

Sterlingtimes

QrizB said:

The installers never used scaffolding, it was a couple of guys on ladders, but will look into the possibility of additional panels but with my current setup I am at the max.

My solar installer did deploy scaffolding. A nice man named Jason fitted soffits to my roof line using ladders and portable towers. Unfortunately, Jason subsequently fell off his ladders and died.

paul991

i sent  my installers away  first time as  they  wanted to fit the panels off ladders , 15  mins is regarded as max  time on a ladder. hse  stopped   national company I worked with doing all height work because a labourer gained access to a unguarded roof off a ladder ,

shibli

paul991 said:

i sent  my installers away  first time as  they  wanted to fit the panels off ladders , 15  mins is regarded as max  time on a ladder. hse  stopped   national company I worked with doing all height work because a labourer gained access to a unguarded roof off a ladder ,

Totally get that, I was expecting at least a tower but these boys were on the roof in no team and got the job done. Seems like standard for these guys. 🤷🏽

shibli

ggmf said:

I've only skimmed this and your other thread, where are you based? what does your PVGIS estimate for your location show? Your configuration is similar to mine. Gas for heating and hot water, but I installed a wi-fi immersion switch so I can control when excess generation is or can be used to lift the water in the tank to a much higer temperature. At the moment in the morning when the gas thinks it needs to heat the water tank, the boiler is only on for around 5-10 minutes or so while the water heats in the boiler circuit, if I have dumped excess generaation into the tank from th previous day. How is your battery doing, does it fill? Our install has been live since 01/12/2021, our position is not ideal, and in the darker months from what I have been able to determine, in the 7 months of running, I do not generate enough to fill the battery let alone have enough generation left over to dump into hot water, why woud I at £0.30 kWh for electricity and £0.04 kWh for gas? but I still have generation which is reducing the electricity bill. Our daily consumption is around 11-12 kWh if I dump into the hot water then that is around 15-16 kWh, I only dump iexcess f the weather looks as if I can recoup generation and fill or re-fill the battery. Hope that makes sense.

Hi, I am based in the London area, I did have an attempt at the PVGIS but did not know how to use the tool. 

In hindsight the wifi switch would probably the only thing I would possibly implement, the iboost is good but with more panels it would work better. The boiler is now off so rely on the solar generation for hot water but there is a delay as battery takes priority, which on a good day will be fully charged by 10ish before the excess is dumped into the cylinder.

  

On a good day the excess is dumped into the water cylinder which is about 5-7kwh per day for 250 litre so by afternoon the water is very warm, enough for a shower.

In summary electric needs are met by the solar/battery but iboost is a bit of a luxury but working on most days but not how I expect it to unless I purchase more panels.

 

ggmf

In summary electric needs are met by the solar/battery but iboost is a bit of a luxury but working on most days but not how I expect it to unless I purchase more panels.

 

I think that if your needs are being met now, you need to understand that you will not see that generation in the coming winter months, extra panels will help (how many and what size are you looking for?), but  will they that much?. You need to try calculate the cost of heating the water tank via gas in the winter months (stick your finger in the air and try to guess what gas prices might be in a year or 2), against the cost of installing additional panels.

As you say "On a good day the excess is dumped into the water cylinder which is about 5-7kwh per day" you may/will not see that excess on a poor day or in the winter even with additional panels. Having only recently had your installation, and not knowing what your extimated PVGIS might be, I'm note sure you have enough data to make a valid judgement.

I hope the company that you have utilised, has suitable libility insurance for their installers next of kin.

1961Nick

ggmf said:

I've only skimmed this and your other thread, where are you based? what does your PVGIS estimate for your location show? Your configuration is similar to mine. Gas for heating and hot water, but I installed a wi-fi immersion switch so I can control when excess generation is or can be used to lift the water in the tank to a much higer temperature. At the moment in the morning when the gas thinks it needs to heat the water tank, the boiler is only on for around 5-10 minutes or so while the water heats in the boiler circuit, if I have dumped excess generaation into the tank from th previous day. How is your battery doing, does it fill? Our install has been live since 01/12/2021, our position is not ideal, and in the darker months from what I have been able to determine, in the 7 months of running, I do not generate enough to fill the battery let alone have enough generation left over to dump into hot water, why woud I at £0.30 kWh for electricity and £0.04 kWh for gas? but I still have generation which is reducing the electricity bill. Our daily consumption is around 11-12 kWh if I dump into the hot water then that is around 15-16 kWh, I only dump iexcess f the weather looks as if I can recoup generation and fill or re-fill the battery. Hope that makes sense.

The good thing about batteries & the Wifi immersion heater switch is that you don't have to be so anal about choosing a time to heat the water.