Growatt 6.5 solar battery 16 November 2022 at 1:57AM in Green & ethical MoneySaving 18 replies 713 views

j368

Hi,

I have had the above installed as an addition to solar panels, but was surprised to find that the battery fills up overnight to 100%, so that in the morning - when the sun shines - my battery is already full.

As a newbie to all this it seems a bit daft to me, so I queried it with the supplier and he told me it's to take advantage of a cheap rate at night - but the tariff I'm on doesn't have a cheap rate at night.

So my logic feels that:

• I'm charging at night costing me x pence / Kwh
• then exporting during the day and earning 'less than x/ Kwh'
  
  which wasn't what I was expecting.

There's a very extensive web portal that monitors my Growatt system, so I'm wondering if anyone knows what setting to use to tell the battery to only charge to (say) 50% overnight please?

I asked my supplier how to do this but he told me to ask my neighbour (who is also a customer and recommended the supplier) !!   
This whole installation has been problematic and I think he's 'had enough' of me asking questions 

Happy for someone to tell me my supplier has been right to set to 100% overnight - but, please will you explain why?

Thanks

Officer_Dibble

Light Renewables? Nice of them to be so helpful. In the app click on the inverter in the middle. which should bring up "Storage" Click on the battery, then "Control" > "TOU-Charging". The password is growattyyyymmdd (as in today's date, but I'm not exactly sure which time zone). Time Period 1 is probably set as enabled 0030-0430 or something like that. Disable it, unless you really want to pay to charge it to 50% every night, but I can't see that you would if the price is the same all day and night.

arty688

Assuming you get on with your neighbour and they are more proficient at programming the battery is not a bad idea as its probably better to be sown what to do .. You also may want to set up a reserve if you have backup facility over this winter. Also is changinf tariff an option with a battery the saving can be quite good.

j368

That's not the company :-) I won't name them as I don't want to annoy them in case the whole thing fails. (Already had one battery die on me and have to be replaced under warranty.)

Anyway I can't find where 'Storage' is at the moment, but I have to work right now, so I'll look harder later. Thanks!

j368

Probably a good idea to get my neighbour round for moral support.

Sadly changing tariff is a whole other saga that I'm trying to get my head round as I can't get my FIT registration released from Scottish Power to go to Octopus - both parties say it's the other party's job. That's been going on for weeks too.

Officer_Dibble

I just guessed it was LR as they'd set it up exactly like that for me. It must be something they all learn at PV Installation School. The destop site's rather different...scroll down to "My Photovoltaic Devices", click "Settings" on the RH side, agree to the disclaimer (Devil gets your soul, standard stuff) edit the settings for "Battery First", put the growattYYYYMMDD password into the "press enter key to save" box and click yes. I think that's the theory but editing on the website won't work for me at the moment, only the app. All very growatt.

mickyduck55

j368 said:

Probably a good idea to get my neighbour round for moral support.

Sadly changing tariff is a whole other saga that I'm trying to get my head round as I can't get my FIT registration released from Scottish Power to go to Octopus - both parties say it's the other party's job. That's been going on for weeks too.

There is no requirement to move your FIT to change a tariff or indeed change supplier.  I have changed supplier many times since 2011 but my FIT is still paid via E-on who I have never had an issue with.

powerful_Rogue

Officer_Dibble said:

I just guessed it was LR as they'd set it up exactly like that for me. It must be something they all learn at PV Installation School. The destop site's rather different...scroll down to "My Photovoltaic Devices", click "Settings" on the RH side, agree to the disclaimer (Devil gets your soul, standard stuff) edit the settings for "Battery First", put the growattYYYYMMDD password into the "press enter key to save" box and click yes. I think that's the theory but editing on the website won't work for me at the moment, only the app. All very growatt.

In fairness to LR, they didn't do that on my install. They said I could charge the battery up at night if I wished, and emailed me the guide on how to do it.

Officer_Dibble

That's good of them - I should have asked if they could email me a guide on how to undo it!

Solarchaser

Yeah no need to get fit moved.
My fit is still with edf who I left about 5 years ago.

If you don't have cheap rate, it's nonsensical to charge it at night, that's the companies fault for setting it up that way.
Also you paid them to install the system, so it is uo to them ti set it up right. 

Who cares if you are that annoying so and so, you paid them for a service, not to think you are a great person.
They are failing you here, they should be fixing it 

ecraig

powerful_Rogue said:

In fairness to LR, they didn't do that on my install. They said I could charge the battery up at night if I wished, and emailed me the guide on how to do it.

Same here. They set it up for me for standard solar based charging.
I have now set it up for TOU overnight..