How are you using your appliances with solar?

waqasahmed

I have a 3.2kw system, with a 3kw battery 

In the winter I had my washing machine finish before say 8:30am and then I'd pop them outside to dry. They wouldn't be truly dry, so when I finished work I'd pop them into the tumble dryer

As the sun is now out a lot more, I've been waiting for the battery to have enough power, essentially putting my washing machine on at 1pm, and then knowing I've got enough time for the battery to fill up again, I'll use the fastest cycle  and then pop them in the dryer.

Then I can iron them. I did that this last Friday, and I essentially did everything on solar / battery

If I had a much bigger battery storage, I'd probably do it as before, and they'd actually be dry outside. Then I've got enough capacity to iron them on the same day.  I still had 3kw left in my battery after all that 

What do you do and why? Would you change your habits if you had a bigger storage capacity if you don't already? If you already have a big amount of storage, would you change habits if you had a smaller amount of storage? 

powerful_Rogue

I have 6.4kWp split between East & West. (50/50) Also 13kWp battery.

I charge overnight between 2am-5am and set washing machine/dishwasher to come on between these times as well. It's 20.51p per kWh.

That way when the sun comes up, it tops the battery back upto 100% and i'm then exporting at 23.18p per kWh. It's just gone 4pm now, battery on 100% still and now exporting at 36.85p per kWh.

If I had a smaller battery, I would still do exactly the same.

waqasahmed

powerful_Rogue said:

I have 6.4kWp split between East & West. (50/50) Also 13kWp battery.

I charge overnight between 2am-5am and set washing machine/dishwasher to come on between these times as well. It's 20.51p per kWh.

That way when the sun comes up, it tops the battery back upto 100% and i'm then exporting at 23.18p per kWh. It's just gone 4pm now, battery on 100% still and now exporting at 36.85p per kWh.

If I had a smaller battery, I would still do exactly the same.

Why so? I mean I get using flux if you've got a big battery capacity but with my piddly 3kw battery, I'll be paying more than without if.

I'm currently on Octopus tracker 

Alnat1

@powerful_Rogue it seems you don't make any allowances in your calculation for the losses incurred charging/discharging your batteries. Won't this be 10-20% depending on your set up?

powerful_Rogue

Alnat1 said:

@powerful_Rogue it seems you don't make any allowances in your calculation for the losses incurred charging/discharging your batteries. Won't this be 10-20% depending on your set up?

There will be losses, however I use the Octopus Watch up to keep the tally of whats being made.

Ectophile

If it's a nice sunny day, I will stick the washing machine on in the morning, whether or not the battery is fully charged.  That way, the solar has time to re-charge the battery again, ready for the evening.

My panels are slightly East of South, so they generate more in the mornings anyway.

Niv

waqasahmed said:

powerful_Rogue said:

I have 6.4kWp split between East & West. (50/50) Also 13kWp battery.

I charge overnight between 2am-5am and set washing machine/dishwasher to come on between these times as well. It's 20.51p per kWh.

That way when the sun comes up, it tops the battery back upto 100% and i'm then exporting at 23.18p per kWh. It's just gone 4pm now, battery on 100% still and now exporting at 36.85p per kWh.

If I had a smaller battery, I would still do exactly the same.

Why so? I mean I get using flux if you've got a big battery capacity but with my piddly 3kw battery, I'll be paying more than without if.

I'm currently on Octopus tracker 

I have calculated that flux works out for me even without a battery so I agree with powerful rogue here, small battery or big I would work in the way they do. 

waqasahmed

Niv said:

waqasahmed said:

powerful_Rogue said:

I have 6.4kWp split between East & West. (50/50) Also 13kWp battery.

I charge overnight between 2am-5am and set washing machine/dishwasher to come on between these times as well. It's 20.51p per kWh.

That way when the sun comes up, it tops the battery back upto 100% and i'm then exporting at 23.18p per kWh. It's just gone 4pm now, battery on 100% still and now exporting at 36.85p per kWh.

If I had a smaller battery, I would still do exactly the same.

Why so? I mean I get using flux if you've got a big battery capacity but with my piddly 3kw battery, I'll be paying more than without if.

I'm currently on Octopus tracker 

I have calculated that flux works out for me even without a battery so I agree with powerful rogue here, small battery or big I would work in the way they do. 

May I ask how so? I mean, even with flux, I need more than 3kw of capacity? I mean not every day is super sunny 

70sbudgie

I also calculated that Flux will work for me without a battery. The reasons include that I can programme my EV to only charge during the 3 cheap hours (and other appliances like the dishwasher), some of my panels face west, so I can still be generating during (and after) the expensive 3 hours and the day rate is actually lower than the day rate for E7. 

Even today when it was raining, I was still generating 500W ish at about 5pm. Which although it doesn't necessarily give me anything to export today, it still offsets the expensive rate.

SuzeQStan

@powerful_Rogue -

really sorry for my ignorance just trying to get my head round it all. 

- if you sell back export to grid 4-7pm what do you do for energy between 4pm & whatever time you go to bed? I appreciate your are ‘saving’ high usage activities like washing machine/dishwasher for the cheaper hours.

Suppose with the inverter limit and your large capacity there would be leftover enough to last you?

newbie here to it all - want to know what to do for best with the system we have got. 

We don’t have a EV - just a charging hybrid & no high speed charger. 

waqasahmed

70sbudgie said:

I also calculated that Flux will work for me without a battery. The reasons include that I can programme my EV to only charge during the 3 cheap hours (and other appliances like the dishwasher), some of my panels face west, so I can still be generating during (and after) the expensive 3 hours and the day rate is actually lower than the day rate for E7. 

Even today when it was raining, I was still generating 500W ish at about 5pm. Which although it doesn't necessarily give me anything to export today, it still offsets the expensive rate.

Surely Go or go faster is better then, if you've got an EV?

I will eventually go to flux when I've got more batteries. That, and change between flux and cosy depending on the season once I get multi split AC.