Solar panel help needed!

oppro

I’m so confused! 

I had solar panels installed in February but so far they don’t seem to be making the blindest bit of difference! I don’t have a battery or diverter for the water, so I’m trying to use my electrical appliances during the day time, rather than overnight as I used to. At the moment even cooking is during daylight hours, all appliances like washing machine, dishwasher, hoover, lawnmower, power tools etc are during daylight hours. We’re not using heaters, electric blankets, kettles of hot water bottles, extra lighting etc. How have I still had a £250 bill?? I’ve NEVER had a £250 bill even in December! 

My consumption (from Utility Warehouse) is almost identical now to what is was this time last year, surely it should have gone right down? (My bills have gone up due to price increases but I’m trying to focus on the consumption.)

Apparently I’ve generated about 1182kwh, used 417kwh, and exported 764.3kwh, but I’m still using the same or more than this time last year on my UW bills? 

I didn’t realise I had forms to fill in & an 8 week wait to be paid for excess energy I export back to the grid but I’ve filled that in now. 🙄🤦🏻‍♀️ But I’m more concerned about using the energy I generate rather than being charged 33p for it from the grid & selling it back for 2p. 🙄

What is going wrong here? I was expecting my daytime usage to be basically nothing! 

Krakkkers

At this time of the year your consumption from the grid during the day should be pretty much nothing.
How long has it taken to use 417kwh from the grid?.
How many panels?
I use less than 2kwh a day from the grid at this time of the year, I have 4 kwp of panels but no battery.

debitcardmayhem

Have you checked you bill with meter readings you have is it a bill on estimated usage?

oppro

debitcardmayhem said:

Have you checked you bill with meter readings you have is it a bill on estimated usage?

No it’s a smart meter so should be pretty accurate.

Krakkkers said:

At this time of the year your consumption from the grid during the day should be pretty much nothing.
How long has it taken to use 417kwh from the grid?.
How many panels?
I use less than 2kwh a day from the grid at this time of the year, I have 4 kwp of panels but no battery.

That’s how much I’ve used since February. I have 4kw of panels. I just don’t understand how they’re barely making any difference at all. My consumption is almost identical to last year! 🤷🏻‍♀️

Krakkkers

So assuming 100 days of having panels you have generated 11 kwh a day and used about 4 kwh from the grid, that sounds about right. 
What was your daily usage before solar panels? what was your annual usage?  You are going to have to give us more info if you want help.

Krakkkers

417kwh from Feb is about £130 cost. About £40 per month.

oppro

Krakkkers said:

What was your daily usage before solar panels? what was your annual usage?  You are going to have to give us more info if you want help.

Since I had them installed in February:

May 22 - 238 kwh, May 23 - 212 kwh
Apr 22 - 221 kwh, Apr 23 - 202 kwh
Mar 22 - 318 kwh, Mar 23 - 311kwh
Feb 22 - 232 kwh, Feb 23 - 281kwh

I’d have expected it to be far lower this year! I don’t understand how it’s still pretty much the same as last year. 🤔🤷🏻‍♀️

debitcardmayhem

oppro said:

No it’s a smart meter so should be pretty accurate.

Have you checked the bill and compared their meter read to your actual meter (not the IHD) ?

Are UW also only offering 2p/kwh for export ?

Time to switch ...methinks

Petriix

Using the solar power you generate requires some decent monitoring and a fair bit of flexibility and planning. However, with Octopus Flux, you're actually better off exporting during the day and using the cheap 3 hours overnight to run your appliances.

Do you have a live monitor (or working IHD that shows export)? Do you have 30 minute smart meter data to see your daytime usage? 

debitcardmayhem

Working back from your figures 417 kwh / (say 100 days) = 4.17 /day circa 120 / month that is why you need to check your bills , forget about pounds for now that £250 bill may include what you have used prior to the panels , what is the breakdown from the bill for feb-may 23 in kwh

debitcardmayhem

Petriix said:

Using the solar power you generate requires some decent monitoring and a fair bit of flexibility and planning. However, with Octopus Flux, you're actually better off exporting during the day and using the cheap 3 hours overnight to run your appliances.

Do you have a live monitor (or working IHD that shows export)? Do you have 30 minute smart meter data to see your daytime usage? 

without a battery that's a fair comment but the neighbours won't be happy if you cut the grass at 3am or drilling holes and hoovering ... just saying of course