Moving on

Laura_Elsewhere

if you don't find buyers for your Abbey books, then I think the EJO Society would welcome them if you wanted to donate- let me know and I can dig out contact details (I'm a member and have very nearly all of the books- let me know what you have abd I might buy some if you can fill the gaps!)

Cherryfudge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82053329#Comment_82053329

I think I have one of their Kindle ones, and had intended to buy others on the drip, but mine is an older Kindle that they aren't updating, and last time I bought a book, I had to read it on the app. That could give me eye strain if I'm not careful.

I've not read TGotHC and it's really the one I should aim for as it's right at the beginning and I liked Cicely as a character. Later ones can be a bit 'churned out' and lacking in character, I think.

Cherryfudge

So we had our second appointment about solar, and I'm left fairly confused and hoping my thoughts will settle overnight. That's partly because DH and I feel differently about it, but as he pointed out, it will be mostly 'my' money that pays for it, so I have a sort of casting vote.

A few things that stood out for me include that it's vastly cheaper than the morning's quote, is based on 10 panels on one aspect of the roof instead of sixteen panels over both aspects, and is adjusted following a six-monthly call to see if we want our battery to reflect winter/summer optimisation, whereas the morning one gives a constant system of AI monitoring that enables multiple adjustments automatically each day.

After tea (tuna pasta) DH had a meeting so I stayed at home to print out the quotes. I thought it might make it easier to compare them but of course they are couched in different terms so it won't be 100% simple, even before it comes to unravelling what's really important.

Eventually my head couldn't cope and I felt in need of exercise, but there was a brief shower to wait through, so everything smelled lovely when I did go out. I had a wander round for ages, noticing the solar panels! I only found about seven, but of those, two were east-facing, so perhaps this is more of a thing than our research indicated. I've written myself a few questions to follow up tomorrow.

peb

Oh ; do get GotHC. It's wonderful.

Im not a member of the EJO Soc (I was but I don't get on with most of them!) but a lot of my friends are.

Croft12

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82053726#Comment_82053726

Only you can know your demand & just how big the quote gap is (and any future added demand; EV HP etc) but I've never met someone who regretted adding more panels but many who wish they'd added more.

Cherryfudge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82054158#Comment_82054158

I had a read of the stub and had to leave it at that as I can't take my laptop in the bath! I will check Open Library before Kindle as they have so much wonderful stuff.

Thanks for the recommendation. 😊

Cherryfudge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82054390#Comment_82054390

Thank you for this @Croft12 , it's a valuable insight and in fact one of the salesmen said to me 'Even if you don't go with us, get solar'.

We are considering an EV, so we are taking that into consideration. DH is thinking a heat pump would be good too - but at the rate we are spending, we will need a super solar system to pay for all the wants!

I've just messaged the expensive team to ask about why they are thinking of placing panels equally between east as west aspects. The other sales person wanted 10 panels on the west and none on the east, as he said they wouldn't get enough light, but the (expensive) one photographed our eastern aspect (sound like a mountain, sorry) and grinned. Then the grin lasted and he told me twice what a great roof we had for solar. Now I know he's not new to the job, and as far as I can tell he really meant it - but why would he say that about an east-facing slope unless he thought is really was the case? Even if it's pure sales talk, surely he would place the emphasis on the west-facing roof?

The real problem right now is the sales pressure as there's a 48 hours period, expiring tomorrow morning, is which there's a sign-up incentive of an extra battery. Obviously I could opt to buy more but the returns on a second battery and the fact this quantitiy of panels could service that, make it very tempting - as does not having to pay up front for it. I think they are relying on this 48 hour sign-up with hefty reward to reel me in and it's certainly effective. I mean, why pay more and not get that extra benefit?

All this from someone who, a day and a half ago, thought selling to the grid would be a negligible return. 😁

Cherryfudge

I've just had a long but interesting WhatsApp conversation with that arch-cynic, DS2, who had done some research into solar himself and regaled me with stats about cobalt and lithium in the batteries - not nice, how it's obtained, but I think there's what I'd call a 'peat bog argument' here. Yes, those things are used, yes, they may have been obtained through human suffering - but once in the battery, they are bound up like a peat bog holds carbon. For a long time they are relatively inert (as far as I understand it) and the questionable point is not this peat bog stage, but what happens at either end of it. How are they mined and how are they recycled?

I don't really have answers to those…

Earlier I wanted a break and had some L1dl vouchers about to run out so I went to the nearby triangle of supermarkets for some necessary shopping and some bargains - a huge punnet of strawberries for 94p and some other stuff. Freezer is full again. No time to do more than pack everything away, but I did get a sandwich to take for lunch tomorrow.

I've printed out one exercise for tomorrow's class and spent a couple of hours with the Wednesday church group - great excitement as we heard earlier that one couple had a new baby. Mum and baby doing very well and may even be home already.

WelshmansDaughter

For me the problem with solar is that it dominates the market. The silicon which makes up the panels is a non renewable resource. So if everyone gets solar then we are just transferring the problem to a different non renewable resource. In Yorkshire the more appropriate solution would be wind/water based but there are insufficient people making the products

ArtyJ931

there is a good renewables board on here where you can post the details on your quotes and get feedback from very knowledgeable people. East/west facing roof should have panels both sides from my own research because the morning the east facing side gets sun and the afternoon evening the west side gets it! Unless you have trees or something shading the east side it makes no sense to ignore it.

I would say get advice from the renewables board.