Solar panels but increased energy usage?

Tiger_greeneyes

I had solar panels and a heat source pump installed this summer and having read the electricity meter, it appears that I've used 71 more units than I did for the same period last year. How can that be possible? This time last year I was using a fan oven pretty much daily but now use an air fryer. My heating was via an oil fuel burner central heating system so if anything, I feel I should have used less energy. 

To put it into context, last September I used 256 units, this September I used 118 units.

Last November I used 257 units, this November I used 328 units.

This is something I really don't understand, we're very light users and I'm concerned there's some kind of problem with the system.

Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.

Rodders53

November????  9 days in!  Do you mean October? 

Anyway damp, grey, short days.  Solar not much help?  Reducing output less export, anyway.

ASHP used for heating rather than Kerosene = more electric used. But no oil is burnt!

You are trying to compare eggs with mushrooms.

Spies

My advice is realise that a ASHP uses electricity and we have had very little to no solar so far this month...

comeandgo

You will use a lot more electricity in the dark winter months, a lot more.

Tiger_greeneyes

Rodders53 said:

November????  9 days in!  Do you mean October? 

Anyway damp, grey, short days.  Solar not much help?  Reducing output less export, anyway.

ASHP used for heating rather than Kerosene = more electric used. But no oil is burnt!

You are trying to compare eggs with mushrooms.

November bill period - my bills run from 10th to 9th every month. I compared both periods to the same periods last year. It was easier to not add the actual dates, that would have added more confusion, not less. It's merely for comparison than anything else.

We didn't use a lot of kerosene, 1200 litres used to last around a year. That worked out at around £40 per month.

Tiger_greeneyes

Spies said:

My advice is realise that a ASHP uses electricity and we have had very little to no solar so far this month...

We've had a good number of bright days where I am, the ASHP isn't on every day and when it is on, it's set to 16c which means it doesn't come on all that much. It's a small, well insulated house. Looking back, we didn't have the heating on on the bright days as our living room faces south and has big windows. We've had the windows open pretty much daily, if anything.

Tiger_greeneyes

Rodders53 said:

November????  9 days in!  Do you mean October? 

Anyway damp, grey, short days.  Solar not much help?  Reducing output less export, anyway.

ASHP used for heating rather than Kerosene = more electric used. But no oil is burnt!

You are trying to compare eggs with mushrooms.

Do ASHP use more electricity than oil fuel burners? I'm guessing they must use a lot more, going on these figures, if that's the reason for the higher unit usage.

Exiled_Tyke

As others have said at this time of year solar panel production starts to decline massively as we head towards winter.  My production at the low of winter is about a tenth of what it is for the best early summer months.  On top of that the last couple of weeks have been incredibly dull for most of us. I've had next to zero production. 

On the heating side my ASHP is using around 500 kWh (or units) each month at the moment . But that has saved me a substantially higher amount of gas compared to last year.   If you are only 70 units up I think you are doing pretty well   

Keep_pedalling

Last year you were burning oil this year you are not so I would expect your electric use to increase significantly but that will be offset by not having to buy any more oil.

Tiger_greeneyes

Exiled_Tyke said:

As others have said at this time of year solar panel production starts to decline massively as we head towards winter.  My production at the low of winter is about a tenth of what it is for the best early summer months.  On top of that the last couple of weeks have been incredibly dull for most of us. I've had next to zero production. 

On the heating side my ASHP is using around 500 kWh (or units) each month at the moment . But that has saved me a substantially higher amount of gas compared to last year.   If you are only 70 units up I think you are doing pretty well   

500 units per month seems very high considering they're meant to be so much more energy efficient. Our old boiler was 97% efficient but it was 15 years old and we got the chance to upgrade. Looking back over the old bills, it must have cost peanuts to run, just the price of the kerosene.

Tiger_greeneyes

Exiled_Tyke said:

As others have said at this time of year solar panel production starts to decline massively as we head towards winter.  My production at the low of winter is about a tenth of what it is for the best early summer months.  On top of that the last couple of weeks have been incredibly dull for most of us. I've had next to zero production. 

On the heating side my ASHP is using around 500 kWh (or units) each month at the moment . But that has saved me a substantially higher amount of gas compared to last year.   If you are only 70 units up I think you are doing pretty well   

I just found this: "The relatively low efficiency of LPG boilers compared to air source heat pumps makes them more expensive to run. This is especially true if you have an older LPG boiler running at about 70% efficiency, which could currently cost you more than twice as much in annual heating costs compared to an air source heat pump."

My boiler was 97% efficient so my figures don't make sense when a low efficiency boiler (70%) would cost twice as much to run as an ASHP. 

I'm not great at anything to do with numbers though, I have a long standing brain injury so this is pretty confusing for me.