Solar panels, Solax App seems to be wrong!

Sunshinewarrior

Thanks very much to all of you for getting back to me, it's much appreciated. I did ask my installer to have a look but he hasn't yet got back to me - I'll chase him. It is small amounts going to the grid, but it's constant so must add up over time.  

mmmmikey

Sunshinewarrior said:

Thanks very much to all of you for getting back to me, it's much appreciated. I did ask my installer to have a look but he hasn't yet got back to me - I'll chase him. It is small amounts going to the grid, but it's constant so must add up over time.  

Yes, worth persevering and getting it calibrated appropriately - can start to become significant for small batteries in particularly.

Petriix

Is it possible that your battery inverter has a minimum output of slightly over your base load?

Personally I wouldn't be worried about 44w. It's certainly better to err on the side of export rather than import but, more importantly, the optimal use of your system would be to export as much as possible while avoiding any peak imports and to charge the battery from cheap overnight electricity.

You mentioned the FIT so I assume you're still on 'deemed' export payments where you're paid for exporting 50% of your generation regardless of how much you do or don't actually export. In the current energy market it's more lucrative to switch to metered export payments where you can earn up to 16.5p per kWh for what you actually send to the grid. Then you can charge the battery for as little as 7p per kWh overnight so that you can export as much of your solar generation as possible during the day. 

This requires a reliable smart meter (which I know not everyone can get) and, for the cheapest imports, you would need to be on an EV tariff or at least economy 7.

Sunshinewarrior

Just an update: My provider - EDF - has said that we are in debit (not by much) each month - i.e. we owe them money. I said how could that be and he replied; that we use so much gas that it off-sets the fact that we export £40 - £50 each month from the solar panels and we are mostly off grid, which he accepts. Our setup does not import electricity to charge our battery, and we only export when there is an excess from the panels and the battery is full, so I don't have much confidence in their argument. I asked that the system be checked out and they are getting their 'experts' involved. But maybe I should get an independent firm involved. What do you think; am I being unreasonable/paranoid, or is there cause for concern here?   

QrizB

Sunshinewarrior said:

 What do you think; am I being unreasonable/paranoid, or is there cause for concern here?   

There's no reason for you to expect your electricity export to pay for your gas, they're two different things that you use / produce at unrelated rates.

If you are able to share details of your gas bill here, we can help you check it.