New build property with heat pump and solar panels …

Pattielabelle

Conundrum …

We have recently moved to a new build property which has just three solar panels, a Worcester Bosch heat pump, no inverter, no battery. No gas.

We were with Octopus Energy at our previous house, but they’ve well and truly botched things up in moving us over to the new property. In addition, they automatically moved us from a fixed rate tariff to a variable tariff and repaid money which was in credit. So in effect we’re starting from scratch.

We’re getting to grips with the solar panels and have a small plug in meter which tells us how much power we’re using and when we’re exporting power to the Grid.

What we would like to achieve - besides trying to use our solar electricity as efficiently as we can - is to get an electricity provider who will pay us a reasonably decent rate for the power we export, at the same time as managing not to pay inflated rates for any imported power used. But to be honest we’re bamboozled by it all, and the MSE fuel comparison site is not helping us in our present situation.

Can anyone give us some guidance please?

QrizB

I'm puzzled.

You say you've got "no inverter" but at the same time you say you're able to export to the grid. I think that, if you're able to export, you must have an inverter?

I know that Octopus are currently in your bad books, but they have a decent choice of smart tariffs and also pay a good rate for export. Maybe choose something from their tariff range, at least to get you started?

Do you have an EV?

Netexporter

I have solar (4kW) and a heat pump. I'm on Octopus Agile for imports and Outgoing Fixed for exports. I also have an EV. My electricity bill was less than £500 last year.

Vitor

If you’re generating or exporting anything at all, an inverter exists, often hidden in a cupboard, loft, garage, or as micro-inverters under the panels. Three panels is a very small system, so export income will be modest. With a heat pump, your priority should be a competitive import tariff, not chasing export rates. First confirm the inverter location, system size, and that you’re registered for an export tariff with a smart met

Even adding a battery would usually be poor value if the aim is to store surplus solar, because there simply isn’t much excess to capture. A battery might make sense only if you go onto a a strong time-of-use tariff and can reliably charge cheaply off-peak to cover expensive peak usage, which may help with a heat pump

Newbie_John

Every provider has ToU tarrif that may be of your interest, Octopus is over advertised everywhere and it comes with peak penalty between 16-19, check other providers like Good Energy and their heat pump tarrif, So Energy, or even E7 tarriffs from Ecotricity, UW etc.

There's a lot to consider, Octopus pays best export rates I believe, others are cheaper in general but a lot depends on your usage pattern, when you are at home etc.

Its really hard to do a comparison that works hence MSE and other websites just stick to standard tarriffs.

QrizB

Also, bear in mind that the best winter tariff might not be the best summer tariff. You might find yourself switching tariffs (possibly even switching suppliers) twice a year, in spring and autumn.

zxzxzx

Perhaps have a look at Octopus Cosy, you should be able to access it on line or by phone pretty quickly. Only down side is 16:00 - 19:00 high rate so try not to use oven dishwasher etc then.

It would be a quick fix until you decide what you want to do long term. Don’t worry about export as the sun is MIA for the foreseeable!!

NedS

I agree with @Vitor that prioritising a low import tariff in winter will be most important. With only 3 panels and a heat pump, you will be consuming everything you generate for most of the heating season (October-March), so export rates are largely irrelevant. In summer, you can use midday solar to run your DHW cycle, also running the heat pump at the warmest time of day when it is most efficient.

For reference, last winter we achieved an average import price of around 20p per kWh on Octopus Cosy with a heat pump and solar, by load shifting as much as we could to the cheap rate periods, and absolute minimal usage in the peak rate 4-7pm slot (which was difficult for us with electric cooking in the evenings).

As @QrizB states, you may find that different tariffs are optimal in summer / winter. However, depending on your generation / usage in summer, you may still find you are able to consume much of your generation, thus minimising any export and again making export less relevant. If you are home all day and are able to load shift much of your use to sunny periods during summer, you may be able to consume much of what you generate having only 3 panels.

silverwhistle

If you are home all day and are able to load shift much of your use to sunny periods during summer, you may be able to consume much of what you generate having only 3 panels.

You don't even need to be at home with the use of timeswitches on dishwashers and laundry equipment.

I've used both Intelligent Octopus Go and Agile over the last year, with PV but no home battery and GCH which I use very little. My lastest bill yesterday showed an average price of 18.86p/kWh for the worst month of the year, 12.69 the previous bill. My averages were at best 6.93 on Agile and at best on IOG 12.4p. I'm giving that information really to show how variable the situation can be, as individual circumstances make it very difficult to give recommendations

Reed_Richards

I think your solar panels were just a token gesture so the housebuilder could say you have solar panels. With only 3 you will get very little benefit; perhaps you could consider adding more?

Pattielabelle

Many thanks to those who have responded. Firstly, my mistake. Apparently there is an inverter in the loft. No EV.

We are finding this is an absolute minefield. We are at home much of the time. We do try to use the dishwasher and washing*machine during the sunny periods, but this is all so new to us, hence the questions. My OH did look at export tariffs and advised that BG had a rate of something like 15.1 per kWh, whereas Octopus was stating theirs was hugely less, and there do seem to be all kind of conditions attached.