Basic Solar Question - Consumer Unit

Time2Go_25

Just in the very early stages of thinking about Solar and was wondering if access to the consumer unit is a must have, or can the connections just go to the meter/input which is outside. The house has relatively newly laid Kardeen flooring, with insulating boards under and I have no desire to lift and then replace them as the floor is unlikely to match.

A battery has it's own issues, in that the garage, 10m away from the house, has porcelain patio between the house and it, which again I have no desire to lift, how much would performance suffer if the battery was housed outside against the side of the house, it could be boxed in if necessary.

These I guess are basic questions, but I know very little about solar.

Thanks

Netexporter

They often fit a secondary consumer unit if the existing one can't accommodate the extra ways, or hasn't got surge protection, which is now mandatory. They could possible fit a weatherproof unit, outside, if cable routing would be too disruptive.

There are plenty os battery systems that are designed for outside installation. Check that it has automatic heating, which some cheaper ones don't. Or you could go for sodium batteries, which work in sub-zero temperatures, although there was only one (Eleven) being offered last time I looked.

SimonSeys

I don’t think it will be a problem. I’ve just had a battery installed. I already had solar. Both are connected by ‘Henley blocks’ which go between the meter and the existing consumer unit. Because my battery has a long cable run, it needed a separate consumer unit to protect the cable. It was far easier for everyone to leave the existing CU alone and install the new mini CU.

Batteries and inverters outside are not a problem. You just need to have the space and location. Some people put them in mini enclosures for aesthetic reasons.

sheenas

The battery is safer outside than in and there are units designed to be fitted this way. Access to the existing consumer unit is more of an issue. The solar will need connecting so a solution will finding.

Screwdriva

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6661810/basic-solar-question-consumer-unit

Two (of 4) installers I use to help others with Solar have, on occasion, heavily subsidized the replacement of the consumer unit by a certified electrician as part of the quote, as the electrician is paid for a full day's labour for each job.

The only battery I would recommend for cold weather performance in the Tesla PW3 - it's in a class of it's own and requires no boxing or any DIY type protection (you can submerge > half the battery in water and the warranty will not be voided). That said, all batteries will be slightly more efficient in a garage.

Qyburn

This will depend in the details of your specific installation. Solar does not need to connect into the house consumer unit, but it will need to connect to something providing a suitable circuit breaker (MCB or RCBO).

If your inverter and battery are installed at your garage, it's likely you'll need at least a data cable run to the incoming supply. The battery controller needs to know what's coming in/out.

SimonSeys

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81942291#Comment_81942291

I’m not convinced by the PW3. 13kWh for £7k, when you can get a 32kWh Fogstar for less than half the price. The Fogstar also comes with heating and fire suppression

NedS

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81942392#Comment_81942392

You are not really comparing like for like. That's like comparing an Apple MacBook Pro with an entry level £299 laptop in Currys that has twice the storage.

Reed_Richards

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81942460#Comment_81942460

But a £299 entry level laptop from Curry's is vastly better value for money than an Apple MacBook Pro and will do everything that the vast majority of computer users require. So by analogy, get the Fogstar?

Nick_Dr1

Worked for me. But it precludes the clever tariffs that are becoming more popular which are currently only compatible with things like the PW, which may be important going forward, and any customer service that may be needed. With Fogstar you are your own warranty, but they use pretty good quality components.

Screwdriva

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81942392#Comment_81942392

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81942671#Comment_81942671

If the zero track record £299 laptop from Curry's was assembled by your neighbouring computer repair shop or IT guy, with a warranty provided by them and not the manufacturer or Curry's, with little to no chance of anyone ever honouring it. Add in the lack of a modern OS (No Intelligent Flux) paired to a generic motherboard, processor, RAM and HDD, some of which you'd need to purchase seperately, then yes, that would be an accurate comparison to a MacBook Pro.

Different strokes for different folks.