Solar use vs export

Qyburn

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81970721#Comment_81970721

The relationship between FIT credits and TA Export credits remains a mystery

You get FIT generation credits for everything you generate whether it's used or exported. You get Export credits for the amount you export.

I believe that there is an additional deemed export credit but I'll have to investigate.

You won't, or shouldn't, get payments for both deemed export and metered export. Deemed dates from before people had smart meters and was basically a guess that 50% of generation is exported.

Telegraph_Sam

So you imported and paid for 3155 kWh. That was then independent of your generation, what I call the "gross" amount.

That somehow translates into your export figure ..

I get paid by Octopus 15 p, now 12 p, for export.

I am about to throw in the towel ..

jennifernil

your own use is your generation minus your export…..it is not complicated. Either you use it yourself or it gets exported.

Perhaps you are getting confused by the various terms you are using?

Generation = what your panels produce.

Export = what you send (sell ) to the grid. As recorded by your smart meter.

Import = what you buy from your supplier.

Your total household consumption = import + ( generation-export)

Forget “gross and nett” , keep it simple.

We are also with Octopus.

Qyburn

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81970801#Comment_81970801

Jennifer's figures ..

We generated in 2025 …….3574 kWh
We exported, as measured by our smart meter, ……2245kWh
We imported and paid for ……….3155kWh

Her consumption was therefore 3574 - 2245 + 3155 = 4,484 kWh. (Which I'm glad to see is the figure in her post)

QrizB

Sam, this might or might not be useful!

Think of your consumer unit. In a house without solar panels, electricity flows into the consumer unit from the grid and then out to your house when you use it. Your energy use is equal to the amount that flows in from the grid, as measured by the import register on your electricity meter. Simple.

Now you've got solar, so electricity also flows into your consumer unit from your solar inverter. This inflow of electricity is measured by your generation meter. But if you're generating more than you're using, the excess then flows out to the grid. This outflow is measured by the export register of your electricity meter.

So the electricity used by your house must be equal to the total amount of electricity that has gone into your consumer unit, less the amount that has gone out to the grid.

The total amount that has entered your consumer unit equals the import from the grid plus the solar generation. The amount that has flowed out equals the export to the grid. So, your household electricity use must equal (increase in import meter readings) plus (increase in generation meter readings) minus (increase in export meter readings).

Telegraph_Sam

Thanks for your attempts to overcome the mental block at my end. What you say makes sense. I suppose that that is the same as saying that my "export" is the total of my metered ("gross") import plus my FIT generation, less my consumption in any time period. [I don't know if my FIT generation has an effect on what is shown as my metered import or if the two are totally independent.] If this is a reasonable rendition of your final para then we had best close the topic before the Moderator does this for us 😴

jennifernil

NO….generation is what gives you a surplus to export. Import does not affect export. Only what is recorded on your smart meter is export.

The only figure that has to be calculated is you true total consumption.

if you post your actual annual figures of generation, metered export, and what you pay for (import), then we can put that into the equation for you.. Easy to see your export and import on your Octopus account. Your generation figures are there too but are treated separately

QrizB

NO….

Strictly, the answer is "yes" since Sam has simply rearranged the equation. The logical relationship between the four valueshas been preserved and is correct.

But I do get your point.

Qyburn

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81970991#Comment_81970991

I think one thing that may be confusing you is that you could be exporting at one time and importing at another time. So you can't deduce anything at all about export, by looking at import.

Telegraph_Sam

Dead right, otherwise known as Alice in Wonderland

"generation is what gives you a surplus to export". So there is a connection but the two are not the same.

But my metered Total Active Import consumption is not affected by my generation, in my terminology the TAI figure is "gross"

Output from the pot is my consumption and any surplus in the form of export.

Input to the pot is my generation

Smoke & mirrors.