Not sure how to progress or to ask correctly. Quotes for solar and(or not) battery

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82000652#Comment_82000652

Maybe they are on the fixed version, & renewal was around that time, or they just knee jerked & re fixed. Which Octopus did raise the prices on at the time for people wanting to switch to IOG.

My off peak went from pre April 7p to post April 5.2p & post May 6.9p But I'm just on the variable IOG Tariff.

63.44p day S/C Current rate.

AboutUs

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82000212#Comment_82000212

OK, more thought on this. Previous reply was a little off, it caught me off guard but forced a think. Good thing.

Obvious events is a part driver and I think it will get worse. Being a small part of lowering need for fossil fuels another. Running through what we can shift to night EV rate, no bead on that till the EV is on the drive. That is an unknown. But one device that would be useful, won't.

Payback is something that will happen, I hope, but that is not a driver. The monthly saving in our pocket will benefit us more day to day. Not going into finances but will run by FA. That means I get quote battery and sans battery.

Only other thing that may be on the horizon is a heat pump but looking at that bamboozles me. Looks a minefield.

Before I go forward accepting any quote, we need the EV on the drive I think because daytime rate add another 10p a unit.

Martyn1981

Quick question, do you have a nice room, maybe living room, or open area, that gets too hot in the summer occassionally?

Strange question, but if so, then you might appreciate an air con unit (A2A (air to air heat pump)). These are now two way, so can heat or cool, so opens the door to 'heat pump lite'. Effectively, you can use it to warm the house up in the shoulder months (Mch-May & Sep-Oct) by using spare PV, or even cheap night rate (to take the chill off the house, by leaking heat through the property). You can also use it through the winter (at night), again using cheap rate, to put heat in the property, and reduce GCH use.

Apologise that this may all sound complicated, and add to your confusion, but thought it worth mentioning. You might get a small, cheap unit installed from £1,200, and larger/better units from ~£1,500+ installed.

Taken to the extreme, and after adding a hot water tank, I'm able to heat our house with two A2A units.

AboutUs

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82002838#Comment_82002838

I have been spying those and trying to get a bead on them.

Problem I have is the whole house is a heat sink in the summer (dark red brick, black roof, no shading) and can get too hot. At the moment (in heat waves) I am fixing radiator reflectors to the windows that get the sun when temps are above a certain point (window blocking can drop up to 6 degrees off the room and pergola with solar sails in planning). Hence the portable air con though it has heat pump. That will get used a few weeks in the year on average, it doesn't really bump my daytime use per annum. Maybe a fiver in a hot month.

I have been spying those and trying to get a bead on them. And that prompts the question, do panels remove some of that heat load?

Martyn1981

Panels certainly reduce the heat in the loft, depending on insulation levels (if any) behind the slates/tiles. The loft will then heat up in line with ambient temp, rather than direct sun heat on the roofing material. Effectively, the panels will get hot (very hot) instead.

I used to do the same with big windows, I got some of the dirt cheap (£2?) silver reflector panels for car windscreens. These come with the suction cups and fit on the conservatory glass perfectly. Now have honeycomb shaped blinds on all the glass.

Pergola would be a great idea. Block the summer sun, and some winter sun may get underneath, so still adding solar gain to the home.

I'm (clearly) a big fan of the A2A units, but never expected them to remove the need for a full wet ASHP system, but they did. These days there is a £2.5k grant for them, but you do have to remove the FF heat source to qualify. Not saying they are perfect, you will need to consider how many, and where to put them, and if they will spread heat around the property. But for us an ASHP wet system was complicated by microbore, and EPC's suggesting our 1930 semi required vastly more heating than it actually does. Now I get to strip out rads, and sell some copper, each time I redecorate a room.

AboutUs

Well, life events come along and mess up things.

One firm didn't turn up and the other has 2 years warranty on the install outside manufacturer warranties. Ecoflow kit and Aiko and Eurener panels. 10+7 (east west faces). 8.7kw with 5..1kw batt and inverter. minus battery quite as well.

Feeling is we wait for the EV and then settle into that and take up the baton later in the year. Still need another 2 quotes but EV first now I think (build week is this week+delivery time). But thanks for the pointers.