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Just be a little careful, most people will have Feed In Tariff income which has now ended. It has been replaced with SEG (Smart Export Guarantees), which are very different in that each energy company offer a differ amount and you only get paid on actual export units, rather than an assumed 50% of generation like with FITs. From memory the best SEG is about 7p/kwh, although that should increase as energy prices increase.
Basically, the more energy you can use yourself the more worthwhile they are. If you are out at work all day and come home at 6pm then don't bother.
Basically, the more energy you can use yourself the more worthwhile they are. If you are out at work all day and come home at 6pm then don't bother.
1000 kWh/month is high - can you elaborate on the usage at different times of the day and how much the time of year plays into it?
To make a meaningful dent into that annual usage you would need a very large array - any idea how much roof space you have? Orientation of the roof? Is there *any* shading of the roof?
For most people solar panels generate most of their energy at the time it's least needed. The SEG is quite low and even with rising electricity prices the payback period can be up to 10 years just to recover your outlay.
To make a meaningful dent into that annual usage you would need a very large array - any idea how much roof space you have? Orientation of the roof? Is there *any* shading of the roof?
For most people solar panels generate most of their energy at the time it's least needed. The SEG is quite low and even with rising electricity prices the payback period can be up to 10 years just to recover your outlay.
Europa Jon said:
OP - have you insulated to the max first? That usage seems way too high.
Maximum insulation everywhere possible. Aug last year we used 32kWh. The usage is the total for heating, hot water and underfloor heating. House is 2400 sqft.Interested to hear more about the air source pump being the cause?
finlo said:
Easternlight said:
finlo said:
Our system is an air source heat pump around 18 months old.
You've found your problem.I didn't say any more as I don't know anything about it, but I'm sure that's impossible?
Easternlight said:
I was talking to a friend today who has just had a heat pump system installed in a new build, and I asked how much heat you got out for every !kw you put in and he said 3kw!!
I didn't say any more as I don't know anything about it, but I'm sure that's impossible?
It's perfectly possible. If it's ground-source, a 3:1 return is about right, air-source 2:1 seems more normal. The manufacturer claims tend to be more like 4:1 and 3:1 respectively but as with so many such things, they're usually optimistic. I didn't say any more as I don't know anything about it, but I'm sure that's impossible?
Easternlight said:
I didn't say any more as I don't know anything about it, but I'm sure that's impossible?
Not impossible at all. It doesn't "make" 3Kw from 1Kw, but it uses 1Kw of electricity to move 3Kw of heat from outside to inside. Think of it like a reverse fridge - the fridge doesn't "make cold", it just moves the heat from inside to outside. Although as has been mentioned, in the middle of winter when the outside is cold then you might get only just more than 1:1, rather than 3:1.
RossiT said:
Good afternoon,
We’re at the very early stage to looking into solar panels for our house. We’re using around 1000kwh per month.
Just interested in peoples real life experiences with them, what size of system did you go for, cost and savings achieved?
Many Thanks
Do you mean you use around 12,000kWh pa? Or is Januaries particularly high?We’re at the very early stage to looking into solar panels for our house. We’re using around 1000kwh per month.
Just interested in peoples real life experiences with them, what size of system did you go for, cost and savings achieved?
Many Thanks
We use less than that, and half of ours is taken up with our EV.
Sounds like the ASHP is the prime culprit here....
I suspect you would find the best combination being to get solar+battery. A big battery, in your case!
You can then load the batteries in winter on an overnight cheap rate....let the excess solar fill them up in summer
We have solar, but from 11+ years back - so the FIT made that work. That said, we have older less efficient panels, and the same capacity (~3.8kWh) would cost far less now.
My point is that you can get some decent deals on <solar+batteries>, in part because it attracts only 5% VAT. We are looking at batteries now, but the 20% VAT alone makes the ROI less appealing!
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