Mental May

[Stinsy]

Best day of solar for 2023 today - 12.1kWh from the garage and 25.5kWh from the bungalow - batteries full, car full, washing machine and dishwasher and 20.6kWh exported - need to sort an outgoing tariff!

I'm wary of that. ATM I get deemed export of half the generation from my 2011 panels, which works in my favour, and nothing from the 2022 ones which are on the DC side.

No-one has explained how the metering could work. I suppose a smart meter would measure the total export and you could then deduct the TGM reading of the old panels to get the contribution of the new.

But if I get a smart meter to get SEG for the latter they will put me on to actual export from the former in line with latest OFGEM ruling. So swings and roundabouts and IMO not worth the hassle.

Better to use the power than get paid to export it. Bigger battery is one method (particularly if you get alternating good and bad days). DHW tank with diverter is another method, works well because you heat water overnight on cheap-rate then again in the afternoon on excess solar.

[Inskip75]

Best day of solar for 2023 today - 12.1kWh from the garage and 25.5kWh from the bungalow - batteries full, car full, washing machine and dishwasher and 20.6kWh exported - need to sort an outgoing tariff!

I'm wary of that. ATM I get deemed export of half the generation from my 2011 panels, which works in my favour, and nothing from the 2022 ones which are on the DC side.

No-one has explained how the metering could work. I suppose a smart meter would measure the total export and you could then deduct the TGM reading of the old panels to get the contribution of the new.

But if I get a smart meter to get SEG for the latter they will put me on to actual export from the former in line with latest OFGEM ruling. So swings and roundabouts and IMO not worth the hassle.

As I understand it, but may be wrong, the smart meter is already measuring outgoing but requires another MPAN to record this. The FIT generation payment is seperated from the export payment and remains intact, but the export payment is then transferred to a SEG (12p say for 100% of export compared to 4.82p for deemed 50% export) which seems worth it in my book. but is hassle I agree. At the moment I can't use Octopus outgoing because I'm on GO and they won't let you have a outgoing tariff with EV tariff, so SEG will have to be with another provider.

[Ken]

For most people who have done something which may be as little as using leccy when there is a PV supply and then there is winter then i am reasonable sure that the 50% deemed will be greater than SEG
.
It will in the future when you have the EV, batts, and ..... and then you will not be able to go back to deemed.

[richbee]

At the moment I can't use Octopus outgoing because I'm on GO and they won't let you have a outgoing tariff with EV tariff, so SEG will have to be with another provider.

Is that the case - no SEG with Octopus smart tariffs, or is it only Go?
I assumed that any Octopus smart tariff would also be able to provide SEG.
I'm planning to swap to Octopus to take advantage of cheap rate battery charging in Autumn / Winter, but I currently still export using SEG due to no EV or heat pump or hot water cylinder

[Inskip75]

At the moment I can't use Octopus outgoing because I'm on GO and they won't let you have a outgoing tariff with EV tariff, so SEG will have to be with another provider.

Is that the case - no SEG with Octopus smart tariffs, or is it only Go?
I assumed that any Octopus smart tariff would also be able to provide SEG.
I'm planning to swap to Octopus to take advantage of cheap rate battery charging in Autumn / Winter, but I currently still export using SEG due to no EV or heat pump or hot water cylinder

As far as I know it's currently no SEG with EV tariff - as I'm about to change heating to remove combi and have DHW cylinder I will use solar for the HW and then re-visit SEG tariffs.

[marshman]

For most people who have done something which may be as little as using leccy when there is a PV supply and then there is winter then i am reasonable sure that the 50% deemed will be greater than SEG
.
It will in the future when you have the EV, batts, and ..... and then you will not be able to go back to deemed.

It's a valid point. You need a crystal ball! Back in 2010 when I had the first FiTs install I was initially on deemed 50% export. After a few months I realised I was exporting around 75% in the summer months - even with a diverter for the DHW. At the time SSE was offering a "free" install of an Export meter. So I took them up on the offer and went onto metered export for the FiT export payments. For quite a long time I was "better" of to the tune of a few 10's of £'s per year.

Roll forward to 2021 - I get hold of another 5.7kW worth of panels and install a 6kW inverter and battery storage. Now I am exporting a lot more at times so I have to cancel the export FiT payment, if I didn't I would be getting paid for export from a non FiT install which would be breaking the rules. I tried to switch back to deemed export but I was told I could not go back to deemed export, although I believed that to be incorrect I couldn't be bothered to fight it, so I simply requested to be removed from the FiT export register. So currently get paid nothing for any export, though the orginal FiT for generation has continued as before.

At some point I will get a smart meter fitted and try to get SEG payments - I do at least have an export MPAN for my troubles. I am not that bothered as the export payments are almost insignificant next to the FiT payment for generation on the original system and the savings I am making on my electric bill with the extra PV and battery storage.

If I get an EV (or 2) in the future it may not even be worth claiming SEG payments - who knows?

[Inskip75]

For most people who have done something which may be as little as using leccy when there is a PV supply and then there is winter then i am reasonable sure that the 50% deemed will be greater than SEG
.
It will in the future when you have the EV, batts, and ..... and then you will not be able to go back to deemed.

My additional panels 1.75kW were added in March 2022 so using this full year for calculations then my deemed export paid £66 for the original installation and I get none for the new installation and I exported 2000kWh in total so at 12p this would pay £240 or even at say 7.5p to match cheap GO rate would be £150.

But as Marshman has said it needs a crystal ball!!

[Moxi]

Build the solar PV system to provide you with the power you require for the best 9 months of the year, self consume as much as you can yourself without being needlessly wasteful (which is different to be comfortable). This will limit the excess generation in the most optimum months.

Buy some cooperative shares in big wind / hydro / solar projects to close the gap for the 3 shoulder months to help offset expenditure on energy imports from the Grid.

Disengage yourself from the torment of trying to sell micro generation power to the grid - we are never going to be able to compete and therefore will always be subject to their discretionary payment awards.

Expend time energy and funds on electrical appliances that will enhance your lifestyle and comfort, batch prepare food on good days, try and reduce other fuel types consumption to a minimum and manage your electrical energy requirements to maintain parity or as close to as you can and...............

Enjoy

Moxi

[marshman]

When someone produces a sensible EV at sensible price then I may be tempted to get one and that will even things out a lot in the summer months, until then ............

[Joeboy]

Today I have the pain of 88% soc by 10am, nowhere to put it and I'm heading to Edinburgh (which is nice), nonetheless!

New solar canopy going on at Broxden services Perth.