Decision time...

[AE-NMidlands]

AE, if you’re not with Octopus, you can get a £50 cashback on referral by a friend
That’d help to offset some of the increase too.

I am with Octopus already, as they took over the Coop energy business and give Coop members a "special" tarriff - if you can believe what marketing people say.
However the one thing I can't find to put into my sums are the actual capped prices, so I can't estimate what any % rise means! I understand that they vary by region, and that suppliers can deviate in some ways, but only the "Average house" prices seem to be publicised.
Even Offgem say

Guidance for energy customers:
If you are an energy customer trying to find out your capped tariff price, please contact your energy supplier. You can find their contact information on an energy bill,

[nowty]

However the one thing I can't find to put into my sums are the actual capped prices, so I can't estimate what any % rise means! I understand that they vary by region, and that suppliers can deviate in some ways, but only the "Average house" prices seem to be publicised.

No supplier or OFGEM has announced official figures but the ball park will be 38.5p / kWh for leccy and 9.5p / kWh for gas from 1st October, capped for 2 years.

[Oldgreybeard]

AE, if you’re not with Octopus, you can get a £50 cashback on referral by a friend
That’d help to offset some of the increase too.

I am with Octopus already, as they took over the Coop energy business and give Coop members a "special" tarriff - if you can believe what marketing people say.
However the one thing I can't find to put into my sums are the actual capped prices, so I can't estimate what any % rise means! I understand that they vary by region, and that suppliers can deviate in some ways, but only the "Average house" prices seem to be publicised.
Even Offgem say

Guidance for energy customers:
If you are an energy customer trying to find out your capped tariff price, please contact your energy supplier. You can find their contact information on an energy bill,

I can only add that I am every bit as frustrated by trying to find what the "capped" prices are. It seems to me that there is some sort of weighting algorithm applied, and that the notional 54% rise allowed in April wasn't really 54% at all. Our prices were capped, as we are on a standard variable tariff, but the % increase in April was all over the place. For example:

Peak rate tariff was 27.773p/kWh. That increased by 19.76% to 33.26p/kWh under the notional 54% cap

Off-peak tariff was 7.56p/kWh. That increased by 135.86% to 17.831p/kWh under the notional 54% cap

Standing charge was 22.97p/day. That increased by 81.63% to 41.72p/day

Very hard to see how the 54% cap relates to those increases, but presumably there is some magic formula that is applied to make those increases magically add up to no more than 54%. For us the reality is that our bill has far more than doubled and will likely be around 4 times higher this winter than last, with the October increase as well.

[Moxi]

I don't suppose a small DIY ground mount DC system would make a sensible alternative for you AE ? While you wait for the main system ? Thats assuming you have ground space and suitable aspect.

Moxi

[kla456]

Or perhaps an RHI-supported hybrid heat pump?https://greenerenergygroup.co.uk/servic ... DwEALw_wcB

[Burble61]

There were very, very good reasons why the Arquiva operated long range radio system supplied by Sensus wasn't adopted in the South & Midlands regions....

Naff all to do with technology.

[sharpener]

My Fronius inverter and Luxpower inverter with the new batteries all talk via the web.

You have done well to get it all up and running since June then!

The 'new' Liz in our lives has mentioned doing something for us oil users but no details yet. I'm in need of 1500 litres but can wait and see for a month or two.

I wonder how it will work? No details as yet. Fortunately I was able to fill up at 77p, we will be lucky to see that price again this winter.

[Thebeeman]

My Fronius inverter and Luxpower inverter with the new batteries all talk via the web.

You have done well to get it all up and running since June then!

Homeenergygroup, good price AND had stock. The installer was down, in Devon, from Essex doing 3 jobs and had more in his schedule for the following weeks.

[AE-NMidlands]

Or perhaps an RHI-supported hybrid heat pump?https://greenerenergygroup.co.uk/servic ... DwEALw_wcB

It seems a sensible way to go, especially as the existing house system boiler needs replacing soon, but I got the impression that these sorts of things (being 2 technologies shoved together) have 2 sets of ways to go wrong...

I don't suppose a small DIY ground mount DC system would make a sensible alternative for you AE ? While you wait for the main system ? Thats assuming you have ground space and suitable aspect.
Moxi

I think I shall dip my toe in the water with something like this. I might try some pylontechs in the coal-shed, fed off a moveable array on the lawn. Hybrid inverter to allow for a future upgrade (or to re-sell) and a new dedicated circuit in the kitchen for transferring our cooking loads to home-produced electricity. Maybe a spur to the immersion heater (never used since installation 35 years ago) and definitely a separate additional earth spike.

What sort of cable for a moveable array? I am imagining it coming out of the coal-shed well above head height and going to the top of a pole on the array frame.

For the future (after I have sorted the eaves and gutters) I think my plans have crystallised to 2 in-roof pv arrays on the back faces that need replacing soon and an on-roof set of panels at the front. I think that will be when all the pv gets integrated and grid-tied.
Thanks to everyone here - and at the old place - for ideas over the years.
A