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Hi

Bit of a lengthy enquiry if anyone can help please...........

I am a residential landlord with 4 x all-electric studio flats, each with its own mains incoming supply. Each flat is for 1 person only.

Each flat uses approx 2,500 units of electric per year.

Because I obviously cannot charge for communal power usage (lighting, washer, dryer etc) each flat has a coin meter set at cost price (by Law).

It works fine and everyone is happy.

However, now that energy rates have shot up, I'm looking at another option - Battery Storage.

The Plan - with a cash budget up to £30k - install x number of storage batteries, charge them using lower rate electric, sell the tenants what they need at rates slightly below market rates and then hopefully sell enough energy back to the "grid" to cover all the costs and have a little profit to take into account any similar large drops in energy rates too.

I have just had the email from Ofgem to confirm re-selling battery stored power falls outside their price controls and re-selling rules.

So, with something like Octopus Agile (don't think I can get Go), what do you think?

Wondering if 2 large Powerwall 2 could be linked to service all four flats?

Each flat has a 8kw shower, 1.5kw under counter water heater, 2kw heater and obvious kettle, toaster, microwave - obviously they won't all be used at the same time but I need an inverter or two big enough to handle things.

Welcome your thoughts please.

Before you go any further you should check out the current Octopus Agile prices!

You should bear i mind that the winter months will probably use considerably more electricity than summer being all electric this could easily be 4 -5 times as much, and likely to be at peak times like first thing in the morning and during the evening, so the load then could easily be 15kW (everyone running the heating plus cooking for example).

You should try and create a model for likely usage, then see how much variousbattery configurations could supply, then work out what the electricity usage would be.

Stinsy wrote: ↑Thu Mar 10, 2022 5:02 pm Before you go any further you should check out the current Octopus Agile prices!

Yes, i looked at their Agile link and was 100% confused by all the different figures

https://dashboards.energy-stats.uk/d/y9 ... ame=London

Countrypaul wrote: ↑Thu Mar 10, 2022 5:16 pm You should bear i mind that the winter months will probably use considerably more electricity than summer being all electric this could easily be 4 -5 times as much, and likely to be at peak times like first thing in the morning and during the evening, so the load then could easily be 15kW (everyone running the heating plus cooking for example).

You should try and create a model for likely usage, then see how much variousbattery configurations could supply, then work out what the electricity usage would be.

Yes, the winter usage does far outweigh the summer usage - and the type of Tenant does too - Ive had the same property use 1,900 units a year with one Tenant but only 540 units with another.

Yes, all 4 could decide to run their 8kw showers at same time - and current tenants all work from 6am to 7pm so only water heater and perhaps room heater on during that time (except weekends).

Obviously, Tenants change so what applies now may not apply in 6 months.

That's why I need a system that will cover those 4 x 8.5kw showers, 4 x 2kw heaters at the same time (unlikely to be any cooking etc during shower as no ovens).

I'd need something to cover real extremes and allow me to sell back to Grid more so during the summer months (I guess when they need it less too)

HaHa my mind just went off on one.......................

If I purchased the cheapest electric car off autotrader (£1700) I could get the Octopus Go 7.5p night tariff.

Is there any money to be made by storing that night electric and just selling it back to Octopus during the day?

I could keep Tenants on their mains supplies, paying the full market rates they do now.

Landlord wrote: ↑Thu Mar 10, 2022 6:07 pm HaHa my mind just went off on one.......................

If I purchased the cheapest electric car off autotrader (£1700) I could get the Octopus Go 7.5p night tariff.

Is there any money to be made by storing that night electric and just selling it back to Octopus during the day?

I could keep Tenants on their mains supplies, paying the full market rates they do now.

No, current export rate on Go is 4.1pkWh..

(no Solar Panels)

Hmm , thats boring

You will never find a battery system that can power 1 electric shower let alone 4. Hot water can be provided by oil currently 9p a kilowatt hour, was 6p. Using electricity to heat water should be illegal.

How about 4 strings of solar panels on the roof individually feeding a small inverter and a few Pylontech batteries in each flat. Your tenants will be very pleased, and you'll be helping take strain of the grid and the climate crisis.

2kw heater only in each flat, so they are either tiny or well insulated?

I regularly have electric showers powered by our batteries and inverter, it is perfectly possible, but if your looking at ways to make money from it, it's not going to work without a massive solar array.