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My ptnrs parents (as all ) are a nightmare to find Christmas presents for ......... They are not well off but happy and retired in a draughty rented house.
Their only heating is a open fire in the living room (with back boiler for dhw) . They fuel it with local wood offcuts and some coal .
Other rooms have E7 heaters which they use as little as they can.
For Christmas i was going to give say 4/6 bags smokeless coal (we sell at work and i get cost price) (coal now quoted to them at £900/ton -i can get 20kgs anthacite for £10.26 + 5% vat.
BUT - he is retired mechanic/driver/ engineer ............. and tinkers with allsorts ,mends stuff , makes stuff.
Think if i could introduce him to solar PV he would be hooked but how can he see what contribution it is making ??
I have a spare 250w panel he can have and happy to get a cheap Chinese grid tie inverter (cos they work well) for him.
Any ideas how he could monitor the input ??? think once installed he would expand and then surplus into E7/ immersion ??
George

The Shelly devices are good learning devices or even smart plugs with energy monitoring.

ecogeorge wrote: ↑Sat Nov 11, 2023 8:17 pm I have a spare 250w panel he can have and happy to get a cheap Chinese grid tie inverter (cos they work well) for him.
Any ideas how he could monitor the input ??? think once installed he would expand and then surplus into E7/ immersion ??
George

Joeboy's colourful £25 Din rail mounted meter from amazon, I can't think of anything cheaper or more colourful for xmas.
https://camelot-forum.co.uk/phpBB3/view ... 390#p38022

He's had it running for over a month and it hasn't released the magic smoke yet.

nowty wrote: ↑Sat Nov 11, 2023 11:48 pm

ecogeorge wrote: ↑Sat Nov 11, 2023 8:17 pm I have a spare 250w panel he can have and happy to get a cheap Chinese grid tie inverter (cos they work well) for him.
Any ideas how he could monitor the input ??? think once installed he would expand and then surplus into E7/ immersion ??
George

Joeboy's colourful £25 Din rail mounted meter from amazon, I can't think of anything cheaper or more colourful for xmas.
https://camelot-forum.co.uk/phpBB3/view ... 390#p38022

He's had it running for over a month and it hasn't released the magic smoke yet.

Indeed, an absence of magic smoke, there is also a WiFi version out there. The gift of solar PV for Xmas? That is excellent .

Versions can be found at £18.99, maybe even lower. I went for one with a lot of positive reviews but I'm sure they are just rebadged same factory?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C37FPLQ2/ ... p13NParams

Down here at £12 but you lose some on screen instant functionality and colour. Does the business though.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BPY6Z2VY/ ... p13NParams

Ok , its a goer -allbeit late (no point doing christmas early) .
250W Panel in garage to be wrapped.
Energy monitor and enclosure ordered.
Grid tie inverter ordered.
One question tho ............. if monitor wired with grid tie inverter as supply -is it happy with intermittent operation ? ie no power at night and on/off status ??
George

ecogeorge wrote: ↑Fri Dec 15, 2023 8:01 pm Ok , its a goer -allbeit late (no point doing christmas early) .
250W Panel in garage to be wrapped.
Energy monitor and enclosure ordered.
Grid tie inverter ordered.
One question tho ............. if monitor wired with grid tie inverter as supply -is it happy with intermittent operation ? ie no power at night and on/off status ??
George

Yeah it's fine, keeps the count too.

thank you . trying to make it "idiot proof" install ...........but he is diyer/competent .........
I will leave cables/plugs etc .........
George

OK, update ......... solar panel washed off .
Amazon enclosure and energy monitor delivered..
Temu inverter not here so giving a 2 panal 600w inverter (that i have) -and means he can add another panel.
Quick test test run beforw wrapping. Packing MC4 connectors /cable etc off to sunny ( ) Yorkshire tomorrow.
George

Best Xmas present ever.

At least for him, not sure about for her.

She will benefit from him watching the meter probably out in the shed. I'm sure she find a program about sewing,cooking,dancing to watch