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Saving Energy using Solar Panels

PeterRT

We have 10 off 550W solar panels installed in our garden with an 8.2kWh battery and inverter in our garage. We are with Octopus as our energy supplier on the Flux tariff for electricity and the fixed tariff for gas.

I have thought about how to use technology to further reduce our use of energy. To start with, I used the Flux tariff to write software using Python that enabled the battery to be charged in the early morning when the price was low and discharge in the evening peek period when the price is high. This has the main benefit of helping to stabilise the grid network. It also helps save energy during the winter period by ensuring the battery is charged up to service the home particularly when there is little sun; this also reduces the cost a bit. I use a Raspberry Pi to run the software. I limit the discharge to ensure that there is sufficient energy to supply the home during the night, this is about 30%.

Then I decided to use the MyEnergi eddi device to control the hot water tank. This boosts the temperature in the tank soon after the battery charge has finished in the morning and maintains the temperature when the solar panels have recharged the battery. This ensures that hot water is available for use during the day. When we started this we found that we had to replace the original 70 year old hot water tank because the immersion heater had broken and replacing that would break the old tank. This helps save energy during the warmer spring, summer and autumn periods by enabling us to turn off the gas boiler, including the pilot light, and only use the gas for some cooking purposes. Gas usage is down to about 50kWh per month (10% of normal) and the overall cost tends to be in credit or close to 0.

Any energy usage from the grid is offset by the export of excess energy from the solar panels. Ensuring the battery is charged up at the beginning of the day maximises the export of excess energy. This is offset a bit by the use of the MyEnergi eddi, which uses about 30% of the battery energy on average. Still this avoids the use of gas to maintain the temperature and is more effective. We don't yet know how well the eddi device will work in winter, maybe we will have to boost the temperature with gas in the afternoon if there is no sun.

Our energy bill for April was £69, May £6 and June £29 in credit - so it appears to be working.

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  • Then I decided to use the MyEnergi eddi device to control the hot water tank.

    PV feeding an immersion made financial sense when exports were "deemed" (e.g. 50% of generated under the old FIT arrangement), but now I think many people are on an smart export guarantee tariff, so every unit not exported means a reduction in income - it effect it costs about 15p/kWh to heat water that way (compared with maybe 6p ish to do it by gas (depending on boiler efficiency etc)). Environmentally it's swings and roundabouts of course, but quite likely your kWh might be better spend displacing a kWh of gas fired electricity generation (at perhaps 60% efficiency)  than gas fired local hot water generation (at perhaps 90% efficiency). Depends on your gas boiler of course - if yours still has a pilot light, I guess it's not in the efficient condensing category...

    Another approach (which I've got) - is to have solar thermal panels in tandem with PVs (if you've got the roof space of course) - simple thermal panels get many more kW out of a sq m of roof than PVs, even if it's only "low grade" energy as warm water, it's perfectly useful for heating (even pre-heating) a stored hot water system. In my case it feeds a thermal store that provides space heating as well as domestic hot water - so the thermal panels make a contribution to the underfloor heating in winter too.

       - Andy.

  • in reply to Peter Brooks

    Afraid that I do not know. It probably has both halides. It is hard as nails!

  • in reply to Chris Pearson

    from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/622ee4518fa8f56c1d3113dd/water-fluoridation-health-monitoring-report-2022.pdf



    And for chlorine or Chloramine from  https://thewaterprofessor.com/blogs/articles/chlorine-in-tap-water


    It surprised me - I expected more fluoridation but the report shows that relative wealth has more to do with good teeth than water supplier

    Mike

    PS edited

    For those wondering about IMD this " classifies these areas into five quintiles based on relative disadvantage, with quintile 1 being the most deprived and quintile 5 being the least deprived."

    for those interested...

    https://opendatacommunities.org/data/societal-wellbeing/imd/indices

    https://www.bath.ac.uk/publications/undergraduate-bursary-and-scholarship-terms-and-conditions-2023-24/attachments/indices-of-multiple-deprivation-postcode-lookup-guide.pdf

  • in reply to mapj1

    Hello Chris:

    There is an old joke in the Orlando theme parks that you can always identify a Brit by their white legs and bad teeth!

    Peter Brooks

    Palm Bay 

  • in reply to mapj1
    mapj1 said:
    It surprised me - I expected more fluoridation but the report shows that relative wealth has more to do with good teeth than water supplier

    So would I. I see that none is added to my supply.

    Toothpaste is full of fluoride, but I suppose that does not help if you cannot be bothered.

    The other great threat to teeth is (cigarette) smoking. Vaping does not help either. Nicotine reduces blood flow in the gums.

    Any road, my teeth are sound and my legs are lightly tanned - at least between my socks and the hem of my shorts.

  • in reply to Peter Brooks
    Peter Brooks said:
    bad teeth

    Perfect-looking teeth aren't always healthy. I'm happy to demonstrate they are still there, few fillings, and all my own, and unaffected by the application of braces etc

    Peter Brooks said:
    white legs

    We also can't trust that tanned legs are because of time spent in the sun either, given the many products that permit us to apply appropriate shades of colour (including orange if we so desire) to give a false outward appearance of our health (or lack of it).

    Peter Brooks said:
    There is an old joke in the Orlando theme parks

    Both of which go to show that maybe the stage-managed glitz has spread beyond the silver screen and theme parts and is now out in the wild ?

    Not for me, and if that means I'm a 'Brit' then so be it !

  • in reply to gkenyon

    You must have gone "private" for your dental services (such as cleaning) if you still live in the UK.

    Peter Brooks

    Palm Bay

  • in reply to Peter Brooks
    Peter Brooks said:
    You must have gone "private" for your dental services (such as cleaning) if you still live in the UK.

    Why? I know there have been problems in some areas of the UK, but all of my family use an NHS dentist no problem ... there are small charges for certain procedures (although these are waived for children and eligible adults).

    Having worked all over the world, I never wanted to move anywhere else for a number of reasons. I'm equally happy for ex-pats to tell me they are enjoying their life ... it doesn't mean I would have the same experience, though.

  • in reply to gkenyon

    There was a recent news item (May 29, 2024) that stated that the NHS has only 42.3 dentists per 100,000.

    It didn't say however, what the waiting time for dental service was.

    Where one lives or works for that matter, is a purely personal decision and if you are happy with your life, that is very positive.

    Peter Brooks

    Palm Bay

  • in reply to gkenyon
    gkenyon said:
    Why? I know there have been problems in some areas of the UK, but all of my family use an NHS dentist no problem ... there are small charges for certain procedures (although these are waived for children and eligible adults).

    AFAIK, the problem is getting registered as a new patient. I have had a look at the NHS search facility for my area: some are simply not accepting new NHS patients, some accept limited categories, e.g. children, some accept on the basis of availability.

    I assume that dentists are obliged to continue to provide services to existing patients.

    Dentists were always more sensible than doctors. If I could find a private GP locally, I would go there.

    My practice has recently put up a sign saying, "New patients welcome". I really have tried very hard not to add with a felt pen, "but what about the existing ones?" Laughing

    gkenyon said:
    Having worked all over the world, I never wanted to move anywhere else for a number of reasons. I'm equally happy for ex-pats to tell me they are enjoying their life ... it doesn't mean I would have the same experience, though.

    Agreed. I think I could settle in France, but there is always the risk that the grass only appears to be greener.

  • in reply to Chris Pearson

    Hello Chris:

    There is no such place as paradise.

    I will start putting up my hurricane window boards, in the next few weeks.

    Peter Brooks

    Palm Bay 

      

Reply
  • in reply to Chris Pearson

    Hello Chris:

    There is no such place as paradise.

    I will start putting up my hurricane window boards, in the next few weeks.

    Peter Brooks

    Palm Bay 

      

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