Tariffs, batteries, solar panels, and what is worth while?

[ericmark]

I have a small battery 3.2 kWh, solar panels, and a split tariff. In hind sight the battery and split tariff are it seems paying for themselves, but due to lack of export payment, the solar panels are not really doing that well.

Been in around one year now, so solar has produced 5000 kWh, I have used about the same, but exported 2500 kWh and imported 3000 kWh in rounded figures, from software .

The smart meter was not fitted until January and did not get duel tariff until February, it was noted that solar in Winter would not recharge the battery some days, so all solar produced in winter is in the main used, but money wise it is the recharging of battery over night which saves the most money, this from yesterday is typical, but this where battery runs out before the low rate returns is getting more frequent as Winter gets closer, the options on my system is 1 to 4 batteries each battery being 3.2 kWh and the batteries are not cheap, well over £1000 for the battery.

We are told batteries have a life, so likely will last 7 to 10 years, but battery one has also given us UPS for freezers and central heating, so no question battery one is well worth it, where it is less cut and dried, is battery two, and our use of electric will change how it helps.

If we had a cooked dinner at midday and a cold tea time meal that would save electric, and if I adjusted when the battery stops charging in the summer, so that droop in state of charge (SOC) in the morning got closer to the 10% cut off, that would also save money. But changing life style to suit the solar production seems wrong, we do washing before 4 pm or after 1 am so either solar or off peak used, so 4 pm to 1 am no washing is done, but other things have not changed.

Our electric bill dropped when panels were fitted, and again when duel tariff was started, so cut the bill by half, but now a large chunk of the bill is the standing charge, and the smart meter and solar software is good at showing how much we use each day, but useless in showing how much at 8.95p per kWh and how much at 31.31p per kWh so it would seem second battery would help reduce export and import at high rate but not sure if it would save enough to pay for its self? So the 10th when that graph was produced looking on smart meter app, used 8.22 kWh most before 5 am, cost was £1.06 or £1.65 including standing charge. so looking at that day, a second battery 32½p i.e. cost if all imported was at 8.95p per kWh.

I am sure others have looked at costs, so welcome comments.

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

It seems to me that lack of payments for export is your first priority. You should be able to get a guaranteed 15p a unit for export. You already have the smart meter required. At this stage this would cost you nothing. (Except patience - it cost me five months of frustration to persuade Octopus to do their job properly = but I now get 15p a unit.)

 

[JohnW2]

I have a small battery 3.2 kWh, solar panels, and a split tariff. In hind sight the battery and split tariff are it seems paying for themselves, but due to lack of export payment, the solar panels are not really doing that well.

Addressing the question in the title of our thread, as I have often observed, particularly for those as old as you and I (but maybe for most people?), it is, in my opinion, very questionable as to whether it is a wise move to make a large investment in kit "which will ay for itself with 6-10 years" (aka will make one worse off for the next 6-10 years) with the prospect of a period of unknown duration of 'financial benefit thereafter - not to mention, in your case, a vast amount of time and effort spent thinking, playing and writing about it all

Some will argue that there is more to this than personal financial gain, and that is true -n but, in this particular case, I think that us oldies can probably leave "saving the planet" to the youngsters, and just try to enjoy what time we have left on the planet!

 

[ericmark]

Yes @JohnW2 you are correct, at 73 not likely to remain in this house for that long, mainly as public transport is rubbish, so as soon as I can't drive, I will need to move, be that another house or a grave yard.

As it is we are watching electric use far too much, we can afford the electric, so we could just carry on as we are, I hope to get export sorted, as @DetlefSchmitz says, the solar panel installers are now helping us get it sorted. So we will have a three tier tariff, off peak, export, and peak, so using power when the sun shines is still costing us 15p in lost revenue.

So this means the battery being charged at 8.95p and so allowing export at 15p is also adding to the pot, good point missed that, so extra 19p per day, so around 50p per day, or £1,277 over 7 years. But the main point, is I would not need to watch when I use power, basic all power other than a shower, will be either off peak or solar so no watching of the smart meter display.

 

[JohnW2]

Yes @JohnW2 you are correct, at 73 not likely to remain in this house for that long, mainly as public transport is rubbish, so as soon as I can't drive, I will need to move, be that another house or a grave yard.

Quite, so why did you fork out the not inconsiderable sum for all this technology? I'm only a coupleof years older than you, but would not have even considered it a decade or more ago, let alone now.

As it is we are watching electric use far too much, we can afford the electric, so we could just carry on as we are ...

Or, more to the (my) point, maybe you should just have 'carried on' as things were before you made all this 'investment'?

Please understand, I'm not 'getting at you' personally, not the least because you are far from alone - but I do think that 'older' people who may be reading this thread should at least consider some of the things I've been say.

 

[ericmark]

but I do think that 'older' people who may be reading this thread should at least consider some of the things I've been said.

Yes the solar has not worked out as expected, mainly due to my wife, who said she would sort out the export tariff, and failed, not her fault, British Gas are far from helpful. The forms have changed, and they have not updated their system, the installers are now helping getting it sorted.

We were paying £173.90 a month in 2023, in July 2023 this dropped to £119.70, and March 2024 down to £81.35, and we are now £903.01 in credit, we should be in credit this time of year, but I feel that is excessive, Aug £44.51, July £42.62, June £38.19, May £43.12, April £60.27, March £67.18, Feb £82.50, smart meter fitted Jan. The drop after April coincides with changing tariff, so the battery is saving me around £20 per month, the solar panels around £70 per month, but since before solar I did not keep good records, it is hard to be sure. But without export payment I am saving around £90 a month, and also some fuel oil as summer DHW now done with electric, so yes likely they will pay for them selves.

But when looking at outlay for solar and outlay for battery, the battery has given a better return to solar. Hence the debate on getting a second one.

 

[JohnW2]

Yes the solar has not worked out as expected, mainly due to my wife, who said she would sort out the export tariff, and failed, not her fault, British Gas are far from helpful.

Fair enough, but that's nothing to do with my point. Even if she/you had got the export tariff sorted out easily, I would still very much question the wisdom of anyone remotely as old as us considering having any of this stuff installed.

I won't disturb you (and myself!) with the answer, but I think one really needs to consider the average life expectancy of a 73 year-old male in the UK, and factor that in to one's decision-making!