Heat pump and Solar at home anyone?

[WelshGas]

This is the future for the UK.

Netherlands' renewables drive putting pressure on its power grid

Homes asked to use less electricity as network is overloaded by the rush to wind and solar power.

www.bbc.com

 

[Betsycalifornia]

Very likely I expect as the U.K. electricity network is archaic.
It’s possible to mitigate the issue at home and reduce grid impact with batteries but it does require a hefty investment. I’ve been off grid since February, but it’s getting close to needing to switch back to the grid this week.

 

[Christine Kirk]

We have had PV panels installed for years now , a significant investment! Still generating electricity but not as much as in the early years, nevertheless we are still benefiting from the electricity generation as it reduces our bills by a significant amount!
The standing daily charges are nearly half of the bill, which is the annoying thing.
As the above has pointed out the distribution system is now in need of enormous upgrades. The Hornsea offshore wind farm has recently had a storage / converter operation built to the south of Beverley where the power supply is connected into the grid via the huge substation near Cottingham . The work building this facility has taken four years and is a significant upgrade: it will take years to complete the construction of upgrades to the national grid, so in the meantime having PV at the point of use makes a lot of sense

 

[chockswahay]

HERE ARE THE RAW FIGURES FOR 12 MONTHS OCTOBER 24 TO SEPTEMBER 25

Total bill for electricity from Octopus including standing charges ......... £ 600
Total credit for exporting to Octopus ....................................................... £1232

Total kW imported from Octopus ............. 2183
Total kW exported to Octopus .................. 7133

Total kW sold more than we bought ..........4950

None of this takes into account the kW's that we used from solar ourselves (it was approx 1400 kW a lot of which was used by the inverter alone).

All our heating and water is electric and since February this also includes charging our electric Mini Cooper ( so approx another £500 saved in petrol)

The heating was on 24 hours a day for 6 of those months and the house was ALWAYS warm (literally never turned off in that time)

So ......... NO energy costs for 12 months AND we are £632 in profit! That is a WIN for us.

 

[soulstyledevon]

HERE ARE THE RAW FIGURES FOR 12 MONTHS OCTOBER 24 TO SEPTEMBER 25

Total bill for electricity from Octopus including standing charges ......... £ 600
Total credit for exporting to Octopus ....................................................... £1232

Total kW imported from Octopus ............. 2183
Total kW exported to Octopus .................. 7133

Total kW sold more than we bought ..........4950

None of this takes into account the kW's that we used from solar ourselves (it was approx 1400 kW a lot of which was used by the inverter alone).

All our heating and water is electric and since February this also includes charging our electric Mini Cooper ( so approx another £500 saved in petrol)

The heating was on 24 hours a day for 6 of those months and the house was ALWAYS warm (literally never turned off in that time)

So ......... NO energy costs for 12 months AND we are £632 in profit! That is a WIN for us.

How many panels do you have and
what was the installation costs…?
Sounds like a win win situation especially as you’re able to charge the mini too

 

[chockswahay]

How many panels do you have and
what was the installation costs…?
Sounds like a win win situation especially as you’re able to charge the mini too

18 totalling just under 7.5 kW. Our max sell rate to the grid is limited to 6.3 kw/hr. Our rear roof faces just West of South so near perfect line up and no shade too.

The total cost for the complete installation was £7950

 

[Mansfieldman750]

18 totalling just under 7.5 kW. Our max sell rate to the grid is limited to 6.3 kw/hr. Our rear roof faces just West of South so near perfect line up and no shade too.

The total cost for the complete installation was £7950

Did you upgrade the insulation in the house ? What is the EPC rating (if known ) ?

 

[pjm-84]

Dont get me on the insulation front....... HDD is a great calculation. (Heating Degree Days). Easy wins = yes.....

 

[chockswahay]

Did you upgrade the insulation in the house ? What is the EPC rating (if known ) ?

Yes, topped it up to 300mm, the walls already insulated and the old EPC was D I think but dunno what it is now

 

[chockswahay]

And also the other silent hero is the heat pump……..

 

[Keith Smith]

We’ve had our solar for just over a month and been really impressed with the performance. It generates on mildly cloudy days and even in the rain. We had a week completely off grid but now, with the heat pump running 24/7, I suspect it will be spring before we get a zero consumption day again. After running it for a week we had a rush of blood and got them back to fit an additional battery, easily done with the Sigenergy system, so now have 27kW. This allows us to keep a 5kW reserve in case of power cuts, of which we have already had two, and they would have gone unnoticed without the “you have gone off-grid” notification on the phone. We have still to work out the best tariff, Octopus Cosy is looking promising, and I need to build a cover for the battery before it snows!

 

[Wannabecamperman]

We’ve had our solar for just over a month and been really impressed with the performance. It generates on mildly cloudy days and even in the rain. We had a week completely off grid but now, with the heat pump running 24/7, I suspect it will be spring before we get a zero consumption day again. After running it for a week we had a rush of blood and got them back to fit an additional battery, easily done with the Sigenergy system, so now have 27kW. This allows us to keep a 5kW reserve in case of power cuts, of which we have already had two, and they would have gone unnoticed without the “you have gone off-grid” notification on the phone. We have still to work out the best tariff, Octopus Cosy is looking promising, and I need to build a cover for the battery before it snows!
View attachment 141840View attachment 141841

Lovely set up - that 27kWh is huge! That must have been some initial outlay, even though LFP power banks costs have dropped of late.

 

[pjm-84]

And also the other silent hero is the heat pump……..

Jury is still out.

Used heat pumps for 30yrs+ now in commercial projects. I've done a few calculations and its still more expensive based on historic energy consumption, especially when you factor in annual servicing (which is a must for a HP) ... against a 23yr gas boiler.

 

[chockswahay]

Jury is still out.

Used heat pumps for 30yrs+ now in commercial projects. I've done a few calculations and its still more expensive based on historic energy consumption, especially when you factor in annual servicing (which is a must for a HP) ... against a 23yr gas boiler.

Not for me……… there is no other way I could keep the house so toasty warm and still get paid for it

And to be honest our investment in green energy was climate driven, the efficiency and cash savings are a (Big) bully bonus

 

[Mansfieldman750]

Not for me……… there is no other way I could keep the house so toasty warm and still get paid for it

And to be honest our investment in green energy was climate driven, the efficiency and cash savings are a (Big) bully bonus

I have to confess, I am the opposite - I did it for the money not the planet back in 2011, although I’m all in favour of Green Energy generated in our country.

Nothing will ever come close to the giveaway that was the Feed in Tariff set at 43.3p /kWh in 2011, guaranteed for 25 years, index linked, tax free.

It is an incredible story and the imbecile behind, a certain Chris Huhne, who was the Minister for Energy and Climate Change in the Coalition government of the time should have gone to jail over it.
In actual fact he did go to jail. He had 9 points on his driving licence and got caught again and his wife took the points and fine for him. He then ran away with another woman ( I am not making it up, Google it ! ) and his ex wife shopped him to the Mail on Sunday. Didn’t do her much good though, she went to jail too. 8 months each for perverting the course of justice.
Oh and I nearly forgot, the Director of Public Prosecutions at the time was a chap called Starmer. Honest.

Well, this thread has gone off on a tangent a bit, so as Jeremy Clarkson would say, on that bombshell I’ll sign off now.

 

[pjm-84]

Both...... but then again the starting point is using less energy.

As a kid we were brought up in a flat, with single glazing, no heating and a gas fire in the front room.

My heating bill is circa £400 a year with £80 of that as a standing charge . Probably less this year as I run out a gas bottle / gas fire that I had up in Wales.

 

[Mansfieldman750]

Both...... but then again the starting point is using less energy.

As a kid we were brought up in a flat, with single glazing, no heating and a gas fire in the front room.

My heating bill is circa £400 a year with £80 of that as a standing charge . Probably less this year as I run out a gas bottle / gas fire that I had up in Wales.

You are doing well, we are £900 for gas and electric. But £2800 coming in from the aforementioned 2011 FIT, so £1900 profit.
Never look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

[pjm-84]

Same incoming for the FITs. Electric also runs a BMW X545E for the last 25k miles so average I would say £60 a month on electric. So just around £1100 ish

Relative fuel costs for 25k miles for BMW would have been £5800

 

[andyinluton]

I'm in the process of refurbing a couple of longterm rental properties in North London that were built in the 1820s.

The smaller one has cost just over £90k for heat pumps, lowering the lower ground floor slab to accommodate the underfloor heating was another £30k, the rest of the heating & plumbing was another £100k, we've spent £90k on high tech insulation, we are not allowed solar panels due to it being listed. We've had to do the insulation to make the heat pumps work, we cant go for bigger pumps as we are bang on the limit for the incoming single phase electric.

The larger property is just about double the size & cost + we need upgrade to a 3 phase supply as needs 4nr 14kw pumps. .

I don't see how the infrastructure is going to cope if many houses in the area go for the heat pumps.

I also think that the end user is going to see some quite significant electricity bills!

 

[chockswahay]

I'm in the process of refurbing a couple of longterm rental properties in North London that were built in the 1820s.

The smaller one has cost just over £90k for heat pumps, lowering the lower ground floor slab to accommodate the underfloor heating was another £30k, the rest of the heating & plumbing was another £100k, we've spent £90k on high tech insulation, we are not allowed solar panels due to it being listed. We've had to do the insulation to make the heat pumps work, we cant go for bigger pumps as we are bang on the limit for the incoming single phase electric.

The larger property is just about double the size & cost + we need upgrade to a 3 phase supply as needs 4nr 14kw pumps. .

I don't see how the infrastructure is going to cope if many houses in the area go for the heat pumps.

I also think that the end user is going to see some quite significant electricity bills!

Could you not have used radiators?

 

[chockswahay]

I'm in the process of refurbing a couple of longterm rental properties in North London that were built in the 1820s.

The smaller one has cost just over £90k for heat pumps, lowering the lower ground floor slab to accommodate the underfloor heating was another £30k, the rest of the heating & plumbing was another £100k, we've spent £90k on high tech insulation, we are not allowed solar panels due to it being listed. We've had to do the insulation to make the heat pumps work, we cant go for bigger pumps as we are bang on the limit for the incoming single phase electric.

The larger property is just about double the size & cost + we need upgrade to a 3 phase supply as needs 4nr 14kw pumps. .

I don't see how the infrastructure is going to cope if many houses in the area go for the heat pumps.

I also think that the end user is going to see some quite significant electricity bills!

Hang on a mo! £310,000 just for heating and insulation! When will you see a return on that?

 

[andyinluton]

Could you not have used radiators?

Radiators upper floors, UFH for lower ground and bathrooms.
UFH suites the space for open plan kitchen / family room which takes up half of that floor. That room is 7m x 14m with about a 10m run of bifold doors on one elevation so restricted space for radiators.

 

[andyinluton]

Hang on a mo! £310,000 just for heating and insulation! When will you see a return on that?

It’s not my house I’m just doing the £1.2m refresh , It’s a long term investment!

 

[acer]

It’s not my house I’m just doing the £1.2m refresh , It’s a long term investment!

But we’re all dead in the long term