Heath Robinson

[MisterB]

Cost could be almost nothing if you use all the solar stuff you already have.

Which is exactly what Heath Robinson would do ....

 

[chaser]

Which is exactly what Heath Robinson would do ....

Might involve a lot of chains and cogs though

 

[Minxy]

My laymans view..
The issue here is that the two items you mention are not really big power consumers.
Lets take the TV.. Example a 32" LED.. Maybe about 50watts x 10 hours a day (just a guess figure) = 500w
500w x 365 days = 182,500 watts or 182.5 kw
182.5 kw at todays rate of around 30p per kw = £54.75
A small fridge freezer will take more but not massive maybe about 200w but that will turn on and off with a thermostat.
A very very rough calculation of say £200 a year for both items..

So if you have to buy the kit, solar panels, batteries ( as you need power when dark ), Inverter its going to take some time to recoup.

You forgot to include the rip-off standing charge!!!

 

[stevewagner]

There was also a TV programme on channel 5 last week looking at solar, batteries etc. Quite informative if you don't understand it all, very much for those who haven't dipped their toe in the water but are considering it.

My soon to be system will be 28.6kw of storage battery (2 at 14.3kw @ £2600 each), a Sunsynk 5kw hybrid inverter @£1000. I already have 4kw of solar under the fit scheme and I am on a dual rate tariff, so I can charge my batteries at a low cost and use the power when electric is dearer.
Very early days yet but on my temp setup of 3kw inverter and 14.3kw of battery, I'm paying peanuts for power and earning from the grid, so it's very much an 'in profit' system. Others on here get much better returns than I do!!

My calculations work out to give a payback time of under 4 years and after that it's money in my pocket , well the wife's really .... but remember I already have the solar panels, so if you need them then it will add to payback time.
Fyi octopus are removing the requirements for solar panels to be fitted by MCiS qualified people, so DIY is now a real option, BUT it MUST be signed off and connected to the grid by a qualified electrician!!

This is mine this morning for info only ... The solar is charging my battery and feeding the house ALL FREE (after the initial cost if course)


View attachment 797695

Ps I get paid for producing, not for how much I feed in, so I'm getting a payment for production and a payment for 50% of that production as a 'deemed export' whether I export or not, so at the moment they're paying me for not giving them anything!!

I don’t see how Octopus can remove the requirement for MCS as it is ‘Notifiable’ works under the Building Regulations. Otherwise you will need a Structural Engineers report in respect of the additional weight and win shear. Not only that but most electrical bodies I.e. NICEIC do not allow their members to sign off non-qualified work.

 

[autorouter]

The reality is that solar at home is no different to solar on the van in principle. You could easily just pick up a couple of pre used panels @250 w giving 0.5kw per hour of free electricity during the hours of good generation, or get a couple more and there's a KW of power to play with, add a battery of any sort and youve got your own little power station. Just need to convert to DC, plenty of small inverters around .... Just dint connect in any way, shape or form to the grid of course.
Even though it might not work 365 you could possibly get 150+ days out of it ...?

The inverter powering the fridge/freezer could have a transfer switch on it, wired in 'inverter priority' mode. If the inverter ran out of power the mains would automatically take over. Then when the inverter came back to life it would switch off the mains and resume powering the fridge.

I'm sure 300W of solar, 200Ah of battery and a small inverter, would power the fridge and a TV for most of the year. And the more solar panels you put up, the longer into the winter it will work.

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[MisterB]

I don’t see how Octopus can remove the requirement for MCS as it is ‘Notifiable’ works under the Building Regulations. Otherwise you will need a Structural Engineers report in respect of the additional weight and win shear. Not only that but most electrical bodies I.e. NICEIC do not allow their members to sign off non-qualified work.

Not all solar panels are fitted to roofs. They are there because of limited obstructions and less likely to be damaged.
I'm sure that Octopus have their people on it, working out what they will allow and what hoops must be jumped through, I'm sure they wouldn't issue a statement without being aware of the legal requirements.
As for NICEIC, what they allow and don't allow may be different from what does or doesn't happen ..
I have no experience of that other than what I've seen on you tube where people have added their own ' electrics' and had an electrician check, connect to the mains, carry out the cert process and issue a certificate!

 

[Widge]

On a smaller scale you might use a portable lithium power station, plus folding solar panels that either can be used indoors if you have a large window that gets the sun, or outdoors in the back garden. The payback period could still be quite long.

I have managed to reduce my average 4KWh daily electricity consumption to 3.6KWh by switching stuff off and not using the oven. You don't need a smart meter to save money on energy bills, just common sense.

There was an interesting prog on C4 yesterday about the relative efficiency and running costs of ovens, air fryers, and microwave ovens for cooking. The microwave came out top followed by the air fryer. Ovens are terribly inefficient.

We have a solar oven made out of a couple of cardboard boxes, tin foil some bubble wrap and a piece of glass, i made it out of interest about 12 years ago, and we have used it every summer since, i wouldn't cook meat in it but it does vegi dishes brilliantly it can sometimes take 4-5 hours if you are cooking from raw veg, but things taste realy nice being slow cooked that way.

 

[Widge]

We have a solar oven made out of a couple of cardboard boxes, tin foil some bubble wrap and a piece of glass, i made it out of interest about 12 years ago, and we have used it every summer since, i wouldn't cook meat in it but it does vegi dishes brilliantly it can sometimes take 4-5 hours if you are cooking from raw veg, but things taste realy nice being slow cooked that way.
View attachment 797990

I have to add, we do live in southern france, and it does need long hot days to work realy well.

 

[SpeedyDux]

You forgot to include the rip-off standing charge!!!

41% of my electricity bill for July is the standing charge. Rip-off.

 

[SpeedyDux]

Not all solar panels are fitted to roofs. They are there because of limited obstructions and less likely to be damaged.
I'm sure that Octopus have their people on it, working out what they will allow and what hoops must be jumped through, I'm sure they wouldn't issue a statement without being aware of the legal requirements.
As for NICEIC, what they allow and don't allow may be different from what does or doesn't happen ..
I have no experience of that other than what I've seen on you tube where people have added their own ' electrics' and had an electrician check, connect to the mains, carry out the cert process and issue a certificate!

Round my 1960s estate some dwellings are being re-roofed so the likelihood is that my roof tiles are approaching end-of-life. Putting solar PVC on top of these old tiles would not make economic sense. I prefer to wait until I get the roof re-done. At the same time the structural condition of the timbers can be checked and any necessary bracing added.

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[gus-lopez]

PS the diagram shows I am feeding 2.6kw per hour but only receiving payment for 1.3kw per hour!

say thanks you don't live here. youd get nothing

41% of my electricity bill for July is the standing charge. Rip-off.

In june we aere away all month , temp was lower & we used 39Kwh costing 19,79€. electric cost was 7,2€
in July the same away all month, temperature much higher so used 45kwh cost 20,55€ electric cost 8,3€ all rest is vat, electricity tax renewables etc & that for only a 3kw supply.Thank god I don't have a 80A uk supply

I prefer to wait until I get the roof re-done.

have the roof redone solely in solar panels. They make them specifically for that.No point in paying to make a roof waterprooof twice

 

[Widge]

say thanks you don't live here. youd get nothing

In june we aere away all month , temp was lower & we used 39Kwh costing 19,79€. electric cost was 7,2€
in July the same away all month, temperature much higher so used 45kwh cost 20,55€ electric cost 8,3€ all rest is vat, electricity tax renewables etc & that for only a 3kw supply.Thank god I don't have a 80A uk supply

have the roof redone solely in solar panels. They make them specifically for that.No point in paying to make a roof waterprooof twice

I thought solar panels needed good ventilation underneath, i understand they work much more efficiently if they are kept cool, if you build them into the roof that will surely make them inefficient.

 

[Outdoors Dad]

I like a bit MacGyver myself I bought a 100 watt solar panel one Sunday from eBay about 9 years ago. I had no idea what I wanted to do with it and 0 knowledge about them, I eventually rigged up some garden lights. We have since moved and now have it wired into the house to charge portable lights, under wall unit lights in kitchen and phones etc. Sometimes I use our van TV whilst cooking.
It's a good feeling knowing I'm getting something for free.

 

[Lenny HB]

If you have the freezer outside in the garage then if it is really cold the freezer doesn't have to work that hard

Would only work with a chest freezer, upright freezers are designed to run at room temperature.

 

[Gromett]

Would only work with a chest freezer, upright freezers are designed to run at room temperature.

Works for any freezer rated for outdoor/shed use.

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[Gromett]

Would only work with a chest freezer, upright freezers are designed to run at room temperature.

Thought you might want proof/example. Here is just one.

Freestanding Tall Frost Free Freezer with Freezer Guard FCFM3545

Frost Free Freezer Guard Internal Electronic Display

www.beko.co.uk

I know this because I investigated just this use case some years ago

 

[MisterB]

I thought solar panels needed good ventilation underneath, i understand they work much more efficiently if they are kept cool, if you build them into the roof that will surely make them inefficient.

Some do .... and some don't ....

Virtually all the old style do but the newer ones especially Flexi don't need as much I understand. BUT the new bifacial ones will need a space underneath I understand

 

[Lenny HB]

Thought you might want proof/example. Here is just one.

Freestanding Tall Frost Free Freezer with Freezer Guard FCFM3545

Frost Free Freezer Guard Internal Electronic Display

www.beko.co.uk

View attachment 798062


I know this because I investigated just this use case some years ago

Better than they used to be.

 

[Bessy765]

Appreciate this is expensive! But we have 1.12 kw of panels on the house roof facing due south on the old FIT scheme currently paying us 68p per unit generated whether we use it or not. Separate from that we have a 6kw array on our garage roof slightly east of due south elevated at 10 degrees. This feeds a Solax 3.6 kw inverter and 2 x 5.8kw triple power batteries. We don’t export the larger array as the old one pays better. Since it was finished in Oct 2022 the larger array has produced 3.36 mwh of power and since a software upgrade in March which has made it much more efficient we have only paid 12 p plus the standing charge since. So although the initial outlay was £12500 the returns justify it. We manage well with the 3.6 kwh inverter you just have to balance the usage. The output to the grid is throttled down to the maximum allowed but the larger array come into its own when the sun is lower.

 

[gus-lopez]

I thought solar panels needed good ventilation underneath, i understand they work much more efficiently if they are kept cool, if you build them into the roof that will surely make them inefficient.

No idea? i have been passing increasing large amounts of bildings in france completly roofed in solar though?

https://roofit.solar/


https://es.aliexpress.com/item/1005...4bc63f&afSmartRedirect=y&gatewayAdapt=glo2esp

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[andykim]

I like a bit MacGyver myself I bought a 100 watt solar panel one Sunday from eBay about 9 years ago. I had no idea what I wanted to do with it and 0 knowledge about them, I eventually rigged up some garden lights. We have since moved and now have itView attachment 798046View attachment 798047View attachment 798048View attachment 798049View attachment 798050 wired into the house to charge portable lights, under wall unit lights in kitchen and phones etc. Sometimes I use our van TV whilst cooking.
It's a good feeling knowing I'm getting something for free.

Now that's what I was on about....

 

[Minxy]

Thought you might want proof/example. Here is just one.

Freestanding Tall Frost Free Freezer with Freezer Guard FCFM3545

Frost Free Freezer Guard Internal Electronic Display

www.beko.co.uk

View attachment 798062


I know this because I investigated just this use case some years ago

We've got one of those in our garage, bought specifically as it works properly in that location, previously we had a large chest freezer in the workshop which worked fine but was a prat to try to find stuff in. When it went kaput we gave it to a chap to turn into an incubator for his turkeys.

 

[autorouter]

When it went kaput we gave it to a chap to turn into an incubator for his turkeys.

Was it a Beko? They are made in Turkey, I believe

 

[Minxy]

No

Was it a Beko? They are made in Turkey, I believe

No, it's an Indesit, nice silver one.