Portable DIY Solar Design Ideas

[GMO]

Sorry to possibly sidetrack...

Thing is with electrickery prices, our kw/h price has gone up by 5p... The standing daily charge has doubled though, so we've still got to pay that daily charge, no way out of it.
PV just doesn't seem to be cost effective unless the government are slinging money at you to get it installed.

Even these small portable units are going to cost a fair bit just to charge your phone, when it's going to be pence over the months to do it off the grid.

https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2014/ ... y-worth-it

"For example, an average-sized home with a 4kW solar panel system will spend approximately £6,000 - £8,000 on the system. You can expect to save roughly £270 on electricity bills annually, and together with the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), you would reach the break-even point within 16-22 years."

So where I seen someone saying they'll pay it off in 3 years on the other thread ... I can't see how.

I'm not too sure. I know the math isnt too hard to work out tho if you have some rough idea of cost per unit. Previously I took the face kWh as the max per day but it can be more than 5 times that

So just roughly at 17p per kWh and 4kwh solar producing 20kwh per day that's could be like 3.40 per day at low ish rates that's 1100 a year and that makes like 3 and a half years to break even by some rough maths

[GMO]

Shit, that's all wrong. A 4kwh system isnt the same as a 4000w system. The 4kwh is the daily production

[Treetrunk]

I do like the idea of a small solar set up for the garden. Just enough to run a few water pumps. I fancy doing a tomato hydro run.

[sir-scrogalot]

Sorry to possibly sidetrack...

Thing is with electrickery prices, our kw/h price has gone up by 5p... The standing daily charge has doubled though, so we've still got to pay that daily charge, no way out of it.
PV just doesn't seem to be cost effective unless the government are slinging money at you to get it installed.

Even these small portable units are going to cost a fair bit just to charge your phone, when it's going to be pence over the months to do it off the grid.

https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2014/ ... y-worth-it

"For example, an average-sized home with a 4kW solar panel system will spend approximately £6,000 - £8,000 on the system. You can expect to save roughly £270 on electricity bills annually, and together with the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), you would reach the break-even point within 16-22 years."

So where I seen someone saying they'll pay it off in 3 years on the other thread ... I can't see how.

it was me taht posted it and ill explain it again.

my 4kw system will produce 4000 units a year , currently a unit of electricity is 0.29p , (on the 1st of april this is going up) if you multiply 4000 units x o.29p = £1160 in electricity i generate, if i use all of the electric myself without exporting any to the grid then i will save £1160 off my yearly bill.

Most energy calculators take into consideration that most homes will export most of their generated electricity as its only generated during the day when the majority of families are working and thus not using the energy generated,.

This is not the case however if you are A planning to use all of the electricity as it comes in (growing) or B) have a battery to store it.

The saving of £1160 will increase hugely come the first of april when ofgem remove the price cap and the energy companies can charge you an additional 700-900 a year for your energy, im expecting the cost of energy to rise from 0.29p a unit to about 0.45p a unit. if that does happen ill actually be saving 4000 x 0.45p = £1800 a year

If you arnt using all the electricity as its generated though you wont save those figures. The enrgy trust calculator doesn't account for growers :P

When you dont use the energy its sent back to the grid so its not wasted, you get paid an export tariff , the best one on the market is 0.075p a unit, so if i worked all day and didnt use my energy as its generated, lets say for arguments sake i used 1000 units and exported 3000 units my saving would be £290 in electricity saving for the 1000 units and £225 repayment from the grid for the 3000 units i export. The trick is not to let the energy company get their grubby little paws on your leccy and use it yourself for maximum efficiency

[sir-scrogalot]

in reply to the actual thread though there are some great options now for low power systems which dont cost the earth.

[GMO]

Sorry to possibly sidetrack...

Thing is with electrickery prices, our kw/h price has gone up by 5p... The standing daily charge has doubled though, so we've still got to pay that daily charge, no way out of it.
PV just doesn't seem to be cost effective unless the government are slinging money at you to get it installed.

Even these small portable units are going to cost a fair bit just to charge your phone, when it's going to be pence over the months to do it off the grid.

https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2014/ ... y-worth-it

"For example, an average-sized home with a 4kW solar panel system will spend approximately £6,000 - £8,000 on the system. You can expect to save roughly £270 on electricity bills annually, and together with the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), you would reach the break-even point within 16-22 years."

So where I seen someone saying they'll pay it off in 3 years on the other thread ... I can't see how.

it was me taht posted it and ill explain it again.

my 4kw system will produce 4000 units a year , currently a unit of electricity is 0.29p , (on the 1st of april this is going up) if you multiply 4000 units x o.29p = £1160 in electricity i generate, if i use all of the electric myself without exporting any to the grid then i will save £1160 off my yearly bill.

Most energy calculators take into consideration that most homes will export most of their generated electricity as its only generated during the day when the majority of families are working and thus not using the energy generated,.

This is not the case however if you are A planning to use all of the electricity as it comes in (growing) or B) have a battery to store it.

The saving of £1160 will increase hugely come the first of april when ofgem remove the price cap and the energy companies can charge you an additional 700-900 a year for your energy, im expecting the cost of energy to rise from 0.29p a unit to about 0.45p a unit. if that does happen ill actually be saving 4000 x 0.45p = £1800 a year

If you arnt using all the electricity as its generated though you wont save those figures. The enrgy trust calculator doesn't account for growers

When you dont use the energy its sent back to the grid so its not wasted, you get paid an export tariff , the best one on the market is 0.075p a unit, so if i worked all day and didnt use my energy as its generated, lets say for arguments sake i used 1000 units and exported 3000 units my saving would be £290 in electricity saving for the 1000 units and £225 repayment from the grid for the 3000 units i export. The trick is not to let the energy company get their grubby little paws on your leccy and use it yourself for maximum efficiency

Just checking, but wouldnt a 4kwh system make 365x4kwh per year?

translated from the bongo of the canna jungle

[GMO]

Just checked my rates and it's currently 20p going up to 28p but the daily charge is also close to doubling.

Worth considering how to get fully off grid me thinks

translated from the bongo of the canna jungle

[sir-scrogalot]

Just checked my rates and it's currently 20p going up to 28p but the daily charge is also close to doubling.

Worth considering how to get fully off grid me thinks

translated from the bongo of the canna jungle

My rate is 0.29p a unit.

[sir-scrogalot]

This is what my energy supply is chatting. It's laughable.

[GMO]

This is what my energy supply is chatting. It's laughable.

right on, thats a joke, but the same joke ill be seeing in a months time. looks like you got a year fixed price to sort it too