Ah sorry to hear that. Was expecting Feb as that’s what I’ve been told.
Still not going to believe it until it’s on site… for starters getting a shipment in between Christmas and new years has significant opportunity to go wrong!
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Solar Panels UK - is it worth it?
- Thread starter jdwuk
- Start date
Still not going to believe it until it’s on site… for starters getting a shipment in between Christmas and new years has significant opportunity to go wrong!
scdoubleu
Member
So we've just completed our first full calendar year of Solar+Battery (details in signature). Depending on how you calculate things, payback time will be between 6.5 and 8 years assuming current rates.
We used 13400 kWh (house + 2 EVs) during 2022, of which around 6700 kWh was imported from the grid (around 5800 kWh of that being at the Octopus Go off-peak rate of 7.5p/kWh). Thanks to the Powerwall, we used 96% of our solar energy.
Note that we switched from British Gas SVR to Octopus Go at the end of January, then it took about 6 weeks to convince the Powerwall's "AI" to do the right thing overnight. So additional savings could have been made.
In any case, cost for grid energy was around £660 plus standing charge, minus £12 for exported energy. For the year. That's nuts!
So referring back to this thread's title, it absolutely is worth it, if you combine it with the right size battery and an off-peak rate.
We used 13400 kWh (house + 2 EVs) during 2022, of which around 6700 kWh was imported from the grid (around 5800 kWh of that being at the Octopus Go off-peak rate of 7.5p/kWh). Thanks to the Powerwall, we used 96% of our solar energy.
Note that we switched from British Gas SVR to Octopus Go at the end of January, then it took about 6 weeks to convince the Powerwall's "AI" to do the right thing overnight. So additional savings could have been made.
In any case, cost for grid energy was around £660 plus standing charge, minus £12 for exported energy. For the year. That's nuts!
So referring back to this thread's title, it absolutely is worth it, if you combine it with the right size battery and an off-peak rate.
Finally had my first bill with a correct export reading on it. Install date was Jan and this finally tells us how much we exported.
So overall we exported almost 500kw which is disappointingly almost 1/4 of our generation since June and would have been worth £185 if we had used it! Should have got a bigger battery.
Target before we get to generation season is to get some automations in so this doesn't happen next year. We have a massive hot water tank that can soak up excess, plus obviously the car. The problem is that none of our systems talk that well to each other. Need to get an Eddi sorted and fix the Andersen's ability to play nice with the solar system.
So overall we exported almost 500kw which is disappointingly almost 1/4 of our generation since June and would have been worth £185 if we had used it! Should have got a bigger battery.
Target before we get to generation season is to get some automations in so this doesn't happen next year. We have a massive hot water tank that can soak up excess, plus obviously the car. The problem is that none of our systems talk that well to each other. Need to get an Eddi sorted and fix the Andersen's ability to play nice with the solar system.
PITA
Model 3 Performance
Very good, and very similar to our 2022 figures.
2022 Solar Production Results
We actually produced 5,778 kWh last year, which is 103% of target. The really good news is we actually consumed 5,665 kWh (98%).
Home Power Consumption
In 2021 our house used 9,894 kWh
In 2022 our house used 15,814 kWh (160% increase)
Zilla91
Active Member
Does anyone who has Givenergy know if it's normal for the system to randomly export + import a few watts of power every few seconds?
Yeah that's just normal grid balancing. Adds up to very little in the day.
Fat Wolfie
Member
Big day yesterday (and today as it happens…
solar installation day at last, timescale nowhere near as bad as some experience but I’m not a patient sort of chap and once I’ve decided to do something I just want to get on and do it…so the wait from last August has seemed an eternity.
Yesterday the roof fittings and optimisers were fitted, along with the inverter and Powerwall. Today they are putting the gateway in and having had the 14 panels delivered this morning, should be getting them up too.
Ive used a company called Egg, whose contact details I got from the Tesla UK website, and I’m very happy with the quality of the installation so far.
for example, the inverter (before hoovering
) and the powerwall outside
brilliant sunshine here at the moment, no doubt once it’s all commissioned we will get cloud for weeks
Meantime does anyone know if you can add “users” of the Powerwall on the app like you can add drivers for the car?
solar installation day at last, timescale nowhere near as bad as some experience but I’m not a patient sort of chap and once I’ve decided to do something I just want to get on and do it…so the wait from last August has seemed an eternity.
Yesterday the roof fittings and optimisers were fitted, along with the inverter and Powerwall. Today they are putting the gateway in and having had the 14 panels delivered this morning, should be getting them up too.
Ive used a company called Egg, whose contact details I got from the Tesla UK website, and I’m very happy with the quality of the installation so far.
for example, the inverter (before hoovering
) and the powerwall outside brilliant sunshine here at the moment, no doubt once it’s all commissioned we will get cloud for weeks
Meantime does anyone know if you can add “users” of the Powerwall on the app like you can add drivers for the car?
phil4
Member
You are soooo lucky (or rather I'm really unlucky).
Tesla put me onto their approved installer here. I put an order in at the start of June 2022, and had solar part installed over the past 2 days. Powerwalls however not available, until the end of this year if I'm lucky, so a fair old wait on those for me.
Tesla put me onto their approved installer here. I put an order in at the start of June 2022, and had solar part installed over the past 2 days. Powerwalls however not available, until the end of this year if I'm lucky, so a fair old wait on those for me.
wife and I have the app on our phones and iPads. it serves car and Powerwalls on all them. She uses my Tesla account.Big day yesterday (and today as it happens…
solar installation day at last, timescale nowhere near as bad as some experience but I’m not a patient sort of chap and once I’ve decided to do something I just want to get on and do it…so the wait from last August has seemed an eternity.
Yesterday the roof fittings and optimisers were fitted, along with the inverter and Powerwall. Today they are putting the gateway in and having had the 14 panels delivered this morning, should be getting them up too.
Ive used a company called Egg, whose contact details I got from the Tesla UK website, and I’m very happy with the quality of the installation so far.
for example, the inverter (before hoovering
brilliant sunshine here at the moment, no doubt once it’s all commissioned we will get cloud for weeks
Meantime does anyone know if you can add “users” of the Powerwall on the app like you can add drivers for the car?
View attachment 897780View attachment 897781
I’ve had solar for many years and am still a very lucky FIT recipient. i decided to add a Powerwall and placed my order last year on January 17th. The guys are here and fitting it today, one year and 3 days after it was ordered.
Zilla91
Active Member
Gen 2?Informed today that my installation has been delayed from 'the New Year' until April+ because of GivEnergy inverter supply issues
Fat Wolfie
Member
@Dilly thanks, that’s exactly what I was hoping to hear 
@phil4 sorry to hear that. I have to say that at the start of the journey I was sceptical that Egg would deliver on their promises, which they even put in writing. But they did come through, they said they have a constant standing order with Tesla and get quart deliveries, which they then use for their customers as opposed to re-selling to other installers. I really had expected the solar to be installed and then getting told there was a problem with Powerwall after all, leaving me no option other than to suck it up.
@Tonybvi I’m not sure how well I’d have coped with a years wait.
I guess a real irony here is that they will commission the Powerwall today but the person who fits the panels can’t get back until next week. So I’m in the unusual position that I’ve got a Powerwall installed but no solar
I’ll just have to admire them in the garage for a few days - at least I’ve only paid a deposit So they will have an incentive to finish the job if they want paying!
@phil4 sorry to hear that. I have to say that at the start of the journey I was sceptical that Egg would deliver on their promises, which they even put in writing. But they did come through, they said they have a constant standing order with Tesla and get quart deliveries, which they then use for their customers as opposed to re-selling to other installers. I really had expected the solar to be installed and then getting told there was a problem with Powerwall after all, leaving me no option other than to suck it up.
@Tonybvi I’m not sure how well I’d have coped with a years wait.
I guess a real irony here is that they will commission the Powerwall today but the person who fits the panels can’t get back until next week. So I’m in the unusual position that I’ve got a Powerwall installed but no solar
I’ll just have to admire them in the garage for a few days - at least I’ve only paid a deposit So they will have an incentive to finish the job if they want paying!
@Dilly thanks, that’s exactly what I was hoping to hear
@phil4 sorry to hear that. I have to say that at the start of the journey I was sceptical that Egg would deliver on their promises, which they even put in writing. But they did come through, they said they have a constant standing order with Tesla and get quart deliveries, which they then use for their customers as opposed to re-selling to other installers. I really had expected the solar to be installed and then getting told there was a problem with Powerwall after all, leaving me no option other than to suck it up.
@Tonybvi I’m not sure how well I’d have coped with a years wait.
I guess a real irony here is that they will commission the Powerwall today but the person who fits the panels can’t get back until next week. So I’m in the unusual position that I’ve got a Powerwall installed but no solar
I’ll just have to admire them in the garage for a few days - at least I’ve only paid a deposit So they will have an incentive to finish the job if they want paying!
View attachment 897801
Ah, but if the PW is commissioned and you have a time of use tariff you can still enjoy yourself by charging at the off peak rate and using in peak times. This time of year there’s not a lot of solar floating about anyway (although admittedly up here in NE Scotland it’s a fantastic sunny day!)
what does gen 2 mean? Have they revised the inverter?
Waiting what seems like forever for Eon - AC inverter and 9.5 givenergy battery + solar.
Zilla91
Active Member
Gen 2 ups the output to 3600w compared to 2600w you get from the gen 1 inverter.
FWIW I had a gen 1 installed this week and it seems fine to me.
FWIW I had a gen 1 installed this week and it seems fine to me.
Shouldn't make a difference to you with the AC inverter it's only a revision to the hybrid inverter.
RedMod3
Member
Heard yesterday that my installer is getting more Powerwalls than expected by the end of the month. Could the PW famine be over?
