Solar panel usage

[stender]

I was in a 3 bed detached Paying £110pm for Gas and Electric with scottish power.
Moved to a 4 bed detached with Solar Panels and it went up to £140pm although our usage wouldn't of changed much apart from heating a bigger less efficient house. I get a quarterly FIT cheque from BG for the solar. I wasn't aware that I will allegedly actually be using what i generate and thought that it was all going back into the grid hence the payments. I can't believe that my monthly payments went up if i am also using some of the generated power? This is all pre the current price rises. i'm fixed til october but if i get a quote now from Scottish gas im being told it will be £550pm and that's without the further increases planned, if i check switch its coming out around £350pm which is bad enough.

Is solar just generating pennies in that case? i just looked at the fit cheque i just received and it says from 17th jan to 24th apr
generation tariff is 565 own at 18.48 p and 183 at 19.87p
then export tariff 282 kWh at 5.57p and 91 at 5.99

To complicate things i just read that i can opt out of export instead signing up for smart export guarantee and i could save more on my bills.
All very confusing but i can't see how solar is saving me anything on bills.

 

[lloyda]

You get paid for everything you generate, whether you use it or not (generation tariff). And then you get paid some more for every unit you export (ie don't use yourself). As you don't have an export meter they simply assume you export 50% of what you generate. And how much you get paid depends upon, amongst other things, when the system was installed.

 

[winston1]

I was in a 3 bed detached Paying £110pm for Gas and Electric with scottish power.
Moved to a 4 bed detached with Solar Panels and it went up to £140pm although our usage wouldn't of changed much apart from heating a bigger less efficient house.

A bigger less efficient house will make a big difference.

 

[stender]

I cant believe that my bill is any less having panels

 

[flameport]

generation tariff is 565 own at 18.48 p and 183 at 19.87p
then export tariff 282 kWh at 5.57p and 91 at 5.99

Generated 748
Exported 373
The difference is what you used, 375kWh

At 20p/kWh, that's £75 of electricity you didn't have to buy.

What is paid monthly is of no use as they are typically spread out over the year so you pay the same amount, and can include other things such as previous debts caused by underpayments. They can also be wrong which results in a large credit balance building up.
It's the actual usage that matters, which can only be obtained from actual meter readings.

 

[stender]

I couldnt believe it as my bills went up £30pm when i moved in to this house and my usage hasnt really changed. This is before alll the rises too. Im fixed til sept