Understanding Solar Panel Meter Readings

[SUNRAY]

I wonder if the developer is reaping the FIT payments AKA rentaroof... they wouldn't be the first.

Friends of friends purchased a house with solar panels and a while later they queeried the bill, seems the vendor had somehow managed to keep the FIT payments, I imagine at the original 45p/KWh.
It got quite complicated (and to be honest I couldn't keep up with it at the time) but they ended up changing the invertor and adding batteries such that nothing was exported. I have no more information other than they were also heating neighbours hot water tank.

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

New built house - FIT Payments - I don't think so!

 

[SUNRAY]

New built house - FIT Payments - I don't think so!

I'm no way up to speed on PV generation, I did look some many years back with the original FIT scheme and decided it would not pay for itself. There are many RentaRoof schemes which buyers may not be aware of (EDIT: I think there may have been a case on here back in the summer), a developement a few years ago had a large array on the 3 story social housing block and the proceeds were on the landlords meter and didn't benefit the residents at all.
Why should this not apply to new build where very many properties are effectively leasehold.

 

[Why Not Indeed]

With any luck this would come up during conveyancing. When I remortgaged there was a specific question about rent a roof schemes.

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

I'm no way up to speed on PV generation, I did look some many years back with the original FIT scheme and decided it would not pay for itself. There are many RentaRoof schemes which buyers may not be aware of, a developement a few years ago had a large array on the 3 story social housing block and the proceeds were on the landlords meter and didn't benefit the residents at all.
Why should this not apply to new build where very many properties are effectively leasehold.

I got PV at the original FIT rate and it paid for itself and the shed it's built on some years ago. However the FIT scheme was stopped a few years ago now. There is potentially some new scheme where you may arrange to be paid a few pence for exported power, but that will not warrant any rentaroof scheme. It just wouldn't pay.

 

[SUNRAY]

I got PV at the original FIT rate and it paid for itself and the shed it's built on some years ago. However the FIT scheme was stopped a few years ago now. There is potentially some new scheme where you may arrange to be paid a few pence for exported power, but that will not warrant any rentaroof scheme. It just wouldn't pay.

I know the feed in value has dropped but so has the cost of the kit, when I was looking I seem to recall it was £20K+ (seems a lot so my recollection may be wrong) friends son had 12 panel system installed last year for <£5K and on some sort of variable export rate which at peak times is very high, he paid another £2Kfor battery bank so he can track and only export when it's over a nominated value.

One of the reasons I didn't invest was the way the sales guy quoted, note quoted not estimated, how much I'd save on lighting as they included replacing all my existing with low energy bulbs. My estimation of my lighting useage was way under half of what he said I'd save. As it happens I monitored my lighting circuits over december which included all of my outdoor decorations (lots of) and 6 extra people staying for best part of a week and still nowhere near his figures.

 

[flameport]

Why should this not apply to new build

The FIT scheme closed for new installations over 3 years ago. Those still on the scheme will still be paid for what's generated at the rates applicable to when they joined.

Any installations since 2019 get nothing. The only benefits now are using the electricity to reduce the amount imported, or being paid a small amount for anything that's exported. What's paid for exporting is always far less than the cost of importing so it only makes sense to use as much as you can and export as little as possible.

 

[StephenStephen]

The FIT scheme closed for new installations over 3 years ago. Those still on the scheme will still be paid for what's generated at the rates applicable to when they joined.

Any installations since 2019 get nothing. The only benefits now are using the electricity to reduce the amount imported, or being paid a small amount for anything that's exported. What's paid for exporting is always far less than the cost of importing so it only makes sense to use as much as you can and export as little as possible.

That's no longer entirely true - I believe SEG payment rates are on the increase.

... and the average Agile Export rate I've been paid for export over the last 4 months is just over 28p/kWh, which is more than the average rate I've paid for agile import - just over 27p/kWh (though a major caveat is that we do use battery storage for load switching)

 

[SUNRAY]

The FIT scheme closed for new installations over 3 years ago. Those still on the scheme will still be paid for what's generated at the rates applicable to when they joined.

Any installations since 2019 get nothing. The only benefits now are using the electricity to reduce the amount imported, or being paid a small amount for anything that's exported. What's paid for exporting is always far less than the cost of importing so it only makes sense to use as much as you can and export as little as possible.

See post #21, I don't know what the current name for the scheme is but when demand is high my friends son is getting way over the import price, I don't think it's too much of an exaggeration to say sometimes £1.

 

[StephenStephen]

See post #21, I don't know what the current name for the scheme is but when demand is high my friends son is getting way over the import price, I don't think it's too much of an exaggeration to say sometimes £1.

It sounds like your friend's son is on the octopus agile outgoing tariff. It's worth noting that it's rare for the rate to go up to around £1/kWh, and tends to happen outside of solar peak generation time.
...at the other end of the scale, the cost of incoming electricity on the agile incoming tariff dropped below minus 4p/kWh at various points last night...

 

[SUNRAY]

It sounds like your friend's son is on the octopus agile outgoing tariff. It's worth noting that it's rare for the rate to go up to around £1/kWh, and tends to happen outside of solar peak generation time.

That makes total sense to me and probably why he added the batteries.

...at the other end of the scale, the cost of incoming electricity on the agile incoming tariff dropped below minus 4p/kWh at various points last night...

So when they are paying you to use their electricity it makes sense to charge your batteries

 

[SUNRAY]

Just sent a message, yes it is Octopus, he has it set to automatically export at >80p/KWh and stop exporting at<50p. For the first 8 week period in september /october, exported 180KWh for £120, during the same period imported 13KWh for <£1

He has 6 batteries (don't have any details) 12KW of panels & batteries (solar edge whatever it means) and 2 invertors, apparently it makes it easier to manage import/export.

He has done the whole installation himself in 2 stages, last summer and this summer at a total cost of £10320 as a contractor to a supplier who designed and tested/certified. Not a service they normally offer but it's who you know... Now he's trying to work out ways of reducing his £160 meter charge.

I'm astounded at the figures he's telling

Also has a wet solar system with 500L storage.

 

[Why Not Indeed]

At £1/kWh, might be tempting to rig up an exercise bike + generator!

 

[SUNRAY]

At £1/kWh, might be tempting to rig up an exercise bike + generator!

Absolutely.

 

[lostinthelight]

The old Fit scheme ended on 31March 2019 and was replaces by a smart export guarantee.
The main difference is the former was calculated on a deemed export of 50% of the total generated by the system , Seg, while maybe a higher kwh rate is based on the actual kw exported..
With a Solar edge inverter , one press of thr OK button gives the present amount being generated, 3 presses gives Day,Month,Yearly and total generated since commissioning.
Just a thought, if the inverter has a wired or wireless module installed it may be possible for the developer to login via a webpage and access the system but don' know if he could control any payments from it