Thu May 20, 2021 9:46 am
#1848069
Hope this may get some answers!
We have had a survey done and our house roof is well positioned to take 16 PV panels, and the cost should repay itself in 6-8 years. Getting the quote tomorrow and think it is in many ways a no brainer.
There is also the fact that we should be paying considerably less for electricity, so in a roundabout way of thinking, this is better than investing money in a sod all return account too and we will also be able to export the surplus on good days.
We also have a 15+ year old oil fired boiler and it's pretty asthmatic and gobbles oil. So we are also looking at an air source pump to do the heavy lifting of the heating at the same time, as it makes sense to use the electricity from the panels to work around the house as much as possible.
So, I have a couple of questions here.
1. To export surplus you need a 'smart meter' but smart seems to be an oxymoron as you need a mobile signal for it to work. We are with Ecotricity and they would be happy to supply one but they don't have a meter that works off bluetooth to the wifi. They said other suppliers might be able to provide a solution. Anybody got experience of a smart meter that will work where the signal is rubbish?
2. The oil boiler could be replaced with a more efficient modern one, but if we want to be green, it is not really an answer. We don't have the space or budget for a biomass system. So who has experience of an air source pump and what are the benefits?
Over to the experts out there!
We have had a survey done and our house roof is well positioned to take 16 PV panels, and the cost should repay itself in 6-8 years. Getting the quote tomorrow and think it is in many ways a no brainer.
There is also the fact that we should be paying considerably less for electricity, so in a roundabout way of thinking, this is better than investing money in a sod all return account too and we will also be able to export the surplus on good days.
We also have a 15+ year old oil fired boiler and it's pretty asthmatic and gobbles oil. So we are also looking at an air source pump to do the heavy lifting of the heating at the same time, as it makes sense to use the electricity from the panels to work around the house as much as possible.
So, I have a couple of questions here.
1. To export surplus you need a 'smart meter' but smart seems to be an oxymoron as you need a mobile signal for it to work. We are with Ecotricity and they would be happy to supply one but they don't have a meter that works off bluetooth to the wifi. They said other suppliers might be able to provide a solution. Anybody got experience of a smart meter that will work where the signal is rubbish?
2. The oil boiler could be replaced with a more efficient modern one, but if we want to be green, it is not really an answer. We don't have the space or budget for a biomass system. So who has experience of an air source pump and what are the benefits?
Over to the experts out there!