Search with Wattson

Notifications

Clear all

Joining the Renewable Heating Hub forums is completely free and only takes a minute. By registering you’ll be able to ask questions, join discussions, follow topics you’re interested in, bookmark useful threads and receive notifications when someone replies. Non-registered members also do not have access to our AI features. When choosing your username, please note that it cannot be changed later, so we recommend avoiding brand or product names. Before registering, please take a moment to read the Forum Rules & Terms of Use so we can keep the community helpful, respectful and informative for everyone. Thanks for joining!

Dunkelflaute?

Electricity, Tariffs, Monitoring, Electrics & Providers

Last Post by Toodles 6 months ago

9 Posts

4 Users

3 Reactions

1,643 Views

RSS

Toodles

(@toodles)

Famed Member Contributor

Joined: 4 years ago

Posts: 2727

Topic starter 06/05/2024 4:04 pm [#1529]

Not seen a great deal of sun this year, plenty of named gales over the last winter and spring but now….Dunkelflaute!!! I’ve noticed that even using OE’s Agile tariff, I frequently have to pay more for grid power than I get for my export to grid. Now, this is not a situation with which I wish up to put with.!!!! Come on sun - how about sharing your lovely rays with the S.E. Of England please? Concerned Toodles.

Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.

👍

Quote

Mars

(@editor)

Illustrious Member Admin

Joined: 5 years ago

Posts: 4549

06/05/2024 4:12 pm

Sounds like you need to move to sunny Wales @toodles – glorious blue skies for most of today.

And thank you for adding a new word to my vocabulary today. Now, if only we could find a way to brighten up this dunkelflaute of a situation.

Get a copy of The Ultimate Guide to Heat Pumps

Subscribe and follow our YouTube channel!

ReplyQuote

Toodles

(@toodles)

Famed Member Contributor

Joined: 4 years ago

Posts: 2727

Topic starter 06/05/2024 4:22 pm

@editor Perhaps if we could run the windmills in reverse….😉

It just isn’t cricket when one has to pay as much per kWh when consuming as one receives when exporting! I don’t like to spend much time looking at the production figures and comparing them with last years, every month so far, they have been down 😒. Cool bright days from dawn to dusk is all I ask! (The rain can fall during the night thanks). Glad to have been of service with Dunkelflaute BTW.😊 Toodles.

Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.

👍

ReplyQuote

Toodles

(@toodles)

Famed Member Contributor

Joined: 4 years ago

Posts: 2727

Topic starter 06/05/2024 4:28 pm

The Met Office seem to be hopeful for our area tomorrow though😊

Toodles (now where did I put those sunglasses?

Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.

ReplyQuote

Toodles

(@toodles)

Famed Member Contributor

Joined: 4 years ago

Posts: 2727

Topic starter 06/05/2024 4:38 pm

@editor As we all know, RHH always strive to educate, entertain and inform so… may I suggest browsing to: gridx.ai for some enlightenment? Regards, Toodles.

Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.

ReplyQuote

Toodles

(@toodles)

Famed Member Contributor

Joined: 4 years ago

Posts: 2727

Topic starter 27/05/2024 4:31 pm

I fear to report that tomorrow is another one of those Dunkelflaute situations as I note that Octopus wish me to pay more than my export rate for even the cheapest of the 48 Agile half-hours - I mean 15.24 pence per kWh!!!? This really isn’t cricket - so it is a good job that the Powerwall battery is fully charged and that we may see a little sunshine if we are lucky! Harrumph of SE England.

Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.

ReplyQuote

Carpenterstation

(@carpenterstation)

Trusted Member Contributor

Joined: 1 year ago

Posts: 46

27/10/2025 9:26 am

During October I have frequently run out of battery in the late and sometimes early evening. This is caused by the dunkelflaute weather - overcast, windless, gloomy, dark - even though the batteries are at 100% at 7:00 am

although it isn’t very cold, I think this might be the worst time/weather for Solar? The heat pumps need to work (house is 1 to 1.5 kw) as temperature is below 13deg - but when the daytime temperature is much lower, there tends to be more sun?

I also think this is where a tariff giving 3 windows of cheap-ish electricity might help - but that would cycle the batteries a lot.

on these days I would like to divert to the car battery when the house ones dry up - but this is still too complicated and expensive (new wall box, phase synchronisation etc). Maybe another battery !

ReplyQuote

bontwoody

(@bontwoody)

Noble Member Contributor

Joined: 4 years ago

Posts: 1009

27/10/2025 9:38 am

Vehicle to Home capability would certainly help a lot! I noticed that Sigenergy batteries have this as an option now.

House-3 bed partial stone bungalow, 5kW Samsung Gen 6 ASHP (Self install)
6.9 kWp of PV
5kWh DC coupled battery
Blog: https://thegreeningofrosecottage.weebly.com/
Heatpump Stats: http://heatpumpmonitor.org/system/view?id=60

👍

ReplyQuote

Toodles

(@toodles)

Famed Member Contributor

Joined: 4 years ago

Posts: 2727

Topic starter 27/10/2025 9:58 am

@bontwoody The extra battery capacity is the solution for me; no EV anyway but, originally, I had one Powerwall (13.5 kWh) as I could not worm a second battery out of anyone due to post-Covid shortages. When I doubled the battery capacity to 27 kWh., I found that the Daikin ASHP could be kept running with Octopus Energy’s Cosy tariff. Three periods of 3, 3 and 2 hours each day ensure that I do not stray into the middle price rate from the grid at any time. Of course at the time of year solar is at its’ lowest output, heating consumption is at its’ greatest! Storage works for me anyway! Regards, Toodles.

Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.

ReplyQuote