Batteries Cold Weather
I have recently had installed solar pv with lithium batteries on/in an agricultural building. During the winter months I have been charging the batteries from grid overnight using cheap tariff. Over the recent cold spell the batteries no longer charge above 40%. On checking the documentation the inverter has an operating range of -20 to +50°C, whereas the battery is only 0-45°C. The installer did not mention this when they sold the system, and knew that they were installing into an unheated building. Do I have any consumer rights against the installer to rectify the battery issue, via replacement or provision of suitable insulation to ensure the battery temperature doesn't drop below zero? Incidentally, the installer never sent the battery datasheet with the system documentation
Yeah batteries really don't like being cold. You could build a little insulation box around them and maybe add in a warming pad. Below zero the battery management system will kick in and essentially turn them off to protect them.
As to a discount, refund etc I have no idea. What's in the contract?
My 10.6kWh slab of 11 year old LiFePo4 is in an unheated shed, I limit my charge rate to 20a in this temperature and limit my discharge rate too (no electric kettle at the moment for us)...
Off grid on the isle of purbeck
2.4kW solar, 15kWh Seplos Mason, Outback power systems 3kW inverter/charger, solid fuel heating with air/air for shoulder months, 10 acres of heathland/woods.
My wife’s house: 1946 3 bed end of terrace in Somerset, ASHP with rads + UFH, triple glazed, retrofit IWI in troublesome rooms, small rear extension.
@batalto I suppose my question is whether the installer, knowing that that they were installing into an area that would be below zero, sold me an inappropriate solution, or at least didn't ensure that the battery was insulated to mitigate - is that unreasonable to ask them to rectify now?
@bighorse if it's cold and unheated they should know better than to just stick it in a shed. It's all over the documents and usually on the battery itself somewhere about operating temps. So I'd say yes, they messed up and should fix it. It's unable to function for a good portion of the year.
The main question would be did you demand it in that location and did they tell you the operating windows which you accepted - from what you're saying no. But check your documents etc. It might be in the quote they sent you or buried somewhere.
@batalto thanks- that's basically what I thought, although I doubt that they will engage now they have my money. Do you have any recommendation for an insulated box - materials, make/model of heating pad?
@bighorse I don't have that experience personally, mine are inside the house. That said I've seen a number of videos on the topic, below is a good DIY example. Personally I don't think its actually too difficult. The batteries will warm up themselves as they charge/discharge. Also if you can add the inverter into the box that'll chuck out loads of heat. I think a few bits of ply and some celotex will probably be totally fine for your needs. What is the make of the batteries/how large are they?
- 25 Forums
- 1,435 Topics
- 30.1 K Posts
- 17 Online
- 1,218 Members
Join Us!
Latest Posts
-
RE: Jokes and fun posts about heat pumps and renewables
@editor To help with your study of Entropy, you may f...
By Derek M , 5 hours ago
-
Are You Getting the Most Out of Your Renewable Energy?
This article is aimed at you if you have recently taken...
By Majordennisbloodnok , 7 hours ago
-
RE: Insulation of flow and return Heat Pump piping
@toodles undesirable but insignificant sums it up prett...
By dr_dongle , 8 hours ago
-
RE: Incorrect Billing of Customers with a Smart Meter
@transparent not sure I’d call SMETS2 a bed rock, as it...
By matmbl , 9 hours ago
-
It is certainly possible, using a modbus connection. If...
By cathodeRay , 20 hours ago
-
RE: Home energy storage & battery register
1 x Seplos 14.3kWh (Seplos box from Alibaba, battery ce...
By KoRWraith , 1 day ago
-
I did another reconnection/ reconfiguration session wit...
By Abernyte , 1 day ago
-
RE: Recommended ASHP installers in Hampshire
@benson After my initial enquiries with Octopus, we had...
By Toodles , 2 days ago
-
RE: Air source heat pump roll call
To help bolster the rather small number of NIBE owners ...
By Steve D , 2 days ago
-
RE: A beginner's journey into DIY home energy storage - no solar!
@editor All good here! I'm happy to say that the system...
By KoRWraith , 2 days ago
-
RE: Say hello and introduce yourself
@fse_bec welcome to the forums, and it’s very generous ...
By Mars , 2 days ago
-
RE: Meter Readings - What are theses meters telling me?
@transparent Hi, I am the landlord of the property, we ...
By Potatoman , 2 days ago
-
RE: Octopus (the grid) is my battery
@andris My ‘Best Effort’ so far was on 4th. June 2023 w...
By Toodles , 3 days ago
-
Save the Energy Save the World using Daikin Altherma 3 operation mode and schedules settings.
Hello Everyone. Our Daikin Altherma 3 was set to Dome...
By Mevl , 3 days ago
-
RE: Have Octopus Energy discovered a way to Narnia?
Oh dear. Always winter never Christmas?
By Davesoa , 3 days ago
-
RE: Bivalent oil boiler system to work alongside ground or water source heat pump
I can provide a lot of detail on LED lighting. But no...
By Transparent , 3 days ago
-
RE: Making best use of Agile with a battery and ASHP
I try to ovoid doing that...
By Majordennisbloodnok , 3 days ago
-
RE: Is this a bad installation and is there something wrong with my Samsung heat pump?
@kenbone no need for what kenbone regarding the 100watt...
By David999 , 5 days ago
-
RE: Bivalent (or even trivalent!) system design options for a new GSHP installation
For your interest @algienon this is what happens when a...
By Transparent , 6 days ago
-
RE: Rising Damp – Production Recommendation
Yet another topic I'm not an expert in. Nonetheless, th...
By Majordennisbloodnok , 6 days ago
Latest Topics
-
Incorrect Billing of Customers with a Smart Meter
By KoRWraith 2 days ago
-
Home energy storage & battery register
By Mars 2 days ago
-
Meter Readings - What are theses meters telling me?
By Potatoman 3 days ago
-
Have Octopus Energy discovered a way to Narnia?
By Davesoa 4 days ago
-
Making best use of Agile with a battery and ASHP
By jamesw 4 days ago
-
By Toodles 6 days ago
-
By Blaine_t 7 days ago
-
Insulation of flow and return Heat Pump piping
By Toodles 7 days ago