Just a wee bit of background, my property is a 1980's timber-frame detached bungalow of 147sq m. I was initially interested in Solar Energy but through watching many videos I was made aware of battery storage by a Fully Charged article. I then discussed various options with Home Energy Scotland and my local supplier Solar and Wind Applications and decided to install a Solar array of LG panels with a capacity of 5.3kW and two Tesla Powerwalls with a storage capacity of 27kWh. I also change my supplier to Octopus Energy and signed up for their Agile Tariff for both Incoming and Outgoing Electricity. Now I can buy clean cheap energy overnight and store it in the Powerwalls to be used at peak periods during the day. Also I have power cut protection through the Tesla Gateway 2 which is really the brains of the set up.
As you can imagine living in south west Scotland there is not a great deal of sunlight during November to March but anything that is generated is saved in the Powerwalls and any surplus is exported to the grid.
Octopus and Tesla also offer a new tariff in which Tesla will control your Powerwall and export and import power at a flat 11p per kWh.
Through this setup, during the period of November to March, I have reduced my Grid consumption by 33% and dropped my monthly bill (including gas ) from £132 per month to £73 per month and I'm sure from now till November I will reduce this considerably.
I intend to have a Vaillant 7kw AeroTherm Plus installed in the spring to replace my gas boiler and complete my transition. The 27kWh Powerwall will help store both Solar and cheaper grid electricty to power the ASHP. The AeroTherm uses the R290 refrigerant and is capable of higher flow temperatures and has an advertise SCOP of 3.64 for a flow of 50 degrees C.
Obviously I have to complete the install and run the system for a full year before I can give a full rundown of the running costs.
@duncan-mac Hi you have a similar set up to me ( LG solar (except mine is only 4Kw) Vaillant ASHP and Im with Octopus) When finances allow I will look at a powerwall. So I will be very interested to see how you get on with them.
Octopus are taking my gas meter out next week (FOC) so that will be another step to a totally renewable house!
I'll be watching out for your posts with interest!
One of the most interesting features of the Tesla set up is the reporting both real time and historic reporting All data , Grid Input, Grid Output, Solar to home, solar to grid and solar to the Powerwall, together with energy to and from the Powerwall.
Data is available in CSV format to download. All this helps me understand where the power is coming from and how its being used. Also you can workout the losses from generation to Powerwall and back to Home use (AC to DC to AC).
@editor sorry I missed this before I posted yesterday. This is the spreadsheet i was talking about. with a little patience and effort it gives a great picture of the system you might have or considering.
I have a similar display with my Victron CCGX and can control everything but the charge rate on the Tesla and the hot water on the Heat Pump from my phone.
My lowest thus year was the 27th February when it was sunny 7.09kWh I charged the car and used the heatpump during the sunny day using the batteries as a buffer. The most I've used this year was on the 7th Feb 87kWh it was windy and prices were low.
Best solar day was 22 kWh on the 27th Feb. But this year so far is way down on last year 200 kWh less sunshine this year so far
@chris-in-kemnay I blame the pandemic for the lack of sunshine, or is it the 5G towers ? I get confused 🙂 hopefully the year will become more brighter
@chris-in-kemnay, the images are so slick. We have a SolarEdge inverter and their app is cool, but the displays are nowhere near as nice.
Buy Bodge Buster – Homeowner Air Source Heat Pump Installation Guide: https://amzn.to/3NVndlU
From Zero to Heat Pump Hero: https://amzn.to/4bWkPFb
Subscribe and follow our Homeowners’ Q&A heat pump podcast
I think going back to the original question asked by Bob.. I think calculating heat loss can be very simple. Once your house has reached the target temperature, start recording the time your heat source worked (of course without opening doors/windows) for example if your heat source gives out 24k BTU per hour and came up during the night for 2 hours then your house is losing 48k BTU. Does that make sense?
- 22 Forums
- 2,058 Topics
- 45 K Posts
- 52 Online
- 3,315 Members
Join Us!
Trusted Installers
Struggling to find a reliable heat pump installer? A poor installation can lead to inefficiencies and high running costs. We now connect homeowners with top-rated installers who deliver quality work and excellent service.
✅ Verified, trusted & experienced installers
✅ Nationwide coverage expanding
✅ Special offers available
Latest Posts
-
RE: Grant Aerona3 - Home Assistant control via Modbus
@majordennisbloodnok I deffo don’t disagree I would lov...
By Grantmethestrength , 1 hour ago
-
RE: Ripped Off: How UK Homeowners Are Paying Gas Prices for Wind Energy
That's a very perceptive point, @jeff. We're all very g...
By Majordennisbloodnok , 1 hour ago
-
RE: Renewables & Heat Pumps in the News
The update above was posted here a few days ago along w...
By Jeff , 3 hours ago
-
RE: Commencing on an ASHP Installation Process
That is really down to system volume. Plus the ability ...
By Johnmo , 14 hours ago
-
RE: Enabling WiFi: Samsung ASHP on Smart Things App
Mine has been doing a CoP of -3.18, yes negative, combi...
By Johnmo , 21 hours ago
-
RE: Battery sizing - How low can you go!
The second 6.5 kWh Growatt battery was installed today....
By ChandyKris , 23 hours ago
-
RE: Heat Pump Manufacturers Recommending Buffer Tanks
Thanks for that thoughtful reply. Unfortunately we g...
By JamesPa , 24 hours ago
-
RE: Vaillant & OVO partner up to offer Heat Pump Plus
So… I called them this morning and I’m up and running o...
By Westkent , 1 day ago
-
RE: IVT Greenline high pressure switch and electrical cassette errors
Your system seems to be more modern than mine, mine was...
By abbote , 1 day ago
-
RE: Advice for ground source heat pump in new build with PV and batteries
Braver person than me. No way I would go down that rout...
By Johnmo , 2 days ago
-
RE: Getting the best out of a heat pump - is Homely a possible answer?
@arundalep yes I have no issue with this. The observati...
By benson , 2 days ago
-
-
RE: Rate the quality of your heat pump design and installation
So your Halo lite should really do nothing, when connec...
By Johnmo , 2 days ago
-
RE: Planning Update: 1 Metre Boundary Rule for Heat Pumps Has Been Scrapped
This is indeed welcome news. In addition the new legi...
By JamesPa , 2 days ago
-
-
RE: Is Your 6kW Air Source Heat Pump Really a 6kW?
@johnmo I think we’ve been trudging through the same...
By SUNandAIR , 4 days ago
-
RE: How To Balance Radiators & the Role of the Lockshield Valve: A Homeowner's Guide
Good luck, I hope it all works out!
By JamesPa , 5 days ago
-
@johnd it's a difficult one, because we've seen instanc...
By Mars , 5 days ago
-
Win a 6-panel PV courtesy of egg and Renewable Heating Hub
Our epic giveaway just went live! Want to win a 6-pan...
By Mars , 6 days ago
-
RE: Yes, the "zoning with ASHP" topic again...
James, thanks again for your thoughtful and persistent ...
By HarryRea , 6 days ago