Going Solar

[johnofgwent]

My dad has installed panels on his bungalow.  It was tricky, although it may be because he didn't want to connect them to the grid.  I understand, if you produce surplus energy, the grid steals it.  So he wired it up to to all the gear himself, got some big batteries, and all ready for the powercuts.

Then you understand wrong.

If you have them installed properly and have the correct convertor box AND the appropriate meter AND an appropriate agreement with your supplier then they PAY you for any excess generated power you choose to sell them


They don't steal anything and you are not obliged to hand them an erg.

So says my best mates stepson in the forest of Dean who has taken advantage of the deal.. at the moment he prefers to use the power to charge batteries that power his washing machine etc.

[Borchester]

I have the same trigger and it is crippling. I'm not sure there's an answer. My last house backed on to open fields. The farmer built a pile of horse manure etc and on a hot day with the wind blowing straight at us and our windows open upstairs, he set light to it. I was out and arrived home unable to see across my sitting room, the house full of smoke. My asthma kicked immediately and using inhalers while I managed to phone the local council, spluttering and functioning only on Adrenalin. It turned out that the big boss was out in his posh Jag in my area. Within minutes not only was he at the gate to the field but the fire engine followed moments behind followed by a Cop car with blues and twos. It was quite a performance to watch the farmer charging across the rough terrain of that open field in his 4x4 followed by the Jag and the cops. A really good movie chase.The firemen took hours to make sure the stack was properly doused and I don't suppose it was one of the farmer's better days. I omitted the bit where an asthma wracked female harangued him with a fury that was definitely not me. I think the very respectable neighbours looked at me differently from then on. The farmer tended to give me a wide berth from then on too.

[T00ts]

What I want is a cure for Madam's asthma.

She loves open fires and wood stoves but goes blue in the face at the merest hint of smoke. If we can crack that problem then Chez Borchester will be like an episode of Tales from the Green Valley with both of us filling the Ruth Goodman role. She can cook anything and I will eat it.

I have the same trigger and it is crippling. I'm not sure there's an answer. My last house backed on to open fields. The farmer built a pile of horse manure etc and on a hot day with the wind blowing straight at us and our windows open upstairs, he set light to it. I was out and arrived home unable to see across my sitting room, the house full of smoke. My asthma kicked immediately and using inhalers while I managed to phone the local council, spluttering and functioning only on Adrenalin. It turned out that the big boss was out in his posh Jag in my area. Within minutes not only was he at the gate to the field but the fire engine followed moments behind followed by a Cop car with blues and twos. It was quite a performance to watch the farmer charging across the rough terrain of that open field in his 4x4 followed by the Jag and the cops. A really good movie chase.The firemen took hours to make sure the stack was properly doused and I don't suppose it was one of the farmer's better days. I omitted the bit where an asthma wracked female harangued him with a fury that was definitely not me. I think the very respectable neighbours looked at me differently from then on. The farmer tended to give me a wide berth from then on too. 

[Borchester]

My dad has installed panels on his bungalow.  It was tricky, although it may be because he didn't want to connect them to the grid.  I understand, if you produce surplus energy, the grid steals it.  So he wired it up to to all the gear himself, got some big batteries, and all ready for the powercuts.

Actually, the deal is that you sell your lecky to the power company and they give you some back. I dare say that they do well out of the deal but then (assuming the capital costs work out), so does the householder.

What electric appliances is your dad running and how many and what sort of batteries does he have?

[Borchester]

Alternatively, perhaps it would be easier to simply buy essential gadgets just in case a) The bills become impossible, b) there is no power. So my starting point would be a kettle. I can cover most things with one.

https://www.selectsolargadgets.co.uk/prod/916/solar-kettle

and maybe something like this.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/GoSun-1SP1D1P1-Steel-Portable-Solar/dp/B00KLKJB72

I like it Toots, but I get through five or six pots of coffee a day, starting at 1 am. And there is not a lot of sunlight at that time.

Anyway, keep looking. As far as I can see the main cost is installing the panels and that has to be more expensive if they are on the roof than in the garden.

[Borchester]

What I want is a cure for Madam's asthma.

She loves open fires and wood stoves but goes blue in the face at the merest hint of smoke. If we can crack that problem then Chez Borchester will be like an episode of Tales from the Green Valley with both of us filling the Ruth Goodman role. She can cook anything and I will eat it.

[T00ts]

Alternatively, perhaps it would be easier to simply buy essential gadgets just in case a) The bills become impossible, b) there is no power. So my starting point would be a kettle. I can cover most things with one.

https://www.selectsolargadgets.co.uk/prod/916/solar-kettle

and maybe something like this.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/GoSun-1SP1D1P1-Steel-Portable-Solar/dp/B00KLKJB72

[T00ts]

The current rules where I live make no sense at all .Just inside Khans smoke free zone I can't have an open fire or emmit smoke from my chimney . You are though allowed to burn as much as you like in the back garden with all the heat going straight up in the air  . Never saw the sense in it ,good fuel going to waste .

Toots has got me interested in the solar stuff again . I dissmissed it a few years back as a waste of time and space but with the increase in cost and the apparent forever summers we are being promised I think it needs a revisit . Ive got a few solar lights around the garden which work pretty good . If I can find some solar that can pump 20,000 litres of water an hour for the Koi pond I might be interested .

It seems that it's the batteries for storage that is a major cost. Just to run solar on available sunlight seems pretty straightforward as long as you have the right calculations for the job. But if you want to have power with no sun then the question of battery applies to store excess power during sunlight. When I ran a caravan there was some concern about battery safety/fumes so my next question is where one puts the battery which could be sizeable depending on need/size etc. I had though the garage but haven't yet found enough info online. It may be that a visit to a shop and a knowledgeable person might be the best way to go. I found this interesting as I was looking around but also see that there are now solar kettles, solar ovens etc. I need a new cooker! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci1d2gVxuBw

[Streetwalker]

You'll have Greta after you the pillocks want to ban log burners.

Stuff  'em I'll be using mine.

The current rules where I live make no sense at all .Just inside Khans smoke free zone I cant have an open fire or emmit smoke from my chimney . You are though allowed to burn as much as you like in the back garden with all the heat going straight up in the air  . Never saw the sense in it ,good fuel going to waste .

Toots has got me interested in the solar stuff again . I dissmissed it a few years back as a waste of time and space but with the increase in cost and the apparent forever summers we are being promised I think it needs a revisit . Ive got a few solar lights around the garden which work pretty good . If I can find some solar that can pump 20,000 litres of water an hour for the Koi pond I might be interested .

[T00ts]

If its in your garden for stuff outside your house then go for it . I would strongly vote against anything that dissrupts the natural functioning of the roof , not to mention the cost of removing pidgeon crap dead birds and old nests .

Decent solar panels properly installed take years that most of us dont have to repay themselves let alone save money , anyone going down the solar route needs to get some serious calcs done before considering it .

Personally I think getting the chiminey swept is a better option

Yes I do agree but my chimney left the building to make room for a shower. I dismissed them years ago on my last house because they weren't cost effective. At the time they would have taken about 20 years to pay for by which time they would need replacing. I'm not sure it has changed much and the deals of selling to the grid are not as good now. I am only thinking of some on the ground with a battery for power storage and enough power to boost my supply off grid if needed. I'm not sure how practical or possible that will be yet.

[cromwell]

If its in your garden for stuff outside your house then go for it . I would strongly vote against anything that dissrupts the natural functioning of the roof , not to mention the cost of removing pidgeon crap dead birds and old nests .

Decent solar panels properly installed take years that most of us dont have to repay themselves let alone save money , anyone going down the solar route needs to get some serious calcs done before considering it .

Personally I think getting the chiminey swept is a better option

You'll have Greta after you  the pillocks want to ban log burners.

Stuff  'em I'll be using mine.

[Streetwalker]

If its in your garden for stuff outside your house then go for it . I would strongly vote against anything that dissrupts the natural functioning of the roof , not to mention the cost of removing pidgeon crap dead birds and old nests .

Decent solar panels properly installed take years that most of us dont have to repay themselves let alone save money , anyone going down the solar route needs to get some serious calcs done before considering it .

Personally I think getting the chiminey swept is a better option 

[T00ts]

My dad has installed panels on his bungalow.  It was tricky, although it may be because he didn't want to connect them to the grid.  I understand, if you produce surplus energy, the grid steals it.  So he wired it up to to all the gear himself, got some big batteries, and all ready for the powercuts.

Yes that's what I'm thinking. I don't want to be connected to the grid. I gather the deals that made that worth it are long gone. Getting access to the calculations online is proving a bit mind blowing  and everything seems to lead to 'free' quotes so far.

[Scott777]

I was just contemplating installing some garden solar panels/batteries for essentials. It looks relatively easy. Anyone else thinking this way?

My dad has installed panels on his bungalow.  It was tricky, although it may be because he didn't want to connect them to the grid.  I understand, if you produce surplus energy, the grid steals it.  So he wired it up to to all the gear himself, got some big batteries, and all ready for the powercuts.

[Borchester]

I'm thinking either supplementing or in emergency for the house. I am planning a garden installation as it's easier and removeable and I think quite a lot cheaper. I just need to start some calculations to see if it's viable. 

Keep us posted.

We have a bit of a problem in that the only place with a sizable garden is the Rural Slum. And the power bills are washers. On the other hand, the London shoebox costs telephone numbers to heat and such, but the garden is tiny.

Be that as it may be Toots, I would appreciate the feed back.