Are we making any money?

Thought you might be vaguely interested agog to know how we are doing with our new solar PV panels.

Well here goes, I've had to use the calculator so hopefully all figures are correct.  If you notice any glaring mistakes feel free to let me know, maths has never been my strong point.

The two weeks before we had the panels fitted we consumed:-
279
185 kWh

Then the two weeks after (I've disregarded the week we had them fitted as mid week) we consumed:-

137

119 kWh



No actual sunshine, but still generating.



For the full four weeks we've been 'live' we have generated:-

33.8

29.2

43.7

30.8 kWh respectively.

That's a total of 137.5 kWh units (not bad for October).  For each unit generated we receive 43.3 pence, plus a further 3.1 pence for any kWh exported back to the grid.  Our FIT electricity supplier calculates the export figure simply by halving the figure we generate.

That means in cold hard cash terms for this four week period we will receive a total of £61.67 tax free from the government, for both the kWh generated and exported under the FIT scheme.

On top of generating and exporting we are also of course reducing our electricity bill by using as much as we can when we generate, so for example I delay my washing machine to come on when the sun is up and plug in all mobile devices to recharge their batteries in the day.  The daytime energy consumption is helped by the fact that there are four of us at home in the day, throughout the day.  

How we work out exactly how much we are reducing our electricity cost is a little difficult to calculate as there could be times when we do not use absolutely all of the energy generated.  I thought instead, simply as an interesting exercise, I'd contrast last year's readings from our electricity meter against this year's readings.
 
October          1st Week      2nd Week         3rd Week      4th Week       Total Used
2010               183                223                    270               237                 913
2011               137                119                    135               203                 594

In short a saving of 319 kWh.  All the reduction of kWh usage in this comparison obviously cannot be put down solely to the installation of the solar PV panels, other variable factors should be taken into account.  For example; external temperature conditions, general home energy conservation strategies implemented, whether we were home in the evenings etc. Still I like the figures.

One last little thing.  I still haven't got used to seeing how our home energy monitor now sometimes goes down when we switch a light on. That's simply because when we are generating more than we are using the monitor reflects the credit available.  When we switch something on, the figure on the monitor reduces because that electrical item consumes some of the generated electricity available for free use.

The Inverter

IMPORTANT: Government reducing FIT payments soon?

There is a rumour that from December 12th 2011, the tariff payment will reduce to 21p/kWh for solar photovoltaic systems of up to 4kW.  I found this information on the energy saving trust website, note that this proposal is not final.

Falling costs in solar installation, (the Government) quoting a fall from £13,000 to £9,000 for an average system since the tariffs began, mean that homeowners should still see a decent rate of return on their investment, quoting figures of around 5% return. But that's well shy of the 10% return owners are currently getting.  In short if you are considering it ACT NOW.

Bear in mind too that it can take some time for your application for FITs to be received by your FIT licensee (FIT electricity supplier).  It will of course always be after the date on which your PV system is installed.  

How satisfying....



Sun shining, first day off the grid generating our own electricity.



Green light means we're generating.  kWh reading stopped in its tracks.



Community Spirit and Energy

Last weekend we went out to the Narberth Food Festival.  What a delight, so much to tempt us, luckily we hadn't eaten and treated ourselves to some wild boar burgers.  Mighty fine they were too.  The sights, sounds and smells were divine.

We also went to Llangolman's Church fundraising.  They were holding a Michaelmas Fair.  St Colman's Church is a sister church to St Meilyrs and both are part of the West Preseli Group of Churches.  I think it's great when we come together sometimes to support each other.  It builds community cohesion and makes you feel part of something much larger.

Sunday Her Next Door and I walked for two miles to take part in a 24hr, 90 mile sponsored walk/run to celebrate 90 years of the British Legion.  It was so well supported that in fact the anchor of the whole event walked 100 miles.  Well done Carwyn Phillips - very impressive.  I hope lots of money was raised for such a wonderful cause. 

Now we are just having our solar panels fitted.  Yesterday the raw materials were delivered and today they've gone up on the garage roof.  Amazingly quick.  I shall update you on the amount of energy that we can actually use for free and the money we recoup once we're plugged into the grid.  We have opted to purchase and take full advantage of the Feed-in Tariff.



A more interesting view than normal.



Carmen at Rhos-y-Gilwen

We have just returned from the most magical evening.  Her and Him Next Door bought myself and J a night at the opera at Rhosygilwen Mansion for a birthday treat.  We were both opera virgins and not entirely sure what the night might bring.

When we arrived Glen (the owner) invited us out on the lawn for tea.  What a delight.  Even more special was a private guided tour round his new solar park, which had only been turned on the day before.  I love the fact that amongst all this high tech, sheep will be installed to keep the grass down.  There are 12 lines of almost 10,000 solar panels all in a six-acre field, with a gap between each wide enough so that shade does not ever cast its shadow on the line behind.  It should provide enough energy to power 300 homes.  An impressive venture and a sight to behold. 

Solar farm.

After this tour we got ready to watch Carmen. I was (rather surprisingly) completely engrossed.  For me personally Justina Gringyte who played Carmen stood out.  Her voice was spine tingling good.  Although the opera was predominantly in French and Welsh, you didn't have to understand either to grasp the plot because the acting was definitely first class; the facial expressions were a delight to watch.  I have to admit it helped that the little bit of dialog between each aria was in English.  The whole opera was very moving and I sincerely didn't want it to end. 

Half way through we had an interval.  Some people brought a picnic and dined outside in the beautiful gardens.  We were lucky enough to sit down in the conservatory to a three course meal with a never ending supply of alcohol.   We ate with the lighting director amongst others.  He said we'd notice his efforts more in the second half as he wouldn't be working against God and his light show, (it was a beautiful, balmy, sunny evening).

The following morning we had breakfast with Glen's family and friends, I believe we were the only two 'outside' visitors staying overnight due to the opening of the solar park.  The tables were laid out in groups of at least six so we had a very chatty and interesting time meeting even more people.  We were made to feel most welcome and Glen came to sit with us at our table, which made us feel that little bit extra special too. 

The Mansion

The Mansion really is a refuge, so peaceful and the most friendly, relaxed place.  We didn't feel like paying guests at all, just guests.  I would highly recommend a stay at Rhosygilwen if you need a break from life in the fast lane.  We are most certainly planning to return.  There are a lot of music and art delights in their programme to pick from, enough choice to suit all tastes - or try something new.  It's worth it. 

This post is not sponsored, I was just seriously impressed.

Solar Energy

We are seriously considering installing solar PV panels to help combat the rising electricity costs.  Being in a remote location we do not have the luxury of mains gas and cannot therefore take advantage of dual fuel discounts offered by the Utility companies.  (This is inherently unfair I believe as we cannot possibly have dual fuel).  We use a fair amount of electricity and our alternative to gas is oil.  We do luckily have a wood burning stove to heat the sitting room in the winter.

Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels convert the light into electricity, which you can use to power your home during the day (so it is then a good idea to run all your expensive electrical gadgets during this time). There is a tariff (known as the 'Feed-in Tariff' - FIT) available at the moment which makes it very attractive to install.  You receive a guaranteed fixed price for each unit of electricity generated (even if you use it yourself), plus a further payment for each unit of energy not required.  As you can't store the excess energy you can export (sell) it back to the National Grid.  At night and if you need more power than the panels generate, the excess comes off the grid, exactly as it did before the panels were fitted.  These FIT payments are in addition to the savings on electricity bills made by using electricity generated at home.

The Energy Saving Trust (EST) assess that a typical family can make some money.  They note that profitability will be affected by whether you're at home during the day, the system size and the location.

We believe that our savings will probably be higher than a typical family as there are five of us who are at home in the day.  We are looking to install just less than 4kWp too on a roof which faces SSW.  The other factor to bear in mind of course is that the electricity prices are only going to go one way and that is up.

Feed-in Tariffs (FITs).  An illustration of the finances.
A typical domestic solar electricity system, with an installation size of 2.7 kWp could earn around:-

• £990 per year from the Generation Tariff.  (FIT)
• £40 per year from the Export Tariff.  (FIT)
• £140 per year reduction in current electricity bills.

Or another way of looking at it - figures are for Solar Photovoltaic 0 to 4 kW (Retro-fit):-

• For every kWh you Generate you receive 43.3 pence.  (FIT)
• For every kWh you Export (i.e. sell) a further 3.1 pence per kWh will be made for each unit not used and exported to the grid.  (FIT)
• For every kWh you generate and use in the home will contribute to the reduction of your energy bills.

Obviously do your own sums.

Notes: The Generation Tariff is lower if your installation is greater than 4kWp.

The Export Tariff does not have to be paid from the energy company who supplies your electricity, you can choose a different energy company.  Some companies do not measure the actual amount fed back into the grid but assume a 50% export.

The FIT payments will also rise with inflation and are tax free.

The Government guarantees that the electricity companies must pay the Feed-in Tariff from solar PV for 25 years.

To be eligible for FITs you must have your system installed by a Microgeneration Certification Scheme member as electricity companies will only pay for the Feed-in Tariff if you use an MCS certificated installer and product.

EST predicts Feed-in Tariffs are "likely to be significantly reduced for systems installed after 1 April 2012". So if the sums do add up for you, you may want to act quickly.

Energy companies will install the PV panels for free, but for this they will receive the Feed-in Tariff themselves.  Using the above figures this will be approx 1,030 a year.  If you can afford the initial outlay of typically around £12,000 it will be more economical for you to keep the feed-in payments, which could net you £25,750 over 25 years. 

We can split the purchase costs here between the families; J and myself to pay half and Him and Her Next Door to pay the other half.  By reducing our own personal outlay for the solar panels this proposition seems even more attractive to me.

The left hand side of the garage roof may house the PV panels.

We have also looked at wind technology in the past but we do not have enough wind here to make it a viable alternative.  Experts say that you need an average wind speed of 8-14 miles per hour for your system to operate effectively.  We used an anemometer which had a data logging device that output to a PC (you can buy devices that have solar and wind data combined now).  We placed it on the top of the garage for 6 months, our most exposed outbuilding, but the results were disappointing.  You might find EST's field trial report on domestic wind turbines an interesting read if you want to evaluate the possibilities for yourself - click the 'Download  PDF' link.  We do have room for just under 4kWp of solar PV panels on our garage roof though which faces an advantageous SSW, so along with the fact that most of us either work from home or are retired, the figures really do seem to start to stack up.