Domestic Solar PV Quotes 2020

No. Once you don't interfere with the system itself.

I priced a diverter locally for 434 installed.

Is adding a diverter not interfering with the system?

I have very limited experience in this, so please excuse any simple things I have overlooked in the calculations here (these are partly for myself, not just for jamesmct).

SouthWesterly has e434, lets round to e450 as a quote for installing an immersion diverter. If the immersion is used for 1 hour a day, assuming a 3kw immersion, and a unit cost of 25c (future proofing!) after 600 days (0.25 * 3 * 600) the unit will have paid for itself if there is enough excess after the battery has been charged to heat the water up. Even if on average over the year it reduces the need for the immersion to be powered directly from the grid to half, that is 1200 days, or 3.25 years (in round figures). That is not a long time for payback on this element when people often quote 7, 8, 10 years for payback from solar pv systems.

Did I miss something in these calculations or can I use these to convince the financial controller in the house?

Thanks Random and Slave.

I bow to your superior knowledge on the subject. I have been trying to educate myself but technicals are not my strong point.

My ESB bill is about 230 every 2 months. I would like to reduce this and solar pv seems to be a good way to do it and also to future proof for the coming years.

I suppose it would be good to know what system would be best. Use as much electric generated from solar to power daily requirements fridge, kettle, lights etc and then anything remaining to go to heating water or should I look at heating water first and then remaining power go to appliances. I want to reduce the amount of pwoer going back to the grid as possible.

I have very little knowledge on this, am in a similar boat as yourself and trying to figure out costs, where money should go (higher spec panels vs battery vs diverter).

I think, and again a little knowledge can be dangerous and I only have a little knowledge, I would try to figure out where your power is going. If you know you are only running your immersion for 1 hour each day, and this is an accurate figure, and it is a 3kw unit, then you are using 3 units daily on that, 180 units every two months. Take your units used from your bill and you can see what percentage you are using for hot water. If one hour is accurate, you are probably using more units on the general every day appliances like kettles, tv, lighting etc. and using solar for that and diverting excess to the water heater is probably the best option.

From speaking to installers and reading here, and even your own question, I would say you need a bigger than 2kw battery for your system. Although if funds aren't available at the moment it is probably easier to install a bigger/2nd battery given the first is already installed.

Did they say how much it would be to purchase them at the end of the ten years?

When you said "Can buy them out but only an advantage if I want to add to the system" I took that as meaning that you could buy them out at the end, but reading what you have said just recently, they panels are yours at the end of the 10 years? That seems way too good a deal!

Apologies for the multi quotes here, but came across this video for iBoost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3KAPiYBeq8&ab_channel=CCLComponentsLtd it doesn't look to be that big of an install. Could maybe do it yourself and save a few quid?

I have made contact with them and will see what they say. I have gotten many quotes from suppliers with batteries and without and even without they are more expensive than this. While a battery would be nice we don't have a big house and finding space for it will be a problem.

Would be interesting to hear if anyone else is using solar as a service.

How do you currently heat your water. If you use immersion at day rate then by all means go for the diverter. Though if you have an oil or gas boiler you would be better off using either. Or if you only have an immersion, run it at night rate which is 8 or 9c. 25c saving is a ridiculous number. If you have a gas boiler your diverter will save you 5 or 6c per kWh. That makes your payback 4-5 times longer so 13-16 years. And you definitely won't have any excess for at least 4 months of the year.

Unless your usage is extremely edge case, the diverter is generally a poor financial advice. Also, you might want to check that figure of 16c per Kwh for gas. Normally gas is cheaper than night rate electricity... putting it down around 6-8c per Kwh.

Prices | Energy Statistics In Ireland | SEAI - (scroll down a bit)

However, even if your using the hot water during the day, you can get clever and install a timer switch on the immersion. Get it to come on at say 7am and heat the water up to temp at night rate prices. That would of course presume that you have day/night rates available? Unless your tank is extremely lossy, you'd hold that temperature for a lot of the day or perhaps only require a 10 min "boost" to get it back up to temp later on in the day. So in reality you'd be unlikely to be paying 25C.

All that said, even though it's poor financial advise, I'd recommend getting one. The convenience of "free" (lol) hot water on tap for over half the year for a once off fee is kinda nice.

Is there any way of converting oil to kwh?

Thanks. All the above of course depends on oil prices

2 of the 4cof us got diverters. They also got smart meters which wasn't so smart.

I'm holding off on the diverter and as I got a new digital meter last year I assume am low on the list for a smart one.

Why was it not smart to get a smart meter?

Some of our estate was converted to smart meters. I met the guys when doing my neighbors house to ask as to why I wasn't on the list. It turned out that they were only doing all of the single tariff installs first and will come back around after all of those are completed and do the day / night ones later.