Solar Novice - our experience 33 days from discovering FIT to completion

[dimengineer]

Hi Paul,

Should have qualified my statement. It is just an ordinary farm house with all the attendant problems. This year have been away back and forth between two houses and whilst away the usage is very steady at 5kwh per 24 hours- wont switch off freezers full of home grown fruit, veg and meat and office has to be back ground heated to protect photographic equipment against damp.  When in residence then rises to between 10 and 15kwh per day.

Regen

I can support that. Its astonishing how much "tramp" load there is in a house. Not just fridge/freezer, but clocks, standby's, boiler controls, oh... the list is endless. Its probably worth a sperate thread

[PeterFromSandhurst]

September figures posted at
http://www.solarnovice.moonfruit.com/#/income-so-far/4548881316 together with the year to date predictions and actuals.

centrica cheque for £561.97 arrived this morning too, nice! Total income so far this year is £1426.71 (or 10.56% ROI) with over 2 months to go and not including the amazing bill reductions we are enjoying.

[goldie903]

3.9kw installed on 16th September,
Application sent to Scottish Power 20th Sept
letter dated 27th September welcoming me to the clean energy cash back was received on the 30th Sept that's 14 days from install to confirmation of Sign up.
my first reading is requested for 17th December.

        Billy

form can be found here
http://www.scottishpower.co.uk/energy-efficiency/clean-energy-cashback/application-form.aspx

[PeterFromSandhurst]

October figures now posted (follow link)

http://solarnovice.moonfruit.com/#/income-so-far/4548881316

Income is now bang on predictions (all bar 13 units) despite the terrible winter last year - brilliant!

[PeterFromSandhurst]

Took readings today to complete the full year, results are

Total units generated 3626

Income from FiT £1610.13

Savings on electric year on year £610.10

Total cost saving/income = £2220.23

[rondurrans]

PFS how do you calculate your 'Savings on electric year on year' of £610?

[M]

You spotted that one too. I did the maths yesterday and it seemed high, I assumed it was partly down to lower consumption due to higher awareness?

Does that count? After all part of fitting any micro generation system is to raise awareness (yours and others) so focusing on efficiency, insulation and conservation do sort of come under the same roof. Or is that just me?

Whatever the reasons, great result are great results.

Mart.

[PeterFromSandhurst]

PFS how do you calculate your 'Savings on electric year on year' of £610?

Apols for delay in reply, been 'stuck' in Scotland without internet enjoying the weather :s

Several major things contributed to this massive reduction in use. The first full year of use could only be compared with the previous full year. Next year should be even better (but not by much). Here are some of the most significant factors
- I became interested in this issue and started learning what made a difference
- I stripped out almost all old bulbs and put in the lowest sensible low energy alternatives I could
- I put smart power blocks in to switch off idle kit or turn the kit off myself (TV/DVD on standby etc)
- July 2011 our youngest son left home - he worked shifts so ate/cooked seperately and used own room TV/PC/PS3/etc etc
- 2010 (I forget the month) - our second youngest son (and his lady) left our home which had same energy savings as other son did
- sealed the loft hatch edges which were sucking loads of heat into loft from the house
- reset the am and pm water and central heating to 45 minutes each session from 4½ hours (collectively) a day
- set the CH thermostat to 17 degrees iinstead of 20
- flushed CH radiators and added a thermostatic valve to each and set them as required for each rooms heat needs
- taught my wife to close doors and to cook on lower heats with saucepan lids on!
- used dishwasher/washing machine and slow oven roasts when the sun was shining
- reduced the setting on the hot water cylinder to about 45 from about 55 degrees
- put a 1/2/3kw heater on during the day when sun was good to prewarm house for the evening
- changed suppliers for both elec and gas and got paperless online billing and self submitted readings
- replaced the door seals on the front and back UVPC doors which had perished somewhat and were not air tight
- replaced/renewed mastic around several windows where the mastic had split or come away from wall and/or window/doorframe
- turned off lights we were not using
- fitted low energy under cupboard strip lights in kitchen so we don't use the 6(!) mini spotlights unless really needed

and other stuff I currently cannot recall, but the nett effect has been astounding and I bask in the saving as well as knowing I am doing my bit not to be as wasteful as I once was (or could be).

I have added a link from my SolarNovice website directly to this thread
http://www.solarnovice.moonfruit.com/#/novices/4548647246
 so others can find (and maybe consider) some of ideas above. It all seems so obvious once you have done it, but if like me, you are starting from a bad place, any help is useful

Regards     Peter

[M]

Is that all? Still it's a start I suppose.

Joking aside, that's a very impressive list for a year, hope you have smug-mode fully engaged.

Mart.

[PeterFromSandhurst]

Is that all? Still it's a start I suppose.

Joking aside, that's a very impressive list for a year, hope you have smug-mode fully engaged.

Mart.

Yes Mart, and I recently added a low energy turbo to the smugness 

January figures now posted - return on investment still running at just over 12% without all the free electricity 

I also noticed that over 3700 people have visited the site now, thanks for the interest, makes the effort worthwhile

[micko]

 
[/quote]


- taught my wife to close doors and to cook on lower heats with saucepan lids on!

[/quote]

Now that is the most cost effective saving you can do, you will have to let me know how you managed this.

I taught my pet dog how to close the door and thought I was doing well but you have beaten me hands down.