We are in the middle of a deep eco/traditional retrofit of a small mid-victorian terrace in Bristol. We have been going for a 'fabric first' breathable approach with Hempcrete internal wall insulation to improve the thermal fabric of the building (partially completed)
A 2.3kWh south-facing Solar system has recently been installed under a council grant scheme, with a Solis inverter & over the first 32 days since it's install, it has generated 290.12kWh total (9.07kWh per day). I am keen to maximise this modest system with sensible investment to minimise the impact of the running costs going forward. It is likely I will rent some rooms out in the short term whilst I travel.
The property has been rewired with a modern consumer unit & the lead water main has been replaced with a 32mm MDPE pipe.
The bathroom is being moved to the front of the house and the 2009 combi boiler in a rear bedroom is on its last legs - it needs to be moved anyway & an unvented mains pressure cylinder would be preferable.
I'm therefore considering investing in an Eddi to divert solar to an unvented cylinder (ideally needs to be short to fit underneath future loft stairs) This will partly be to monitor generation usage/export better etc, although also considering the open-source approach via EmonPi since I have been burned by proprietary tech being unsupported after a few years too many times!
I am also considering an ASHP in future, although that would need to wait until the limcrete floor & underfloor heating is installed next year some time. I worry about the very high install & (debatable) running costs of this, so another alternative would be a cheaper gas system boiler (maybe hydrogen ready?) or a pellet boiler stove in a living space.
Another consideration is whether a battery storage system, ideally with UPS functionality would be a worthwhile investment - especially given current crazy price rises and possible power cuts (plus I have always liked remaining as flexible/independent as possible in one way or another!) What battery options are the best? I considered Puredrive due to the number of cycles, LifePo4 tech, UPS functionality, but I've heard good things about GiveEnergy. What about Pylontech? Which AC inverter? Tesla Powerwall seems to open up access to good export tariff rate, but I can't work out whether that investment would be returned with such a small PV system. I am currently with Bulb, but considering moving to Octopus if possible since I like their approach.
Also does anyone know if you can get a check meter installed , or keep the old meter when getting a smart meter? Currently I don't have one since I have heard so many horror stories with them miscalculating usage - I'd rather pay my electrician friend a little extra to fit an export/import meter of my own whilst doing other works to verify the smart meter readings if there's any concerns arising.
Currently the house only has one careful occupier (my 'housemate' and fellow renovator) and Elec usage is ~2600kWh p/y and Gas is ~7000kWh p/y (more like 20000kWh when I was there too since I struggle to stay warm in winter & have the heating on constantly). In future this would likely increase substantially if I had 3-4 occupants living there who may not be particularly careful with usage.
The budget is not huge but I want to get best 'value' for a modest approach.
A 2.3kWh south-facing Solar system has recently been installed under a council grant scheme, with a Solis inverter & over the first 32 days since it's install, it has generated 290.12kWh total (9.07kWh per day). I am keen to maximise this modest system with sensible investment to minimise the impact of the running costs going forward. It is likely I will rent some rooms out in the short term whilst I travel.
The property has been rewired with a modern consumer unit & the lead water main has been replaced with a 32mm MDPE pipe.
The bathroom is being moved to the front of the house and the 2009 combi boiler in a rear bedroom is on its last legs - it needs to be moved anyway & an unvented mains pressure cylinder would be preferable.
I'm therefore considering investing in an Eddi to divert solar to an unvented cylinder (ideally needs to be short to fit underneath future loft stairs) This will partly be to monitor generation usage/export better etc, although also considering the open-source approach via EmonPi since I have been burned by proprietary tech being unsupported after a few years too many times!
I am also considering an ASHP in future, although that would need to wait until the limcrete floor & underfloor heating is installed next year some time. I worry about the very high install & (debatable) running costs of this, so another alternative would be a cheaper gas system boiler (maybe hydrogen ready?) or a pellet boiler stove in a living space.
Another consideration is whether a battery storage system, ideally with UPS functionality would be a worthwhile investment - especially given current crazy price rises and possible power cuts (plus I have always liked remaining as flexible/independent as possible in one way or another!) What battery options are the best? I considered Puredrive due to the number of cycles, LifePo4 tech, UPS functionality, but I've heard good things about GiveEnergy. What about Pylontech? Which AC inverter? Tesla Powerwall seems to open up access to good export tariff rate, but I can't work out whether that investment would be returned with such a small PV system. I am currently with Bulb, but considering moving to Octopus if possible since I like their approach.
Also does anyone know if you can get a check meter installed , or keep the old meter when getting a smart meter? Currently I don't have one since I have heard so many horror stories with them miscalculating usage - I'd rather pay my electrician friend a little extra to fit an export/import meter of my own whilst doing other works to verify the smart meter readings if there's any concerns arising.
Currently the house only has one careful occupier (my 'housemate' and fellow renovator) and Elec usage is ~2600kWh p/y and Gas is ~7000kWh p/y (more like 20000kWh when I was there too since I struggle to stay warm in winter & have the heating on constantly). In future this would likely increase substantially if I had 3-4 occupants living there who may not be particularly careful with usage.
The budget is not huge but I want to get best 'value' for a modest approach.
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