Recent Move & New User

[Lardness]

I've recently moved into a property that has PV panels. I've no experience of solar systems whatsoever & the PV panels weren't a reason to buy, but a bit of a bonus. I'm still trying to get hold of the certification & paperwork for the system- the owner who installed the panels died & his son took over the house. I think the PV system is maybe 10 years old.
Whilst I'm not yet in a position to feed into the grid (I'm an Octopus customer), I'd have thought that the system should be supplying pretty much all of the power requirements- but this doesn't appear to be the case. Just had my first electrical bill through- and it doesn't seem to be much less than w/o the PV system. For today, the system display says it's developed 8.4 kWh today- which seems plenty!
I'd appreciate some input from the community as to what may be happening-

 

[binky]

first off, if it's ten years old, it should have been eligible for the FiT payments - do hassle the seller to transfer this to you as it's worth just shy of 70p per kWh.

secondly it's hard to comment about energy produced without further details on the system, such as size of the array, roof pitch, any shading issues, and orientation to due south.

 

[Lardness]

first off, if it's ten years old, it should have been eligible for the FiT payments - do hassle the seller to transfer this to you as it's worth just shy of 70p per kWh.

secondly it's hard to comment about energy produced without further details on the system, such as size of the array, roof pitch, any shading issues, and orientation to due south.

Thanks Binky. I've now managed to speak to Octopus......they've told me the installers were Shell, possibly around 6 years ago. I'm now trying to get some info from Shell......I'm not sure how quick they'll respond. FYI, the array faces approx SSE (no alternative as the house is mid-terrace) & consists of 9 panels (I assume, standard size)...no shade

 

[Geoff1946]

With a basic system the savings will depend on your habits. Obviously it generates most when the sun is high. If you do your cooking/washing/etc in the evenings as many working people do, then it won't affect your electricity bill very much.
You should benefit quite well from the Feed in Tarif.
I think your system is similar to mine which I estimate is worth about £500 per year to me, the majority of that from the FIT.

Adding battery storage would allow you to catch the generated power for use when you want it but is quite costly to do.
There are much more knowledgeable people than me on the forum if you want to follow that route.

 

[binky]

Thanks Binky. I've now managed to speak to Octopus......they've told me the installers were Shell, possibly around 6 years ago. I'm now trying to get some info from Shell......I'm not sure how quick they'll respond. FYI, the array faces approx SSE (no alternative as the house is mid-terrace) & consists of 9 panels (I assume, standard size)...no shadeView attachment 15694

looks like older smaller panels so probably 250W units, 9 of those is of course 2.25 kW, in which case it would seem to be working quite well.

I would suggest getting a little display unit like the Geo solo, although I'm not sure that one is available anymore. Easy to fit and then it will teach you how the ystem is working, which in turn will teach you how to gte the maximum gain from having solar.