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Solar PhotoVoltaic Energy
ROCs pre 7/09 & FITs post 4/2010
Changes which will take place as of 1.4.2010

As of 1st April 2010 the Labour Governments Energy bill 2008, secondary legislation 'Renewable heat incentives' (FITs 15/7/2009) was given Royal Accent and therefore become law on the 8.4.10
This section of the energy bill covers the incentives for all types of green energy, however I'm only concerned with PV Microgeneration aspects and I'm sorry to say that all systems installed prior to 15/07/09 are really going to feel the effects of the changes being introduced.

In short the labour Government's interference will set the minimum price that Energy Providers (companies supplying gas & electricity to domestic users )are obliged to pay for generated and exported energy.
Minimum tariffs for energy generated on PV Microgeneration systems will be set by the Department of Energy and Climate Change as set out in the Energy bill of the Renewable Heat incentives FITS which is being being included in the energy bill

However this does not stop energy companies from offering a higher price for energy if they wish, which is permitted under the conditions set out in the Energy bill, although at present 23/4/10 they appear not to be offering anything different from the min payments under FITs payments, and when you think about it , what incentive is them to do so?
They know full well that the owners of PV generators installed pre 15/07/09 will either have to sell at the minimum price set out in FITs or not register for FITs and basically only get benefit from the energy they generate and use in house, which few of us can afford to do.
And so although the energy bill implies that a higher price may be available, don't hold your breath because I think it will be a long time coming, after all how many of US would pay more if we could get it for less?

So how are you going to make up some of your loss?
Well you may like me choose to play the Energy providers at their own game and seriously look at the amount you are paying for your imported energy.

I for instance have gone to a new tariff within the same company, Southern Electric, reducing my peak import tariff by 3.2 pence per KWh and reducing the other two tariffs E7, it may not sound a lot but as with the Microgeneration it does add up and bear in mind this is more Per KWh saved than they are prepared to pay us for a KWh exported .
However be aware that a lot of energy companies are attaching penalties to these accounts if you terminate them before the contract period. So read the Conditions, before committing.
My new energy import account is called 'Go Direct 3 Economy 7 No Standing Charge' Internet account only.
It really will pay you to review the charges within you present companies tariffs and or shop around.
I now understand that SE have a Go direct 4 E7 account but the fixed term of 12 months or penalty prevents switching again to get an even cheaper rate.

Also it's worth bearing in mind that with the larger Companies you can now sell you energy to one company and purchase from another where as previously it was normal practice for the company to whom you sold your energy to require you to purchase your imported energy as part of the contract.
Why not compare prices see if you can save on your present bill,
Southern electric Compare prices, simply put in your post code and fuel's type
Some smaller Energy Suppliers are honouring previous tariffs such as Eco-Tricity and I understand will take on new, pre installed 15/07/09 systems/customers but remember this will require you to buy your energy from them, and the payment made is a total payment of 16p TGM, when this is worked out against such companies as EDF and Southern Electric there are only pence in the overall annual income. But do check up on the import tariffs you are paying before making your decision, these smaller companies invariably charge considerably more for your imported energy, which clearly means 'what you save on the roundabouts you loose on the swings', contracts are normally valid for 12 months

So what you will be paid for generated energy will now depend on when your installation was completed.

To get the FITs tariffs your generator must have been registered for ROCs prior to the 31st March 2010, then as from the 1.4.10 your generator will be automatically be eligible for registration in the FITs scheme, albeit you will have to notify OFGEM of the company you have associated your micro generator with.

It's Now time if you have not already done so, to think about returning you completed forms to OFGEM RO2FITs and also confirming you energy company to which to associate your system. this MUST be done by the 1st October 2010 notify OFGEM of the energy company who have accepted your generator under FITs, as the energy bill says all PV system previously registered for ROCs will be automatically included in FITs and therefore meter readings taken on the 31st March 2010 will be valid with you appointed FITs Energy Company.

OFGEM will in turn notify the energy Company if your system is eligible for FITs payments or not when you advise them of the company you have associated your generator with, who must have agreed to accept you as a generation Customer.
It is the energy Company you have associated your generator with that makes the Payments under FITs.
Having done that and after OFGEM have confirmed with the energy Company the eligibility of your PV system, you will then receive the 9p for every unit (1 KWh) as recorded on your total generation meter TGM which forms part of your own installation.
Note also that the amount of energy recorded on your TGM will earn 9p whether used in house or exported.
Also if you have an
export meter all recorded KWh will be paid for at 3p per KWh.

If you don't have an export meter fitted the the energy bill DEEM you to have exported 50% of your generation and you will therefore receive 3p per KWh for 50% of the TGM recorded annual generation.
So in practice a 1000 KWh's of energy generated & recorded on your TGM will be worth £90.00 + 50% of 1000 = 500 @3p :-£15.00 making a total of £105 per 1000KWh generated.

Sending your completed forms to your contracted energy company and OFGEM.

One word of warning, because the situation of payments made under FITS is unlikely to change in the near future if ever, I decided I would register our PV systems for FITs (ROCs 2 FITs) and informed both the energy Company and OFGEM.
I duly completed the forms sent to me by Southern Electric my power Company and to whom I've previously sold my exported energy under ROCs, both letters were sent by post and I obtained a certificate of posting for each.

3 weeks later and in both cases the Companies have denied receiving the letters (posted 8.6.10) so don't leave your posting to the last minute and I would recommend you sending them by either special delivery or at least first Class recorded where their progress and delivery can be confirmed using the Royal Mail Web site for tracking your mail.

Remember if OFGEM do not receive your mail you will not be entered on to the FITs register and this must be done by the 1st Oct 2010. I have since sent duplicates forms to both companies by e-mail and have received acknowledgements for both so e-mailing your completed documents appears to be the answer.
I have now claimed compensation from the Royal mail but because the forms are worthless all I'll get is a few stamps, so to save yourself double work take copies of the completed forms as well.

For those of you who have e-mailed your completed forms you should have received an automated e-mail reply from OFGEM, Having waited just on a month for a formal reply of confirmation that we have been switched onto the FITs register I contacted OFGEM, they have informed me that they have had a considerable number of applications and will clear the back log as soon as possible when both the generator and the contracted energy company will be informed, so provided you receive the automated reply and save a copy there is not need to worry at this point, you will receive information in due course.

Should I have an Export Meter fitted?
One word of warning do not rush to get an export meter fitted, if you have a standard 2.08 KWh system fitted then there is every change that you will use more than your 50% of the energy your system produces, in that case if you have an export meter fitted and the meter records that you have only exported 30% of the energy generated then that is all you will get paid for, in that case you are better of with the DEEMED 50% and your income will be greater than the actual amount exported.

In our case we have a 4.16 KW system and export up to 75% and so an export meter is beneficial or we would loose out.

Post 15/7/09 Phase 1 (domestic Premises) it is understood that you do not have to pay your grant back! But must still have registered your system for ROCs during the interim period whereupon you will be automatically switched to FITs, or register your system for FITs before the 1st October 2010.

Post 15/07/09.Phase 2 installers
As is set out in the detail of the Energy bill you will not be able to register your system for FITS payments unless any grants received have been paid back, so allow yourself time to to this before the 1st October 2010.
Bearing in mind that there are not likely to be changes made at the present time I as a precaution applied for change to OFGEM as required from ROCs 2 FITs the letter was sent off on the 8th of June, on the 29 June not having had an acknowledgement I phoned OFGEM renewables only to be told that they had not received the application. So be warned send you completed application to OFGEM by recorded delivery where you can confirm receipt using the post office recorded delivery system. I only got a certificate of posting which is worthless.

www.ofgem.gov.uk

What the implications of not being registered for ROCs or FITs
You will only benefit by using the energy you generate 'in House' with no other support, in some cases where the property is not on mains electricity, the generated energy can be stored in battery banks, although of course there would be considerable cost implications.

All of the above changes of which we weren't warned are of small consolation to those of us who ventured in to Solar energy PV (Microgeneration) pre 15/07/09, albeit in our case to genuinely reduce our carbon footprint for the benefit of our Grand children, that we continue to do irrespective of the financial implications.
If your interested enough and would like to read the draft energy bill secondary legislation, as even on the 11th of April I'm unclear as to the legal position of the energy bill which was due to be introduced by the Government 1.4.10 then here is a link :-

Energy Bill 2008 FITs.
Although I feel we have been treated very badly by the Labour Government there are a number of MPs who have spoken on our behalf :- others MPs have supported us in an Early Day Motion. If your MP is amongst the supporters please thank them.

Having contracted OFGEM 3/2010 they confirmed there were less than 3000 generators/PV System registered for ROCs lets see if we can achieve at least a three thousand signature petition,
It's time we made our voices heard.

Also it's worth noting that the Conservatives have said they will include all Microgeneration PV systems in the new FITs tariffs, the question is whether you want them or not, will they get into power? But remember that's a promise before they are elected, can we trust them to keep their word? We will see.

Quote To: 'Bert' Cc: LOUGHTON, Timothy
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 10:22 AM
Subject: RE: FITS payments devastating to pre 7.09 PV system installers
Mr Rowe
We are shortly to produce our energy policy paper, which will outline Conservative proposals in this area in greater detail. In the mean time, I can assure you that under a Conservative government, any micro-generation technologies that have already been installed before the commencement of the Feed-in Tariff in April 2010 will be eligible for the new higher tariffs once they commence.
I hope this is of some comfort to you.
Michael Stott
Office of Charles Hendry MP Unquote

I hope seeing this e-mail in writing will encourage you to write to your MP to bring this to their attention
Bear in mind that Charles Hendry MP was the Shadow Minister for Energy & Climate Change and is now the Minister in Office.

You may find this site helpful. www.ownenergy.co.uk

For Microgeneration figures for current year see April 2010 -:

will have exported as much energy as we have inported .

will have exported as much energy as we have inported .

This page has been dramatically changed to take into account the new FITs Tariffs the basic installation is unchanged.
Solar PhotoVoltaic Energy
Microgeneration.

Systems produced since installation 5,505KWh with at least 65% being feed back into the 'National Grid'.

Those of you who have visited my site before will be aware of my page on Solar thermal Domestic hot water heating that was installed in 1997 and despite the problems we experienced with the installers the equipment works well and we are still very impressed with it's performance.
However it is true to say that with the weather as it has been for the last week, late August early September 2008 and during the winter months, although the domestic water was hot enough for hands washing etc it was supplemented by the heating systems of both the dishwasher, washing machine and use of domestic electric shower.

Over the last twelve months we have not had the 3kw emersion hot water heater on for more than a few hours, this compared with the 3 hours per night prior to fitting the system is a great saving on our electricity bill, which has fallen in units used for the last four quarters, albeit the bill has not decreased owing to the many increases in cost per KW (Unit) over that period.

System Installed 09/09/2008
Solar PhotoVoltaic Power Generated to date = 5505.KWh (5505000. watts) last update 26/03/10 Average download of electricity is 8.00KWh per day average for the months of July08 - June 09.Killawatts exported to the national Grid 2736 KWh

And now we have another installation, Solar Photovoltaic which you can see from the figures above is generating electrical power for our home and any surplus will be sold back to our energy suppliers for use on the national grid.
You see from daily records that the exported energy now exceeds the day time imported energy from the national grid, the surplus now starting to equal the imported night time energy used.
We are now well on course to provide all of the electrical power used in our property by photovoltaic Microgeneration.

Our property is almost ideally suited in that we have two roof sections that face south and south east which gives us a large expanse of roof available for installing the panels required.

Following our earlier experience with the domestic thermal hot water system, I decided this time I would really do my home work to ensure that we not only get the best system available but also make sure that the company of installers know what they are doing and are qualified in all respects to do the job.

I also did my bit by ensuring that I knew where the best position was for the panels, I did this by monitoring the position of the direct sunlight on the 4 roof sections through out what was possibly one of the best days of the year with sunshine and clear skies all day long, in fact I think I can confidently say we have not had a day like it since!

However I need not have bothered because when I contacted the installers in the first instance they asked for the post code and house number and simply checked the precise direction of the property on the 'Google World' maps which gave them the precise location and directing of the roof area's most appropriate for the solar panels. It was never the less an interesting project from my point of view as I had convinced myself that the property faced South, when it fact it faces South East

Planning Permission?

Owing to the Government relaxing the planning regulations in April 2008 Planning permission on this project was not required . However details of the installation were sent to the local council as a matter of courtesy

Three main criteria needed to be applied, as with the Hot Water System for which planning consent was required, (September 2007) :-
1. The panels must not project above the ridge of the roof structure
2. The panels must not be more than 200mm above the roof surface.
3. The structure must be removed when/if no longer in use.
The Company of installers were aware of these rules and 1 & 2 were applied.

After looking at a number of companies one of which was EDF Energy we finally settled on a Company not far along the South Coast, this was because they were on the list of the 'Low Carbon Buildings Organisation's' certified installers, and as a result we would be able to apply for the grant which is available towards the cost of the installation.

However this is only possible providing they as certified/listed installers and fit equipment certified/approved by that organisation, in our case 'Kyocera'( KC130GHT-2 ) Photovoltaic, so it is important to check this out before signing any documentation/contract.

26/3/10 Look for details relating to Microgeneration Certificate Scheme approved you will be assured that you newly installed system then meets the requirements and you will be able to register for the FITS (feed in tariffs)scheme on completion.
A certificate of compliance and completion issued by the installer is required to enable you to register your generator for F.I.T.S payments. all your then left to do is find an Energy Company that will take your generator under the fits programme, this should nor be a problem as all energy companies have to reach minimum green energy targets and the number of installation at present are still at a premium.

Having agreed on our system which has a 2.08Kwh max output and the roof on which it should be installed with the sales person, the company then carried out an on site survey, this was free of charge.
It is worth noting that a number of the companies initially contacted wanted an up front payment of £250 to carry out the survey and the fee was only refundable if you entered into a contract with them, so if your property for some reason was found to be unsuitable or you changed you mind for any reason, you would be out of pocket by £250.00 straight away. so Check this before you commit .

Our property was inspected/surveyed and found to be suitable although it was made clear that we would want a new 'consumer unit' to meet the latest standards our existing unit was 25 years old and although very serviceable was not deemed suitable when forming part of the new Photovoltaic system as it was not fitted with RCD breakers.

(Modern installations incorporate a Residual Current Device (RCD) before the consumer unit which trips the whole system off if a fault is detected, In fact it is so sensitive that it trips out even when a bulb blows, which is wholly inconvenient.
The installers would provide and fit the new unit as part of the overall installation, albeit did add to the total cost of our system.

The installation was scheduled to take two days and commenced on the 8th of September 2008, 4 weeks after placing the order.

Scaffolding was erected by outside contractors and the team turned up as promised, promptly on the morning of the 8th September. 2008

The team of 3 men got to work and marked out the roof for the installation, and fixing of the support brackets and rails onto which the photovoltaic panels would be mounted.
The fixing bolts were sealed against the slate by rubber gaskets sealing rings and sealant to ensure water tightness, No slates were replaced or damaged during the fitting.

Noggins were positioned between the rafters, effectively giving more strength to the fixing, and rafters bearing the load these were secured using a nail gun, simpler than the brackets I used on the hot water system, a case of modern tools being available and put to good use.
More importantly the roofing felt located beneath the slate was not broken other than where the fixing bolts were fitted to the rafters. the integrity of the roof was maintained by the fitting of the rubber sealing rings (gaskets) fitted on the fixing bolts on the roof surface.

Right angle fixing plates were then positioned onto the fixings bolts ready for the rails on which the solar panels would be mounted.

The 16 panels were quickly attached to the 'Unirac' aluminium framework. The panels are large, being approx 143cm x 65cm (56" x 25.5") the upper surface is toughened glass, however like all glass they needed to be treated with respect. and the surface of the electronics being black matched in with the slate well.
Each of the panels had the electrical wire pre attached ready for assembly.

Beneath the panels can be seen the framework on which the panels are securely mounted and the inter-connecting cables, connected in series and taking the combined power from the panels in the form of Direct current (DC) to the inverter which is located in the loft area. space.

Situated on the solar panel side of the system is a DC isolation switch this is a very necessary part of the system as once installed the panels cannot be shut down unless this vital switch is installed.

We then have the inverter which converts Direct power(DC) current to Alternating current(AC) which is compatible with the power supply used on the National Grid.

(National distribution network serving all consumers of mains electricity )

On the AC side of the inverter, again there is an isolating switch, this would allow the inverter to be replaced or worked on by Qualified Electricians and can be used as a secondary means of isolating the panels from the buildings electrical circuits.
The display on the Inverter clearly shows the power generated and the hours run, this as can be seen was taken very soon after the installation was commissioned /completed.

An AC (alternating Current) mains cable runs from the
AC isolator switch in the loft to another isolating switch. located adjacent to the consumer unit

This along with a 'Total Generation Meter' are located directly adjacent to the new consumer unit, ('Householders Distribution Board')which controls/provides power to services within the household)

Along with these items is another copy of the single line schematic diagram which clearly shows the location of each and every piece of equipment in the system, as well as address details and system number.
" Two Copies of this document are displayed on the system, One above the consumer unit and one adjacent to the inverter.
This is provided to enable any qualified person working on the system to have complete and all information to hand before undertaking any work necessary on the system and also to comply with the requirements of the 'Health and safety at work act'

The job scheduled to take two to three days was completed in just over one very full day plus a couple of hours on the next day.
The professionalism of the crew was excellent with no complaints, and I'm not the easiest person to please. I have no complaints at all.
I was given a complete explanation and tour of the system and every thing was made clear as to what each component was for and why it was fitted.
The paper work manuals etc and final receipt have been received and that has been sent along with other documents to the Energy Saving Trust Low Carbon Buildings programme ) for payment of the grant of £2500.00 which will be off set against the overall cost.

So in the PV System Working

Yes and very effective it is, and if you want to monitor the import and export of electricity to your premise, be it your home or office, or see precisely what a particular appliance is using in watts/kilowatts then the 'eco-eye' is the tool you need.
Since obtaining the two shown on this page they have saved me £££s. I will give you just one example:-
I have a compressor from which I charge the car's tyres and use an air line. The motor on the compressor is pressure controlled so it only runs until the pressure is built up to the pre determined pressure and then cuts out, re-starting automatically as the pressure drops due to either use or due to slight leak on the hose connection.
I used the compressor to correct the pressure prior to taking my car for MOT and thought I turned the compressor off.
However reading the 'Eco-Eye' meter's late that evening they indicated to me that we were using more power than was normal, having searched the house for the offending appliance I found nothing, however when I went to the garage the compressor had just re-started, that's what was increasing our demand and the 'Eco-Eye had made me aware of it, I had neglected to turn of at the power switch.
Had I not been alerted to the increased demand by the 'eco-Eye' it could easily have been left intermittingly running for the next 24 hours or so.
One things for sure at today's prices for electricity you don't need to have many incidents like that for this useful meter to pay for itself.

And talking about paying if you would like an 'Eco-Eye for you property, be it Home or Office then
I have arranged for you to receive a 15% discount off your order's
All you need to do is go to this link:-
www.Eco-Eye.com select the 'Eco-Eye' you require and when you reach the check out enter:- aclassinfo in the promotional code box provided, (all small case) then click, Apply that will automatically reduce the cost of the item by 15%.
You like me will then be able to immediately monitor the demand to you property, as well as measure the demand and cost of running individual appliances, simply by turning them On or Off.

In the photo I have used both of the meters types available, the 'Elite' & the 'Mini' one having a much larger display and wall mounting facility, both meters can be totally portable being battery powered and can be sited where it catches your eye. The 'Eco-Eye' can be set to give you various readings, in this instance the combined meters show that we are currently importing (demanding)from the national grid which is 0.91 of a KWh. Just under 1KW per hour and the second meter having be set to calculate cost which shows that it is costing 19pence per hour, the cost per unit (One-kilowatt) being set at 20.23 pence per hour. These settings and costs are set by the user when setting up the meter, full operating procedures and set up instructions come with you well packed meter
Oh and remember you don't need to invest in solar power to find the 'Eco-Eye useful, savings start from the day you purchase just by being thrifty with what's switched on and when!)
I would like to thank the Management of 'Eco-Eye.com' for granting this concession to my readers, it is appreciated. Lofty

Under the Energy Bill 2008 secondary legislation feed in tariffs(FITs)you will be paid for the energy /units recorded on your TGM, and if you have an Export meter fitted you will also receive payment for the exported energy recorded on that meter. What will be paid will depend on many factors which you will need to discuss with your installer. Some power supply companies will ask you to forward the reading from your Total Generation Meter TGM installed as part of your PV system a couple of times a year and then pay you accordingly, If your energy supplier is the same company that you are selling your energy to, then they will deduct the credit for the energy from your imported energy bill, where this is not the case then you would obviously receive a cheque of bank credit.
Under the FITs you will be paid for all units recorded on your TGM irrespective of whether you use the energy in your own home or not, there will be times when you will be exporting and times when you will be topping up your demand the national grid, but at the end of the day your energy costs will be lower and your carbon footprint will be a great deal smaller.
Some other companies do require a Import /Export meter however the cost of installing this extra feature to the system will at your cost. albeit at this time SE are still installing the FOC 5/4/10
The payment you receive will be wholly based on the Export meter readings and your 'Total Generation Meter' again the amount your are paid per KWh will depend of various factors which I will mention later

Bear in mind you will still get an electricity bill for the units you have imported (used) this bill should be considerably less than bills prior to the installation, as your own PV system will be providing or supplementing you demand DURING DAY LIGHT HOURS Solar energy both PV and domestic hot water do not work at night.

Remember the price increases for Imported power are very much in fashion at present,(Aug.Sept.2008) and you need to watch the suppliers of electricity very closely to get the best deal. On line accounts tariffs are considerably better, so shop around.
Another point that is worth bearing in mind is that you are not now tied to the same company for the selling of and buying from for energy, if you can find a competitive company then you can change suppliers subject to contract, this can take up to six weeks so be prepared to wait that long before you see the changes.

Factors which affect the price you receive for the energy generated:-
1. Date of installation. Pre 15/7/09 or Post 15/07/09
2. Year of installation (Post FITs)
3. Whether fitted to New or existing property (Retrofit)
4. Size of system fitted, Do not exceed a 4KWh system for best return on your investment.

On the morning of the 13th September a real summers day, for a couple of hours at least with Sunshine! These reading were taken from the PV Inverter readout.
As can be seen the PV has generated 3.21KWh today and at the time the photograph was taken was producing 1575watts(1.575KWh) of electrical power, enough to light 157 100watt light bulbs, that is a considerable amount of power and should under no circumstances be underestimated from the hazard point of view.

The reading stresses the need for householders and electricians alike to be aware that even with the mains power switched off OR POWER CUT(localised failure of the national Grid system) all of the circuits in the household and out building provided with electrical power will be very much alive during the day light hours
Only by switching off the PV system and Mains Power will the electrical circuitry be totally safe.

And as can be seen 15.8KWh of power has been generated since the system was commissioned.
The displays in this photograph appear one after the other on the inverter and are not normally seen together.

Another very interesting feature and one that householders should be aware of, is that the system shuts down after dark, so if you in your loft area and see that the inverter display is off don't worry It will reappear as soon as daylight returns.
However the 'Total Generation Meter' sited in close proximity to your consumer unit will be displaying total power generated in KW (kilowatts)since installation.

mail Lofty

How can I get maximum support from my PV installation.
Prior to the 1/4/10 I was advocating using your electrical appliances such as dish washers and washing machines so as to get maximum benefit from the cheap energy (Low tariff) on E7, you will want to get maximum support and thus financial gain from your PV.
However the situation in my view has now changed.
To get maximum support from your PV now you need to use your appliances, such as dish washers ,washing machines , electrical tools, gardening tools such as shredders electrical mowers etc, on clear days preferably when the sun is shining, then your demand from the national grid will be subsidised if not completely supplied by your PV system, remember the higher your 'used in house reading' the greater the saving as you will not only have used the energy generated but will also be paid for it, as it is still recorded on your TGM.

It might not always be convenient to wait until the sun shines but the befits of doing so will be seen when it comes to calculating & paying your electricity bill as well as in the case of post PV installers calculating your income from the PV.
Pre 15/7/09 installers, I fear like us you will not now see much of a return on your investment.

For details of my own generation /consumption figures go to PV.5

I have today received a technical information folder from The installers which includes literally everything you or your electrical contractors, network providers etc need to know about the installation. This includes procedures for isolating the PV, as well as start up procedures. I feel the householder should be at at least familiar/aware of these two procedures.
Individual households will have their own folder however the isolation and start procedure should remain the same.

Procedures
System Isolation Procedure.

Turn Off the AC isolator located near your consumer unit marked 1

Switch off the AC Isolator situated near the inverter 2

Switch off the DC isolator situated near the Inverter 3

Your layout may differ from that shown.

System Start up Procedure.
Switch On DC Isolator 3

Switch on AC isolator 2

Turn on AC Isolator near consumer unit.1

The majority of the content in the folder would be best understood by the professionals.
This document obviously needs to be kept safe, as it will need to be passed on to the new owner of the property with the deeds, when the property is sold.

>
Well I think the first thing to mention is that we did not venture into the Solar World for the purpose of making money! Saving money is a totally different venture, we as a couple will have reduced our carbon foot print by installing the solar domestic water heating system and the photovoltaic and that truly was the aim, if it will help make the World a better place for our grand children and their children then that's all we can ask.
Having said that, we still want to get the best deal from our investment although we fully appreciate we will never get the capital invested back.
So to assist us in making this decision we have to do some calculations, bearing in mind that solar works best on bright sunny days although it does work with overcast bright days as well.
Where you live in the country is going to have an effect on your solar systems performance and fortunately we live in the area of the country that gets most sunshine. The Sunny South coast of the UK.
Don't take my word for it take a look at this site, The sunny South Coast (The maximum recorded duration of sunshine in a single month is 383.9 hours at Eastbourne in July 1911). Well a few more months like that and yes you may well get some of your capital investment back?

I worked out that we get an average of 5 hours a day sunshine over the entire year, however going by the records kept I've been just a little extravagant with my figures, it appears it's nearer 4.5 - 4.75 hours , and our photovoltaic has theoretical max output of 2.08KWh however that's if every thing such as position of panels etc was 100% ideal, so I'm working on a figure of 1.5KWh. This is a conservative figure, things can then only improve!
How much of this are we going to use per hour ? ,Well our eco-eye electricity consumption meter has been indicating a consumption of about .50KWh (500watts) over several months, this obviously changes when kettles, cookers etc are switched on, equally there are times when the demand is less so I estimate this will leave a balance of approx 1KWh to export to the grid each hour.
Remember the most important thing is you will be helping the environment by using Solar Power to generate electricity and or heat your Domestic Hot Water. Please bear in mind and as mentioned above these figures are based on a photovoltaic system with a output of 2.08KWh.

You may find also find the information these sites useful & Interesting

1.The list of Ofgem approved gross generation meters Ofgem website at:-(This meter 'Total Generation' is installed as part of your PV system)
2. Building for the future
2. Energy Saving Trust
Unfortunately you will not be able to locate other sites like mine via this link, as the Energy Saving Trust will not link/advertise such sites as mine, which incidentally has a lot of information on solar Photovoltaic that is not available on their official site, or what they can provide verbally, the majority of questions I put could not be answered. They do however have a list of approved installers who of course have to pay a fee and be vetted by the organisation before being placed on their lists.
3. Frequently asked question for generators of 50KW or less.
4. Renewable Obligation Certificates, What are they how do they work?

12th of September Scaffold gone. Job complete.

Would we recommend The same Company to install our system?

Most decidedly, every thing about the Company was spot on and we are very impressed with the professionalism shown right from the ordering of the system to the installing, commissioning and the provision of the well presented detailed information folder every thing you need to know as either the householder or the professional agent on site is contained within that one file.

Help was even available for applying for the grant which went without a hitch, It would not be an easy job without the companies support.

We have now managed to switch our Electricity account across to 'Southern Energy' as of the 5th Oct 2008 and we have a date for the installation of the Import/Export meter for the 16th of Oct.
However by that time I estimate we will have supplied at least 120KWh of energy to the National Grid for which we will not be paid.
So if you are ordering PV make the decision as to who you are going to use for the supply and sell you surplus energy to as early as possible after signing the contract, or you like us will become a charity and supply energy to the National grid for Free.

Well the 16th of October came and went, no import/export meter, it turned out that our new suppliers had cocked up and not made the appointment with EDF, so it was re-arranged for the 30th Oct, however they have agreed to pay us for the energy recorded on our 'total generation meter' from the the date our contract from them to supply energy to our property commenced, l by pure chance I had been keeping a record of the daily amount generated and so was able to give them an accurate figure of 133 KWh for the period 5th Oct -30th Oct 08. UPDATE 30th Oct

On the 30th October EDF did arrive and install the meters. Two in fact one to measure imported units and the other to measure exported units both meters are of the old type with multiple digits to take the various readings required, it's interesting to see that photovoltaic generation has it appears overtaken the development of a multipurpose meter, the meters installed being old technology, however they will do the job and are easier to read than the auto digital type meter we had previously which displayed the various reading one after the other but not allowing sufficient time allow the recording of the reading without going through the process again. it is worth bearing in mind that the red digit on the installed meters is the 1/10 of one KW and is disregarded when taking your readings for billing purposes.

New information
We have now decided to go ahead and have another bank of panels put either side of our present hot water solar panel, this work will commence on the 3rd of Nov 2008 so I will keep you informed. Then we will be able to sit back and say we are doing our bit. Helping to save the environment for our own grand Children and that of others. and hope fully we will only take money from the energy company and not have to pay the ever increasing bill and the total generation should provide all our electrical power and more during the day light hours with us drawing from the national grid at night. Hopefully the income will off set the cost of our future energy needs.

I hope you have found this page useful and that you are now a bit more informed than before and if you do decide to investigate the possibilities of either a Domestic Hot Water System or PhotoVoltaic Power Generation Contact Lofty For the Company Details That will ensure that we receive a small return for the recommendation and for bringing this information to your attention Thank you.
:- e mail:- lofty

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Daily Record of KWh Generated, Exported & Imported.
Record of reading for:- 2010/11
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