21 February 2025

Index


Solar Power & Battery

Solar#8: 12 Months Review

NEW

 

12 months after installation

  • Does it still work?
  • What is the performance...

...includes questions that I wish that I had asked before I bought!

Solar #7: Interim ROI Figures - 1st 6 months

Return on Investment (ROI) calculated...

...a comparison with investing the same money in a pension. 

Solar#6: 6 Months Post Install

Outside of financial Return on Investment, what is my experience of installation and the 1st 6 months of operation? Eg was it reliable?

Solar #5: Tariff Choice and Sign Up

Why did I choose Octopus Flux tariff and what was the sign up process? How did I schedule battery charge and discharge?

Solar#4: Installation

Includes a couple of points that I wish I had known before signing the contract

Solar#3: Supplier Selection

Why did I choose Octopus Flux tariff and what was the sign up process? How did I schedule battery charge and discharge?

Solar#2: Solar Panels Investment Case

This was written before I had quotes from solar providers. Solar #7 has better data and a more developed ROI model, but the risks listed are about right.

Solar#1: Our House is Not Suited to Solar Panels?

Our house does not face South facing...

   ...So I assumed was not suited to solar panels.

The Energy Saving Trust website calculator put me right (in under 5minutes)


Smart Meter

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Smart Meter #3: My Smart Meter Journey Part 2

Will my smart meter ever work?...

     ...see what finally did the trick

Smart Meter #4: So, How do you Fix Smart Meters?

It's in the news - smart meters just don't work very well...

...my rant on how to fix the issue - no magic nor a complete technology revamp; just good engineering and practical management - read more here.

Smart Meter #2: "4 Million Smart Meters Don't Work"

Another rant - more focus here on how Octopus/installers could do a better job with the (limited) options that they have...

...also, what is the impact, in £s, of a smart meter not working?

Smart Meter #1: My Journey

Solar system installed and working...

...now the smart meter has stopped working - 1st part of the saga

 

Save Money &

             more comfort

 

Insulate the Attic

Turned out to be more work than I expected, but instant impact in £'s saved and comfort...

....this is what I learnt along the way.

Smart Heating Controls - My Experience with Honeywell Evohome - Part 1

User perspective of 3 years living with Evohome...

...mostly good but some lessons if you are considering Evohome or another smart heating system.

Smart Heating Controls - My Experience with Honeywell Evohome - Part 2: More Technical Points

More technical perspective of 3 years living with Evohome

Insulating Pipes in the Garage

Not a massive job, and not expensive, but a good payback.

Radiator airflow diverter

Easy and low cost: good for comfort, but probably only a weak financial payback.

Weather Compensation #1: Installation

This is an intriguing add on to our gas boiler...

...does it save money? What is the impact on home comfort?

 

Data Analysis Shows the financial impact of each of the Changes:

 

2024Data Analysis : Impact of weather compensation and a discussion of losses in the solar system.

 

2023Data Analysis : Impact of insulating the attic, smart heating controls and reducing room temperature.

 

Introduction : baseline data & impact of a condensing boiler














Solar#13: 12 months ROI

Introduction I have discovered that calculating the Return on Investment (ROI) for a solar system is easier said than done.   The firs...