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Solar panel explained please

8 replies

Poppysmom22 · 01/06/2023 17:31

Please please can some one explain electric bills when you you have solar panels and storage battery. We have just moved into a house with solar and battery storage but have no idea what to do with regards the electric bill. The owner has passed away and their solicitor hasn't a clue. I rang British gas who also didn't know how it works but had the meter number registered with them as they supply it. The feed in tariff is with SSE. According to British gas we pay them for electricity but this is just using reading from the normal meter and doesn't account for anything we have generated. I have no idea and there's no instructions anywhere please can someone help


Updated by MNHQ
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OP posts:
Stratocumulus · 01/06/2023 17:38

Can you find out name of installer? Is there paperwork or logo on the system? Look up solar company on web?
Ring installers for advice.
A bit of basic research might help.

I’ve no idea but I expect you pay BG as usual and then SSE pays you for whatever you put back into the National Grid thus offsetting your BG bill?

tootiredtobother · 01/06/2023 17:45

well we have just got some too.
we have three batteries. we do not have a contract yet that pays us for the energy we export to the grid once our batteries are full. it has to be asked for and set up. You will have to find out if the deceased owner had such a plan

HotPenguin · 01/06/2023 17:52

Above poster is right and it's all about the particular contract you have. Many providers dont give a feed in tariff, you need to find one that does. Octopus is good. You also need a certificate before you can claim feed in, the previous owner may have done this.

Poppysmom22 · 01/06/2023 17:53

I've found the installer on companies house and they have been dissolved so can't contact them the manufacturer of a grey cupboard is Siemens and the red cupboard has sunny boy on it. We've got the info for the FIT contract so that's ok. I think I'm going to have to get someone out to explain it to me assuming there are engineers for it Iike there are gas engineers I can't go about not understanding how my own home work's

OP posts:
CheeseNPickle3 · 01/06/2023 17:56

We have panels and batteries. I have to submit a meter reading every 3 months and once it's validated they pay us a certain amount per unit generated. Unlike ordinary meters, we have to put the full value (including decimals). The amount you get will depend on when the panels were fitted as the Feed In Tariff has been different values at different times.

The actual electricity bill isn't related to the solar panels - just works like normal.

Poppysmom22 · 01/06/2023 18:10

Thanks everyone for your help I don't know why I am having such a flap over this.

OP posts:
hedgehoglurker · 04/06/2023 09:23

You need to get the FIT transferred into your name with SSE. This should have been clarified during conveyancing.

We don't have storage batteries, so a bit different. However, any electricity you use whilst it is generating (sunny daylight) will not register as usage on your BG meter. Then whatever excess is stored and used from the battery also won't register on the BG meter.

So, you should find that your usage and bills from BG are very low, especially in the summer.

Depending on when the panels were installed and registered for FIT, you will be paid by SSE separately for what you generate and (in most cases) for half of this that is deemed to have been sent back to the grid. A battery might prevent you being eligible for the latter, but the rate for this is very low anyway.

Most importantly, have you taken a reading from your generation meter? If not, do this ASAP, as you will only be paid from your earliest reading.

It took us 9 months to change the FIT ownership, but as I had a photo of the generation meter reading from our first day, we got the back payment. Ours is an early install (2011), so our FIT is at a generous rate. We received over £2k last year.

dh003756 · 26/06/2023 17:28

For what its worth, I would give someone like Octopus a call. They have a friendly staff (I don't work for them), and have been helpful at every step of the way, from initial onboarding, to smart meter installation, to setting up my export tariff on Octopus Flux. I love the graphs that they give you that shows how much you are exporting (selling), and using.

Best time to call is right at 9am or later in the day. Call wait times can be circa 15 mins at times.

If you need a £50 referral code, please PM me.

Solar panel explained please
Solar panel explained please
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