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Property/DIY

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Original poster

Solar panels with battery question

13 replies

greenjojocat · 05/08/2023 10:41

We had panels installed last week, have noticed a significant decrease in what we are paying for electricity - so far so good. We are electric only, no gas, have ASHP.

We then added battery storage to extend the use of what we are generating. They were installed yesterday and was told by the installer that our usage might peak that day because the batteries need to fully charge first (it wasn't sunny yesterday so drawing from the grid)

This morning the battery was 96% charged but my smart meter showed £1.91. The batteries have already fully charged, then discharged and charged again. Why are we drawing from the grid when we have battery to use? Today the weather is awful so not generating a lot but we seem to be spending more according to the home display than we were when we didn't have the batteries. So are the batteries now costing me money??

Sorry if this isn't the right topic for this but I'm hoping that someone else has ideas. I will go back to the installer on Monday but this will annoy me all weekend if I don't ask someone!!

OP posts:

OhYouBadBadKitten · 05/08/2023 10:44

Give it a couple of days, it sounds like your battery went through a calibration cycle. If it doesnt settle then you need to check your settings to make sure that it isnt set to charge from the grid, unless you want it to.

Original poster

greenjojocat · 05/08/2023 10:51

Thanks, good idea. I've turned the display face down so I'm not looking at it all of the time. I'm hoping once this weather sorts itself out it will improve but I don't need anything else costing me money over the winter when it's supposed to save me money!

OP posts:

user1471505356 · 05/08/2023 11:19

Check with your supplier, when I had a battery added the Eddy , the controller was not programmed correctly and my electricity consumption doubled until corrected. the system had left programmed to keep the hot water fully topped up. By the way was offered £200 compensation.

Original poster

greenjojocat · 05/08/2023 12:08

I wonder if that's what's happening. I will check with them on Monday

OP posts:

notapizzaeater · 05/08/2023 12:20

My batteries only charge during the day off my panels, they recharge overnight between 12.30 and 4.30 (when I pay 9p per KW) - if it keeps happening get them to check.

user1471505356 · 05/08/2023 12:38

I emailed on a Sunday morning got a reply an hour later a visit on Monday morning fixed in twenty minutes and the offer of recompense.

Original poster

greenjojocat · 05/08/2023 13:16

Ok, I'm emailing now! It's a small company that installed them so I don't know if anyone will be in over the weekend but worth checking.. thank you

OP posts:

Calmdown14 · 05/08/2023 17:16

Keep an eye on your smart meter to see if there's a time they are charging.

I wonder if they set this to charge them for the first use then forgot to switch it off?

It is quite simple to check on your inverter. Watch a video.

Mine charge between 2.30 and 4.30 because I'm on economy 10 and it's cheap then. Doesn't often kick on in the summer but generally if they haven't fully charged by that time it's unlikely they are going to and it's better to take it on cheap rate and use when it would be expensive.

However, them still being 96% charged this morning doesn't sound right. Unless the battery wasn't charged until midnight it should be discharging more than that. It suggests it isn't talking to the inverter properly. They discharge a small amount as being at either the top or bottom is bad for the battery.

Even your overnight usage would drop it by more than this.

Calmdown14 · 05/08/2023 17:19

Sorry reading that back it makes no sense!

Essentially the inverter is either not talking to the battery or has been left on settings to charge automatically very early in the morning (which is daft as then you can't use the sun!)

Original poster

greenjojocat · 06/08/2023 21:05

We think maybe the CT clamp has been put on the wrong way round so the readings are switched and the whole system is confused. We've turned the batteries off for now, it's been sunny today and we've spent less than £2 for the whole day. They're going to come and look at it tomorrow

OP posts:

Shadycurtain · 06/08/2023 21:09

Some good answers above. Also, the batteries can only discharge at a certain rate, so if your house has a huge need for power all at once (eg kettle, hob and tumble dryer all on at once) the batteries can’t discharge fast enough to power all of that so your system will still draw down grid power of you need lots all at the same time, even if your battery has power stored in it

OhYouBadBadKitten · 06/08/2023 21:54

It could be the CT clamp. Good call!

deplorabelle · 06/08/2023 22:40

Make sure you get them to explain how to set the rules for charging as you will want to do different things at different times of year (eg charge the battery to 100 percent overnight in November but don't charge it at all in June).

If the battery is charging from the grid, everything else in the house uses grid as well, for the duration of the charge period . If you have grid charging scheduled for a particular time period, all the house electricity will still come from the grid in those hours, even if the battery has reached its target charge level. (we set the target charge level to 30 percent in summer time so we still have an overnight period for charging the car, even though most days the battery itself doesn't need any overnight charge)

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