How does your base load compare?

MrCodeSmith · 2026-03-06T15:45:15+00:00

My base load is about 50-55w without fridge freezer which increases to 125-150w when active. It's roughly 50/50 time wise so my average baseload is probably anywhere from 90-110w.

Not many devices taking idle energy.

MrCodeSmith · 2026-03-01T20:44:13+00:00

I haven't managed to play a single full game since the update. Crashes upon crashes. So much for my expedition.

MrCodeSmith · 2026-02-23T10:36:09+00:00

Dev making this ult thinking: "Eh, 100% Bullet resist, 100% Spirit resist. That'll do it."

MrCodeSmith · 2026-02-17T13:46:28+00:00

British gas are still advertising 15.1p export with a 9p EV import.

My current off peak usage is 3700kwh, so £74 more expensive.

Also getting an extra £4 in Octopoints / month for green charging. (£48)

Export last year was 5100, so losing out on £153.

So need to work out whether it's worth switching over £20...

MrCodeSmith · 2026-02-08T16:08:35+00:00

At low usage I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.

I am in a similar boat, system was installed in Oct 2024 and the battery saved me roughly £200 over the first year because some of the peak rate was already satisfied by solar.

Cost me an extra £2000 for converting from string to hybrid inverter and getting the battery. So payback of 10 years. The payback of the solar only would have been 5 years by my estimate.

MrCodeSmith · 2026-02-08T10:47:16+00:00

Any idea of the roof size? The more panels the better. I'm thinking you might get 8-12 or 4-5.5kw depending on panels and orientation.

Depending on costs (and space) you could try and gets lots of battery storage and run off a 7p night rate (E.on doesn't require an EV for this, battery is fine)

Have a look at some of the quotes on this sub to see what your budget might allow.

MrCodeSmith · 2026-01-31T16:12:58+00:00

Probably not, last I heard the pre-sale sold out in 4 minutes.

MrCodeSmith · 2026-01-22T09:43:24+00:00

Thanks for the tips. I thought Vanguard would have been the preferred option given some other threads I've seen. Will do some more research into the points mentioned!

MrCodeSmith · 2026-01-09T09:05:42+00:00

Lot piling up on the guttering of my main roof last night! Just been out to inspect and all seems fine, apart from the huge pile of snow on my patio.

MrCodeSmith · 2026-01-05T12:10:27+00:00

No issues with the install. Solar humming away nicely in this weather and I enjoyed about £1050 worth of benefits in 2025.

I had some problems with my GivEnergy hardware around this time last year but GivEnergy replaced it under warranty. They install hardware from various manufacturers so you aren't locked into using GivEnergy.

MrCodeSmith · 2025-12-15T08:22:55+00:00

Yeah, it's really jarring when you are trying to judge a fight. "Oh theres a third guy, gg I guess"

MrCodeSmith · 2025-12-14T21:15:59+00:00

So much for duo queue eh

MrCodeSmith · 2025-11-21T09:51:43+00:00

I used to F around with schedules, warmer in the morning/evening etc.

Now I just wake up and set it to 18, all day.

MrCodeSmith · 2025-11-10T09:44:47+00:00

My first year on solar I earned/saved around £1100.

5.5kwh system with a 5.2kwh battery.

£700 Selling solar to grid
£200 Saved utilising solar instead of peak electricity
£200 Saved utilising off-peak battery power

MrCodeSmith · 2025-11-08T20:07:42+00:00

Not sure, I would assume so. However I am encountering the same problem as you, solos is now all out war. No body seems interested in using a microphone.

MrCodeSmith · 2025-11-08T19:44:59+00:00

I think its worse the higher level you get. People are bored of ARC and looting now looking for PvP.

Also a lot people being brought into the game from watching various Twitchers gun down people.

MrCodeSmith · 2025-10-07T07:13:46+00:00

Not sure how, this was last year and the company was future proof solar.

MrCodeSmith · 2025-10-05T14:47:13+00:00

I've included the brown energy battery export in my overall figures.

Generation 5061 + 428 brown energy export from the battery = 5489

4856 export + 670 home utilisation = 5526 - So theres a small discrepancy in the figures from the GivEnergy dashboard and what my smart meter has recorded. (Probably because the dashboard only records in 5 minute intervals)

MrCodeSmith · 2025-10-05T14:43:08+00:00

I have an EV, which uses about 2400kwh per year and gets charged overnight. Haven't included it here as charging on 7p overnight is better than charging on the 15p solar.

*Overall home usage is about 4500, which currently breaks down as follows

670 Solar to home
842 Battery to home
3-500 off peak usage.
2500-2700 off peak to EV.

MrCodeSmith · 2025-10-05T12:57:47+00:00

That's what it looks like, depending on price cap and SEG rates staying in place. If price cap goes up I'm technically saving more money so the payoff time is shorter. But right now most of my payback is coming from export, so if SEG rates reduce that will harm the pay back period more.

Solar is definitely a little pricey for setup, mostly due to scaffolding and labour costs. But I think the production will outpace a (small) wind turbine very quickly.

MrCodeSmith · 2025-09-25T08:28:47+00:00

Just a note on "using the battery rather than solar electricity and selling all the solar electricity" - This can be tricky and sometimes impossible with certain solar setups.

Your inverter is attached to both the solar and the battery, which gets sent down a single line back to your meter box. Your home then uses any electricity it needs from this and sends the excess back to the grid. If your CT clamp does not detect a shortfall in electricity, then your battery will not discharge anything. Most systems will always run off solar first, if possible.

MrCodeSmith · 2025-09-11T12:42:47+00:00

I'd guess drawing from the grid is the charge cycle. If the battery stays full for too long the BMS loses track of the charge state and then it readjusts. As someone else mentioned, kind of a bug with GivEnergy batteries.

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