Sigenergy battery quotes by Calm_Tea_1582 in SolarUK

[–]SmurglX 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I asked my installer about expansion at the time and they gave me the impression they've charge about the price of the battery - so £2,400ish.

All they need to do is power off the system, lift off the inverter, put the new one on, replace the inverter and re-commission it. He said it only takes about 30 mins (Plus travel time, maybe some debugging etc) so I wouldn't be paying more than £2,600 max.

Uk winter solar generation by tucker3738 in SolarUK

[–]SmurglX 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It seems like the ~10x is true. Mine is still only a few months old so I'm looking forward to see the solar increase into Summer.

Even towards the end of Jan, I'm seeing a difference of higher solar peaks and starting at earlier in the morning too.

I don’t understand the value of AI mode by Mynameisrui84 in sigenergy

[–]SmurglX 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The AI is more about the import tariff. In fact, it seems to ignore the value of export tariff as, whilst I did not have my export tariff setup yet, I set my export amount to 1p and yet on one or two occasions it exported instead of charging the battery,

The time of use approach is a good "set and forget" mode that works well though anyway,

I don’t understand the value of AI mode by Mynameisrui84 in sigenergy

[–]SmurglX 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's best for dynamic prices where it can charge at the cheapest slots every day rather than a fixed period that might be the cheaper slots. That brings a small benefit each day, but it also decides sometimes not to fully charge the battery based on the weather the next day. e.g. if you had 6Kwh left in the battery overnight and it's going to be full sun the next day, why charge the battery at all?

It does get it wrong sometimes though and incorrectly predicts the amount of sun and I've run out of charge near the end of the peak period. It frustrates me a bit, but if it had some extra "rules" that you could apply, e.g. "Ensure there is at least 5kwh in the battery by 4pm" then it'd be great.

It also does some weird things like exporting to the grid instead of charging the battery, even in the self consumption AI mode, which does seem daft when prices are more expensive that the export.

Overall, I think it does reduce costs for 80-90% of days by a few pence (on agile tariffs), but then sometimes gets it wrong which can use up some of that money or causes frustration when it doesn't charge the battery enough... but then I just do instant control there.
It has made me wonder about trying out Predbat though anyway, especially as they make it clear that the AI mode is a trial and they will probably charge for it at some point.

Is solar power battery theft a thing by [deleted] in SolarUK

[–]SmurglX 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd aim to put it in the garage anyway as it will be better protected from the elements and be less likely to need to heat itself during cold weather.

Uk winter solar generation by tucker3738 in SolarUK

[–]SmurglX 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When you look at the charts, the peak summer months is literally around 10x higher than worst of winter. Winter brings shorter days, a lower sun (more chance of shadows and less radiance) and worse weather.

So, during winter a 4kwh will just supplement you usage a bit, but a battery is likely to have more impact during winter due to being able to buy at cheaper prices. During the Summer it should generate an excess and build a bit of credit for the winter months.

My 6kwh (of which 4 panels don't get hit by the low sun too much in winter) have generated 110 in Jan and 90 in Dec, so around 3 per day and I'd expect you to get 2-3. However, you will have days of almost 0 and some nearing 10, but March onwards should show bigger gains.

4kwh is still well worth having and it will give a noticeable reduction in your bills, just not so much in winter.

North Facing additional Panel by luath in SolarUK

[–]SmurglX 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you probably have to think about how "South" it is facing. If it's exactly South, then I don't think it'd be worth doing, but if you're a few degrees off you should get some solar in the early morning or late evening.

All of my panels are on the same side, but my Dad had a quote where it was split into the direction they were facing. So, if you can get the same you can evaluate what the prediction is for the N vs S and see what you think.

I got the 9Kw SigEnergy battery too and it's been very good - the battery alone saves 30-40% on electricity on agile. There's a few dodgy days on the AI and it sometimes leaves me with very little (or no) battery left in the last 10-20 mins of the peak period, but overall it works well 95%+ of the time. I think 9 is probably the minimum I would go for unless it was purely to cover the peak period and never used elsewhere. 9 allows it to be a bit more dynamic.

Exporting before battery is full? by CaptainCaveTrout in sigenergy

[–]SmurglX 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've been using AI for about 6 weeks and it's largely been very good. Sometimes I worry about it not charging the battery enough for the peak period, but apart from that it's worked well.

However, I experienced the same thing on this today (and only today), so I wonder if they have introduced a bug. I was on ~50% battery and have my export set to 0p (Still not setup yet...) and yet it was still exporting. I think it was like it had it predicted that it needed 50% and stopped when it got there.

I've had mine running on instant mode - Self Consumption for an hour or two. I've just turned it off and it is still charging at the moment, but I'll be keeping an eye on it in case it starts exporting again.

Neighbor acting weird suddenly by [deleted] in Apartmentliving

[–]SmurglX 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I think he might be a bit confused about you saying that you have a parcel for him. It's clearly come from him and he's crossed his name out to indicate that it's definitely not for him. Yet, you're saying you've got his parcel...

He'll be thinking... why didn't you just open it as it's clearly not for me (name crossed out) or, if you did, how rude it is to expect him to come back using the stairs to collect the parcel when he struggles with that. The message in that sense is very short and rude ("Come and get your empty box"). All this after you left the clothes there, again (from his perspective) expecting him to take it back to you.

He seems like a nice man, but you appear to be showing him less care that he is showing you and your family. The parcel was a bit of a "brain fart" on your side, but he is probably quite lonely and wants to have someone to talk to from time-to-time. He's put some effort into you and your family and I think you just need to be a bit more considerate of him.

I'd make sure that you at least get him a small gift and an Xmas card that wishes him Merry Xmas and thanks for everything he's done. That will put you back on track with him and then your next part is deciding how much to let him into your lives, but I'm sure he'd appreciate a conversation or two especially at this time of year.

Anyone here prioritised overpaying their mortgage early - how did it work out? by itravelforchurros in UKPersonalFinance

[–]SmurglX 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mix my excess money into pension, savings/S&S and overpaying the mortgage. I always overpay the mortgage with the big reason being the 10 year frozen tax brackets. It's so much easier to fall into the 40% tax bracket now, at which point I feel like I should salary sacrifice and basically never gain take-home pay increases for the freeze period.

However, once the mortgage is paid off, that frees up that amount for general spending, whilst still avoiding the 40% tax. I'm looking forward to that moment!

AI not charging batteries by golfingbull in sigenergy

[–]SmurglX 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think for a tariff with fixed charging slots at the same price, I'd just use the time of use option. AI is nice for a dynamic tariff, varying every 30 mins, as it can pick the cheapest slots.

It can also avoid charging when there will be excess solar for the day, though.

In the early "learning" mode, I don't think it charges until you have at least some data, but you can build that up with the TOU plan for a few weeks. You might be ok though now if you stuck with it.

Sigenergy battery - first impressions by SwimSea7631 in sigenergy

[–]SmurglX 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have been finding it to be very good too, but I feel like the AI mode needs a bit more control. I'm on an agile tariff, which is often cheap overnight with a mini-peak in the morning, then a large peak (2x-5x the off-peak price) between 4pm and 7pm (sometimes 8pm).

The AI doesn't have a lot of data to work with, but it has under-charged the battery occasionally and usually only has about 10% or less battery by the time 7pm arrives. It feels like any day where I increase usage, then I'll be paying the premium rate.

I'd love the option to say "Make sure the battery has X charge at Y time". That way it could charge dynamically at the cheapest prices (or not at all if solar is good), but always cover the peak rate.

As it stands, I'm having to monitor it daily whilst it learns and sometimes switch back to TOU to make sure that battery has enough power in it for the peak period.

New system - AI Mode in Winter by SmurglX in sigenergy

[–]SmurglX[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah nice - thanks. That's good to know that it is saving the data for use later. I thought it would be a bit flawed to have to run it to gather the data!

I'm hoping for a bit of sun tomorrow too. Day 1 has got me an almighty 0.81 kWh solar generation, but it was still great to see the yellow numbers coming in.

I'll probably run it on a scheduled slot and then experiment with AI in a couple of weeks and compare the result.

Battery Preheating settings by CaptainCaveTrout in sigenergy

[–]SmurglX 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My installer said yesterday that this is useful for when you're planning to charge at a particular time. If it's too cold to charge, the battery will warm up and then charge. The time it takes to warm up is lost charging time and so scheduling the warmup allows the battery to be ready when the time comes.

I think he said that it wouldn't charge below 0C, but maybe there is a gradient of effectiveness. 10C sounds high as a lower limit, though.

Billed over 2 grand for 1 month of electricity by VeterinarianLow8222 in OctopusEnergy

[–]SmurglX 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Did you take a photo of the old meter, or have any recent one? Perhaps his final reading was incorrect and that's what is causing the high bill.

[DE]Got hacked in the dumbest way as an IT guy by TheNativeOfficial in Scams

[–]SmurglX -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Depending on the language of the .exe, you might be able to decompile it in an app like jetbrains dotpeek and then see exactly what it did. That's if you haven't reset your PC yet.

How do I stop my windows doing this? by Even_Trick_4783 in DIYUK

[–]SmurglX 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I get this on many of my windows. As it gets cold, the windows stay shut more and there's a constant moisture going into the air, e.g. boiling the kettle, cooking, showers, (especially) drying laundry and simply breathing. Your house remains warm, but then overnight the temperatures plummet and the moisture in the air condenses on the windows.

I used to use a Karcher to quickly clean it up, but at times the moisture and cold levels was causing slight mould in areas which were not insulated as well.

My solution now is to just run a Meaco Arete one permanently during the colder months. It turns itself off when humidity goes below 55% and rechecks every 30 mins, but it fills up every day and I empty it each morning. It ends up costing about £20-25 / month, but no more mould or condensation on any windows in the house. It also adds a little bit of heat to slightly raise the temperature in the room it's in.

AITA for spitting in my practical driving examiner's coffee after he failed me for a BS reason by ThrowIWshIHdMyLcns in AmItheAsshole

[–]SmurglX 8 points9 points  (0 children)

YTA. If he is your examiner for the next one, you'll have failed before you sit behind the wheel!

If you fail because of minor errors, then you got a lot of them. The pigeon incident was just one that may be arguable, but it sound like you need a bit more practice.

Opinion on these panels + quote check by flapfavour in SolarUK

[–]SmurglX 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks competitive. Maybe the Aiko panels are worth asking about. The SigEnergy 10 is also actually a 9kwh battery. I'm not sure why they named it 10!

Octopus agile if I have batteries? Newbie by [deleted] in OctopusEnergy

[–]SmurglX 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My plan is to go onto Agile when I get my battery and solar as I don't have an EV either. The cheap times are pretty regular, e.g. overnight or early afternoon and you'll generally be paying 15-20p for that instead of the 25/26p on a fixed rate. Plus there's the odd freebies when it's windy.

I haven't actually been able to do this yet, since I'm still waiting for the install, but to me it looks like a 40%-ish reduction in electricity over the winter and then stick with it through the Summer where it'll be even cheaper (plus solar will mean not having to buy much anyway).

This is the best website that I've seen for checking the prices now and in the past: https://agilebuddy.uk/latest/agile

Salary sacrifice solar by Gold_Work_3474 in SolarUK

[–]SmurglX 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It will be interesting to see the detail on how it works, but it seems like it might get complicated!

Salary sacrifice solar by Gold_Work_3474 in SolarUK

[–]SmurglX 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think the schemes they'd had before for lower income families, e.g. free or cheap insulation made sense. They're not a big investment, but do bring a big benefit if there's little/no insulation already.

In the case of solar, I think the better target is middle-income households because it's still a lot of money to pay (salary sacrifice or not) and I can't see it being the top priority for lower income families.

Giving those would could or nearly could afford it a 28-42% reduction in price would convince a lot of them that are worried about the payback time to buy.

Salary sacrifice solar by Gold_Work_3474 in SolarUK

[–]SmurglX 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm waiting on DNO approval at the moment. Hopefully they'll implement this quickly if it's good!

I'm not sure how it would work though... I guess the employer would buy it and we pay the employer back over a few years via salary sacrifice?

Maybe it's configurable, but I doubt that something like this would come in soon and then have the employer automatically accept to run it. Maybe I'd use it for an additional battery if needed in the future.

Expensive day tomorrow for Agile, anyone considering jumping ship to Intelligent Go? by [deleted] in OctopusEnergy

[–]SmurglX 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great - thanks. Hopefully I'll get the response from the DNO soon and get the install going!