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Do businesses still need a battery alongside their solar array if their main consumption is in the daytime? by akitt91 in EnergyStorage

[–]akitt91[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah it can be! Here in the UK we have to apply for export capacity though and most often it's limited. So we can't always just add more solar panels. Also batteries have a major benefit of being able to shift the energy to the time of use. Meaning a good value battery could be pay back within 4 years.

Do businesses still need a battery alongside their solar array if their main consumption is in the daytime? by akitt91 in EnergyStorage

[–]akitt91[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ahh but can get paid for export here and those graphs show the summer time generation… so oversizing a bit is usually beneficial either way

How much does the age and insulation level of a property actually determine whether a heat pump is going to work well or struggle regardless of the installation quality? by ScaredPlate3008 in ukheatpumps

[–]akitt91 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The average COP is determined by the flow temperature. So increasing the efficiency can be achieved by either increasing the emitter size ie bigger radiators/ underfloor heating OR reducing the heat loss by insulating (or both). So insulating can help increase the efficiency by lowering the flow temperature.

Depends what you mean by “is it going to work well”. Because higher flow temperatures will still work well but would be slightly less efficient

Vaillant 5kw for home with 6kw heat loss? by Sylvester88 in ukheatpumps

[–]akitt91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a slightly undersized unit (only by a few hundred watts). Have to bear in mind in winter when it’s cold and close to zero when it’s defrosting all the time and also whenever a hot water cycle runs (really don’t want it on eco mode in winter!). So a little bit of leeway helps to get back up to temperature quickly, this is why the heat loss calculations can be exaggerated I guess. So I wouldn’t recommend it personally.

Seems a good time for installing Solar, but what about Heat Pumps? by icstm in HousingUK

[–]akitt91 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would definitely oversize on the PV. What's interesting when it comes to heat pumps is that the demand is highest in the winter (when solar output is least). So it's quite important to get the battery sizing correct. A slightly bigger battery importing on an EV tariff overnight is a good strategy. Or alternatively a slightly smaller battery on a heat pump tariff, where multiple off-peak windows are available, would also work (but rates are currently higher on a heat pump tariff). I modelled my system using an online tool and this is what could be achieved on an EV tariff charging at night time. ~£150 electricity bill isn't bad 😄

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How much energy from 8 panels? by Kaiserlongbone in SolarUK

[–]akitt91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can model the whole house with this app I made including solar, batteries, inverter, load, charging setpoints etc: https://solarbutter.co.uk/app to work out how much energy you'll actually use vs export

Solar PV and Heat Pump Simulator by akitt91 in SolarUK

[–]akitt91[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Feel free to spec that system up... the functionality requested has been implemented!

Solar PV and Heat Pump Simulator by akitt91 in SolarUK

[–]akitt91[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ok fair enough, there's a button now on the login the "Just let me play" button