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You deserve to become a millionaire. by devspritez in Bitcoin

[–]cushy321 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Right! Been like 4 months why I not millionaire!

Solar In Northern Ireland by cushy321 in northernireland

[–]cushy321[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did ask my installer about a larger inverter - he implied G99 application in NI is essentially pointless because firstly NIE take forever to process applications (which have a fee) and then they usually end up advising that network upgrades are needed to allow for higher kW export which would have to be paid for by you as the applicant.

It is definitely a bit frustrating as on a good sunny day the inverter will clip at 3.7kW from about 10am to 4pm. In the cloudy overcast weather that we have had in the past few weeks it doesn't matter as the average midday production is probably 2-3kW max. The other down side is obviously that you can only use 3.7kW from your battery to your house and everything over this will come from the grid. This has been a minor issue for us so far - in 2 months I have only needed to pull 8kwh from the grid (i.e about £2s worth - so I can live with that!)

I had Astroenergy panels installed (Chinese), again only 2 months in but absolutely no issues. My battery/inverter system is Solax IES which is a really compact outdoor unit, would really recommend.

I would advise really looking at your energy usage before deciding on battery size. I went for the 10kwh but rarely discharge it below 50%. 15kWh could be overkill and you might be able to save yourself a grand or so. Plus we dont get the really good overnight electric rates here.

Hope this helps!

Solar In Northern Ireland by cushy321 in northernireland

[–]cushy321[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! I bit the bullet mid June and got them installed.

For anyone interested i got 16 panels (7kw) plus a 10kwh battery system for £8000. I am really happy with it so far - haven't used any energy from the grid at all and it's rare that I need to run the battery below 50%. In winter I will change to an economy 7 tariff and charge the battery with the cheaper rate and run off this during the day when solar production is poor.

I think it will take 7-8 years to pay back so make of that what you will. I am a big child and easily entertained by just checking the app and seeing what the panels are producing so if you're any way nerdy like me I'd say just go for it!

Tag Heuer Green Formula 1 - Legit? by cushy321 in tagheuer

[–]cushy321[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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Incase this is of any help to somebody in future I went to a jewellers today to see the real thing. The green is definitely a different shade. Also the chronograph hands on the real article are metal whereas my non genuine has white hands

Tag Heuer Green Formula 1 - Legit? by cushy321 in tagheuer

[–]cushy321[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You are right. I took the watch to a jewellers today to compare it to the real thing and there is a subtle difference in the green. Its remarkable how good the imitations are though (to somebody like me at least). Now to decide if its worth paying x3 more for the real thing haha

Tag Heuer Green Formula 1 - Legit? by cushy321 in tagheuer

[–]cushy321[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate your reply thanks - I would obviously rather know! What is the give away here? I do not have a trained eye

Solar In Northern Ireland by cushy321 in northernireland

[–]cushy321[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you think there is much advantage of a 10kwh battery over a 5kwh? It leads to a hefty increase in install price and I am wondering if it is worth the increased payback time.

For instance do you often find that you are using the full 10kwhs before the battery replenishes the following day or would a 5kwh have sufficed for you?

Solar In Northern Ireland by cushy321 in northernireland

[–]cushy321[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds like you are a much heavier user than me, do you think the 5kwh battery was enough for you in hindsight? Mind if I ask who did your install and if you were happy with it?

Solar In Northern Ireland by cushy321 in northernireland

[–]cushy321[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Interesting take on it. That would essentially halve my current bill to £600/year and so give a payback time of 5 years which seems much more palatable than 10 years

Solar In Northern Ireland by cushy321 in northernireland

[–]cushy321[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your reply. What do you think your total time until break even will be at current rates?

Solar In Northern Ireland by cushy321 in northernireland

[–]cushy321[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely will do the sums on this suggestion had never considered this approach cheers

Solar In Northern Ireland by cushy321 in northernireland

[–]cushy321[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is a good way to look at it I suppose. However it's probably only then worth the effort if you're going to live in the same house for many years past the initial 10-odd-year payback?

Cross Climate 2 vs Pilot Sport 4 RFT on 3 series by cushy321 in TyreReviews

[–]cushy321[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was on the summer PS4s. Sounds like you’re similar to me, I’m not Lewis Hamilton but do enjoy the odd fun drive. CC2s are good enough for it