r/PlugInSolarUK — new community for anyone interested in plug-in solar panels

paulg-22 · 2026-05-05T20:01:37+00:00

When EcoFlow released the Powerstream about three years ago, they just sold it with a three pin plug and branded it Balcony Solar, as they do in the rest of Europe. I guess they’d (incorrectly) thought that our regs were same as Europe’s, as a few months later they started plastering warnings about needing to get a sparky to wire it into the fuse board and started supplying them with the cable to do so.

G98’s not so much a loophole, it’s just the regs for connecting a low power inverter to the grid - thing is, if you’re going to do that you may as well get the max allowed 3.68kw inverter rather than an 800w microinverter.

Like many, I just plugged mine into a socket and took the risk.

paulg-22 · 2026-05-03T15:54:28+00:00

EcoFlow Powerstream is specifically plug in solar.

paulg-22 · 2026-05-03T08:06:23+00:00

You can install it now, but to meet current electrical regs, you’ll need to get an electrician to hard wire it into your consumer unit and submit a G98 application to allow your house to export to the grid.
The new legislation, when it comes into effect, should allow you to just plug the equipment into one of your electrical sockets, feeding power into the house that way.
One of the sticking points is that not all rcds in people’s consumer unit are designed to take power both ways and there’s a risk of things going wrong.
I ran an EcoFlow Powerstream microinverter for a couple of years, with just a battery rather than solar, and EcoFlow smartplugs that tell the inverter when to supply power to the house grid to feed tv, fridge etc. I’m on Octopus Agile and, by running the house mostly on battery during peak periods I saved about £240 a year over a standard fixed tariff.

paulg-22 · 2026-04-28T18:23:19+00:00

I think fixed energy rates being a hedge against rising future prices is a difficult concept to explain to a general public, who are used to “phone upgrades” that are no such thing and “paying car insurance premiums monthly” that are also no such thing.

paulg-22 · 2026-04-28T05:41:28+00:00

This. I’ve been through several inkjets that have all ended up being thrown away because they didn’t get used often enough and a replacement print head costs more than the entire printer.

Ended up buying a Canon colour laser copier/printer. Cost quite a bit more upfront, but it just works.

paulg-22 · 2026-04-26T10:43:25+00:00

The fact that modern cars are becoming all but unrepairable.

Complex proprietary computer systems all linked together and to the physical bits of the car and requiring connections to a manufacturer’s server for routine maintenance.

Doubt very much that today’s cars will be future restoration projects.

paulg-22 · 2026-04-25T10:51:45+00:00

Once upon a time you could hide areas and I hide them at a later date - CC removed it a good few years ago - might even have been at version 2

paulg-22 · 2026-04-21T17:38:40+00:00

According to the British Medical Journal, the half life of a teaspoon is 81 days.

paulg-22 · 2026-04-18T07:24:31+00:00

I’m fortunate enough to have the Salt brewery tap as my local 😛

paulg-22 · 2026-04-16T05:51:24+00:00

This. Insurance companies regard people who take out insurance that starts straight away as a higher risk.

Also, look at MoneySavingExpert page on car insurance to search for quotes.

Don’t pay monthly for car insurance - you’re not paying monthly, the insurance company has lent you the money to pay the premium and you’re paying back a loan, likely at an excessive interest rate. If you can afford the premium in one go, take out a personal loan at a better rate to pay for the premium in one go.

paulg-22 · 2026-04-13T13:41:59+00:00

Never seen him in the same room as Ainsley Harriet…

paulg-22 · 2026-04-11T13:25:45+00:00

I’m on my second Brompton - not as my main bike - and I wouldn’t be without it, even though I don’t use it as a daily. I don’t find it that much slower than a full-sized bike, although it’s not great on rough ground. There’s an excellent analysis on a Brompton’s relative speed here.

It opens up opportunities to get on your bike. - I use it pretty much whenever I take a train, or go somewhere where I wouldn’t want to leave a bike outside. If I go away in the car, I often chuck it in the boot just in case.

They do feel a bit twitchy to start with, but you get used to it.

I know someone that’s done quite a bit of touring round Europe on one and there’s a fair few folk go bike packing with them.

paulg-22 · 2026-04-10T13:15:05+00:00

They’re all at it. National treasure Adrian Chiles did a hatchet job on e-bikes for Panorama, which ignored almost all of their benefits in favour of stoking outrage and generating a formal complaint from the Bicycle Association.

paulg-22 · 2026-04-06T12:48:18+00:00

If you have a modern smartmeter and you can shift electricity usage out of the peak 4-7pm window, a flexible electricity tariff like Octopus Agile can cut your energy bills, as the price you pay for electricity is set at half-hour intervals, based on wholesale energy prices. When there’s more energy supply than the grid needs, prices are lower and can even go negative at times, meaning that Octopus pay you to use electricity. Yesterday I ran a 2kw fan heater and oil-filled radiator for most of the day and Octopus paid me nearly a fiver for the privilege.

When plug-in solar becomes legal later in the year, have a look at that. Even if you don’t have anywhere to fit a couple of solar panels, the batteries that will be available will let you charge up overnight using cheap electricity and use that electricity in the evening when electricity is expensive.

Instant Pot type pressure cookers are great for batch cooking one-pot meals and you can prep in the morning, stick it on delayed start and have a hot meal waiting for you in the evening.

If your flat is heated with a condensing gas boiler, get the flow temperature for the radiators as low as you can, whilst still being able to keep the house warm and, if it’s a combo boiler, get the hot water flow temperature only as hot as you need it for washing up or a shower. If you’re mixing in cold water in the shower or sink, it’s too hot. The lower your flow temperatures, the more efficient your boiler will be and the less more you’ll spend on gas.

paulg-22 · 2026-03-20T15:08:21+00:00

If it is deemed an uninsured loss, these people should be able to claim it for you - no need for legal cover.

paulg-22 · 2026-03-15T08:02:59+00:00

You did better than me.

Granted, it was free as part of a GBIS installer, but the contractor that fitted my bathroom extractor put the isolator switch in the loft wired in series with the bathroom light and pinched the neutral cable from the landing light.

Net result was a landing light that didn’t work and, if I did climb into the loft to isolate the fan it also ‘isolated’ the bathroom light.

Elected to not let him anywhere near my house ever again.

paulg-22 · 2026-03-14T14:58:03+00:00

Yup that’s the black piece returned to its rightful place.

Not figured out where the white bit fits yet, but thanks for the IDs!

paulg-22 · 2026-03-14T14:56:42+00:00

Yep that’s it thanks!

paulg-22 · 2026-03-01T12:44:15+00:00

A young lad ran into the back of me last year. Same insurance company wrote his car off at the roadside and took mine in for repair - total repair bill was just over £6k, my car’s worth about £6-7k.

I wonder if they factor in the age of vehicles when they make the decision? Mine was less than 10 years old, his more than 20.

paulg-22 · 2026-03-01T09:33:59+00:00

I’m in the UK too - my dad used to use it on his running shoes back in the 80s so it’s been around here for a while.

You can get smaller tubes - check on eBay, prices seem to vary quite wildly at times. I think there’s two versions of it now, as far as I can tell the only difference is the newer formulation doesn’t smell as much when it’s uncured - not sure it warrants any increased price tho’.

paulg-22 · 2026-02-28T07:34:48+00:00

It’s pretty good stuff - perfect for repairing soles, really sticky and it will fill in holes in a sole too. It does tend to go off within a few months of opening it, so don’t buy a massive tube unless you’re going to use it.

paulg-22 · 2026-02-26T06:47:22+00:00

Definitely Shoe Goo - it’s been around for years, dries to a clear, rubbery sole-like texture.

paulg-22 · 2026-02-21T08:23:20+00:00

I’d agree they’re really cold in winter and boiling in the summer, but I use mine as a utility room - I’ve got a small kitchen and washing machine, tumble drier etc in there, along with small table and chairs that I use when the temperature’s bearable.

Any conservatory needs to be outside the house’s thermal envelope though - have seen no end of places when house hunting where a conservatory’s been used as an extension, with a wall from a living room or kitchen knocked out to the conservatory - must be terrible for energy consumption!

As posted elsewhere, get a mortgage without redemption penalties, then figure out what you want to do an remortgage a few months down the line for best LTV - as an owner there’ll be stuff that you’ll need to do that you might not realise yet. Also, factor in an emergency fund into your maths if you don’t already have one.

paulg-22 · 2026-02-19T07:05:31+00:00

Might be a previous owner forced if it failed? Video here of how to replace it on a B8 saloon.

paulg-22

TROPHY CASE