Earlier this year, we worked with this customer in Bath who has had a Solar PV system for seven years and was looking for help to lower their electric and gas consumption and keep their carbon footprint in check.

After a face-to-face consultation with our renewables team to look at the existing solar panel system, our experts went through all the potential options to come up with a total install package to help meet this customer’s objectives.

We identified that they could harness the excess solar power generated from their PV panels by using a battery backup system with a Solar Diverter.

In this instance the best solution was to use My Energi products due to the versatility in using a battery & hot water storage and also possible future demand for car charging.

We also recommended looking at alternative energy suppliers to help keep costs low.

For example Octopus Energy provide reasonable off-peak rates during the hours of 00:30 until 4am* meaning the battery can be topped on days where excess solar gain is not possible.

The installation of these products require support from qualified electricians and this is where having an all-service team of heating engineers and electricians means we can provide the installation both quickly and easily.

For a project like this, the installation typically takes only one day on site.

Our electrician attended to install the My Eddi (which is linked with My Hub, an app monitoring) and put in a 8.2 Giv Energy linked to a Giv Energy 3.6 AC coupled inverter, to ensure this wouldn’t affect the current feed in tariff. This package will also include a dedicated power supply in an event of a power outage.

In this case the customer works from home two days a week, so the team prioritised the hot water to be charged in the morning with any excess solar power generation to be diverted to the battery.

The battery discharge times can be set so the home benefits from maximum usage from the battery at times convenient to them, helping to consistently reduce running costs.

Once the system is set up, the customer can download the My Hub App onto their chosen smart device and is shown in detail how to monitor and use the system for maximum benefit.

We check in on the customer one month after fitting the system to see how they are doing.

In this case we are pleased to report that their energy costs have been significantly reduced by reducing gas consumption as well storing excess electricity into the batteries for night time use. They reduced their electricity by 50% in a month.

They haven’t explored the off-peak tariffs available yet but said its next on the list to do.

This is all part of the service and why people choose Gregor Heating to help them make the right home heating choice.

Through the Gregor Guarantee, you are guaranteed expert and friendly advice and service to find the right solution to keep you and your home warm & cosy.

Check out our Which Trusted Trader for reviews and recommendations.

*Tariffs quoted at time of writing.

The post How battery backup can add value to your solar PV system appeared first on Gregor Heating, Electrical & Renewable Energy.

Indeed, it is estimated that households are using, on average, an extra 25% more electricity and 17% more gas each day during lockdown, with around 17 million people now working from home and the kids at home too.

Across a year this could lead to increased bills for people on poor energy tariffs by almost £200 – or around £16 a month. 

If this is a concern, we’ve put together some top tips on managing your energy use.

Not using it? Then switch it off and unplug it

An incredible 1 in 3 devices such as TVs, kettles and the like are left on standby and, believe it or not, a lot of electricity is wasted through leaving appliances on standby and not being unplugged.

All this background electricity is known as ‘phantom load’ and can lead to an extra £140 added to your bills over a year.

Remember even the lights use energy so when you leave a room turn them off!

Charging laptops and other electrical devices are a big culprit in this, most of us leave things charging for hours. One top tip is to charge it once a day and then use it until it is running low on power. Most devices will run for six hours.

Your tumble dryer is the culprit for consuming the most energy per use so use this lovely weather to get your clothes drying outside.

Wash clothes at 30 degrees. 90% of your washing machine’s energy use, goes in heating up hot water for hot washes, try and keep these to a minimum.

Cooking on the hob? Use a lid and the right size pan. This can decrease the amount of energy wasted significantly.

Or alternatively, use a microwave or slow cooker instead of a cooker which is generally a more efficient way to heat food.

And finally, while the weather at least has been kind to us, most of the time, meaning we don’t need heating right now,  most of us running thermostats would still benefit from turning it down by just one degree, which can save up to £80 a year. This coupled with only heating the rooms you need can all help. Of course, during the spring and summer months you can use Nature’s best energy generator the sun to take some of the load off.

Make sure you have the most competitive tariff

You can certainly take control of the costs by ensuring you have the best tariffs.

Lots of energy companies offer great deals around the best tariffs so use some time to shop around. We suggest visiting MoneySavingExpert.com  for the most up-to-date, independent recommendations.

If you are interested in greener tariffs check out companies such as Agile Octopus which is a 100% green electricity with plunge prices. You need a smart meter and pay for every 30 minutes of the day a different tariff depending on supply and demand for your region to the grid- great for EV’s, batteries and also sunamps and heat pumps.

Sources:

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-8303347/Ten-ways-cut-energy-bills-usage-soars-lockdown.html

https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/renovate/finance/a31986756/save-energy-money-working-from-home/

The post Save Energy & Avoid Higher Bills During Lockdown appeared first on Gregor Heating, Electrical & Renewable Energy.

We are removing inefficient existing heat recovery systems from 25 properties and replacing with the Vaillant Arotherm Air to Water Heatpump Systems. The aim is to offer a more energy efficient heating system helping residents to battle fuel poverty by reducing the usual electricity running costs.

The Vaillant van has been on site to give the residents the opportunity to see the units and ask questions before the install commences later this year.

Pictured right to left (Alexandra Phillips (Knightstone Housing) Aimee Paterson (Vaillant), Richard Blackmore (Gregor) with two Knightstone residents

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