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Maximising the Benefit of your Solar Panels

Home If the answer is yes, the next question is – are you making the most of them? As we write it’s March and yesterday we made 7kWh from our smallish solar system. The more solar power we can use in real time the cheaper it is – when we sell electricity to the grid we get just a few pence per kWh, but we buy it back for considerably more (as much as five times more). Here are a few examples of how you can use your own generated electricity: Avoid the grid using your self-generated electricity: Put the washing machine, kettle etc on when the sun is out Monitor electricity production and use using a smart meter in home display or your solar app to get a feel for how much energy is being made and what you can do with it If you need to replace your kettle buy a ‘low energy’ one, which is slower but doesn’t spike above what you’re generating Often bigger appliances have an eco setting, which takes longer but has a lower energy draw Use only one appliance at a time when the sun is out – if you use more your demand may be more than the solar is providing, so you will be buying the remainder from the grid Warming your house – if your house is cool make the most of opening blinds and curtains on the sunny side of the house, in order to take advantage of the free ’solar gain’ heat Heating your water – if you have a hot water cylinder you can fit a ‘solar divert’ which is programmed to read when there is excess solar, and uses the immersion element in the tank to heat your water – this is more affordable than batteries https://www.myenergi.com/product/eddi/ Storing heat – it is now possible to use excess solar energy to charge (eg Elnur storage heaters)Use of a battery can help in 2 ways: When demand exceeds the generation from the panels the battery can supplement the panels and avoid use of the grid Providing electricity during the evening and night (when the panels are not generating) Charging an electric car. Some car chargers are designed to use the solar energy as it is being produced Check your export tariff: Some companies offer better export rates If you have both solar panels and battery there are tariffs which allow you to sell energy stored in the battery at peak periods, and other tariffs where charging you battery at off peak times in the winter can supplement solar production which will be much lower at that time of year Useful links: Diverts, batteries and car chargers My Energi are a good starting point for researching products because they have a range of products which all integrate well (there are of course a mass of equivalent products now available) https://www.myenergi.com Solar compatible storage heaters – https://www.elnur.co.uk/product/solar-high-heat-retention-storage-heater/ A solar divert monitors for excess production and diverts the surplus, in this case to the hot water cylinder. To Summarise: Use it…Store it…Sell it. In that order If you would like FREE advice on lowering your energy bills or energy use at home, please do get in touch with Anna and Tom at Warm Connections:Phone: 07759 404980 Email: advice@advicewarmconnections.net  Previous Post

LED Light Bulbs

Home LED Light Bulbs – what are they? Are they any good?Are there any catches or exceptions I should know about? Here is a summary of the 4 types of bulbs commonly found in the UK, based on an old 60w bulb or alternative bulbs creating an equivalent amount of light output: Incandescent old bulbs create light by heating a filament to white hot. These bulbs get too hot to touch Halogen rely on heat to create light, so are also too hot to touch CFL – Compact Fluorescent Light were the original low energy bulbs, and long life – they use most energy to start up and may take a short time to reach full brightness. Manufactured with and incorporating toxic chemicals LED – Light Emitting Diode, create light with far less heat and can be recycled Price  It’s getting hard to buy anything but LED now and as the price has fallen significantly, based on the length of their life alone they are cost effective; when you also add the energy savings, LEDs become a simple win. FAQs:Do LEDs give good quality light?LEDs have definitely changed. Unlike CFLs there is no warm-up time. You can buy LEDs with differing tones; warm white (2700k) is a common replacement for the ‘soft’ light from old incandescent bulbs. For detailed work people often prefer a neutral tone which gives a sharper almost ‘blue’ light (4000k). The ‘k’ refers to kelvin and is used to measure the temperature or tone of the light. Daylight is high (6000k) and candlelight relatively lower (less than 2000K).Early LEDs were sometimes a bit flickery – this is rarely an issue now.Brightness is measured in lumens but many bulbs still tell you which incandescent bulb would be equivalent. A 12W LED is often rated as the equivalent of an old 75W incandescent.What LED fittings are available?  LED bulbs seem to be available in pretty much every style and varying brightness – if you are not sure take your old bulb with you to the shop and ask. There are also LED equivalents for all sorts of fluorescent tube lights.My lights are dimmable – is there an LED version?  There are LEDs specifically made for dimmable switches – a standard LED will not work with dimmable light switches.Will I need an electrician, or to change anything?  Most bulbs are interchangeable for lamps and lights with no adjustment. If in doubt ask at the shop when you buy it.Should I replace bulbs now or wait until they stop working?  Replacing incandescent and halogen bulbs immediately will save you money and the benefits to the environment outweigh the costs.For CFL bulbs and fluorescent strips this is a harder debate – these bulbs are full of unpleasant stuff and are hard to recycle – many believe it is better to use them until they are done. The initial charge to get a CFL glowing is energy costly but once ‘on’ these bulbs are almost as efficient as LED, so try to avoid having CFLs in places where they are being switched on and off for short periods.Where do I recycle old bulbs?  All bulbs can be dropped at a local recycling centre (CFL and fluorescent strip lights must be disposed of at a recycling centre where there will be a specific place for bulbs)The energy rating on my bulb  F is the new A! We are transitioning to a new scale just now as we had reached the point where bulbs were scoring A+ or A++. So, the measure of bulb efficiency has been reset – no more A+ or A++, so an old A rated bulb has been re-graded to F. The hope is to encourage the industry to keep improving on bulb design and efficiency, so the best bulbs might become E and then D …. Currently you can find the same bulbs in old and new packaging – sorry it’s confusing, especially in the transition. If you would like help with the big steps or the little ones, Anna and Tom at Warm Connections would be delighted to chat. Remember, our advice is completely free and there is no catch.07759 404980, www.warmconnections.net, advice@warmconnections.net Previous Post

Window Improvements – a Summary of Options

Home Windows account for 10% of heat loss in many homes. In this article we will look at options for improving or replacing windows to reduce those losses. We will discuss the use of curtains, shutters and blinds next month. The summer is a good time to get work done ready for next winter. Older double glazing may be ‘blown’, in which case condensation will be visible inside. Double glazing standards changed in 2003, so older units might be worth updating if you are able to. If the frame is wood and in good condition and still fits well upgrading the glazing is better for the environment than replacing the whole units, and should be cheaper. As always there are a bewildering number of approaches available. The areas worth considering are the glazing type, frame materials, style (eg types of openings used by the window), security, longevity, price. The Glazing UnitsThe table below summarises much of this: The data above is a compilation from many sites – and inevitably individual products will vary  Secondary glazing has considerable thermal benefits over single and in addition can significantly reduce draughts, but may mean a window cannot be opened without removing the secondary pane. Double glazing can be narrow, ie a small gap between the panes, but a wider gap is more efficientTriple glazing is heavy and wide, but offers very good efficiency Vacuum glazing equals or exceeds the benefits of triple glazing but is thin enough to retro-fit into frames designed for single glazing Frame MaterialsThe variations here are about material costs, production costs, longevity, ongoing maintenance and heat loss through the framePVC has developed significantly, now being available in different colours and with convincing grain patterns if wanted. Window Style  This is in part about choice but can re-specified by planning, particularly in conservation areas. Retro-fit and Conservation Area Requirements  Some areas have planning restrictions which limit the construction materials or design of windows. If the current frames are in good condition single panes can be replaced with thin double glazing (‘heritage glazing’) or vacuum units. Doors  Doors can be made to match windows. Energy efficiency is important and each material has different ways to ensure insulation and draught proofing is maximised. The door ‘furniture’ should also be considered; for example a letter box may be unnecessary and newer style keys avoid the need to have a draughty hole right through the door. Previous Post

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