Energy thread

rjsterry

Ah gotcha. Seems a bit mad using PV to run an immersion heater to then store heat when you can just collect and store directly from solar thermal. If you do want to use PV to heat water you would be better off using the electricity to run an ASHP.

orraloon

There is the smart export guarantee grid feed in, 5.5p per kWh now I think, just ever so slightly under the ofgem price cap rate. All depends when you use the energy, day time when PVs generating = free, but if say you are out all day and the washing machine, dishwasher, oven etc all go on in the evening then without a storage battery there's no benefit bar the export payback.

Hence battery option. But that's a chunk more expensive.

I'll get quotes with / without battery in a few weeks, to be followed by lots of spreadsheet action. Tbc.

Pross

My neighbour works in a steelworks that recycles scrap. They used to pay £50/mW and it is now between £300-500. Each load uses just over 50mW. They stop production when the price goes over £400 apparently.

pblakeney

Pross said:

My neighbour works in a steelworks that recycles scrap. They used to pay £50/mW and it is now between £300-500. Each load uses just over 50mW. They stop production when the price goes over £400 apparently.

Just try to comprehend the knock on effect of that.
Not just the cost but the likely lack of supply.

tailwindhome

tailwindhome said:

First.Aspect said:

tailwindhome said:

Mrs TWH has been monitoring the cost of 500l of home heating oil for some weeks now

It was slowly coming down to £400, started to tick up so she ordered at £410 last week

Same company quoting £510 this week

Is that not a September = Autumn change, as much as anything else?

I don't think so.

Maybe in so much as everyone is back off hols and caused a spike in demand by all ordering oil at the same time.

Edit.

They put their prices up periodically on Facebook.

Early June and early July both quoted >500

Speaking to someone who'd spoke to someone in the industry

NI schools went back 1st week in September.

Every school in the country ordered a fill of oil for the last week in August causing a massive price hike.

However it's coming down slowly. Back to £480 for 500l

Stevo_666

tailwindhome said:

tailwindhome said:

First.Aspect said:

tailwindhome said:

Mrs TWH has been monitoring the cost of 500l of home heating oil for some weeks now

It was slowly coming down to £400, started to tick up so she ordered at £410 last week

Same company quoting £510 this week

Is that not a September = Autumn change, as much as anything else?

I don't think so.

Maybe in so much as everyone is back off hols and caused a spike in demand by all ordering oil at the same time.

Edit.

They put their prices up periodically on Facebook.

Early June and early July both quoted >500

Speaking to someone who'd spoke to someone in the industry

NI schools went back 1st week in September.

Every school in the country ordered a fill of oil for the last week in August causing a massive price hike.

However it's coming down slowly. Back to £480 for 500l

Seems to have been a similar Spike in England at the end of August and the price is now coming back down. Slightly irrelevant for us at present as we probably won't be topping up until late Nov unless it's cold.

briantrumpet

Stevo_666 said:

tailwindhome said:

tailwindhome said:

First.Aspect said:

tailwindhome said:

Mrs TWH has been monitoring the cost of 500l of home heating oil for some weeks now

It was slowly coming down to £400, started to tick up so she ordered at £410 last week

Same company quoting £510 this week

Is that not a September = Autumn change, as much as anything else?

I don't think so.

Maybe in so much as everyone is back off hols and caused a spike in demand by all ordering oil at the same time.

Edit.

They put their prices up periodically on Facebook.

Early June and early July both quoted >500

Speaking to someone who'd spoke to someone in the industry

NI schools went back 1st week in September.

Every school in the country ordered a fill of oil for the last week in August causing a massive price hike.

However it's coming down slowly. Back to £480 for 500l

Seems to have been a similar Spike in England at the end of August and the price is now coming back down. Slightly irrelevant for us at present as we probably won't be topping up until late Nov unless it's cold.

Probably when I'll need to put some petrol in the car again, at a guess. Or it might be 2023.

surrey_commuter

has anybody cracked and turned the heating on yet?

I had dissent in the ranks over the weekend but I stood firm and with the incoming warm weather am confident of reaching October.

Pre-kids in a more modern house closer in we could reach beyond bonfire night

rick_chasey

surrey_commuter said:

has anybody cracked and turned the heating on yet?

I had dissent in the ranks over the weekend but I stood firm and with the incoming warm weather am confident of reaching October.

Pre-kids in a more modern house closer in we could reach beyond bonfire night

I've stayed strong no heating on. House went under 21 degrees for the first time since i moved in.

Think I can stretch to 20 or even 19 with a bit of effort. Fingers crossed.

pblakeney

surrey_commuter said:

has anybody cracked and turned the heating on yet?

I had dissent in the ranks over the weekend but I stood firm and with the incoming warm weather am confident of reaching October.

Pre-kids in a more modern house closer in we could reach beyond bonfire night

We have a hybrid. The heating is timed to come on but the thermostat is set to 18C.
This means it is effectively off but will come on for the first properly cold morning.

webboo

surrey_commuter said:

has anybody cracked and turned the heating on yet?

I had dissent in the ranks over the weekend but I stood firm and with the incoming warm weather am confident of reaching October.

Pre-kids in a more modern house closer in we could reach beyond bonfire night

The missus put ours on the other night. It’s been below 20C down stairs first thing in morning and it currently 19.6C in the kitchen but sat in the sun in the garden room I’ve had to take my fleece off.

mully79

Heatings going on now. Below 18 this morning.
Just going to keep a very close eye on usage and see how expensive it becomes. A few trial days last week saw negligible gas usage for a few hours heating at night.

shirley_basso

Not done any heating yet.

We don't have a smart meter, but E.On is saying we can have one.

Presume I should go for it?

briantrumpet

surrey_commuter said:

has anybody cracked and turned the heating on yet?

I had dissent in the ranks over the weekend but I stood firm and with the incoming warm weather am confident of reaching October.

Pre-kids in a more modern house closer in we could reach beyond bonfire night

Hadn't even thought about it. Currently 18C indoors with windows open.

Have resorted to a hoodie in the evening though, being a soft southerner.

Pross

shirley_basso said:

Not done any heating yet.

We don't have a smart meter, but E.On is saying we can have one.

Presume I should go for it?

Assuming that people are only using appliances / heating they deem necessary I've never really seen the benefit it smart meters other than to save on reading the meter or receiving estimate bills. I don't get how they keep trying to push them as something that saves you money.

wallace_and_gromit

Pross said:

shirley_basso said:

Not done any heating yet.

We don't have a smart meter, but E.On is saying we can have one.

Presume I should go for it?

Assuming that people are only using appliances / heating they deem necessary I've never really seen the benefit it smart meters other than to save on reading the meter or receiving estimate bills. I don't get how they keep trying to push them as something that saves you money.

My electricity supplier has recently started messaging me that my meter needs updating urgently as it's been installed for more than 15 years. I've asked them to clarify what's suddenly urgent after such a long time. To date I've had no response, though I'm not convinced my message actually got past the chatbot deployed to persuade people to top themselves rather than raise a customer service issue.

sungod

Pross said:

shirley_basso said:

Not done any heating yet.

We don't have a smart meter, but E.On is saying we can have one.

Presume I should go for it?

Assuming that people are only using appliances / heating they deem necessary I've never really seen the benefit it smart meters other than to save on reading the meter or receiving estimate bills. I don't get how they keep trying to push them as something that saves you money.

certainly saves on meter reading costs and meters with isolators also allow remote connection/disconnection

there must also be some value in the data, for generators, a good application might be more inventive tariffs based on peak/off-peak pricing or even real-time demand, but i assume there's little/no incentive for energy middlemen to do that

Pross

sungod said:

Pross said:

shirley_basso said:

Not done any heating yet.

We don't have a smart meter, but E.On is saying we can have one.

Presume I should go for it?

Assuming that people are only using appliances / heating they deem necessary I've never really seen the benefit it smart meters other than to save on reading the meter or receiving estimate bills. I don't get how they keep trying to push them as something that saves you money.

certainly saves on meter reading costs and meters with isolators also allow remote connection/disconnection

there must also be some value in the data, for generators, a good application might be more inventive tariffs based on peak/off-peak pricing or even real-time demand, but i assume there's little/no incentive for energy middlemen to do that

Yeah, nothing really for the consumer though but they try to sell it as they are doing you a favour letting you have one and that it will save you money. I wonder how many people actually look at it and say "ooh, I didn't realise my kettle cost so much to run. I won't have any more cups of tea".

Munsford0

Eon have been nagging us for 3 or more years about smart meters. I agree to have them every time I sign up for another fixed rate tariff, but have been putting it off firstly cos Covid and more recently cos of fear they'll F something up in the process.

As far as I can tell there are next to no benefits to consumers, but potential benefits to the power companies / generators

shirley_basso

I guess it does make you realise how much it costs to run the electric shower - so you don't stand in there for bloody ages (I am guilty of this after a cold ride)

rjsterry

Pross said:

shirley_basso said:

Not done any heating yet.

We don't have a smart meter, but E.On is saying we can have one.

Presume I should go for it?

Assuming that people are only using appliances / heating they deem necessary I've never really seen the benefit it smart meters other than to save on reading the meter or receiving estimate bills. I don't get how they keep trying to push them as something that saves you money.

Not reading the meter is for the suppliers benefit plus they get lots of hour by hour data. You do get a grern-amber-red light for live usage, which is handy.

monkimark

British Gas sent me a load of 'urgent' emails about upgrading to a smart meter for safety reasons about a year ago but I ignored them and they lost interest.

I'm going to feel pretty silly if the old meter blows up.

TheBigBean

Pross said:

shirley_basso said:

Not done any heating yet.

We don't have a smart meter, but E.On is saying we can have one.

Presume I should go for it?

Assuming that people are only using appliances / heating they deem necessary I've never really seen the benefit it smart meters other than to save on reading the meter or receiving estimate bills. I don't get how they keep trying to push them as something that saves you money.

It will help some people understand their usage. It also enables more demand side response e.g. running your washing machine, dryer, dishwasher* at night and not 6pm in the winter. This can be turned into money for the consumer.

*There is a strict BR forum embargo about mentioning cold kitchen appliances in this context.

pblakeney

A timely reminder that struck me on the Putin thread. While Ukraine has no doubt made fuel more expensive rising energy costs were a topic of conversation in June 2021.

mully79

The energy suppliers are due to get fined at some stage for failing to hit their quota. i will get a smart meter after they get fined.

rick_chasey

pblakeney said:

A timely reminder that struck me on the Putin thread. While Ukraine has no doubt made fuel more expensive rising energy costs were a topic of conversation in June 2021.

Russian prep started early.

pblakeney

rick_chasey said:

pblakeney said:

A timely reminder that struck me on the Putin thread. While Ukraine has no doubt made fuel more expensive rising energy costs were a topic of conversation in June 2021.

Russian prep started early.

2014.
There was no talk of Ukraine developing prior to December. That I'm aware of.

rick_chasey

I meant June 2021

pblakeney

rick_chasey said:

I meant June 2021

According to this timeline things didn't start to really develop until November.

https://metro.co.uk/2022/03/21/ukraine-russia-war-full-timeline-of-key-events-leading-up-to-crisis-16309848/

rick_chasey

I understood the Germans noticed a significant reducing in gas flows throughout h2 of 2021