Solar for dummies

[conor_mc]

In case it's relevant at all ...

Very much so, it’s exactly what I’m looking for now, thanks for the tip! Tbf, €400 for an Eddi at the time might have been overkill, but probably would’ve been easier to just get it done all in one go. It’d never have paid for itself, but the overall investment thesis of solar+battery was so good, I should’ve allowed myself an indulgence for its contribution to reducing our carbon footprint a bit more.

First things first, need to replace my immersion (the electrical element is broken)

You could probably install one of the above whilst getting the element replaced Sarah, rather than a more expensive Eddi installed with the solar.

 

[Sarah Ryan]

You could probably install one of the above whilst getting the element replaced Sarah, rather than a more expensive Eddi installed with the solar.

I have never used the immersion and we are in the house 5 years this autumn, we use the gas for all the water heating as it is the cheapest.
I just checked in the press there is a very basic timer there for 15 mins / 30 mins / 1 hour and 2 hours and a Boost button.

Do I need to upgrade as I assume if we need more hot water during peak times we are going to use the gas to heat it?
My god this solar stuff has my head fried lol.

 

[Leo]

I regret skipping this for a €400 saving on my install bill at the time. Not for the solar diversion but I could be timing my immersion to run from 2-5am for 6c per kWh of relatively clean electricity during 8 non-winter months of the year, compared to burning 8c gas at a higher environmental cost.

Oh, it's much cheaper fit a dedicated immersion timer for that purpose. Simple enough DIY install for anyone who can wire a plug. Just take the live from the existing immersion switch to feed the live in and feed the live out to the live on the immersion switch.

 

[Sarah Ryan]

for anyone who can wire a plug

Get this lad in.....

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

 

[lff12]

What I’m looking for now is a timer with boost option, to help my forgetful kids who haven’t yet realised the immersion doesn’t magically switch itself off!

The Secure Controls range are good for this. Also can fit a wifi module that enables you to switch off your immersion remotely while sitting on the plane to your holidays, if you forgot to switch it off.

 

[lff12]

In case it's relevant at all ... I replaced my old Horstmann Nightsaver "Economy 7" Quartz electromechanical timer with one of these digital units last year that I picked up second hand (although unused) on Adverts.ie for €80 (should be possible to get them online for about €130 brand new). It controls my dual element Nightsaver immersion. The old timer was working fine but could only do a fixed 5-7 hours at night while with this one I can do as little as 15 minutes and 2 hours is more than enough for my needs.

E7+ - United Kingdom

The new E7+ from Secure is the latest version of the Electronic 7 hot water programmer. Designed to be the successor to both the Electronic 7 and the Economy 7 Quartz, it is easy to install or retrofit.

www.securemeters.com

This is exactly the model I was thinking of. I have this, and they design their models to be upgraded by the next version as the back panel stays the same, so you don't need to fully rewire it, you just take off the front panel and replace it with the front panel from the newest version.
The wifi module is extra - brand new the 2 together was around 200 euros. If you get the app its possible to enable an Alexa skill also so you can set routines with even shorter than 15 minutes in Alexa.

 

[Sarah Ryan]

The solar project is going well so far.... I got a new stainless steel hot water tank and triple glazed windows throughout the house and a porch built....I was getting bamboozled with all the info so said sod it get the windows done first it's easier!!!

Estimate we will have loan cleared in approx 2.5 years with rental income, we will go at it then with another loan.

 

[Shabbyroad]

Tell me about the stainless steel water tank. What was the cost to supply and fit and what benefits will you gain? Are you still hearing it with gas or electricity? I’ve never fully understood which is more cost effective - I’ve always gone with the conventional advice that gas is more cost effective however with improved night rates for electricity I suspect that may have changed.


We have solar PV for almost 10 years and our first inverter & battery paid for themselves in less than 5 years. Upgraded to a larger battery and better featured inverter earlier this year. Has automatic failover should there be a grid outage and if I wish I can connect a generator to the inverter (doubt I ever will but may look into it in the future).

 

[Robovac rider]

I installed solar thermal about 15 years ago. I used a copper cylinder. Stainless steel was a good bit more expensive.

If you are operating your hot water system from an attic cold water supply tank, copper is fine.

If you are going to convert your hot water system to operate directly from the mains water supply you would need a stainless steel tank.

Stainless steel tanks are designed to withstand higher water pressure.

Check out further comparison here

Stainless steel vs copper for domestic hot water cylinder design and production – which material is most suited for which purpose and why? - Lawton Tubes

The UK domestic market has always had a unique perspective for hot water and central heating systems. Up until around 40 years ago, UK central heating and hot water supply usually consisted of a copper hot water cylinder that was heated by a gas or oil-fired boiler. An alternative method was to...

lawtontubes.co.uk

 

[Sarah Ryan]

Supplied at fitted €880.
We have the original tank in since the house was built, immersion has been broke ever since we moved in so we've always just used the gas to heat the water.

Apparently when you try to take out the top part of the element from a copper tank an older one, you can get pinholes so the stainless steel does not allow this to happen and it is a more seamless replacement job for the element regardless of the age of the tank, that's what I've been sold lol.

The water stays hotter for longer up to 60 hours I believe, I haven't tested it fully but yes it is staying hotter for longer, also heating up quicker so using less gas is what I'm noticing.

 

[Shabbyroad]

Thanks @Sarah Ryan I expect that for our use case (two soon to be retired people) it makes sense to look into the switch. I already have an EDDIninstalled. It’s not being used at the moment as I haven’t figured out how to use it only to heat water at cheap rate and not to use surplus solar electricity (prefer to sell that back to the grid). With ~60 hours heat retention we should only need to use electricity maybe 4 times a week max.

 

[Sarah Ryan]

it makes sense to look into the switch

Whenever something needs to be replaced in the house I am an all or nothing person, give me the most modern product which is going to do the best job even if it costs a bit more.

 

[jfrank]

Whenever something needs to be replaced in the house I am an all or nothing person, give me the most modern product which is going to do the best job even if it costs a bit more.

Exactly my approach too! The installation date for my solar panels is 10 July and, given I have an EV and wife has a plug-in hybrid I have a feeling it is a really worthwhile spend. Also, I do not think electricity rates are going to come down in this country as we have a system of regulation that is all about encouraging feed-in tariffs to the grid. The consumner does not even enter the equation, it is all about making it ptofitable for the generators. Cynical I know but I think regulation in this country rarely has a consumer protection focus

 

[Sarah Ryan]

Exactly my approach too!

The amount of people on the road asking me am I getting new double glazed windows, like why on earth would you do that?

An upgrade is just that, an upgrade, now double glazed now is sure to be a lot better than 20 years ago but still, if you are ripping out a window frame the best of the best needs to be replacing it.

 

[jfrank]

True, I changed my patio doors 2 years ago..... previous ones were aluminium, not PVC. It made a big difference. Then last year I put in a pellet stove with backboiler, again a massive difference. This year's project is the solar panels. While I have a reasonably ideal setting of South-Easterly at the back I have these windows that protrude into the roof and limit space for panels.... I hope to get 12 but a mate of min next door with a straightforward roof got 16.

 

[Robovac rider]

@Sarah Ryan
You should insulate all the pipes connected to your hot water cylinder. These pipes conduct heat away. This is a very easy DIY job and is very cheap.

 

[Sarah Ryan]

You should insulate all the pipes connected to your hot water cylinder.

Oh the inside pipes too? I did get that foam for the pipes outside the gas box and the overflow pipe from the boiler.

 

[Robovac rider]

Yes, put foam insulation on the inside pipes also.

 

[Sarah Ryan]

Yes, put foam insulation on the inside pipes also.

Hello Screwfix

 

[Leo]

if you are ripping out a window frame the best of the best needs to be replacing it.

Within reason, triple glazing might offer a 20-30% improvement in thermal efficiency, but if the walls they are going into aren't well insulated you won't gain anything from that improvement.