A common question that comes up during customer meeting is "what about exporting to the grid?" Whether you're thinking about this in order to reduce pay back times, or you don't want energy to go to waste, you have to ask yourself the question "is it really worth it?" And are there better ways to optimise my energy?"
In current times, I would always advise that the energy you harness is more valuable by storing it in a battery solution rather than exporting it to the grid, and here's why......
- Buying vs Selling Costs
How much do you pay for your electricity? An average purchase cost is around 24p per kWh, with the average selling cost being 2p per kWh. Would you sell a product for 2p and buy it back hours later for 24p? I certainly wouldn't, it's just bad business!
- Higher Installation costs
To export to the grid comes with its additional costs and certifications. The cost of a survey and qualified electrician to perform the export installation safely comes with its own additional costs; increasing the initial payment of your solar investment.
- Potential Fines for Over Exporting
If your inverter export limits are set incorrectly or malfunctions, then you could be over exporting to the grid. The grid has to keep track of how much is being exported in territories for safety reasons. Failure to comply could result in being penalised! So why put yourself at risk for so little reward?
As previously mentioned, I would always suggest a battery solution to harness as much energy as possible. But what if your battery becomes full? What happens to the excess energy? Well If your battery becomes full and without exporting to the grid, this energy becomes wasted. But what are your options to avoid exporting to the grid and optimising your solar energy?
- Add More Battery
With Battery solutions becoming more modular you may decide to increase your storage capacity. Granted the battery solution may be the most costly part of your solar system, so you may decide to start with a smaller battery and add to it as you gain more funds.
If you're concerned you won't fill a larger battery, especially during the winter months, then you can also optimise energy by changing over to a time of use tariff. This means you can charge your battery at a lower cost during the night from the grid, ready to use during high cost hours of the day.
- Export to Home Appliances
If you do have excess energy from solar, you can channel this energy to power other appliances within your home! Some examples could be to heat water, or if you're fortunate enough to power your jacuzzi or air conditioning unit.
Shannon Harris
