Home Solar Power Feed-in Tariff for Historical Domestic Installations in the UK

[sophiecentaur]

TL;DR Summary

I'm moving into a house with solar panels. Installed in 2011.
Does the Feed In Tariff still apply but how has it changed for this installation?

We are moving to a house which had PV panels fitted in 2011. The FIT system seems to have ended in UK for new installations and the rates reduced over the years. Users with an established system still get / got paid but the rate is reducing,?. But I should like to know if the value of this elderly system can be optimised. I can't get to any information from the present owner. (Probate Sale) until we move in and Google is very stingy about my specific query; it has loads of information about new systems and historical rates but not how much they pay for a system half way through its life,
I asked myself 'why have a dog and bark yourself' so could anyone here on PF help me with my problem? The only thing I know about the Feed-In Tariff is that rich geezers with big houses and south facing roofs were being subsidised by poor devils in north facing flats.

 

[Baluncore]

Maybe, view the initially high FIT, as a national PV installation incentive. In Australia, our FIT suddenly fell from 100%, to 30% of the normal energy tariff.

Once the smart money has gone down, the odds fall. Likewise, the FIT was reduced, once it had done its job nationally.

If PV had previously been installed at the premises, it is most unlikely that you will get an installation subsidy again. You will need to read the fine print.

Once we have PV installed, we are not in a good position to renegotiate our FIT.

I considered programming, or hardware, to boycott generated energy being delivered to the grid, until the FIT was more reasonable. During a boycott, "they" would lose more than "I" would have gained.

Since we should all support the environmental revolution, a boycott would be retrograde. The "system" would not change, while it would place us on an even lower moral ground than them.

Currency mining, or local hydrogen generation, may not be economic at the standard tariff, but it is probably economic at the lower FIT. Maybe there is an opportunity here to protest, during daylight hours.

 

[sophiecentaur]

@Baluncore thank you for the whistle stop tour of the general situation in Australia. However, after having alread read most of what your post tells me, I posted my specific question and it would only apply to the situation in UK.
There must be a forum for electric supply installers somewhere. I'll have to look for one of those. I don't like 'trade' forums because the contributors seem to need to include insults inside their replies from 'outsiders'.

 

[Baluncore]

If you can productively use the majority of your self-generated PV energy, during daylight hours, then the FIT becomes largely irrelevant.

 

[sophiecentaur]

If you can productively use the majority of your self-generated PV energy, during daylight hours, then the FIT becomes largely irrelevant.

True.
Just thinking aloud: a sunshine detector switch could be useful for water heating as a storage mechanism. I haven't looked into the details yet because we still haven't moved in. Using all the electric energy you can generate yourself makes a lot of sense but it can tie you down sometimes. For instance, my wife does the clothes washing and she hangs clothes outside when possible. She pointed out that the Sun's input from both sources has the same timetable each day.

Using batteries sounds to me an expensive solution until 'they' create good incentives for people to buy them. Using an EV might be the solution for storage but, when you need to make a monthly long trip, the system fails. And we don't want to continue running two cars.

Thing is you have to have a holistic approach to this problem and the factors often change around. The time will come (has come in some places) where feeding into the grid is limited by distribution systems and that could well mean subsidies for domestic batteries.

 

[Baluncore]

Just thinking aloud: a sunshine detector switch could be useful for water heating as a storage mechanism.

Rather than a sunshine detector, consider a "directional power detector" on your AC supply. If water temperature is below threshold, minimise energy export, by using it to heat water.

Some people are now using dedicated PV panels for water heating. PV has become cheaper, more functional, and more reliable, than having all that plumbing up on the roof.
Select a PV string with for example, a 230 Vdc voltage under load, to suit a 230 Vrms heater element. Match the string current to the heating element. To eliminate DC arcing, the thermostat should be arranged to short-out the PV DC supply (with one MOSFET), rather than opening the DC circuit supplying the water heating element. The heater element makes a good snubber. There is no dissipated power when there is no voltage.

Check also how you heat water. If electric, is it through a separate HW discount meter? Are you exporting at the FIT, and buying back at the HW discount price? That trap has caught many in Australia, since the FIT suddenly crashed below the HW price. Reliable hot water just became expensive.

Using an EV might be the solution for storage but, when you need to make a monthly long trip, the system fails.

Economics suggests a retired couple, with PV, should have one EV. If range anxiety is a problem, then for special occasions, consider travelling by rail, bus, or a rental vehicle.

Many people, as they age, are now avoiding driving on motorways. They have had too many had near misses, seen bad accidents and long traffic jams. Now that they are finally wise, they realise that speed and time are no longer critical. They know that they do not need the stress.

Become part of a bigger local community. Good Karma suggests regularly taking your neighbour to the shops in your EV, then borrowing their ICE vehicle for your occasional longer trips.

 

[Guineafowl]

You might get some info from here, although it’s typically hard to get a straight answer: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/feed-tariffs-fit

I have a similar problem. We’ve recently moved to a place with 3.6 kW solar, commissioned 2021, and a dumb export meter. I have tried to submit a reading for payment under the smart export guarantee scheme. All I get in reply is an insistence on fitting a smart meter, which I don’t want.

The dilemma is, the existing (dumb) import meter has failed, only flashing all LCD segments. This means our electricity is essentially unmetered. All we’re charged is a fairly small estimated monthly bill. I informed the supplier on moving in, and they’ve done nothing about it.

So, do I let sleeping dogs lie?

 

[sophiecentaur]

If range anxiety is a problem, then for special occasions, consider travelling by rail, bus, or a rental vehicle.

I have only ever rented in UK when I have needed a truck or van. It could make sense, though.
Rail in UK is really daft prices unfortunately. Long distance coaches worked for me when I backpacked and slept on floors etc.. UK long distance buses are not a good experience.

I think the best solution would be not to bother with EV and get, once more into local buses and no range worries with a cheap petrol vehicle. I can't see legislation changing fast enough to worry me,. Where we have been for the last ten years had one bus an hour but no buses on Sundays but we're moving to a better bus situation.