diy solar

diy solar

Hello all, from the UK

bikerchris

New Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2022
Messages
10
Location
Kent, UK
Just thought I'd say hello here, hope you are all doing well.

I'm in the UK and even though we don't exactly have much sun, I want to explore solar potential. So far my experience is a simple 9x9" panel that connects to a security light haha! I do have some electrical knowledge, though some of anything can be dangerous, I know more about building work than electrical work.

I would like to see the cost theory for solar to power an outbuilding I built in June 2021. I have been using it as an office and although I insulated it quite well, it still uses 6KWH's a day to heat (19.5 Sq. M. / 210 Sq. Ft. floor area). Anyway, I will create a proper post in the proper place about it, just to get some advice.

Cheers in advance!

Chris

P.S. I saw there was no email verify on this forum, you might want to sort that but then again I don't know if you get a lot of fake people joining.
 
Hi @bikerchris ! Welcome to the forum! I'm a relatively new member as well, and I'm based in Scotland! :)

Best heating with electricity would be a heat pump, but you could have some electric underfloor heating that may do the job pretty well, given everything is well insulated. 6kwh a day for heating an office room is a lot I would think.

Cheers,
Tony
 
Hi @bikerchris ! Welcome to the forum! I'm a relatively new member as well, and I'm based in Scotland! :)

Best heating with electricity would be a heat pump, but you could have some electric underfloor heating that may do the job pretty well, given everything is well insulated. 6kwh a day for heating an office room is a lot I would think.

Cheers,
Tony
Hi Tony, thank you for the warm welcome! I hope Scotland is treating you well!

Funnily enough I was going the ASHP initially, but I stuck with the oil filled rad because it's quiet. I did wonder about underfloor heating though, I thought it wasn't too efficient though?

I've not quite finished building it yet...it's a bit raw still, so hopefully once externally clad and internally lined, that should help a bit. Sadly, I've run some numbers for making it independent from mains power and the costs were comical, but I'm still going to get some panels for low power items (excluding heating). I don't live in an area of regular powercuts, but I'd like to have some power redundancy just in case - if I can save money, that's a bonus!

2022-04-17 13.15.14 - Copy.jpg

2021-11-28 15.16.44 - Copy.jpg
 
Solar panel heating in not cost effective.

Consider a glass south facing frontage for your building.

Use as thick as practical, 100mm or more, Insulation panels on floor walls and ceiling . This is the most cost effective method to reduce heating and cooling costs.

Mike
 
Solar panel heating in not cost effective.

Consider a glass south facing frontage for your building.

Use as thick as practical, 100mm or more, Insulation panels on floor walls and ceiling . This is the most cost effective method to reduce heating and cooling costs.

Mike
Yep, it seems that way :(

I only have glass facing East, so it picks up the morning sun, I've got some externally applied window film as solar gain seems to be an issue.

I put 4" inch PIR EcoTherm on the floor, 4" PIR externally fixed to the blockwork walls and 4" PIR over the roof joists (warm deck). I would have preferred a cavity, but needed to build quick.
 
Wood burning stove would be your best saving.
That had crossed my mind at one point, electricity prices in the UK have gone up so much lately. I've got a feeling this is a mainly USA forum, so here's a peak at UK life :(

3 bed house, no electric car, 2 adults (work from home), 2 children. It is poorly insulated...because I'm working on other peoples houses so much!

Screenshot 2022-05-08 07.47.02.png
 
That had crossed my mind at one point, electricity prices in the UK have gone up so much lately. I've got a feeling this is a mainly USA forum, so here's a peak at UK life :(

3 bed house, no electric car, 2 adults (work from home), 2 children. It is poorly insulated...because I'm working on other peoples houses so much!
I couldn't afford to live in the UK after I retired, so I moved to SEA.
3 bed house, 2-3 adults, 1-2 kids, no insulation or heating 'cos it hardly ever goes below 30c.
After spending 2,000 pounds on solar my electric bill is 5 pounds/month (50 units) and my gas bill is 10 pounds (15Kg propane) every 2 months.
Yearly energy bill about 120 pounds.
 
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That had crossed my mind at one point, electricity prices in the UK have gone up so much lately. I've got a feeling this is a mainly USA forum, so here's a peak at UK life :(

3 bed house, no electric car, 2 adults (work from home), 2 children. It is poorly insulated...because I'm working on other peoples houses so much!

View attachment 93835
I am curious about a word posted in your reply.

I know the UK spells many English words differently from American spellings…

Is PEEK spelled peak in the UK?

In America, PEAK is the tip of a mountain, where PEEK is gaining a quick look…

Sorry for the derail, but I’m curious.
 
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I couldn't afford to live in the UK after I retired, so I moved to SEA.
3 bed house, 2-3 adults, 1-2 kids, no insulation or heating 'cos it hardly ever goes below 30c.
After spending 2,000 pounds on solar my electric bill is 5 pounds/month (50 units) and my gas bill is 10 pounds (15Kg propane) every 2 months.
Yearly energy bill about 120 pounds.
Wow, that is excellent - do you have a post detailing your setup, I'm intrigued!
 
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