Will my energy company know?

[C33faxdata]

Hi,

I'm fitting solar myself, apart from doing electrics side which my sparky friend will complete. I live in the UK and have a Smart Meter and just wondering will me energy company find out if I export anything back to the grid? Clearly I want to try and use everything I generate and not export anything, but there will probably will be times it will export back. So will they know? Could i get found out or get in trouble?

 

[meetyg]

Yes, they will...
Smart meters these days know how to identify export. They will either notify the utility company, or charge you for export as if it were import.

You should check with your local rules and regulations, to see if export is allowed. But my gut feeling is that you would need to notify the utility company that your planning export.

You have other options:
1. Get an inverter that limits export. These usually have a clamp meter connected to the power lines, and measure your import from the grid. If your solar power is generating above that, it will either lower the production or simply stop producing altogether.

2. Use an off-grid inverter to power specific loads in your house.

 

[SveinHa]

My off-grid solar plant, which should not be able to export to grid, do export a tiny bit every now and then and my energy company found out and have visited me to find out what was going on. The reason that hey care is that in case of problems in the grid and they need to work on the cables, you should not be able to feed power TO the grid and thereby putting their people in danger.

 

[crossy]

Do check what the actual regulations are, your Sparky friend should be able to find out, it's very possible that you could go completely legal.

The UK regs are rather less paranoid about exporting to the live grid (rather than backfeeding a dead grid - which is a big no-no everywhere) than certain countries we could mention.

This of course assumes that your inverter is fully compliant with island protection etc. etc.

It cannot hurt to ask.