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dutyhog
Rank 5
dutyhog
Rank 5
September 10, 2025
Solved

Getting solar PV, battery & inverter - should we tell OVO?

  • September 10, 2025
  • 17 replies
  • 458 views

We are in a remote rural Scottish location which surprisingly qualifies for a Warmworks grant to instal solar PV. We have to have what they decide, which is “9 x 450W JA solar PV panels” on a west facing roof plus a “Duracell Bundle” battery and inverter.   I don't have any details of what these are, so can't look up what they do in detail.  We can't chose the installer. The installation will be next week - 15 & 16 September.

We are on OVO’s Economy10 tariff with an Aclara SGM1416-B smart meter and storage heaters (no boiler, no gas).  

1. The main question is - do we need to inform OVO that we are having panels and a battery?

2. We are at home most of most days, so can often use more electricity when the sky is bright. Is that the best strategy for economy?

3. I won't know until the system is installed next week whether  
    •    the panels can return power to the grid if the battery is full 
    •    the battery can be charged from off-peak electricity
Are these features usually expensive optional extras to what is probably a low-cost installation?

    Best answer by Ben_OVO

    Morning ​@dutyhog, I hope you’re well.

     

    Thanks for your post. I can share some information with you from the viewpoint of someone who works for OVO, however I don’t have solar panels myself. I’m just tagging one of our Forum Super Users ​@BPLightlog here in case he’s got any useful information for you, from the perspective of someone who does have solar panels.

     

    Firstly, there’s no obligation to tell OVO that you’re having solar panels installed. They should theoretically start lowering your bills going forward. However, we’d recommend signing up to our Smart Export Guarantee so that you can get paid by OVO for any energy you might export back to the grid. You can also find more info in this Forum topic:

     

     

    When you’re signed up you’ll need to provide Export readings from your smart meter when we ask for them. You can find out how to get them here:

     

     

    Here’s a detailed user guide for your meter as well: https://www.smartme.co.uk/docs/Aclara-SMETS2-Single-Phase-Electric.pdf

     

    In answer to your second question, it would be most efficient, in theory, to use energy during the day when its brighter. However, the fact you’re on Economy 10 will mean that you’re unit rates will differ at different times of the day. If you send a photo of the entire front of your meter I’ll be able to tell you what times your energy switches between peak and off-peak. Your heating will be coming on during your off-peak hours for example.

     

    I believe that the panels would return power to the grid if the battery is full, and that the battery can be charged from off-peak energy. Your installer will be able to shed some more light on this.

     

    I hope this helps!

    17 replies

    Show previous replies
    ExcelEnergy
    Newcomer
    ExcelEnergy
    Newcomer
    March 17, 2026

    Yes, let OVO know about the panels and battery. Using electricity when the sun’s out helps save money. Exporting to the grid or charging from off-peak may not be included in a basic system.

    Any reason for answering again ​@ExcelEnergy ?

     

    Just adding a bit more clarity/another perspective to help hope that’s okay

    BPLightlog
    Super User
    BPLightlogSuper User
    Super User
    March 17, 2026

    Just adding a bit more clarity/another perspective to help hope that’s okay

    It was just that you answered this thread with exactly the same comment some 10 days earlier … a little strange - that’s all 

     

    Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
      dutyhog
      Rank 5
      dutyhogAuthor
      Rank 5
      March 24, 2026

      I’m collecting all the information I need to fill in Ovo’s SEG forms. I undestand that the export reading that OVO wants is the 15 kWh showing on the Aclara meter.  While looking at that I noticed some puzzling  things, and wonder if anyone can explain what I’m seeing.

       

      • The Aclara smart meter says that 15 kWh has been exported since it was installed in April 2025. That must have been only since the solar panels were installed in August 2025
      • The Emlite PV generation meter now reads EXP 81.7 kWh,  IMP 619.5 kWh, NET 587.8 kWh.
      • The Duracell app for the panels & battery says that since installation in August 2025 GRID EXPORT totals 4.9kWh, GRID IMPORT 9195.1, SOLAR GENERATION 569.5, BATTERY CHARGE 178.8, HOME CONSUMPTION 9756.

       

      Why does Duracell report only 4.9 and Emlite reports 81.7 ?   

       

      OVO’s usage record from the Aclara meter is for about 9000 kWh since August 2025 which is similar to Duracell’s report. The in-house display reads 5019 kWh total import since that date. Can the IHD can be very wrong?

      gordon
      BPLightlog
      Super User
      BPLightlogSuper User
      Super User
      March 24, 2026

      The Aclara meter will be the certified version to use.

      Although the Emlite is good for generation, it’s not as accurate for the whole system.

      Your Duracell app (like other systems) only takes samples every few minutes so it’s not surprising that all readings are different.

      You should use the Aclara for billing/export reference, the Emlite for Net generation and the Duracell app as a quick guide.

      Unfortunately IHD’s can give a false picture, some don’t even track export at all

      Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
        dutyhog
        Rank 5
        dutyhogAuthor
        Rank 5
        March 26, 2026

        Thanks again BPlightlog.

         

        I've started the SEG application process with Ovo, and am trying to get the correct information to them (apparently I was given a wrong MPAN). 

         

        What still puzzles me is what the Emlite ECA2.nz is telling me.  When I wrote above, it read EXP 81.7 kWh,  IMP 619.5 kWh, NET 587.8 kWh.

        Adding the explanations from the Emlite data sheet:

        IMP 619.5 kWh - The Import register.  If there is battery storage located with the solar equipment, this is the amount of energy taken to charge the battery from the grid.

        This seems nonsense. I don't have the battery set to import from the grid (it's possible, but I haven't chosen it). It looks more like the solar generation amount.

         

        EXP 81.7 kWh – The Export register. The export register shows the amount of energy supplied to the home from solar generation and any battery storage.

        This seems very low - Duracell says 569.5 kWh solar generation. It’s about twice what Duracell says for BATTERY CHARGE 178.8 kWh.

         

        NET 587.8 kWh – The Net register is the calculated amount of energy that has been generated by the solar system and offsets the energy supplied from battery storage when charged from the grid. For a system which has both solar generation and co-located battery storage, the NET value should be used as the reading for any Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) claim.

        This is closer to the solar generation. It’s certainly not the 15 kWh amount of energy exported to the grid.

         

        Maybe it’s not connected correctly?

         

        Gordon 

         

         

         

         

        gordon
        BPLightlog
        Super User
        BPLightlogSuper User
        Super User
        March 26, 2026

        NET meters do add a whole other level of confusion for users .. especially with the ‘indications’ of Import and Export which are not what you would normally associate with those terms.

        For your Export reading, you use the reading on your Aclara meter, assuming that it has the appropriate set up and export MPAN associated.

        On the Emlite meter, this is designed to look at your generation and storage system. The description given, tries to indicate how it calculates a NET generation figure as anything that does charge batteries from the grid would add to the generation reading and so

        NET = IMPort - EXPort

        NET being the figure of ‘pure’ generation. If you’re not set up for grid charging, it may be something the system uses to balance or calibrate the batteries.

        But this is only important if you need to offer a generation reading (as those on the older FIT - Feed in Tariff - do). The fact that they use the Import and Export terms confuses most but the NET reading should indeed be at least close to your Duracell system (as explained earlier, Solar apps are often not totally accurate as they take reading samples rather than log continuously).

        Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
        Ben_OVO
        Community Manager
        Ben_OVO
        Community Manager
        March 30, 2026

        ​@BPLightlog I’ve added the ‘Solar Savvy’ badge to your profile to make it easier for other members to find you if they need expert solar advice 😎. Thanks for your great insight as always.

         

        ​@dutyhog I’ve also added badges to your profile to show you have solar panels and a battery. It’s great to hear you’re signing up to us for SEG; is the MPAN issue sorted now? If you needed some more info we’ve got several handy articles in our Library section here, including this 

        great blog post from ​@BPLightlog 👇

         

         

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