My smart home

Discussions around the latest tech at home: EVs, solar, smart heat, battery storage and more

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434 Topic threads

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New Member**
Natasha11New Member**
Posted in My smart home

How can I arrange paying for TADO smart thermostat in instalments via my OVO online account?

Hi I have an offer on my ovo account for a Tado smart meter for £120 which can be paid up front or in interest free instalments. However, when I go to pay it doesn't give the option for instalments. Has anyone managed to take up this offer and paid in instalments? I have emailed ovo a couple of weeks ago and had no reply.Thanks in advance :)Natasha 

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N
New Member**
1 year ago
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Carbon Cutter*****
tony1tfCarbon Cutter*****
posted in My smart home

ChargedEV Smart Charger - Using APIs to integrate with my immersion heater?

We have been using our Indra/Ovo/Kaluza smart charger for 4 months now. We also have solar panels, so we use Solar Matching mode to allow the charger to drop to a low current so we don’t take power from the grid when the sun is out. The Smart+ app gives useful info, and I can view and download csv files of historical car charging data if I want to. What the app doesn’t tell me is how it is balancing loads, and doesn’t give me control over the charging rate, apart from the ability to ‘Boost’ which overrides the smart charging and takes electricity at the standard rate. With historical data, from the charger and my smart meter, I could probably find out a few more statistics, but it isn’t straightforward.  I would like to be able to control my immersion heater as well from the system - I already have a logic level input to a solid state switch which can turn the immersion heater on and off - just need access to the APIs associated with the smart charger to find out what it is doing, and

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nealmurphy
Plan Zero Hero
1 year ago
M
Carbon Cutter*
mackduffCarbon Cutter*
posted in My smart home

Getting the best out of my Home battery system - What's the best method to charge it up?

[img]https://uploads-eu-west-1.insided.com/ovo-en/attachment/5c13d456-ba85-45c7-9810-eebe85632f96.jpg[/img] During the summer months batteries are great however little electricity is used during this period, From the end of October my battery received little charge and remains totally discharged through December and January probably be little change during February. Food for thought Statement for electric during July £9 , December £109. After renovating a small Bungalow Gas was disconnected sourcing my heating via infrared heaters , all in all pleased with the set up . To improve the system there need to be a alternative to charge the batteries during the short dank days of winter . Apart from a wind turbine would accept any further advice on topping up batteries.

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k1ms
Carbon Cutter****
1 year ago
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philipHCarbon Cutter*****
Posted in My smart home

Solar storage - How can I work out what sized batteries I need?

We have a 12 panel array which is feeding into our  Pylontech US3000 battery. On a good day like today our battery is 90% full the panels are producing 2.97kwh. As our usage is low at this time, 2pm, the energy produced by the panels is being fed into the grid. we are just about to go onto a new tariff paying 44p/kwh   A new Pylontech US5000 battery will cost £1400. Is an additional battery worth investing in? Not sure how to work it out. We are currently producing between 1/3 and ½ of our daily usage   This obviously goes down considerably in winter months between 1-3kWh depending on the weather.All our hot water at this time of year is coming from the panels via a solar iboost to an immersion heater Summary, half our production on a sunny day is being fed to the grid. What can I do? How many batteries would I need. 

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M.isterW
Plan Zero Hero
1 year ago
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Carbon Cutter*****
Nick ChallacombeCarbon Cutter*****
Posted in My smart home

Do I need to let OVO know about my solar panel installation?

I have permission from Network Power to install 9 kWp on my roof and they said to contact OVO to let them know. I cannot find where to contact let alone who to contact, is there anyone who can help on this forum.

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N
Carbon Cutter*****
1 year ago
1
Carbon Cutter***
12likeCarbon Cutter***
Posted in My smart home

Can I connect my In Home Display (IHD) to my Solar Inverter to show my exported energy?

Does OVO supply a type of In Home Display unit for smart meters which also shows generation from solar panels?  Where can I find user and  installation instructions?   I want to know if there is a meaningful comparison of electricity usage vs generation (including setting FiT rates), and I want to know how it connects e.g. to inverter’s wifi or current clamp onto solar wire.  

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K
Carbon Catcher*
1 year ago
R
New Member***
richb99999New Member***
posted in My smart home

Feedback on Vehicle to Grid (V2G) trial: cost savings and future green tech plans

Hi,our V2G system has been fully functioning for a year, so I thought it might be useful to share our experiences. We have quite a lot of green tech installed – first solar, then a Leaf (mainly to access the V2G trial), and this winter an ASHP. It seemed like the right thing to do for the environment, but I had nagging doubts that we might be shooting ourselves in the foot financially, in terms of running costs, maintenance & deterioration. But having gone through all our bills for the last 12 months, it is working out to be very cheap to run the house & car, when the V2G credit is included. Long may it continue!Leaf battery deterioration with V2GIt’s a 62 kWh Leaf bought 31 Jan 2020. So it’s about 2 years 2 months old. It has done 20500 miles. About half the mileage is tootling around town. The other half is tootling on motorways (I usually tuck in behind trucks or coaches to maximise range). We mostly charge at home with only an occasional fast charge on the motorway.Leaf Spy

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A
Plan Zero Hero
1 year ago
Jequinlan
Plan Zero Hero
JequinlanPlan Zero Hero
posted in My smart home

Ever seen inside an Indra Vehicle to Grid (V2G) charger?

Well here is your chance.… Opened by a ChargedEv engineer in front of me (I didn't ask) while i finally have my replacement unit. @Transparent , @Blastoise186  thought you may in partuculat be interested. And yes, he left it opend like this in the rain too...

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Jequinlan
Plan Zero Hero
1 year ago
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Carbon Cutter*****
Rick HCarbon Cutter*****
Posted in My smart home

Finding the best export tariff to support my solar panels and reduce energy costs?

Hi,Below a copy of my recent email to OVO, Octopus and Tesla UK.Email Subject Header: Will I just be whistling in the wind, whilst drowning and/or being electrocuted trying to plug my extension lead into an offshore turbine? Well, let's find out... Re: Octopus, OVO and Tesla UK domestic energy and including UK domestic SEG export and fixed price duel fuel import. I'm currently on a UK fixed domestic duel fuel contract with OVO until October 2022 but because of the likelihood of another crippling rise in grid supply energy costs I'm looking ahead. This not just for the best UK fixed grid duel fuel import cost but also the best UK SEG export tariff. I am currently under no export contract with my existing supplier OVO, or anyone else.  I meet all UK SEG export requirements with a domestic total solar installed capacity of 2.64 kW.  I'm disabled, 65 years old, effectively medically retired and subsist on a fixed income. Therefore, unfortunately I'm unable to afford battery storage for eff

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Jess_OVO
Retired Moderator
1 year ago
K
New Member***
KBnNew Member***
posted in My smart home

Looking for advice on changing heating system from gas/oil to a more sustainable option - e.g. air source heat pump

Hi,I’m reaching out to learn from your experiences of changing heating system from gas/oil to a more sustainable option. To give you some context, we are currently based in Sweden and are in the process of relocating to the UK. As part of this process, we want to make sure that it will be possible to replace the current heating system with a more sustainable option. We are therefore keen to get a sense of price points and possible set-ups, as well as a a more detailed understanding of what is included/needed in terms of costs and activities/services/products when replacing heating systems.I have plenty of questions, but as a start I have specified two below: 1) We are most interested in an Air Heat Pump at the moment - what different actions/services are needed for this before, during and after the installation and what does each part cost? Does anyone have an example quote to share just for my understanding? How are the cost distributed among the different actions products? 2) I saw t

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A
Carbon Cutter*
1 year ago
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Carbon Cutter*
Steve JCarbon Cutter*
Posted in My smart home

Why can't my online account recognise my low imported energy following a solar PV/home battery installation?

We have a 16.4 kWh battery storage system and in January tripled the capacity of our roof-top solar. Since March, with solar output increasing, we are getting more days where we inport zero or tiny amounts of electricity. OVO’s usage tracker doesn’t seem to be able to handle this. Our smart meter is set to half hourly readings and apparently readings are being sent. Only once have we been asked for a manual reading. If I don’t send regular readings, the account just estimates 8 or 9 kWh, when I do it corrects itself.At the same time, we are warned that our account is heading for £££ debit by August (contract start date) if we don’t increase our DD. It’s obvious the opposite will happen and we are likely to be in significant credit. I emailed customer services a while back telling them we had all this tech installed and our consumption woud fall but was just told the system would sort itself out. Any ideas?

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S
Carbon Cutter*
1 year ago
K
Carbon Cutter****
krankydCarbon Cutter****
posted in My smart home

Anyone with experience of a larger air source heat pump (ASHP) and its running costs?

HI,I’ve got an old stone house and we’ve been looking at getting an ASHP installed, we have a quote for a dual 22kw ASHP arrangement. Just wanting to know if anyone else has any experience in running a larger setup? We have an 11kw turbine on-site so this should hopefully take some of the load and will perhaps look to install 5-10kw of solar to supplement. On a good day we can generate ~200kw of wind power.. 

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S
Carbon Cutter*****
1 year ago
S
Carbon Cutter*
SabineCarbon Cutter*
Posted in My smart home

How much should my energy supplier charge for a gas meter removal?

We want our gas meter removed.  Our supplier is bulb, they want to charge 430 pound for that. I know some firm remove for free or a charge around 100 pound . According to bulb it's a special job.  To me it's just a smart meter fitted around two years ago. Can that be right? They have been difficult being difficult with the whole situation from the start. 

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S
Carbon Cutter*
1 year ago
Y
Carbon Cutter*
YatCarbon Cutter*
Posted in My smart home

My meter's clocking backwards following a solar panel installation - Who should I contact to replace?

3 weeks of new Solar Panels.  Great!.  Meter reading has gone backwards.  My solar app tells me what has been drawn from the grid.  How to fix the meter, and ensure more accurate billing?

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Jess_OVO
Retired Moderator
1 year ago
C
Carbon Cutter*****
croninsfcCarbon Cutter*****
Posted in My smart home

How to connect my Tado thermostat to my Vaillant ecotec boiler? Is it not compatible?

Well not impressed at all with the supposedly super compatible v3+ starter kit.Got to the bit of the instructions for setting up the receiver which requires it to obviously to be wired to something on the boiler/ control centre (in my case a Vaillant ecotec 618 with VR 65 control centre which currently uses Vaillant ebus through a VRT392f programmer and receiver).Every choice of component I make related to my boiler installation in the extensive list of kit in the Tado database says “not compatible”.I have found some Tado information on enabling ebus control, but that’s not a lot of use when it doesn’t tell you how to wire things up in the first place! Very confused with the difference between the wireless receiver supplied in the V3+ starter kit and other references I have found to a tado extension kit!it’s ridiculous that you can’t find this compatibility/ installation information out before purchasing, and how come OVO are promoting this apparent minefield?Perhaps it’s to commit you

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C
Carbon Cutter*****
1 year ago
4
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48havelockCarbon Cutter****
Posted in My smart home

How can I effectively cover my Air-Source Heat Pump without compromising efficiency?

Hi there. I have built a cover for my ASHP and wonder how many others have done the same. I am considering a redesign after some feedback from engineers who seen this on Facebook. Like making the spacing gaps bigger and possibly removing the hidden side panel.  

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nealmurphy
Plan Zero Hero
1 year ago
D
Carbon Cutter*****
dnshortoCarbon Cutter*****
Posted in My smart home

New solar panels and a PV Grid Tie inverter charging 4 Li-ion batteries - Why is my meter still clocking similar usage? Have my batteries been installed correctly?

Installation has just (Friday 13/11/20) been completed on my roof in Stockport of 28 solar panels and a PV Grid Tie single phase inverter charging 4 x 3.5kWh Li-ion batteries via a 3kW AC Coupled inverter. The included phone app shows that I am now drawing very little grid power and the batteries are fully charging even on fairly dull days, and are still fairly “full’ next morning. However, my daily meter readings are little changed from pre-solar times which means that my electricity bills will not decrease. I am not particularly concerned with selling power back to the grid as I understand that this is poorly rewarded at this time, but I am worried that the electricity which the sun is now freely providing directly for my consumption will still be charged for as if it were coming from the grid. I was expecting my meter to more or less stand still, or even “run backwards” but that isn’t happening. Is there a way to fix this please?

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M
Carbon Cutter****
1 year ago
Tim_OVO
Community Manager
Tim_OVOCommunity Manager
Posted in My smart home

Heat pump debate: a summary of findings from our guest speakersTutorial

Updated on 19/04/22 by Jess_OVO Key themes from our latest air source heat pump event Following on from our latest online event on heat pumps, we’ve put together an easy to read summary of their insights and findings. So, if you’re considering a heat pump for your home, or simply want to learn more about this electricity powered alternative to gas boilers, here are 4 things that all of our speakers agreed on: Heat pump installation work in the home is extensive  All 3 segments touched on the large amount of work that took place getting the heat pump and accompanying equipment installed. The work took well over a week, and across multiple rooms if pipes and radiators needed replacing. Stock up on tea bags! Heat pumps can work even in retrofitted homes, if done well There's lots of variables. The heat pump model and type (high or low temperature), pipe insulation, the radiator sizes used, temperature sensor location etc: everyone agreed that installation quality is important. According t

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Tim_OVO
Community Manager
1 year ago
S
New Member**
SlartybartfarstNew Member**
Posted in My smart home

Solis / Ginlong 3.6-2G 4.2KW inverter reports INI-fault - Is it the CR2032 coil cell backup battery?

I have a Solis / Ginlong 3.6-2G 4.2KW inverter. Its been brilliant on my 16 Sanyo black solar panel set up, it was installed in 2015 but last week came up INI-Fault which is listed as initialisation fault.  I noticed that in bright sunlight the unit has a slight high frequency buzz and the LED light will pulse a tiny bit in this situation. Also after the fail it was listing the grid frequency as 40Hz (but obviously not starting up). I notice that there is a CR2032 Coil cell battery inside the front panel and wondered this will defiantly be flat now after 7 years is this why the inverter is reporting "INI-fault" and if i tried to replace the battery could i do more harm than good if im wrong the the battery still has some energy and when i flip it out i will truly loose any set up files?

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S
New Member**
1 year ago
T
New Member*
theyellowkimonoNew Member*
Posted in My smart home

Can I install an internal Electric Vehicle (EV) charger inside my garage (with an external connection)?

Hi,I’m getting an EV home charger installed soon (untethehered) and I’m looking at where to place it. Ideally, I want it inside the garage rather than outside on public view. This causes a little headscratching as to how to actually use the charging cable. What I have ‘dreamt up’ is shown below:Charger is on the wall inside the garage There will be 2 Type 2 cables available to plug-in (not at the same time) One cable will exit the left hand side wall The other will, after routing the cable, exit the right hand side wall On the outside I want to fit a ‘port’ (similar to what is pictured - although I used a photo editor to make it) - which I’d like to be a small unit that is very unobtrusive  I know that I’ll have to go into the garage to plug in the correct cable (left side/right side) but I would rather do that than have the wall charger itself on just one side externally. This way I have options on which side to use depending on whether we have visitors/another EV in a year or 2. My q

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A
Plan Zero Hero
1 year ago
P
Carbon Cutter*
paladCarbon Cutter*
Posted in My smart home

Which OVO EV plans can I access with an Easee EV charger?

Hi, I get delivery of an EV in March and got my EV charger installed (Easee One) last week. I’m like most members are on a Standard variable rate. I see that the OVO EV package requires a specific charger which I didn’t realise. The question is  can can I switch to an EV tariff using my Easee One and would it be cost efficient or should I stick to the standard variable? I do around 700-1000 miles a month, mostly local so will charge every so often but want to charge at the cheapest possible rate and don’t mind charging off-peak.

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nealmurphy
Plan Zero Hero
1 year ago
Bev
Carbon Cutter*****
BevCarbon Cutter*****
posted in My smart home

Recommended settings for efficient heating and hot water with a heat pump? How to reduce energy use.

HiWe had our installation in July and haven’t paid much attention really, water’s hot, love the EcoDan, delighted with everything.And then...We’ve just had our first month’s electricity bill since having the heating on which has focused our minds. If I’m honest, we haven’t got our heads around this at all. Now we want to. We’re reading the manual and up and down to the loft, but have no idea what we’re doing.I’ve just taken readings and calculated our COP is 2.18. I have no idea what that means really other than, based on reading these threads, it’s not great.Our hot water, until a few minutes ago, was set to apparently heat up on demand, there were no timings set at all. We’ve set it to come on for a couple of hours in the night when we’re on economy 7. We had already set the temperature to 45 and the water is coming out of the taps at that temperature.Eco mode was not selected. We’ve selected it.So. For a Heat Pump numpty like me: any other basic recommended actions we can take at th

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Bev
Carbon Cutter*****
1 year ago
D
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DK1083Carbon Cutter****
Posted in My smart home

How can I switch to an Electric Vehicle (EV) plan with OVO once my new EV arrives?

I am awaiting delivery of an EV. If I switch to OVO now, can I transfer to an EV tariff when my car arrives?

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nealmurphy
Plan Zero Hero
1 year ago
A
Carbon Cutter****
amackayjCarbon Cutter****
Posted in My smart home

Solar PV panels and an electric vehicle (EV) - Working out the best OVO Plan/Tariff for me

I have read the advice on this guide but I still don't know what to do and I hope there are others here who have the same situationWe have a PHEV (Mitsubishi Outlander) with a 12kwh pack which takes roughly 4 hours to charge with the 10amp charger or 2 with the 30amp.We have a PV array with AC output of up to 4.8kwWe're on the Better Smart plan, so pay the same, regardless of time of day.The car needs to be charged twice per day during the week, sometimes more, and once or twice per day on weekends.The car gets charged from 10am to 4pm and between 1am and 5am.We use most of our electricity after 5pm, cooking supper, etc.I can't decide whether to:Stay on this planSwitch to economy 7 (and get nailed in winter and when the weather is rubbish)Switch to OVO Drive (see above regarding PV and it looks like I'd have to shell out for a smart charger… difficult to get more information without applying) If anyone else has this setup, then I'd like to hear what you have discovered

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Carbon Cutter****
1 year ago
P
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philipHCarbon Cutter*****
Posted in My smart home

What's causing the consumption peak I've noticed on my Solarman smart app?

I have a SOLARMAN smart app. During the day when solar panels are producing energy it shows as a blue area on the graph. At roughly the same time it shows a similar size red area of energy usage at a time when almost no energy is being used in the housewe have a solar array, 1 battery, a hot water cylinder and a SOLARiBoost+thank youphilip

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Jess_OVO
Retired Moderator
1 year ago

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