My smart home

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

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  • 5,419 Comments

Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) cost analysis - how does it compare to a ga...

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Air source heat pumps: are they right for me? Interview

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355 Topic threads

J
Carbon Cutter****
jenthomsonCarbon Cutter****
posted in My smart home

Holiday mode! Air source heat pumps (ASHP) and how you manage them when out of the house?

Hi everyone,Back to thinking again about how to manage our heat pump better and I don’t think this has been covered yet, so I am looking to start a conversation with you all.We got our second ASHP (after a Northern Gas special) in August 2021. We tend to go away twice each winter, one month at a time, so have now been away four times.We got no information on what to do to ‘shut down’ our house for holidays from either installer. When we had a combi gas boiler, we’d just set our Nest thermostats to 9C (so the house didn’t freeze) and then tell the house to heat up again about 24hrs before our return - the app is particularly useful here.We still have Nest and now an ASHP with a hot water tank and Eddi solar diverter. We were content to set our thermostats to 9C and tell Eddi not to heat our water with excess solar, but the ASHP still wanted to heat up the water tank all the time. Looking at the Operation Manual I was given for the Daikin Altherma control unit, there is a menu called ‘Ho

5
juliamc
Plan Zero Hero
22 days ago
G
New Member***
Ghunter100New Member***
posted in My smart home

Power Rewards on Play Store Apps

Hi as anyone heard of power rewards on play store is it worth down loading ?

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BPLightlog
Plan Zero Hero
27 days ago
E
Carbon Cutter*****
EverythingNeedsAUserNameCarbon Cutter*****
Posted in My smart home

Does Kaluza envisage going direct to the consumer in future, rather than partnerships with manufacturers of smart devices, energy suppliers or network operators?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all had energy efficient houses with minimal heat losses and no need for massive heat inputs? Sorry. Dream over. Back to the real world.As we move towards less carbon intensive power, can Kaluza assist with it all? How deeply integrated would Kaluza need to be for peak effectiveness? Or want to be? The web site only refers to car batteries, household batteries, and storage radiators, and only from a few suppliers.A likely full electric household will include :-DEMANDS and guesstimated peak times (hopefully Kaluza has better information)Heating - breakfast and evening Cooling - perhaps afternoons and evenings? Here in the North East, maybe every other year ;) Hot water - early morning and early evening Cooking - breakfast, lunch and dinner Refrigeration - all day with potential to switch off at night if insulated well. Various computing and smart tech - working hours / all day Car(s) - overnightSUPPLIESSolar panels - daylight hours Solar water heating - da

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G
Carbon Cutter*
1 month ago
Rita Franca
New Member*
Rita FrancaNew Member*
posted in My smart home

bill

When is my next bill?

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Rita Franca
New Member*
1 month ago
B
New Member***
BillMNew Member***
Posted in My smart home

How can I contact the OVO Feed-in tariff (FIT) team?

I have an outstanding problem concerning FIT payments for several periods whilst my smart meter was faulty and subsequently replaced. Despite sending numerous emails and trying to make contact by phone, I am getting no answers or response. Is there a problem at OVO

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R
Carbon Cutter****
1 month ago
P
New Member***
PowerMover77New Member***
posted in My smart home

Power Move trial: How are you getting on?

Just wondered how everyone who has signed up to the PowerMove trial is getting on?Just had our mid month statement and we are at 24% electricity usuage during the times of 4-7pm.  Clearly some way off the 12.5% target.  We have moved dishwasher, tumble dryer and washing machine usage outside of these times (bar a couple of lapses!).  Still need to eat during these times so suspect the air fryer is pulling us in the wrong direction! How are others getting on??

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J
Carbon Cutter**
1 month ago
C
Carbon Cutter*
chrishartCarbon Cutter*
Posted in My smart home

Solis App just started showing a second circle for house consumption

My Solis app has just decided to add another circle for showing house consumption, has anybody else had this happen 

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BPLightlog
Plan Zero Hero
1 month ago
J
New Member***
Jay74New Member***
Posted in My smart home

Shift & Save- Why are my personal targets so low?

Why are my personal targets so low? The latest event states I need to be below 0.2kw between 17.30 and 18.30, which isn't plausible on a weekday evening.

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R
Carbon Cutter***
1 month ago
B
Carbon Cutter*
Bryan009Carbon Cutter*
Posted in My smart home

Why does my inverter take from the panels and feed to the GRID rather than charging the battery?

Recently had a 6kw solar system installed, consists of a Solis Hybrid Inverter, rated (3 - 6kw)  5kw rated  Pure Drive Battery and 14 x 420w panels. My question is, why does my inverter take from the panels and feed to my property and the GRID, rather than charging the battery which is as low as 12%? Any assistance will be grateful appreciated. 

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B
Carbon Cutter*
1 month ago
M
Carbon Cutter*
MimiCarbon Cutter*
Posted in My smart home

Why my Mitsubishi Ecodan not heating up the tank?

I have no hot water.  DHW is switched to pause automatically and tank water temperature stays at 14 degrees celcius.  Heating is running fine.  I tried to maual reset but didn’t help.  DHW is also paused automatically and everytime it pauses, “LJ” is flashing at the top left of the control screen.  I have no idea what “LJ” stands for, couldn’t find a clue from the Mitsubishi error code.  Please help.  Thanks

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N
Carbon Cutter*
1 month ago
L
Carbon Cutter*****
Leo MoranCarbon Cutter*****
Posted in My smart home

Vehicle to Grid Credits and interest reward

I have a query and hope you can answer me.I’ve just noticed that now Kaluza team have moved back into the OVO fold my account balance appears to be adjusted in real time. What I mean by that is I have always been in credit with my account and so received interest on that capital to the tune now of 5% (sorry to those who no longer get it). Every day I would import up to 20 kW to my car and pay the going rate which was deducted from my daily bill. I later exported about 16 kW to the grid which was also shown on my OVO account as a deduction but monitored on my Kaluza account as an export. My OVO account went down at the rate of about £8-£10 a day but no corresponding deposit was made from Kaluza until the end of the money when I was credited on block as a monthly V2G export tariff. It is only now I can see in real time just how little is actually coming out of my OVO account, once the books are balanced and I am credited daily for the export tariff.The accounting system is rather complic

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Firedog
Plan Zero Hero
1 month ago
G
Carbon Cutter****
GazwadCarbon Cutter****
Posted in My smart home

Charge Anytime - how can I switch from one car to another or to connect Charge Anytime to multiple vendor accounts?

After a small number of charges with the Charge Anytime bolt-on I can see a credit on my OVO account so it seems to be working albeit with a few small issues.The sign up process asked if I had one or more EVs so it would follow that the ability to add more should be available or if a manufacturer account which is connected to the Charge Anytime account has multiple cars within it there should be some mechanism to either manually select which vehicle is waiting to be charged or perhaps Charge Anytime should detect which is ready to charge automatically. I need to charge a second car which is in my "My Renault" account but am still waiting for a reply regarding my situation and what I should expect to do to make this work. Does anyone know how one can switch from one car to another or to connect Charge Anytine to multiple vendor accounts? (For example Renault and Vauxhall or two Renault accounts). Any help much appreciated so I can charge at the reduced rare. Thanks  Gaz

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G
Carbon Cutter****
1 month ago
T
Carbon Cutter****
TonyShepCarbon Cutter****
Posted in My smart home

MELCloud linked to Mitsubishi Ecodan air source heat pump lost internet connection- Won't re-connect?

I have MELCloud linked to my Mitubishi Ecodan air source heat pump.Recently I lost the internet connection and cannot establish a reconnection.My connection is via Access mode as my router does not have a WPS button.I am able to complete the process for reconnection correctly but it does not connect.I have previously been successful and there are no changes to my home network settings.I am wondering if;the MELCoud server is down?or if I have a non standard password to my home wifi network - it includes a ’ and has a space in it?Any help with reconnecting to the internet would be useful.

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D
Carbon Cutter*
1 month ago
T
Carbon Cutter*****
TD12345Carbon Cutter*****
Posted in My smart home

Charge Anytime only works with some chargers? What happens if I switch from OVO?

I am soooo confused.  i have been reading up on Ovo’s EV plans on and off all day…..Nothing is very clear.I have not yet bought a charger, even though i was not wanting one of Ovos. But is ittrue i have to have one of theres to upgrade to drive?   I do not have a smart meter and i do not have gas.(oil only).if i buy one of ovo’s chargers - what happens if i eventually move from ovo?   is my charger then useless with another energy company? 

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C
Carbon Cutter*****
1 month ago
Tim_OVO
Community Manager
Tim_OVOCommunity Manager
Posted in My smart home

Heat pump pipe insulation: Energy efficiency starts with the pipesTutorial

Updated on 03/01/23 by Tim_OVO: Pipe Insulation for your Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) In collaboration with our Zero Carbon Homes trialists, we’ve put together a guide to the pipe insulation which should be fitted alongside an Air Source Heat Pump. Getting this pipe insulation right will make sure your new heating system runs as efficiently as possible so it’s really valuable to learn from those who’ve already been through the installation process. Below we’ve combined images and testimonials from members that have made the move away from carbon intensive gas boilers, to help show what to look out for following a visit from your installers. The basics @Transparent writes that: “There are three different categories of pipe insulation to be considered: 1: Exterior - must be Class-O, closed-cell, UV-resistant with wall thickness greater than 19mm.2: In lofts, unheated “plant-rooms”, garage spaces or below a suspended floor. This should also have high wall-thickness and the joins taped. It

588031
Primary Pro
Carbon Cutter****
1 month ago
W
New Member*
Walter007New Member*
posted in My smart home

2nd Solar Array fitted- Can we hook up car to charge?

We have a solar array (FIT id: and all) and very happy with it, powering our home most of the time. We are considering buying a pure Electric Vehicle and charging it from the house. That means we need more electricity for the increased demand and we are considering having a second solar array on the roof. The car we are honing in on has bi-directional charging ability, V2H (Vehicle to Home) if you like. So I have three questions:Can we hook up the car to charge it from the solar array? Can we install more solar panels on the roof, to accommodate the additional electricity demand? I understand the system would be separate from the existing FIT panels to ensure that we do not lose the FIT from the existing array, including a separate FIT account, separate inverter etc. Is the use of bi-directional charging of the car going to be a problem in maintaining the FIT for the old system?I have sent this three weeks ago to Ovo, and have had no response from them at all...  ANY help…? Many many t

3
W
New Member*
1 month ago
Transparent
Carbon Catcher***
TransparentCarbon Catcher***
Posted in My smart home

House insulation, electricity cables and fire risk: the good and the bad...Tutorial

Updated on 14/02/22 by Jess_OVO We’re all about reducing your energy usage with some well placed insulation, it’s an important step on our journey to Plan Zero - we’ve even put together an insulation guide here.Check out this user-created guide to making sure your insulation and electricity wiring is installed safely. As ever we’d always recommend contacting an electrician if altering anything electrical..How to combat Climate Change without setting fire to your house!It's autumn and energy-conscious householders will be adding insulation to lower their heating bills. But beware... your home could be getting a lot warmer than you'd intended.What's wrong in this picture from an attic? At first glance this looks good. The original insulation layer above the ceiling (A) was too thin, and a second layer (B) has been added above it. The area has then been boarded with chipboard (C).There’s a low-voltage transformer (D) which has been properly screwed to a wooden beam and insulation pulled a

2025115
BPLightlog
Plan Zero Hero
1 month ago
Transparent
Carbon Catcher***
TransparentCarbon Catcher***
Posted in My smart home

Using an air source heat pump (ASHP) to reduce your carbon footprint - guideTutorial

Heat Pumps and the impact on your Carbon Footprint Are Heat Pumps value for money? Suppose you had £10,000+ to spend on an energy-related installation for your house. How might you apportion the fund across the following three categories?Reducing heat-loss / improving insulation Installing electricity micro-generation such as PV Solar Panels and possibly a Home Storage Battery too Installing a Heat pump, either ground-source (GSHP) or air-source (ASHP)There isn’t one single ‘correct’ answer, and the expenditure will be apportioned differently according to the current state of the property.Over the past 25-years the public has tended to put most of the money into Solar Panels (option 2), with the rest being used in additional loft or wall insulation (1). But this choice has been biased due to the Feed-In Tariff which paid money to households generating electricity, even if most of that was consumed by the home itself instead of being exported to the Grid.The FIT has now gone. The replac

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OrphM62
Carbon Cutter**
1 month ago
C
New Member***
craig310New Member***
Posted in My smart home

What time does cheaper EV rate apply on Charge Anytime?

Hi. I’ve just signed up for Charge Anytime and everything seems to be working correctly. I’m just not sure what times the lower rate is applied (for example is it between 11pm to 7am). Or is it applied whenever a schedule is active and urgent charge is not used? If I changed the schedule to ensure full charge was reached by say 4pm instead of the default 7am, would the lower rate apply? I can’t find this information anywhere and the call centre didn’t know either.

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juliamc
Plan Zero Hero
1 month ago
S
Carbon Cutter****
stefbrowne_132Carbon Cutter****
Posted in My smart home

Smart meter sending Solar generation as consumption?

Had solar and battery storage installed in December. All working as it should and inverter is showing solar generation, as is the Solar company’s app. But on the OVO portal and app our kWh consumption is unchanged, despite solar company data showing that we’re generating and using solar. Rang the solar installer and they advised to contact OVO as they needed to send an update to the meter so it will record correctly. I spent 5 hours in the web chat queue today to speak to someone. Eventually reached position 3 and then never got any further. So I thought I’d ask here first whether anyone has heard of this before and will a simple call fix the issue or not? Just looking to hear similar experiences before I face another day of waiting in a long queue to get nowhere.

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D
New Member***
1 month ago
Tim_OVO
Community Manager
Tim_OVOCommunity Manager
Posted in My smart home

The Smart Export Guarantee - Getting paid for the energy you export to the grid - FAQsTutorial

Updated on 13/04/22 by Jess_OVO SEG - Smart Export Guarantee - Your FAQs What is the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG)? The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) gives micro-generators (such as homes with solar panels) the chance to earn money for every kWh of energy they export to the national grid. This replaces the Feed in Tariff (FIT), which was closed to new applicants in 2019. The key difference between the FIT scheme and SEG that generator are only paid for the energy they export on SEG rather than the energy they generate as well, as they were with FIT.  Who can sign up to the SEG tariff? Generators (or homeowners) who own one of the following technology systems; anaerobic digestion, hydro, micro-combined heat and power (with an electrical capacity of 50kW or less), onshore wind, and solar photovoltaic exporters with up to 5MW.  In order to apply for SEG you mustn’t be receiving FIT export payments, however your FIT generation payments can be continued if even if your export payments are rel

199630
N
Carbon Cutter*
2 months ago
J
Carbon Cutter*
jzk841Carbon Cutter*
Posted in My smart home

Charge Anytime Add On- My car starts charging as soon as it's plugged in?

Hi, I recently signed up to the Charge Anytime Add on, I have a Supported Car Jaguar IPACE linked to a PodPoint solo3. I have linked my account, setup a schedule ready by 7am, min 25% Max 90% and all looks good.  However as soon as I plug the car in its starts charging.  its not beneath the Min of 25% its sitting at 50%. I was expecting it to start charging later tonight. Do I need to do anything else ? I have no schedules setup on the car or the podpoint as Im expecting the App to do that. Wondering if anyone else has had a similar issue? does it need to learn my charging pattern or something for a few days ?  Any help appreciated.  Thanks

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Blastoise186
Plan Zero Hero
1 month ago
R
Carbon Cutter***
RingiCarbon Cutter***
Posted in My smart home

Using a hot water tank on "Anytime"?

We have gas CH with a hot water tank, as the pipes from the boiler to the water tank is very long it would be cheaper to heap water at 10p per kWh then use gas unless the CH is also in use.   Due to the higher flow temperatures needed to heat the hot water tank we could get much better condensing from the boiler if we totally stopped using it for hot water enabling the flow temperature on the boiler to be set at about 45c. Using electricity at times of low grid CO2 for water heating is also great for the environment. So will there be a hot water tank controller that can integrate with "Anytime"? 

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juliamc
Plan Zero Hero
1 month ago
B
Carbon Cutter*
Brennie66Carbon Cutter*
Posted in My smart home

What is most efficient way to run heating for me Mitsubishi ecodan air source heat pump?

So confused, what is most efficient way to run heating. At moment I do not have it on timer (as advised) I have it set at 19, then turn down to 15.5 when too warm in flat. I have my water on timer coming on an hour in morning & hour at night. I have 2 bedroom flat and live on my own. Being a pensioner I need it to run efficiently. Thanks 

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juliamc
Plan Zero Hero
1 month ago
K
Carbon Cutter*****
kentbodCarbon Cutter*****
Posted in My smart home

What is the best EV charger for OVO Anytime?

Good morning, be gentle first post here and looking for some advice…. i am an OVO Customer of many years. i have an EV car on order and its arriving 1st week of March 2023 looking to fit a home charger. ive been reading up about chargers and seen there is lots of talk about Zappi 2 chargers seem to be the best one in the market currently.  can the forum give advice on the chargers OVO do and can i use a Zappi 2 with the OVO Anytime and Anytime + rates please ? any help on this would be appreciated thanks 

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Blastoise186
Plan Zero Hero
1 month ago
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