Not getting free electricity with PV panels.

[nyi]

hmm, they're usually rebadged landis Gyr meters (E110 if i remember right). I've not known them to have problems, but it's possible they have that functionality that one of the energy suppliers chose to switch on.

I'm not sure e.on knows I have the panels. I thought the installer would have told them.

 

[nyi]

Have you got night storage by any chance?!

I do not know. How can I find out? What difference would it make if I had night storage?

 

[Mark.W]

I went to a job once where a guy had panels installed, he had the same problem in that his meter was clocking up the units regardless! He had the spark around a couple of times and was reassured that everything was correctly wired! I went in after he asked for a second opinion and found that the spark had split the tails before the night storage meter and installed a submain for the PV! Now because it was split there it was on the wrong side of the peak meter which meant that when he was running appliances, the current was passing through the main meter and clocking up the units!

 

[Earthstore]

Eon have nothing to do with your install, firstly all systems under 3.68KW can be intsalled then the DNO (people that own the grid) Ie Scottish and Southern in my area have to be informed by the installer that a system has been fitted, this is done under G83 guidlines, if they have done this or not it will not affect you.

Secondly, they have to register with a FIT provider so they can recieve their payments, which they could use EON or they can use whoever they choose, I tend to use Good Energy for my customers, as I like the customer service that they provide.


Night storage heaters are metal things that are fixed to the walls of your house, that get hot during the night to keep you warm, instead of have a boiler and radiators, or a real fire.

 

[Del Boy]

At that time Sunnybean was showing that the panels were producing 2.2Kwh. The e.on gadget that tells how much I'm using was telling me 200 watts. I have this gadget for 2 years and I am sure it only tells me the usage only. The clamp for the gadget is on the wire ( marked with brown tape and the letter L) that goes into the meter.

The gadget has worked for 2 years but that was before your solar install... it's different now, hopefully I can explain why.

Where you have positioned the clamp meter, it won't show you your usage only now. The clamp is bi-directional, it can never show a negative. So will show what current is flowing through the wire, irrespective of direction.

As you have this on the Live wire going into or out of your import meter, it will show you either:

a) Net amount being imported: Usage minus generation or
b) Net amount being exported: Generation minus usage

In your example, this could be either

a) 200W being imported = 2.2kW usage minus 2kW generation
b) 200W being exported = 1.8kW usage minus 2kW generation

You can test this by turning off all the mains whilst the PV is still generating. The E.ON gadget should say a little bit less than your SunnyBeam (as it is assuming a lower voltage to what your inverter is generating) but should be roughly the same, so I would expect 2kW generation to show about 1.8kW on your E.ON gadget, the generation meter to be flashing and going up and the import meter to not be going up.

You can get the gadget to measure usage only, if you are able to position the clamp inbetween the consumer unit and the junction where the solar pv and grid mains meet. On a lot of installs though, this is inside the consumer unit, so not really possible.

Admittedly, this might be a red-herring to your problem, which sounds the case if you only had the fridge on.

 

[clivep]

Exactly as Del Boy has said. Gadget is showing net import or export but does not identify which. I usually deduce this by simply turning on a light... if the gadget reading goes up then you are importing, if the reading goes down then then you are exporting.

My Siemens meter had the anti-tamper setting turned on so that the reading shown was the total of the import and export registers. EDF has since had the meter changed.

 

[nyi]

The gadget has worked for 2 years but that was before your solar install... it's different now, hopefully I can explain why.

Where you have positioned the clamp meter, it won't show you your usage only now. The clamp is bi-directional, it can never show a negative. So will show what current is flowing through the wire, irrespective of direction.

As you have this on the Live wire going into or out of your import meter, it will show you either:

a) Net amount being imported: Usage minus generation or
b) Net amount being exported: Generation minus usage

In your example, this could be either

a) 200W being imported = 2.2kW usage minus 2kW generation
b) 200W being exported = 1.8kW usage minus 2kW generation

You can test this by turning off all the mains whilst the PV is still generating. The E.ON gadget should say a little bit less than your SunnyBeam (as it is assuming a lower voltage to what your inverter is generating) but should be roughly the same, so I would expect 2kW generation to show about 1.8kW on your E.ON gadget, the generation meter to be flashing and going up and the import meter to not be going up.

You can get the gadget to measure usage only, if you are able to position the clamp inbetween the consumer unit and the junction where the solar pv and grid mains meet. On a lot of installs though, this is inside the consumer unit, so not really possible.

Admittedly, this might be a red-herring to your problem, which sounds the case if you only had the fridge on.

Thank you, Del boy. I have had this gadget for 2 years. I have had the panels for only 2 months. Before the panels were installed, the gadget showed 150-200 watts if the freidge was the only thing which was on. It still showed 150-200watts after the panels were installed. What I want to say is the gadget only shows my usage before and after the panels were installed.
My main point is that although the panels are producing more than what I'm using, my meter is still clocking up.
Do I contact e.on (the supplier) or the electrician who did the work?
Many thanks.

 

[nyi]

Exactly as Del Boy has said. Gadget is showing net import or export but does not identify which. I usually deduce this by simply turning on a light... if the gadget reading goes up then you are importing, if the reading goes down then then you are exporting.

My Siemens meter had the anti-tamper setting turned on so that the reading shown was the total of the import and export registers. EDF has since had the meter changed.

Than you clivep. My gadget only shows the usage (import) - it would go up if I turn someting on and it would go down if I turn something off.

 

[Gavin A]

can you post up a picture of the wiring around the suppliers meter please?

I'm a bit suspicious that they may have installed to the wrong side of the meter. If it's not that, and your meter is clocking up as you say it is, then you definitely need the meter replacing.

 

[nyi]

can you post up a picture of the wiring around the suppliers meter please?

I'm a bit suspicious that they may have installed to the wrong side of the meter. If it's not that, and your meter is clocking up as you say it is, then you definitely need the meter replacing.

Thank you. I tried to upload but failed.

 

[sedgy34]

you want to be using as much as poss electricity when panels are generating.

 

[Gavin A]

Thank you. I tried to upload but failed.

click the 'go advanced' button below the quick reply box, then the paperclip icon third from right on top row of icons above the box you write in in the 'go advanced' section.

then click on the add file botton, top right in the pop up attachments box and search for the file on your computer etc.

you probably need to make sure the file isn't too big though.

 

[nyi]

Many thanks Gavin. Here they are in attachment

 

[SolarCity]

Yep, as expected, it is incorrectly connected. Your PV system is connected to the supply side of the meter. Effectively, you are still paying for the electricity that the PV system is generating.

Get the installers out straight away to sort it. Should only take them an hour.

 

[nyi]

Yep, as expected, it is incorrectly connected. Your PV system is connected to the supply side of the meter. Effectively, you are still paying for the electricity that the PV system is generating.

Get the installers out straight away to sort it. Should only take them an hour.

Thank you. Will call them. Which side it should be connected, just in case they don't know?