Electric Meter replacement

[David Wade]

.. and if we are relying on solar, supply may also be low

[SteveW]

Which is exactly where nuclear comes in. For many decades France's electricity has been predominantly nuclear. Millions of French homes use Chauffe-eau électrique - heavily insulated, electrically heated, mains fed, hot-water cylinders. Demand falls at night, cheap rate becomes available, the water heater comes on. Cheap(ish) hot water for the next day and a levelling out of the demand drop-off to benefit the nuclear power stations too.

Even now, demand falls enough at night that many, many more EVs are not a problem.

It will only become a problem if, over the coming years, we install more and more renewables, take fossil fuels off-line and do not have nuclear available. Although, high renewables levels in the day may lead to shorter term excess production, allowing automated charging during the day (it happens now), with EVs providing power to the grid during high demand and/or not needing night charging.

[Mark Carver]

Indeed I do. We're both almost retired now, and both work mostly from home, so every day at least one of us is home.

The golden hours are 10am to 3pm ish, so that's when on bright days the dishwasher, and washing machine go on.

It completely soaks up the 'background' load from about 8am until 6:30pm on bright days

Our average daily load is 8.5 kWh per day (that's pretty much the same all year round)

Had a 6kW solar panel system installed more or less on Summer Solstice day this year. I can tell you the only day since then there has been unbroken sunshine from dawn to dusk was July 7th. The output graph for that day is a lovely text book hump. Yielded 44.3 kWh that day. Imported

1.89 kWh.  Worst day was a week later, only 5.9 kWh yield, imported 4.14 kWh (but used a below average amount 6.64 kWh because in part we were out)

To date, Average yield is 24 kWh/day, average export is 18.5 kWh/day. On average we make £2.75/day flogging electrons, and 'save' £1.50 on electrons we would have normally bought

Since Day 1 we've 'saved' 82 quid, and would have sold 147 quid's worth (it took Octopus and the DNO a fortnight after install to get the reverse billing etc up and running) Actual amount I've managed to sell is 90 quid. It's annoying because all the export data from day 1 is still  inside the smart meter, but hey...

It's been such a crap summer that all the figures are depleted, and obviously as the days draw in between now and Christmas everything is going to drop but I find it interesting to record and analyse the stats. Life is too short to worry about getting an overall return. Statistically it should yield about 6 MWh/year, (figure so far is 1.3 MWh) Medium term we will get an electric car, certainly for our 'runabout' so that will obviously be soaking up the spare ergs doing the day

[Scott]

Is the correct term 'electric meter'or 'electricity meter' :-)

[John J]

I took up the government bribe to have solar panels under the original FIT scheme. With various increments over the years I'm currently paid 68.3 pence for every unit generated no matter that I use much of it myself. I receive an addition 4.82 pence per unit for units I actually export but as my meter doesn't have export measuring capabilities I'm deemed to export half of what I generate. Being cynical and subscribing to the theory if it sounds too good to be true it probably is I thought long and hard before investing using an improvement loan. A couple of years ago I decided to also invest in aircon so now I've got the best of both worlds. The FIT payments pay for the loan charges.

[Vir Campestris]

AIUI the latest gas meters are SMETS2 linked, and driven by an internal battery. That makes them electric.

The one for measuring the electric power you use is also electric, and I suspect modern ones have a backup battery. But because their job is to measure electricity, that's what you should call them. Just as you have a volt meter.

My 2d...

Andy

[alan_m]

I don't believe the government paid a single penny of the bribe. It came from the green stealth tax on all consumers bills. It was much like the "free" CFL light bulbs that the utility companies supplied but were paid for by adding the cost to the electricity bills.