PV Feed In Tariff Part 2

Getting my solar install today and I have removed myself from the list of people who don't want a smart meter. I was previously on it because solar panels used to be much more expensive haha!

Am I correct in saying my FIT is estimated from today until the day the smart meter gets installed and then the actual amount I export kicks in?

The previous deal was if you declined a smart meter then you don't get deemed export

Im not sure if they'll reverse it when you agree to a smart meter or if you have to wait for the meter to be changed

I also thought they stopped deemed export for D/N meters now that there's a smart option available

You can always divert to the car while waiting for confirmation

I believe there's an option to request a smart meter installation which might bump you up the list

ESB starts to account for the export once they received the NC6 form. It took us 7 months, (the best, april to september) to finally get registered as there was an issue with the form and it went back and forth between ESB and installer.

Had to "register" for micro-generation with Board Gais.

Also, does the Grid restrict the amount of export? Before we were officialy connected to the grid we regularly produce over 40kWh per day, with a nice bell curve on the graph, but are now max out at aroud 35kWh, with flat line between midday and 4pm. 6.4kWp system

First off you don't need to activate the smart meter to receive the FIT. If you have a smart meter and the NC6 was received by ESB Networks then you should be receiving the FIT

In terms of moving to one of the EV specific plans, once you move to a smart plan then ESB Networks will activate your smart meter

If I'm being 100% honest, it's already activated and you can view your usage on the ESB website. They're just changing some stuff on their end about your meter code

Also, be very sure that you want to move to the EV plan before you pull the trigger. Once you go to a smart plan there's no going back

If you haven't already done so I'd recommend downloading your usage from ESB in a HDF file and uploading it to Energy Pal to see how the plans compare

No you get the FIT as long as you have solar and the NC6 is filed with ESBN

The installer will do this when they commission your PV system

If you have a smart meter but aren't on a smart plan then you should still receive the FIT. A lot of suppliers were telling customers that this isn't the case but I think they got told to stop

The smart meter is actually already sending data, the term unactivated is really BS. You can create an account on the ESB networks page and view your usage, you just need your MPRN

You're correct that the EV rates are all on smart plans and by signing up to one you'll 'activate' the smart meter and thus can't go back to the dumb meter rates

I'd recommend using a site like Energy Pal to analyse your usage before you make the switch. In my case the smart EV rate was only around €20 cheaper per year than the best Day/Night plan available so I decided to stick with the flexibility of having 9 hours of night rate against 3-4 hours

That's incredibly cheap. Was looking at an off the shelf 5Kw one, 1800. Did you follow a guide?

 I ordered the battery cells after a feed of pints so couldn't back out then 😅

Respect! That's how you do it.

And I'll add the support on this forum (Renewable Energies) is fantastic, no question is stupid and will always get answered.

I personally have learned so much, built a Seplos DIY battery and added to existing system.

There's even a series of YouTube videos done by Ghost dedicated to the Seplos, well worth a watch.

I’ve been with them for 16 months now, and there’s been no reduction on the 25c export rate.

As for the earnings, they’re credited to your account by default, but you can request a transfer to your bank account. Just keep in mind they require you to leave a minimum of €200 credit in your account, and the transfer usually takes a few days.

Perfect. That's my plan too once I get the solar installed. Will rarely have to charge the 2 EVs, so that should help with the savings/profit.

HI Ghost, yeah snap once Energia contract ends in June will switch to Pinergy (not sure if they do a dual fuel plan). I have the 3Kw Huawei rectifier so should get a similar charge across the window.

I've noticed with the 2 Wecos and Seplos that I'm getting about the same 18KwH charge into the 3 of them split 10KwH in Seplos and 8KwH in the Wecos.

Question for the experts as I've noticed the Seplos cells spread is very small across the range, I know when I was just running the Seplos the largest cell difference >30mV was occurring at the top end when the cells approach 3.65V (100 soc on the Seplos)

Its it better for the battery that the cells are not being spread so much, or is it worse or does it make no difference at all, (other than I am not maximizing the battery in terms of capacity in and out)?

Not a great pic but this will give you an idea.

Ah I see, interesting so running your batteries at or near 100% (especially in the summer) is not always a good idea. Thanks