Chris Stevens installed solar panels on his home at the end of 2022. He has a sizeable detached property and has fitted four groups of 8 panels giving him 12kW in total. He also invested in two 5kW Huawei inverters and a 15kW Huawei battery which soak up most of his excess solar production.
Chris has an Everhot 110i in the kitchen which he runs on Eco overnight and an Everhot Electric Stove in his office which he uses during the winter. In addition to solar panels, he also has a 15kW air source heat pump, an immersion heater, and underfloor heating. They are very heavy electricity consumers, using around 20,000kWh a year. From January 2023 to the end of April 2023, Chris gave us the following figures:
- Electricity generated by solar and consumed within the house: 2.14MWh (93.61%)
- Electricity generated by solar and fed back to the Grid: 146.13kWh (6.39%)
- Electricity generated by Solar Panels: 2.09MWh (22.4%)
- Electricity imported from the Grid: 7.24MWh (77.56%)
Chris told us: “I really like the Huawei Inverter and Battery set up we have arranged – it is easy to manage and has a good App with useful data. I went for a large set up as I chose to go electric when we moved in and changed from LPG gas to an air source heat pump, and with 12KW I do get some benefit in the winter.
“Finding space on the roof for 32 panels was interesting and I have panels facing east, west and south west. This actually works very well as I get generation starting early in the morning on the eastern facing panels then as the sun heads to the west over the course of the day I keep a consistent level of generation. On a sunny spring day I can expect 4 to 6kW per hour until the late afternoon or early evening. The potential in the summer could be for up to 70 or even 80kW per day! (Time to get a swimming pool!)”
“Based on what I paid and the current electricity prices I am looking at around a 7 to 8 year payback. When electricity prices settle, if there is a good offer for cheap overnight electricity, I am also able to use this to top up my batteries at night.”
Chris advised making sure you choose a reputable installer and ensuring they do a thorough assessment of your energy usage before deciding on the most suitable system for you. He also urged getting several quotes and opinions.
“The Everhot is brilliant with solar because it is only a 13amp appliance which means my inverter easily copes with the load along with the rest of the house. It provides enough warmth into the heart of the house to avoid turning on the heating on those chilly spring days and it always puts a smile on my face when I look at the Huawei App and see that I am cooking roast beef using the power of the sun!”
