Everything you need to know about running your Everhot Cooker, Stove or Heater with solar panels.
Can you run an Everhot cooker from solar panels?
The quick and easy answer to this is…yes. But with more and more Everhot owners and customers asking us about the possibility of using solar panels, or other forms of renewable energy, to power their Everhot cooker, we’ve put the following blog together to answer all of your questions.
A typical household will use on average 3,731 kWh of electricity each year according to the Government. Just to explain this – one kilowatt hour (kWh) is a measure of energy usage, generally speaking 1kWh is a unit of electricity. Some electrical devices like a fridge use fewer kilowatts per day (between 1kWh and 2kWh for your average fridge). Whereas a tumble dryer for instance is a very energy-intensive appliance using up to 5kWh for a single drying cycle.
An Everhot cooker is a supremely efficient heat storage range cooker but, being on all the time, obviously consumes more electricity than your average fan oven over the course of a day. However it reduces the need for heating in the kitchen and replaces many other household items such as a kettle and toaster, you can even dry your clothes on them. An Everhot also has our ‘ECO’ mode and oven delay feature which further increase its efficiency and compatibility with renewables.
The Everhot 60, 90i and 100i models use on average about 75kWh a week. Our Everhot 90+, 100+, 110+, 110i, 120i and 150i all use 90kWh on average. And our larger 120+, 150+ and 160i models all use 140kWh on average each week. (You can find out more about our Running Costs here).
Why is all of this important? Because you will need to understand the electrical energy consumption of your household before investing in solar panels as it will have a bearing on how many panels you need or would like. Although other factors will come into play, like the size and direction of your roof and any local planning constrictions. An Everhot’s peak power consumption is typically 2.85kWh which is well below the capability of most solar systems. Better still the average demand is typically around 800W.
What is an average solar panel installation in the UK?
The output of solar panels is measured in watts. This dictates the amount of energy that each panel can generate within an hour. Typically, British houses will have an array of connected solar panels each of which are between 250W and 400W. Altogether a solar installation will be around 3 to 7kW for an average household size. You will need to discuss your requirements and possibilities with the solar panel installation company to ensure you are utilising the space on your roof to provide the most energy efficient situation for you.
There are a number of case studies on our website of Everhot owners who have also purchased solar panels or already had them in place before buying their cooker. You can read each of their stories here, with panel sizing ranging from 4kW to 13kW.
At current energy prices a 4kW solar system can pay back in as little as five years.
How would my Everhot Cooker run from the solar power I generate?
The power produced by solar panels feeds directly into the house and is then delivered around the house in the same way as the energy you import from the gird. Your smart meter will work out what you are producing and if your energy demand is more than the solar is producing it will draw the extra power needed from the grid.
An Everhot cooker runs from one, two or three 13amp plugs, depending on the model you choose, typically consuming around 800W an hour when on full power (model dependent). The maximum power consumption of an Everhot cooker is typically 2.85kWh. That means the average solar panel system will be enough to power an Everhot and more around the house.
Reading our case studies, you will notice that on average through the year they are generating about a third of their own electricity requirements – importing the remaining two thirds from the National Grid. However, on very sunny days, they often can’t use all of the electricity they are generating and so this is exported back to the Grid. Some of them receive Feed in Tarif (FiT) payments for this, others receive the Smart Export Guarantee which is less generous but still pays for each kWh of electricity you produce and send back to the grid.
What happens during the winter?
Obviously everything is highly dependent on the weather we’re experiencing, the pitch and direction of your available roof space, and the way in which you’re using your cooker and the settings you have aligned it to. We sadly can’t control the Great British weather and, during shorter winter daylight hour days, you won’t be able to generate as much power as you might during the spring and summer. Many of our owners also invest in a battery which enables them to save a lot of their solar-generated power instead of it being exported back to the Grid. It also allows them to take advantage of cheaper overnight energy tariffs to charge the batteries, and draw the power during the day, bringing their electricity bills down even further. Although remember that a battery is an expensive investment so you should do the maths as to whether you will recoup savings.
Why is an Everhot cooker suited to solar panels?
The relationship between solar generation and an Everhot cooker is thanks to the Everhot ‘ECO’ mode and our trickle feed design. Let’s explain both:
The Everhot ECO mode enables your cooker to drop into half temperatures during the late evening and overnight – when you don’t need your Everhot as much for cooking or the warmth that it’s putting out. The cooker will then automatically bring itself out of ECO mode in the morning. This ties in nicely with sunset and sunrise. What’s even better about our ECO mode is that you can change it depending on the season, and even individual days of the week. So during the summer, you could time your cooker to come out of ECO at 6am when the sun has risen, and in winter change this to slightly later in the morning. That way you’re using the power of the sun exactly when you need it and when it’s available.
As an added feature of the ECO setting, every Everhot also comes with our oven delay feature. This feature heats the hot plate up first when coming out of ‘ECO’ mode but delays the heating up of the ovens. This reduces the peak power demand of the cooker and means that the hot plate is ready for tea and toast in the morning. As the morning continues, giving you more solar power production, the ovens will then heat up.
The low but frequent power consumption of the cooker is perfect for applications where you have small but constant production, ‘trickle feed’ is how we describe the design of our cookers. They use a trickle feed of electricity. A conventional oven will need a powerful boost of around 2kW and larger cookers can be as much as 6kWh peak demand an hour. An Everhot uses that steady trickle feed of around 800W. That’s why it works well with solar panels which can’t always generate the amount of power they’re able to because of darker, wetter days here.
Can an Everhot cooker work with other renewable energy sources?
Absolutely, we know of customers who use wind power and water power for their homes. In fact, the first ever Everhot was designed to work with a water turbine here at Coaley Mill in the Cotswolds. The possibilities are endless!
Can you run an Everhot Heater or Stove from solar panels?
Yes! In the same way that you can run one of our cookers from solar panels, so you can power one of our Electric Stoves or Electric Heaters. Many of our customers use them as a solar ‘dump’ because they don’t require a constant voltage, they can simply use any additional solar production to power them, and as the stove and heater are designed as a heat store they stay warm long after they have been turned off. Pop one on during sunlight hours, close the door and warm the room then turn it off after the sun goes down, taking advantage of the warm room.
Why should you invest in solar panels for your home?
Many of our Everhot owners have invested in solar panels not only to save money in the long term but also because of environmental concerns. Clean, sustainable energy production is the way forward and a renewable energy source which will never run out. Alongside this we get the feeling that many Everhot owners enjoy the feeling of producing their own energy and having a certain amount of control over this.
Discover the full range of Everhot Cookers, Stoves and Heaters here.
