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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
Green Building Bible, fourth edition (both books)
These two books are the perfect starting place to help you get to grips with one of the most vitally important aspects of our society - our homes and living environment.

PLEASE NOTE: A download link for Volume 1 will be sent to you by email and Volume 2 will be sent to you by post as a book.

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    • CommentAuthorGBP-Keith
    • CommentTimeSep 14th 2009 edited
     
    Hi. I'm going to put together a story about small scale renewables and I would be interested to hear from anyone that has a grid connected system and has collected data proving that they now consume less energy than before they had the system installed.

    I'm of the opinion that consumption actually rises and I would really like my assumptions proven incorrect, if possible.

    What I would need:
    system explanation.
    one year of data (electricity consumption) prior to the installation.
    one year of data following installation

    All other monitoring data would be nice but not necessary.

    You can either post your data here or request my e-mail through our helpdesk:
    https://www.greenbuildingpress.co.uk/support.php

    regards, Keith
    • CommentAuthorGBP-Keith
    • CommentTimeSep 21st 2009
     
    So does the absence of any response suggest that I'm correct?

    If so, should we warn new forum users that small scale renewable energy systems are probably:

    "just a new consumer fad"

    and

    "unlikely, in the medium to long term to save them money or protect the environment"
    • CommentAuthorbillt
    • CommentTimeSep 21st 2009
     
    Posted By: GBP-KeithSo does the absence of any response suggest that I'm correct?


    I'd say that the lack of response suggests that you're looking for a needle in a haystack. You're asking a very small number of people (the subscribers to this forum), of whom a very small subset may have a grid-connected system and an even smaller subset will actually have reliable consumption data from before and after installation - in fact I would suggest zero. I'd go further and guess that there will be the total number of people who could provide those figures is very very small anyway.

    FWIW I'm in the process of installing a very small hydro turbine, which was originally not going to be grid-tied, but I may change my mind. Also thinking about a 3-4kW peak PV array which would be grid-tied. I even have lots of data on power consumption to date and I will log the data after installation, but that's not much use to you now.

    I can't see why you think consumption would rise, unless you are assuming that anyone with such a system thinks that they don't have to be careful about energy use.



    Posted By: GBP-Keith
    If so, should we warn new forum users that small scale renewable energy systems are probably:

    "just a new consumer fad"

    and

    "unlikely, in the medium to long term to save them money or protect the environment"


    You are probably right about those points.

    Bill
  1.  
    (only just seen this thread)
    I have details since January of generation, exported and imported electric. You are welcome to them if they are of any use or interest.
    Trouble is, I am a business user so electric use varies wildly with workload, which is particularly variable at the moment. Plus I don't have detailed (not weekly like I do now) readings of import from before installation.

    I would say for me personally, I use less electricity since installation.
    It has made me acutely aware of power usage, and every kW saved is a kW exported which means we get paid, which pays the debt off quicker.
    I would even like to say that I try and work when it's windy, although at the moment that is very hard to manage.
    • CommentAuthorwookey
    • CommentTimeSep 21st 2009
     
    I have reasonably detailed consumption data, but not for a whole year. I made big savings when I first started monitoring, and went round finding all the gratuitous house-base-load items and turning them off/removing them. I will be fitting a microgen system very soon so in another year I might be able to answer your question, but only with partial detail, given your quite strict requirements.

    I suggest asking on the navitron forum - there are a load more data-geeks there. And perhaps the currentcost community will also have a few members who fit your criteria.

    Personally I see no reason why consumption should rise once a microgeneration system is installed. (although I do notice from my recent sums that heavy users get a rather better price per kWh under the suggested FIT arrangements for PV than light users: max 49.9p/kWh, min 41.9p/kWh - the more you use the closer to the top of that band you end up).
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