Solar Diverter RETHINK 2023 - SONOFF WIFI Switch The Answer For Heating Water?

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Күн бұрын

#Solar #solardiverter #Export #FIT #smartexportguarantee #EverythingHome
Solar diverter for heating your hot water? Well no, not anymore. In this video we find out why this SONOFF WIFI switch works just as well if you have solar and or a battery.
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Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:35 - Background
01:47 - Proposed Solution
02:46 - Why a solar diverter isn’t for us
03:52 - SONOFF WIFI switches
05:17 - Heating hot water via gas or electric: environmental considerations
07:01 - Heating hot water via gas or electric: financial considerations
07:42 - What am I going to do?
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Пікірлер: 65

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Links: SONOFF WIFI Switch, 20 Amp UK: amzn.to/3U9IEBt (Amazon) US: amzn.to/3lXP0an (Amazon) FREE Audible Trial: Listen to James Clear - Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results UK: amzn.to/3KpLSNT (Amazon) US: amzn.to/3ZA79bW (Amazon)

@c14ops 4 ай бұрын

Great explanations. Appreciated

@everythinghome 4 ай бұрын

Hi - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Glad you found it useful. If you’ve not already, please do like this video and stay tuned for some more content 🙂

@bigmacbricky4866 7 ай бұрын

We got solar installed last month and decided to go with the diverter as I’m not convince these rates you get paid for power going back to the grid will remain as they are and may disappear down the line. We also didn’t have an immersion but we installed a Willis heater. It works great on a decent day. The heat pump usually comes on about five times a day to keep water hot as my wife works from home but on a decent day it doesn’t come on at all, this will also prolong the life of the heat pump. Hard to know what the pay back time on it will be but I’m glad I got it installed.

@everythinghome 7 ай бұрын

Hi - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. I do agree - I think we will see and we are already seeing a reduction in the export rates being paid. That said I still think solar with a battery back up and not on a legacy FIT deemed payment a solar diverter has an extremely long payback time. I think if the system meets your needs and you're happy, that's the main thing. If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

@johntisbury Жыл бұрын

We have the myenergi eddi to heat our domestic hot water. We don't use gas anymore to heat it and it's cheaper and more efficient to use the eddi. Our gas boiler is 20 years old and 75% efficient. In the winter we set a schedule to heat the hot water in the early hours of the morning during off peak rate on the Go Faster tariff with Octopus Energy. In the summer, excess solar will trickle in to heat it. The eddi can be set to be first, second or third in line with the battery and car charging so it's very flexible. It can also sip surplus it does not need 3kWh to start it working. Any solar excess, even 100w, is diverted by the eddi into the hot water. As every, everyone's setup and use case is different and there's no one single solution that needs everyone's needs.

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Hi John - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Sounds like you've got it all set up well. We're still clinging onto 3p/kWh gas till May 2023 so it's much cheaper for us to use gas at the moment. But from May I suspect it'll be around the 10p/kWh mark. We've just joined Octopus Flux and exporting our excess solar makes more financial sense. As mentioned, I think I'll use gas in the morning and solar in the afternoon in the interest of reducing my CO2 impact whilst attempting to expand my CO2 reducing tech. Thanks, Shan

@adibbins Жыл бұрын

Good call, I've done the same thing, was thinking of a diverter, and found two similar switches and automated the switch on/off via my HomeAssistant, am still working out the best logic to use, you know batteries are less than 100%, Solar is charging batteries, time is daytime and so on. Thanks for your insights

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Hi Andrew - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Glad you found it useful and that we're on the same page. I'm yet to venture into HA territory but I can well and truly see its worth going forwards. I think for the moment the export payments far outweigh what I pay in gas it's a bit simpler but it's an ever changing space! If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

@adibbins Жыл бұрын

@@everythinghome my heating and hot water are oil based, and prices are linked to petrol prices, which is volatile. My intention has always been to utilise all I can generate, export nothing.

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

That makes complete sense 👍🏽

@SpeakToTheGeekTech Жыл бұрын

I think in your situation, I agree with your decision. I have an Eddi and it was installed along with my panels and battery so the cost wasn't too bad. The battery was delayed for a few months so the Eddi was invaluable in making the most of my excess solar for those few months. However, I now mostly use it as a fancy timer to heat the water off-peak, and then I manually boost by shouting at Alexa if one of the kids decides they want a shower that evening. So I pretty much have the same setup as you but using an Eddi! I do get the added bonus of heating via divert too when the battery is full (like today), and I've made the decision to not use gas to heat the water unless absolutely necessary (guests staying, wanting a bath, etc). I should point out that it is entirely possible to set Eddi to have priority over the battery - I had it that way for a while, but I have now configured it to take second place to the battery. Interestingly we both appear to have almost identical boilers (mine's the smaller 50) and old hot water cylinders. I'm waiting to replace the boiler with a heat pump before I also replace the cylinder though. That'll be a total game changer :)

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

That's really insightful - thanks. Ah, interesting. At some point I'm going to have a think about the boiler too. I'm not fully convinced on a heat pump yet for our leaky house but who knows. It may be a proper heat loss survey jobby. I've just subbed to your channel so I'll be keen to see how you get on with your heat pump install. All the best, and thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video 🙂

@SpeakToTheGeekTech Жыл бұрын

@@everythinghome Thank you. I'm not sure exactly when the heat pump conversion will take place. Either later this year or early next depending on finances and whether my boiler blows up or not :) I'll be covering the whole process start to finish on my channel once it gets going of course, and I'm in the process of capturing things like heat loss so that'll be part one when complete! I'm hoping Octopus launch their heat pump installation service in my area during the summer like they're planning.

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

That's great, look forward to following how you get on 👍🏽

@redbooll21 Жыл бұрын

Thanks to both of you for bringing quality content. I have a theory but I need to verify with some heating engineers , if you put a buffer tank before the cold water inlet to you combi boiler, you heat up the water in the buffer tank either by solar or electric, in theory the combi boiler would not use as much gas to output instant on demand hot water. It`s one thing to have water going in at 10 degrees and for the combi to use gas to take it up to 50 degrees and would require less energy if the water would come in at 40 degrees and it would need only 10 degrees extra from the combi boiler.

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

I've heard it being done in some capacity but as you say will need running past some professionals.

@andybyrne787 Жыл бұрын

Very interesting video, I came to a similar conclusion - although I am using the last hour of Flux cheap rate to heat water and then gas in late afternoon. Generation for us tales off in late afternoon so to save the batteries taking the hit in pm I am using gas then. Those switches look like a good option, I currently have the immersion on a timer but these SONOFF ones look better featured!

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Hi - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Glad you found it useful. Sounds like you've done some good analysis of your electricity use. That's great. Yes the SONOFF switches are working very well and significantly cheaper than a diverter! If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

@andybyrne787 Жыл бұрын

@@everythinghome Thank you, it was your video on Flux (and Gary's) that got me to finally ditch my old meters and switch to octopus - my Flux tariff changeover was finalised last week. I look forward to future content 👍

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

That's great, there are exciting times ahead! Gary is making some great content. Thanks, I'm looking forward to looking at the numbers come September/October time. Awesome, hope they're backdating your export payments

@andybyrne787 Жыл бұрын

@@everythinghome I am not holding my breath for backdated export, but if it happens on next bill I will be very happy indeed lol!

@raybarber9837 Жыл бұрын

Excellent video. I'm expecting my SONOFF switch today. Our situation is similar to yours except we only have electricity and we have an EV. We have now had our solar panels for a year and I need to decide on tariffs. So looking forward to your next video. BTW, who else had their Alexa triggered when you spoke to yours? :)

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Hi Ray - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Glad you found it useful. That's great. We have a PHEV which we charge daily but as you know have gas too. If you're looking at which tariff may be best for your this video may be useful: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aphpmrqm36rWZHk.html Haha, yes sorry, she who must not be named! If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

@andyhamilton Жыл бұрын

I was in a sticky situation last year, I had to replace my boiler. I wanted to go all electric but that’s a couple of years off. 30p standing charge does make a financial difference per year. I swapped my boiler for an ideal one with 90+% efficiency. They warm the home soo much better by throttling the boiler up and down rather than off and on (using opentherm). The payback is based on your bills but 30% could be possible. I paid under £2k The technology I really wanted to implement is adding a large water tank before the return. You get better efficiency and can heat with electric when it’s cheaper (solar or Go). Using a battery to heat water is also wasteful. Charging and export on flux will result in 2-8p costs.

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Hi Andy - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Glad you found it useful. Thanks for the insight. It's definitely something I'll need to look at in the coming years, more research to be had about what my best option is. I like your point about eliminating gas entirely and losing the standing charge, it definitely adds up over the year! I'm not completely sold on a heat pump for our home, but I need to do more research. If you’ve not already, please do like this video and stay tuned for some more content and thanks again for the comment 🙂

@ekolekol4389 3 ай бұрын

How did you wire the switches? In series i.e. 1 for On/Off & 1 for upper/lower (sink/bath) or parallel I.e both independently on/off? If the latter, how do you prevent both being on at same time and overloading the circuit?

@everythinghome 3 ай бұрын

The latter, if during the day only one will be set to come on. Or if off peak then both can come on and it doesn't matter as coming off the grid

@rimwar Ай бұрын

Good comparisons, however I would suggest you’ve been quite tough on your gas unit. Max efficiency losses over that time would be down to 75%, and even possibly even better if you’ve had regular servicing on it.

@everythinghome Ай бұрын

Hi - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. I agree, it was probably a conservative comparison. If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

@PipThorne Жыл бұрын

Don’t forget that when you are exporting to the grid you will still be reducing your carbon footprint, as your export will be offsetting the need for the grid to generate from gas or other non-renewable sources. You would have to work out what the average kg of CO2 per kilowatt hour generated in the UK to get a figure. Just a thought 🤔

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Hi Pip - It's a good point 👍 If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

@raybarber9837 Жыл бұрын

Sorry, me again. Can I ask why you put a switch on the top immersion heater? We only ever use the bottom one. Am I missing something?

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment Ray, very interesting! We only ever use the top one as a top up. Given it's a 300L tank - using the bottom one means heating a greater column of water compared to using the top one which heats less but is sufficient for our showering habits at present. Having both options gives us more options and future proofing (or so I hope! 🤓) Shan

@martinshoebridge9679 Жыл бұрын

Didi I hear you right? Did you say that the sonoff switch can vary the power to the immersion heater or does it just switch the full 3kW?

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Hi Martin - thanks for checking. Just to be clear you cannot limit the draw via these switches so yes it will draw a full 3KW. But if done at the right time it should be covered by solar/battery. If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

@Kiran_UK Жыл бұрын

Could you get similar results with a smart immersion such as a Tesla t-smart?

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Hi Kiran - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Yes , I had looked at that as an option but for the reasons in the video and the significantly cheaper unit cost I went for the Sonoff WIFI switches which are working great. If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video

@TheIGM83 Жыл бұрын

Can I just ask, are you able to set how many power at what time using the son off switch's ?

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Hi - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. I don't believe you can set or limit the power, it will always draw ~3 KW. You can however set a schedule, timer or consumption threshold. There is some further information here in the retailers ad: amzn.to/3U9IEBt (Amazon) Hope that helps. If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

@dopiaza2006 11 ай бұрын

I'm on octopus tracker for gas, with 3kWp of solar PV. My gas has been under 5p/kWh for a good few months now. I am on Scottish Power for SEG at around 12p/kWh exported. It makes no financial sense for me to use excess solar to heat water and lose 12pkWh export rather than just heat the water with gas costing around 6p/kWh when you factor in inefficienceis of a gas hot water system. Not everyone will be in a similar situation but I bet there are loads of people thinking immersion diverters give you 'free hot water', which is only true if you are not on metered export or your export rate it similar or lower than your gas cost.

@everythinghome 11 ай бұрын

Hi - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Yes I agree, I'm also on Octopus Tracker for gas and we're using gas to heat hot water and exporting as much as we can on flux 👍 If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

@GaryDoesSolar Жыл бұрын

Hi Shan, great video (as always). Now, I think you're moving to Flux, but given the lucrative export rates, will you still want to divert solar into your water cylinder instead of exporting it?

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Hi Gary - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Nothing on the great waves you're making in solar, but interesting times. I agree - as mentioned in the video it makes more financial sense to export the electricity than use the immersions compared given the current gas figures (+ I'm still clinging onto my 3p/kWh till May 2023). As mentioned I think I'll use gas in the morning and solar in the afternoon in the interest of reducing mu CO2 impact whilst attempting to expand my CO2 reducing tech. Keep up the good work, Shan

@GaryDoesSolar Жыл бұрын

@@everythinghome Oh, I don't know, Shan - we're both doing our bit and from the feedback we're getting, it's clear there is a void of accessible useful information on solar and related topics. I'm happy (and I guess you are too) to spend time on trying to fill that void. Now, I don't have an EV, which means Flux is ideal for my installation (finally went in last week) but I think you have an EV - does that make Flux less desirable, or do you think you can make it work? I can imagine you'd want to stick all that excess in your EV...?

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

🙏 completely agree. And it's great having different perspectives on the same thing. I find that with some of the finance YT videos I watch there isn't a bad video just a different opinion and it helps me shape my own from that. Yes, we have a PHEV. I too was a bit dubious about how much we would export. However, we generate so much more than use it was very clear from the numbers that Flux was the answer for us in Q2/3. I'll be retreating back to Go in Q1/4 and for simplicity. Once I have my 1 year data that should allow me to make some further decisions going forward. I just hope the projections giving up my deemed FIT hold true but life's too short. I'm enjoying the journey 🙂 That's great. What setup did you go for?

@GaryDoesSolar Жыл бұрын

@@everythinghome Your strategy looks solid - and I look forward to you sharing your experiences over time as you build up data 🙂So, my solar journey has been, well... interesting! I knew next to nothing about the topic until March last year, when like many people, couldn't believe what was happening to energy prices. Solar seemed a great solution, but required a hefty investment. So, I started my research, only to find it was a minefield. And that's when I thought that I should make a video, to help others (I suspect you started making videos on solar for the same reason?) I contracted with an installer for an August 2022 installation, but it all fell through (a few days before installation!) so I had to contract with another installer. Finally, after more than a year, my installation went in just over a week ago, and I'm really pleased with it. Here's the setup: 17 x 415W Perlight Delta Shingled Panels (they are just gorgeous!) plus a spare panel to play with 1 x 5kW Gen 2 GivEnergy Hybrid String Inverter 2 x 9.5kWh GivEnergy batteries 1 x Zappi (but no EV yet... maybe one day I'll be able to afford) EPS (keeps the house lights on if power cut)

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Hi Gary - that looks like a fantastic installation which should hopefully see you far into the future. I also have EPS and have thankfully not had to use it. I look forward to seeing how you get on.

@slifox2752 2 ай бұрын

You Probably could use a WiFi immersion switch or even a WiFi mcb switch at the fuse board for less of a fuss 🤷‍♂️

@MrDBT85 Жыл бұрын

I have to agree that with the current export rates via Flux, a solar diverter makes little to no financial sense for anyone unless they are tied into a FIT scheme with Deemed Export. We are with 2 of our systems and so the Eddis do lots of good work using power that we are being paid for whether we use it or not. For my own uses, I have PV being installed as I type this and knowing that it could be 8 weeks before I start getting paid for my export, I'm going to spend the £21.24 for the 20A version simply to use the excess generated in the next 8 weeks rather thn give it away for free. The Flux export day rate here is about 22p, so this will have paid for itself after just 96kwh have been exported. It's a 6.3kwp array with a 9.5 battery and no EV's in the home, so it should cover itself just fine and once I'm actually being paid for export, I can still use it if it looks like I'm going to cross the 3.68kwh export limit. The big benefit of an Eddi or similar is power regulation as they can just put 100w or 200w into the water, but as I said, with Flux it basically make very little financial sense.

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Hi - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Glad to hear we're on the same page. Exciting times with your solar being installed. I'm sure you'll learn lots with your new system - how much solar did you manage to get onto your roof? If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

@MrDBT85 Жыл бұрын

@@everythinghome We've managed to cram 6.3kwp onto my workshop roof which is an East/West split. Our daily average usage is around 9-11 kwh, so with a force charged 9.5kwh battery with Flux off peak, annual savings should be substantial once I'm exporting and getting paid for it.

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Wow that's a great size array and as you say should provide some good savings and income with export in the spring and summer months 👍🏽

@johnh9449 Жыл бұрын

Have you considered that the gas you will use running your gas boiler over the next 10 years will pay for two heat pumps? Scrapping your gas boiler now and installing a heat pump will reduce your carbon footprint and you'll be able to drive it from your solar installation. My running costs are about 35% of my old gas boiler with the above suggestion. It makes no sense to keep the gas boiler. Good comment about solar diverters. It gets even more obvious with a heat pump which will be about three times as efficient as an immersion heater - and even cheaper when heating hot water with the heat pump on cheap off-peak electricity.

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Hi John - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. I agree, the gas boiler isn't the long term option. I think I need to get a proper heat loss survey done and then go from there. We also have microbore, and whilst not an absolute game over it does make it a bit more complicated. More investigation required for our specific circumstances over the next few years. If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂

@jamietrudgian Жыл бұрын

you done it wrong could use a sun amp heat battery or a tepeo zeb instead of export from the solar panels

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Nope, I looked at the sunamp but prices started at around 5k. The tepeo Zeb remains in the cards but at the moment they only replace gas boilers up to 12000 kWh of gas. We use around 15000, if not a bit more

@zjzozn Жыл бұрын

Nice vlog and great info…. Hope you had a structural engineer for the big tank in the loft? 🥸

@everythinghome Жыл бұрын

Hi - Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment on this video. Glad you found it useful. We previously had around 300kg of cold water storage tanks etc in its place, it now has around 350kg of unvented cylinder. The area was reinforced by the installing team 💪 If you’ve not already, please do like this video, stay tuned for some more content and thanks for taking the time to contribute to the discussion on this video 🙂