Not sure if this is the right place but - solar energy… we use a lot of electricity. About half of our consumption is for charging our EV. We’re also installing a pool and I believe it has a 1kW filter pump. On and off I have looked at solar energy options but either the outlay and ROI is too much or it’s just all too complicated. We do have masses of south-facing roof space.
I’ve come back to this because we I’ve read about new-style solar panel solutions that you apparently just plug into a mains socket and, in conjunction with your Linky meter it works it all out - so no expensive separate inverter installation by expensive professionals.
Is this or any other new trend worth looking at?
Not solar, but quite a few wind turbines are going up, locally, so I was wondering if it’s worth investing in those in return for discounted electricity - is that a thing? I’ve heard of such arrangements elsewhere.
I’ve been looking in to small units to charge the EV ( we don’ t have orientation for roof paneks) but not sound a solution yet, so will be interested to see the responses!
(Is it worth installing a pool in Deux Sevres? Aren’t they going to be prohibitively expensive/forbidden soon because of water restrictions? Householder will have to pay through the nose to fill a pool it seems. )
Several pools on my lotissement are waiting to be filled but cannot do so and several other communes have banned even applications to build them for the time being.
Our Marie reckons that this will get tighter and tighter every year. And the proposals for water sobriety are to charge households more once go over a threshold of normal useage.
Well, I’m in the Vienne, not Deux Sevres. The pool is 90% complete.
But to everyone else, I didn’t ask to be lectured about the rights and wrongs of having a pool, but about solar or other green energy options that might be viable.
It seems to be the way on here this week, don’t worry I’m sure when people start tucking into the chocolate eggs, bunnies or fish, they’ll lighten up a bit. I had to hide the ‘ Bassines and Police force’ thread as some of it was so OTT I could feel my blood pressure rising just from reading. Of course it could have been the blood sugar from all the chocolate, but tomayto tomarto…
Well many people are still rather unaware of the potential issue, so it seems only neighbourly to make sure they have considered future costs. Not lecturing, it’s your choice and your purse.
However had I wanted another business it would be to transform pools into beautiful shady sunken gardens, with refreshing brumatiseurs (can’t thing of english word…) and perhaps some sound effects of water. In a few years time I think it could make a good business!
Answering your question, there is no decent roi in solar or wind back-up. All due to the powerful lobby of the electricity providers who, of course, want you to use their product.
I say ‘decent’ meaning that you might/should be able to invest elsewhere and get a better rate and pay for electricity. But with markets all over the place of late, maybe not a good option either.
Have you fully costed a proper install (do not use plug ‘n play ones)? Maybe better than nothing. I installed mine 9 years ago at spprox 14k €. It has returned an average of 1.4k€ pa tax free. It costs me 300€ pa with a full sevice contract, so compares well with a solid investment on the stock market -except the capital on the stockmarket should appreciate some. I am not sure what the actual life of a solar panel is…
There are various plug and play kits - but be careful it’s an over used term.
True plug and play simply plug into an existing socket and don’t need EDF permissions. But they are limited to 4 panels - so 1.6kW - most are smaller. They are intended for self install - but do come with roof kits if your brave - they do ground mounts as well.
There are some sold as plug and play but require wiring in via the tableau - at that point just buy a proper kit and have done.
As long as the kit you buy is supplied with a proper connection/protection system then even wiring a 3kWc system in is not hard, & electrically preferable IMO.
Systems above 3kWc require more paperwork & an inspection from CONSUEL.
@Badger I actually understood that any size system that was connecting to the mains supply, and therefore to the grid, needed the inspection from consuel, or am I incorrect?
Well if there is any half decent recommendation, I’d be interested as well. We don’t have optimised roof surfaces (mostly E/W-facing with ca. 15° slope). Not ideal for the relative cost of investment.
Spoke to the people who installed the PAC as they also do solar installations, and they suggested ground installation, but again not possible anywhere near the house because of the massive (and old) oak trees which cast shadow pretty much all day. Next door field would be handy, if only I owned it
It really doesn’t need to be. The biggest pool I retro fitted a low energy setup to was 13m x 6m x 2m shallowing to 1.2m and that runs on 126 watts. My pool uses 65 watts and thats an average 8m x 4m pool. Running costs are negligible.
@Corona , one of our friends in the village has fitted one of the below for their hot tub, during the summer do you reckon it will work, like us they face south and get the sun from 10am through until 9pm.
Unfortunately they wont have a clue what you are talking about. Low energy??? What is this ??? Low energy setups is something I and a few colleagues dotted around the world developed. Standard contruction is just see monkey do, they copy or repeat what ever they have been doing since they started. They usually instal skimers at one end and returns at the other because thats what they have always done. On the other hand we have proven that is not the most effective way of doing it. It doesnt matter how bad the plumbing is because if you put a big pump on the end the water will arrive.
That reduces the effectiveness of the filtration, costs 10x as much to run and creates more work looking after the pool.
l 
