Powering Change

Installing since 2010 · 0118 951 4490 · info@spiritenergy.co.uk

Our brochure
Request a quote
Google Graphic with rating CROPPED

Homeowner Blog

Energy Crisis: Price Hikes and the Power of Solar

George Riley · 29 Sep 2021

Our industry rarely makes national news, but in recent weeks headlines have been dominated by the ‘energy crisis’. The crisis has hit energy suppliers across the UK, and in turn will affect all of us who buy energy from the grid. Escalating gas prices are crippling companies - millions of customers’ suppliers have already gone bust, with speculation that only 10 energy firms might survive the winter.

So how has this energy price crisis happened and what impact will it have on households with solar panels? And perhaps more importantly, can renewables help prevent a crisis like this in the future?

Read more...

Topics: Battery storage, Solar PV

Solar Car Chargers: The Best EV Chargepoint for PV

George Riley · 17 Aug 2021

With petrol prices at an eight-year high and new fossil fuel powered vehicles due to be banned by 2030, the age of electric cars will soon be upon us. For those of us lucky enough to have a driveway, we can charge up our electric cars at home, making the most of time of use tariffs to slash costs further. But what’s even better than cheap charging? Free charging from the sun!

Solar panels make a great companion to an EV, allowing you to use the car’s substantial battery to absorb excess solar power so you can drive on sunshine. But what are the best solar car chargers to make for an easy peasy EV-PV experience?

Read more...

Topics: EV charging, zappi, Solar PV

Do Solar Panels Increase the Value of Your House?

George Riley · 04 Aug 2021

With the sun finally out (in passing), you may be wondering if now is the time to join the solar club. Panels are better looking and more powerful than ever before, energy bills are spiking, and perhaps your neighbours are charging their new electric cars from the sun.

But if there’s something holding you back, it may be that classic British concern: property prices. So today we’re going to try and answer the question... do solar panels increase the value of your house?

Read more...

Topics: Financing, Solar PV

What Affects Solar Panel Output?

Mark Golding · 28 Jul 2021

Today we’re going to take a look at a real world example of an average 4kWp domestic PV system we have installed to understand what affects solar panel output, including factors such as weather, season, angle and orientation.

We’re going to put the batteries, EV chargepoints and hot water units to one side and consider a house with only solar panels fitted. The problem with this setup is that unless the energy is used as it’s generated, it will be exported. This means to get your best payback, you should switch on the dishwasher while it’s sunny, rather than at night.

To get the best annual output, your system would ideally face south at around 35 degrees. The height of the sun in the sky moves quite a lot over the year, so getting the best possible output will not be attainable without a very expensive and complex trackable mounting system. Generally it will always be a compromise on the roof space, orientation and pitch available to you.

Read more...

Topics: Solar PV

Are Solar Batteries Worth It in 2021?

George Riley · 07 Jul 2021

Good Energy estimates that the UK will need 23-55 GWh of domestic storage to balance the grid, which is equivalent to 1.5-4 million Tesla Powerwall sized batteries in people’s houses. Why? Because battery storage in homes is vital to help people use more renewable energy, reduce the evening peak demand and avoid costly transmission upgrades to the national grid.

Read more...

Topics: Battery storage, Tesla Powerwall

Monitoring Solar Export and Self Consumption

Mark Golding · 16 Jun 2021

In the old days of solar PV, after your system was fitted, the only way to know how much power you produced was from the generation meter ticking up each day, or reading the screen on the inverter.

As inverters got better and integrated with WiFi, they allowed you to track daily, monthly and yearly production figures using your phone or computer. Although, one thing that you could never be sure of is the total amount of PV energy consumed on site.

But times have changed, and there are now much better ways of monitoring solar export and self consumption.

Read more...

Topics: Tariffs, Solar PV

Talking All Things Solar with Mark Sanders

George Riley · 12 May 2021

We went to speak to Mark Sanders, one of our most enthusiastic customers, about his experience with solar PV and Tesla Powerwall.

Watch our chat in the video below:

Read more...

Topics: Battery storage, EV charging, Solar PV, Tesla Powerwall

eddi Turns Excess Solar into Heat

George Riley · 29 Apr 2021

Many of our clients desire energy independence, to be insulated against rising bills and polluting power. It’s one of the most common reasons for investing in solar PV.

This is why we’re always interested in ways to help people use more of the solar power they generate at home, boosting efficiency and saving money. So today we’re looking at a device that can turn surplus solar energy into heating for your house - the eddi.

Read more...

Topics: zappi, Solar PV

Time of Use Tariffs: Saving the UK Grid?

George Riley · 21 Apr 2021

If you’ve spent much time trying to find the best energy deal, you may have come across the term ‘time of use tariffs’. It’s more exciting than it sounds - if you’re interested in Britain’s evolving energy system.

Energy suppliers are falling over themselves to launch more innovative tariffs to tempt savvy customers. Just last week, Good Energy announced its ‘Zap Flash’ tariff, with free EV charging when there’s excess power on the grid. So how do these tariffs work, and why do they have the potential to change the grid forever?

Read more...

Topics: Battery storage, EV charging, Tariffs

Solar PV Monitoring Solutions: The Best Apps and Platforms

George Riley · 01 Apr 2021

Image: SolarEdge.

Since solar panels are static, there’s little to actually, well, see when they’re generating. Sure, it’s nice to start receiving smaller energy bills but, if you’re like most of our customers, you’ll want to dig into the performance data every now and then.

As well as checking when the most solar power is being generated (a useful reminder to turn on the dishwasher and make the most of that free electricity), solar monitoring is great for reviewing past output and comparing performance. Sudden drops can indicate faults that need fixing, or help assess if it’s worth giving the panels a clean.

Wondering which solar PV monitoring solutions are the best? Read on...

Read more...

Topics: Solar PV, Tesla Powerwall, Inverters