electricity usage mismatch

[Wahib]

I added Battery last week, I hardly get any electricity imports from the grid, and my new system confirm that, BUT AGL app showing different value!

Example below, on Nov 10, I got 100W (0.1 KW) imported from the grid, AGL showing 3.36KW, 30 times more!

Exported value is much closer

Did anyone have the same issue?

[SYED_AGL]

Hi Wahib 

Thank you for raising this. We understand how confusing it can be when your home system and the app show different figures, especially after installing a new battery. Usage and import data in the AGL app is based on the readings we receive from your smart meter, which can sometimes take time to sync or may temporarily display estimated values while updated data is being processed.

The large difference you’re seeing is not typical, and we’d be happy to investigate it further. If you can share your account details via private message , so our team can check whether the meter data, app display, or system configuration needs adjustment.

We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and want to make sure your usage information is accurate and up to date.

We are here to help!

SYED 

[AndrewDo]

Hi, I also have had that issue, the only thing I can surmise is that I have 2 circuits one that is general usage and another that is Off-peak - so the hot water heating is not using the solar panels or battery. If AGL discovers a similar reason I would be interested to know how to get all my appliances using the same circuit as the solar panels and battery. 

Or appliances are drawing too much power for the panels/battery to catchup, eg. a 4kWh hot water system maybe too much initial draw of power so some needs to come from the grid? 

Regards Andrew

[Lester]

@AndrewDo yes if you had CL (controlled load) on before your solar went on, the power company (DNSP) puts new meters in like for like.

I had this happen, HW was still costing me about $1.40 a day !

As it's on a separate circuit to your solar and general usage, you have to do one of 2 things.

Get the HW onto your normal circuit, a sparky can do this for you.

I did that and had a timer / breaker installed on that HW circuit, so I can time it if I like for whatever daytime heating (free from solar in summer), or from my 6 hours a day 8c supply, which costs us about 30-40c a day now.

I can also boost it, or turn it off with the time breaker.

A shame solar companies don't give new customers some advice on the HWS aspects of household power usage, and getting the best out of the change to solar.

Now, if you want totally hassle free HW, you can get a Catch Power device fitted, will cost about $1500 for the device and install, but then you can just leave it to solar, ANY time there is production from PV over and above what you're using in the home, it puts it to the HWS before sending to the grid.

If winter is a problem producing enough power, the device will boost from whatever time you set it to boost.

You can also programme some other software / devices, but it takes some knowledge of those systems, programming etc.

Regarding the appliance draw and grid usage over and above solar (or battery).

Say you're using 2kw into the home with some things running, and your HWS comes on using a typical 3.6kw element, that puts your draw at 5.6kw.

If you have a 5kw inverter, then that is your limit to using your solar into the home, you will draw 0.6kwh from the grid.

After solar production hours, a battery still uses the inverter to use that power into the home, so again, you will still draw 0.6kw.

[AndrewDo]

Thanks Lester,
I am starting to understand the complexities of solar.
Regards
Andrew

[Wahib]

Thank you so much

I asked my sparky to connect my HWS to the main, it drew from sun & battery, with 40KW Battery, so far, so good 😊

[Lester]

No problems Andrew, and not only is the solar / battery journey long and complex, but you have to get that right for your own suppliers, the DNSP who provides power, and the retailer offers that are just as complex and varied.

It can take a lot of work to find your way through that maze too, and when you do, most see changes to pricing and plans annually, so you have to adapt if needed constantly and new offers etc come out.

Wahib, did you get that timer ? (Or maybe the Catch Power device ?)

If you have the HW powering off your solar and battery at any time it wants to heat up, you might be ok if you have plenty of PV to have that happen during solar soak, of off the battery if the there is enough production to charge the battery through say the worst of winter days.

Remember, the smaller type single element systems draw about 3.6kw (like mine, a 250lt storage with resistive element), which can add up, but if you have good battery charge daily you would cruise through that ok I feel.

I imagine you have a 10kw inverter with your system ? Single or 3Ph ?

If so, you should be fine there with most power needs through a day inc HW and other usage.

Winter is a shock to a lot of new solar owners, my pretty well set up 11.23kw system can be as low as 5 or 6kwh production for the whole day when the sky is dark grey, raining all day, etc.

Then you need to have a back up to the solar / battery for HW or you risk an irate family wanting a shower !

I fitted this Hager timer, which has off / timer / on positions.

I currently have it set for 0100-0500, so it works well within my 8c/kwh tariff time, very cheap, this is where I get our daily HW for between 30c and 40c.

On sunny days, I will be producing around 9kwh on totally clear days now, so can switch it on and give it a boost after daily morning showers.

HW then costs us 5c - 10c with the very short boost in the cheap 8c time.

This will be my first summer with the timer, so maybe when we are in that full sun time and little risk of heavy cloud etc, I might set a 2nd timer block for say 1100 - 1500, and reduce manual hassle.

But you have to consider other power needs, the regular 0.5kw home 'turnover' and if the wife is doing some washing, and dishwasher, perhaps we have a split air cond running, and I might be doing some work with air compressor or other power tools, we could push through production and / or inverter 10kw capacity total, so must keep that in mind.

This is where the Catch Power does all that automatically, so long term a good option for hassle free HW.

Mind you, I'm pretty ok for daily HW for 40c at most . . .

Anyway, it's an educational journey getting into all this solar / battery stuff, some like it more than others, some think it's a scam, those with it and knowing how it can work for their homes get most of their power needs for nothing, but it's an ever changing environment and takes a little monitoring of how things are performing for current regulations and changes to power pricing etc.

[Lester]

@Wahib, your original chart posted for inquiry.

Things might be estimated as Syed said, but when you hover over those usage or solar bars, I have often found the size of the bars shown are not terrible indicative of what figures come up.

It might be settling in too, estimated values are taken from past periods and are very high too sometimes.

Maybe go to the computer login in, on the usage page there is the little download icon top right, this allows you to download a csv file with your 30 min interval usage and solar, and most of those up to the last 30min interval for the last day show are actual figures, you should see them right there.

Usually at about 1800hrs the file is uploaded for the previous day, and only the last 30min interval is still estimated (until following day data comes through).

You can also keep and eye on your meter values anytime, good or bad production days, and make sure those are where they should be.

Ie. nice sunny day, reading usage well with solar soak at say 0830 the value should be roughly the same at say 1600, with no increase if your production is exceeding usage through the day between those hours.

[AndrewDo]

Lester
Yes I am upgrading the inverter to 10kWh and the 6kWh panels on the roof
with another 5kWh to cover the shading and lack of sunshine in the winter.

The HW has a timer which I will find out how to adjust, however as it is a
evacuated tube system it should not require much boosting.

I think the issue, unless I still have a controlled load circuit attached
to part of the house, is the limits of the current 5kWh inverter when
multiple high usage appliances are running as you noted.

Regards
Andrew

[Lester]

That should help Andrew, I feel the average home can manage ok with 11kw or so PV.

We cover all out home needs (within reason and care) from our solar only.

But I am sure now for a lot of households, working families mostly who can't use the bulk of their production during the day, are almost necessary for a battery as well, so they can save most of that and use in the evening, when power is dearer.

We use a lot of our power during the day, semi retired, and some states / regions are more reliant on battery now too, like here in SA where the FIT is 2c, and peak TOU 53c, we get hammered with 13 hours a day of that peak tariff, all evenings from 1500 - midnight 9 hours, and 0600 - 1000 another 4 hours, so that kills a lot of our solar advantage.

With a 10kwh battery, I could easily cover all our peak TOU usage, and be slightly ahead with minor FIT on top.

With a 20kwh battery we could also be able to drop a good 10kwh of power to a retailer FIT plan and cover daily supply charge completely.

Saving for that now, not a fan of borrowing, and our bills are 75% lower now with solar anyway, so just a timing thing.