Wasteful how exactly? A modern heated hot water cylinder will have only a small thermal loss and thus be a store of energy, like a battery.
I don't think anyone is "moaning", neither do we import Russian, Qatari or Saudi natural gas.
Not quite. 500/0.1 = 5000 kWh. 2 seasons implies that your 8 panel set up is producing a surplus of 5000/2 = 2500 kWh per year?
The eddi uses SURPLUS electricity after your domestic needs. My 8 panel set up produces a SURPLUS of 1200 units per year, for example. Also, the price of a kWh sold back to the grid is ~0.2c. The cost of gas is ~0.1c. If your boiler is 50% efficient, you breakeven.
Hi Itchy
Fair points, keep your hair on.
The moaning wasnt directed at you,just in general. Note that c.70% some of our gas does indeed come or is influenced by the despots of Putin, Saudi and Qatar, simply because our gas is piped in from Britain , which itself imports Gas from Norge and Qatar and US and a small amount from Netherlands. I wish to minimise my exposure to these countries , aside from Norge.
Price of Gas/Oil is linked, and dictated by OPEC, it is them who set the price.. Anyway, thats enough ranting.
Howandever..
Re:Wasteful how exactly? A modern heated hot water cylinder will have only a small thermal loss and thus be a store of energy, like a battery.
The cyclinder perhaps, but how much X kWh of gas do you consume to heat 1 cylinder full. From my experience, 1hr heating/day in summer for a zoned system, I would not consider excessive for 4 adults. => 24kW boiler =24kWh*0.1E=2.40E/day
Last summer, gas bill was 11kWh per 2month period, with PV , battery/eddi, much less than 2.40E*60=144E.
I have 18 panels, so its not a problem to have 2500kWh excess/annum, produce consistently 20 to 30kWh and close to 40kWh elec per day Apr to Oct.
Aditionally Elec Irelan paid me 190Euro (0.21/kWh) for c.900kWh of export, even taking into account priority is - house, battery, then eddi ,and then export. .