No, we used a local installer. The delay was in getting the DNO to confirm acceptance of the application in writing and getting that forwarded to us so that we could give it to Octopus. With hindsight it might have been simpler if Octopus had done the install.
You did well then to get Octopus to pay - I suspect that your smart meter being new may have helped.
If you had had Octopus do the install they would likely have employed subcontractors which might not have worked out any better (and possibly worse).
I’m glad we used a local installer as they were around to sort out any teething problems. I think you’re right that Octopus would sub out the work, but I assume the admin, including communication with the DNO, would still be done in house.
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Indeed, I got a complete back date from Octopus from my new export meter reading…. But I was already an Octopus customer….albeit on import only.
Same here, although the backdated payment was negligible as we went live on 30th Jan 2024 and in couple of very cloudy months we generated very little. Still, it’s nice that they were willing to do it.
Yes it was only around a couple of weeks ISTR, but I didn’t need to request it… it just happened, I wasn’t expecting it.
This is how December looked like for us, with a 14kW system.
I’ll report back after June (dead of winter here) for comparison.
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Out of interest, how does it work in Oz? How much do you pay for power, and get for power you export? We pay 8p per kWh for six hours off peak (which we use to fill the batteries) and 33p for the rest of the day. For export we receive 12p. Prices have risen recently due to the Middle East shenanigans.
The 5p went to 8p overnight, but the 12p ( export) didn’t go back to 15p. I read the argument buy it didn’t make much sense.
We are not importing anything (single powerwall3 battery), except for when the system decides to “calibrate“ and depletes the battery on purpose. The price we pay then is $0.4/kW. We do export though, a MW a month on average. And we sell that MW @ $0.02/kW or for 20x times less than we buy for.
It was one of the reasons back in April I’ve considered for a week or so to get an electric car. Better use that excess electricity myself than wasting it. We ended up with a Subaru Outback XT, with a lively 2.4l turbo petrol engine. 
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Thanks Dan. It’s interesting how little you get for export, and also that you can run in solar all year. As we have no gas, we import a lot in winter, and export a lot in summer. When we got the system in late 2024 we could buy power for 7p and sell for 15p, a difference of 8p. Now, a year later, we are buying at 8p and selling at 12p, a difference of only 4p, 50% less. Hopefully planned changes to how the market price is determined, with less reliance on gas prices, will bring electric prices down in 2027. The U.K. has the most expensive power in Europe I believe.
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That award goes to Ireland apparently, not surprising really as we seem to be ripped off at every opportunity
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I’ve noticed that there are not many options for export for a self-install 
Octopus seem to be the only one offering export for non-MCS systems albeit a parsimonious 4p per kWh. 
None the less I intend to proceed with a small project and see how it goes. Awaiting delivery of inverter and a couple of panels. 
So why DIY?
- it will be cheaper
- I can install stuff where I want - not down to XYZ.12a.3b type regulations
- I can’t get ripped off
- my house roof won’t get damaged
- I choose the components
- avoiding ‘professionals’
- not paying somebody to drill holes and join wires together
- my car restoration costs by a ‘professional outfit’ still smarts, as will the owner’s nose should we meet again - my DIY efforts are hugely better and safer
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There is limited incentive for any provider to buy solar power given that most of it is exported when nobody wants to buy it from you. It wouldn’t surprise me to see further reductions in export payments in future. If you want solar, get batteries and use the power when demand is higher.
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My experience with my selected installer (I had several quotes for what I wanted) didn’t suffer from any of your concerns - I couldn’t have done it myself so I was happy to pay a reasonable cost for a very professional and tidy result which I had full input to on components and their placement. YMMV of course.
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Mine too…
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This was my conclusion too, having read this (long !) thread in its entirety. The whole export thing seems a right PITA, for relatively limited reward.
We’re moving house soon. We’ll start with a battery and 5 hours of Octopus Go charge at 4.99p pkwh. Then experiment with a “middle aisle” solar panel or two, before considering a full solar install. But even then, our current thinking is that battery self sufficiency trumps any small export bonus.
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I am another currently contemplating solar, and it seems to me that ideal would be enough generation capacity to be self sufficient, at least on all except the dullest midwinter days, with at least sufficient battery capacity to cover those long winter nights including tiding over several continuous dull winter days. (Heating/hot water are both gas, all else electricity.) That way I would be immune from all future electricity The first question then is whether the earnings from surplus electricity exported are more than sufficient to cover the standing charge of having an electricity account - it appears yes, so the next question is how then to maximise income from selling that surplus, and my conclusion is that by using Octopus Flux not only can the surplus be exported but battery capacity can be used to generate income through energy trading to help offset the cost of the system. That all points to adequate solar panels plus as big a battery capacity as I am comfortable buying.
Do those with real experience concur?
I am considering a solar array giving 7000 kWh pa as estimated by a supplier, though based on the calculator on this website JRC Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS) - European Commission I suspect realistic might be not much more than 5000kw, plus 22 kWh battery capacity. Our estimated electricity usage of 2500kWh pa (estimated as I haven’t lived here long enough to be sure). Does this size setup seem reasonable to others?