Malta - British Expat Forum

YHM

Sorted

I now have two PV systems (on 3phase) and yesterday - mainly overcast spring day temp around 18deg' - generated 21 units. Fantastic

Did not wait for government grant as I can earn more from the systems now than waiting for the grant announcement/paperwork/payout.

Now to tackle hot water: We already have a solar heating unit which provides gallons of hot water for when it's NOT needed in the afternoon/evening and then goes cold overnight requiring the use of electricity to heat water for morning showers. Also there are mainly long runs from this to bathrooms/kitchen/utility requiring loads of water to be run-off before the hot comes through - result = wasted water

If I was starting again I'd ignore solar water heating and install "on-demand" gas or electric heaters wherever needed. The electric shower that we sometimes employ in the UK is probably much more efficient!

Anyone got any ideas?

Great news Chris

solar water heaters - I've seen some people put insulation around them to keep in the heat, but not sure how effective

the issue of long runs is a problem - it can be mitigated by having narrower pipes fitted, but hardly ideal. This was one reason we only connected our bathrooms to the solar water heater, rather than the kitchen and utility room, which is a much longer run. For us we've found the saving on electricity far outweighs the water loss, but then we tend to take baths - the hot water is normally so hot we need the first bit of cold water anyway

The on-demand gas heaters seem very efficient

Latest scheme for PV announced

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110624/local/Subsidy-to-cover-half-cost-of-PV-panels-under-new-scheme.372189

A third scheme encouraging Maltese households to invest in photovoltaic panels was launched by Resources Minister George Pullicino, yesterday.

Up to 2,000 families can benefit from the EU-funded scheme and applicants will get back up to 50 per cent (maximum €3,000) of the cost of the system.

They will also be paid for the energy they feed into the national grid at a rate of 25c per unit for Maltese households and 28c per unit for Gozitan households.

Although launched yesterday, those interested have ample time to “shop around”, as the scheme opens on July 25 and closes on August 3.

gozomark wrote:My panels were installed today, all made painless by Botros above total cost of € 7,000 odd, less the € 3,000 subsidy = € 4,000 for a 1.74KWp system, which should generate 1600 to 1650 x 1.74 = 2,800 to 2,900 KWh per annum. As my system is in Gozo, the govt will pay me 28c per KWh (only 25c in Malta) = about € 800 a year, so a 5 year payback. This is much quicker than when this thread started, as back then you only got the price of your marginal consumed units, or about 16-20c per KWh

I got my first bill with credit on it today

The meter was finally installed in May last year. 2131 units generated since then equates to an annualised 2,550, but March and April should be better than average, so might hit 2,650, so 5% below rated

Congratulations Mark.

We are heavy users here at Honey Farm with previous annual costs nearing €6,000 including water charges.

Having a three phase supply enabled us to install three systems at a cost of €24,000 and take full advantage of the feed-in tariff. The installation was staged and there were some hiccups over metering but recent readings indicate that we are "fuel cost free" apart from gas cylinders and wood for the log burner. A four year payback untaxed although we didn't qualify for any original government subsidy.

We also have solar water heating but found this less than satisfactory. There was plenty of hot water in the summer evenings but insufficient for morning showers and ablutions. So we installed an exterior gas boiler midway which senses the temperature of the water from the solar tank and, if necessary, fires up to provide our needs.

Recent clear spring days (not hot) have shown the solar panels producing over 40KWh and with the longer days coming we anticipate maximums of around 48KWh.

c.

"So we installed an exterior gas boiler midway which senses the temperature of the water from the solar tank and, if necessary, fires up to provide our needs. " - interesting - we use the electric element in the solar tank to heat when required. How much did the gas boiler cost, and how many bottles a year do you think you will go through ?


now, if we can find a way of reducing our water bill.....

Our solar water tank is large capacity and was using 10KW per day. Now we have endless hot water but only on demand - using only that energy required. The cost was around €1,000.

As far as saving water is concerned: without digging up the floors and installing 'grey' water tanks the only saving we make is applying "Australian rules" in the bathrooms.

I do get slightly pi**ed off watching the rain water run uselessly down the drains while the government pays vast amounts for electricity to convert sea water to potable.

c.

its the wrong sort of rain...

fascinating.......mark i suspect i must have heard your voice in my previous life as 'valued' southern network railway commuter!
with energy cost only going in one direction, does anyone know if and when there will be another pv panel support scheme?

From memory, they do 2 schemes a year, or atleast have done in recent years - I'll check for any news

"with energy cost only going in one direction," maybe not, given the PM has recently said there will be no increase in electricity prices, whereas Labour have said they will cut electricity prices if elected - it seems both have found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, to fund their election promises....

Waiting for the application date, making the application and awaiting approval persuaded me to ignore the government subsidy as the savings on an immediate installation outweighed the subsidy. However, our usage was so high that the top 5,000 plus units of consumption fell within the 'penalty area' of 36 eurocents per unit so reducing/eliminating this top tier was priority.

This may not be the case for more typical domestic consumption.

I am now a complete anorak concerning fuel saving. I cannot claim a halo for my efforts to 'save the planet'. Some might argue that manufacturing of the solar units negates this anyway. Just looking after my wallet.

if these winds keep getting stronger overnight chris, you may be looking for some new solar panels next week!.....i imagine it's a bit windy in san lawrenz......and it certainly is here in zebbug

Fully insured and sheltered by Gozo's tallest 'mountain' Ta'Dbiegi but glad I'm not in the 'windy city' of Zebbug. c.

greetings from 'windy city'.......electric now back on and wind a 'gentle' NE force6........bliss!
i guess i should have realised that buying a property in 'windmill street' would be........well windy.
there's no windmill here now, but assume it was blown away?
now on serious matter, what are the feed-in tariffs for wind generated electric?