Solar Panels Electricity Meter Going Backwards

If your solar installation is left running then the longer the delay between getting the panels installed and getting a new meter the more likely your retailer will get upset.

Solar panels electricity meter going backwards.

How much energy does a solar panel produce. Many people want to know if and how the power meter will run backwards after a solar power system is installed so the following article was written to explain the answer to this commonly asked question. If you have an old analogue electricity meter and a solar pv system installed you may sometimes find you meter running backwards. If you are on a net feed in tariff scheme your net meter measures your household s electricity and the electricity generated by your solar pv system.

Last year ovo organised for a replacement for my ancient electricity meter as the power generated from my solar panels was making it go backwards. Thus the output for each solar panel in your array would. I ve just had free solar panels installed and didn t think the meter going backwards was a problem until i tried to input a meter reading online. We occasionally get asked about this and if it is a problem so the following article has been written to put people s minds at rest.

The short answer is yes your power meter can spin backwards when you go solar. On the face of it this sounds good because theoreticaly we were sending power back at the same cost rate as we were consuming it. Lots of people are now generating with solar panels so any clues as to the an. Your electricity company reads the meter and determines the total amount of electricity generated by your solar panels regardless of whether it goes into the grid or is used by your household.

Electricity meter going backwards. 5 hours x 290 watts an example wattage of a premium solar panel 1 450 watts hours or roughly 1 5 kilowatt hours kwh. This means that whenever the solar panels are exporting to the grid because the panels are generating electricity that s not being used in the home the mains electricity meter. I m currently with scottish power but with the potential saving from the panels wanted to change to a different supplier who charges a lower standing charge.

This has now happened with the apparently up to the minute replacement. We ve been contacted by owners of solar pv panels who have experienced their electricity usage meters otherwise known as supply or mains meters running backwards.