By David Coleman · Published 2026-10-08 15:47:56 · Updated 2026-10-08 09:01:14
East and west roof slopes peak at different times. Here's why they need separate MPPT inputs, and why two DC sockets on an inverter isn't the same thing.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-10-02 08:29:28 · Updated 2026-10-07 07:26:55
A solar panel has two warranties: one on the hardware, a longer one on output. Here is what each covers in the UK, and what it means when one ends.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-10-05 18:10:19 · Updated 2026-10-07 00:18:43
An export limit caps what your solar sends to the grid, not what your home uses. Here is how UK inverters manage surplus, and why annual losses stay small.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-10-06 19:09:51 · Updated 2026-10-06 16:15:21
On cold UK mornings a home battery limits its own charge current to protect the cells, warms up first, then charges fully. Here's why that's protection, not a fault.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-08-17 22:29:48 · Updated 2026-10-06 13:02:00
The same building can need a different solar-and-battery design when its electricity demand occurs at different times.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-08-20 09:41:47 · Updated 2026-10-06 13:00:30
An EV is a large, flexible electrical load. Here's how UK home charging changes solar self-consumption, sizing decisions and long-term system value.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-08-17 21:17:12 · Updated 2026-10-06 12:58:42
East and west roofs spread solar output across the day. Here's why self-consumption, shade and diffuse light matter more than compass bearing in the UK.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-08-18 11:44:59 · Updated 2026-10-06 12:57:14
A home battery stores daytime solar and releases it in the evening. Here's how time-shifting works, what happens when it empties, and how to size one properly.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-08-22 23:57:30 · Updated 2026-10-06 12:55:57
If twenty panels fit, why fit ten? A practical UK guide to sizing solar for decades of generation, plus the limits that decide how big you can go.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-08-21 12:12:16 · Updated 2026-10-06 12:54:15
Why solar panels make DC, how the inverter converts it to AC at 50 Hz, and why your system shuts down in a power cut unless you have battery backup.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-09-25 15:50:12 · Updated 2026-10-06 12:52:44
One chimney shadow can cut output across a whole solar string. Here's why series wiring limits current, and how optimisers isolate the loss in UK homes.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-08-23 11:56:48 · Updated 2026-10-06 12:49:51
How a solar diverter sends midday surplus into your immersion heater, why tanks heat from the top down, and whether it suits your UK home.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-08-24 10:27:08 · Updated 2026-10-06 12:48:14
Yes — a home battery can fill from cheap off-peak grid electricity, then run your house through the expensive peak. Here's how it works in UK homes.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-08-25 12:35:53 · Updated 2026-10-06 12:46:51
UK home EV chargers need roughly six amps — about 1.4 kW — before a session can start. Here's why small solar surpluses export instead of charging.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-08-30 21:24:01 · Updated 2026-10-06 12:43:03
A home battery's quoted capacity isn't always what you can use. Here's why buffers exist, how to read a quote properly, and what it means in UK homes.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-09-02 09:09:16 · Updated 2026-10-06 12:41:23
Oversizing a solar array above the inverter rating is deliberate UK design. Here's what clipping really costs, and why the dim hours gain far more.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-09-08 10:10:20 · Updated 2026-10-06 12:39:33
Panels and inverters don't age at the same rate. Here's why UK solar owners should budget for one mid-life inverter swap and price the whole 25 years.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-09-07 12:48:09 · Updated 2026-10-06 12:37:21
Solar panels want light, not heat. Here's why rising cell temperature cuts voltage and output, and why a cold bright British morning can beat a hot afternoon.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-09-05 13:55:35 · Updated 2026-10-06 12:36:01
A typical EV battery stores several times more than a home battery — but only bidirectional cars and chargers can send that energy back into the house.
By David Coleman · Published 2026-09-25 12:15:49 · Updated 2026-10-06 12:33:25
The midwinter sun sits around 47 degrees lower than in midsummer. Here's what that means for UK roof pitch, tilt and when your solar power actually arrives.
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