This month has been an interesting month with the imported figures having risen substantially from what I am used to and this was kind of expected. For the last 4 weeks we have the business office set up from home so there are more people here during the day than normal and will be the case until the end of this month. This is ok though as I will be claiming this against the tax which is legal and justified.
The load and PV is down from last month, but then February has 3 less days so this is perfectly normal. The weather has been much of the same with the late afternoon rain showers taking place almost daily. This is our rainy season and unfortunately does hamper the solar system ever so slightly.
I mentioned the other day the plan is to add another 8 more panels which will or should increase the daily harvest by roughly 40% which is an extra 320kwh which will also increase the discharge which is the generated power not used during the day and over and above what the batteries can currently store being 21.28kwh. This is why I need 2 more batteries to take into account we are throwing away on average 11kwh per day.
I am not interested to supply back to the grid even if it becomes an option as the SOE electricity company is corrupt and will find ways to screw you over. Last month the admin fees which has two different fees now was roughly $100 and this was never this pricey. These are new creative accounting fees finding their shortfalls in revenue and hitting those who have solar with the extras.
The new electricity tariff is supposed to be 8.76% this year from the 1st of April, but if you believe that you are in for a shock. these are the direct industrial customers and not residential and the residential is where they make up for the discounted industrial prices. The residential properties using less electricity will be the hardest hit with a 28% increase ie the solar households. they find ways to keep their revenue similar to what it was even though less electricity is being purchased. This is why my last monthly bill remains unpaid and I am ready to fight them when their billing systems come back on line whenever that might be. What they say we used does not match my records and I refuse to be fleeced.
This week Eskom the SOE power supplier was told to cut back on staffing because they cannot afford the numbers they have employed who by the way are asking/demanding for an above inflation increase. With the power utility expenses soaring and their revenue being reduced they will be fighting for survival trying to over charge wherever possible. The need to get off the grid permanently is a priority and if not completed this month will be done by mid April.
We have a solar exhibition later this month which I am planning to attend to see if there are any tips I can learn or maybe something new to add to the current system. I may want to separate the water geyser/boiler on to it's own system as I believe that would take me off the grid with the current set up.