Morning
Mornings often bring a short burst of use before solar generation has built up. Knowing how large it is helps you see how much of it generation could cover.
Bright Ray / Your home, considered
Understanding your home's energy use before you talk solar
Any sensible conversation about home solar starts with how your household uses electricity. This guide shows which records to gather, how to describe your day, and what to share with a provider.
Make a picture of your day
Daytime
Daytime is when panels generate most. Power used in the house at this time can come straight from the roof, so daytime occupancy is one of the most useful things to note.
Evening
Evening is often the busiest part of the day, and it comes after the sun has dropped. This is where storage or a different routine may be worth asking about.
Night
Overnight use includes fridges, standby loads and any timed charging. If you pay less at night, say so, because it affects how you may want to run appliances.
Useful records
Annual electricity use (kWh)
The single most useful figure. It tells a provider the rough size of your household's use across a whole year.
Recent meter readings with dates
Dated readings show your current pace of use, which is useful if your habits have changed since the annual figure was set.
Tariff type and unit rate
Knowing whether your price changes through the day helps explain which hours of use matter most to your bills.
Smart-meter or supplier app data
Half-hourly figures, if you can see them, show your real daily pattern far better than a monthly total.
Which records should I gather?
Start with what you already have. A year of electricity use shows the seasons, which matter because a home often uses more in winter than in summer.
You do not need every document. A few clear figures are more useful than a folder of paper, and you can say so if something is missing.
Annual electricity use
Usually shown in kilowatt-hours (kWh) on a bill or annual statement. Note whether the figure is measured or estimated.
Is this figure based on real meter readings or an estimate?
Recent meter readings
A reading now and one from a few months ago show your actual pace of use. Photograph the meter display for your own reference.
Do you have two or more readings with dates?
Tariff details
Note whether you pay one rate all day or different rates at different times, and whether you have a separate overnight rate.
Does your price per unit change by time of day?
Smart-meter data
If you have a smart meter, your supplier app or portal may show use by half hour, which reveals your daily pattern clearly.
Can you see half-hourly use in your supplier account?
Standing charge and unit rate
These two figures on a bill separate the fixed daily charge from the price of each unit, so you can see what the usage part of the bill is.
Do you know your unit rate and daily standing charge?
When do I use electricity?
Solar panels produce during daylight, so when you use power matters as much as how much. A home that is busy at midday uses more of its own generation directly than one that is empty until evening.
Use the day strip above to jot down who is home and what runs in each part of the day. Rough notes are enough.
Who is home, and when
Working from home, school runs, shift patterns and holidays all change the shape of a day.
On a typical weekday, who is home between 9am and 4pm?
Weekdays compared with weekends
Many households have two different patterns. Mention both if they differ.
Is your weekend use noticeably different?
Timed appliances
Dishwashers, washing machines and immersion heaters can often be run at set times, which may suit daytime generation.
Which appliances could you run at a different time of day?
What might change my use?
A year of records describes the past. If your household is about to change, your future use may look different, and that is worth saying early.
You do not need to predict precisely. A short list of likely changes helps a provider ask better questions.
Electric vehicle
Charging at home can add a large amount of use, and when you charge affects how much solar generation you could use directly.
Do you plan to buy an electric vehicle, and when would you charge it?
Heating changes
Replacing a gas or oil boiler with an electric heat pump or other electric heating raises electricity use, mostly in colder months.
Are you planning to change how you heat your home or water?
New or replaced appliances
Efficient replacements can lower use, while additions such as a hot tub or home office equipment can raise it.
Are you adding or replacing any large appliances?
Household changes
Children leaving or arriving, a lodger, or a change to working patterns all alter daily use.
Will anyone be home more or less than now?
What do I give a provider?
A short summary is usually enough to start: your annual use, your day pattern, any planned changes and any questions. Add these as notes to the enquiry sheet and send them in one email.
Please do not send bank details, account passwords or full copies of bills unless a provider has asked for a specific document and explained why they need it. Figures from a bill, such as annual kWh, are normally all that is needed at the start.
Figures, not full documents
Quote your annual kWh and tariff type rather than attaching a whole bill with account numbers on it.
Your day pattern in a few lines
Who is home, and when your biggest loads run. The day strip notes can be pasted straight into your message.
Planned changes
Vehicle, heating or building work that will change your use in the next few years.
Start with one email
Send your notes with an enquiry
Once you have jotted down your records and day pattern, email us your questions. We will read them before suggesting what to discuss next.
