Getting started with the Consumption task

In this section you are configuring how energy is consumed in the property across the year. This consists of the annual consumption figure (kWh) and how the consumption is distributed across the year (the consumption profile). You can select from the following options to set the annual consumption:

Annual usage

If you know the annual consumption in kWh (for example from an electricity bill) you can enter it here in the annual usage field.  

When you use this option you can choose from a variety of domestic and commercial consumption profiles, the consumption profile determines how the energy is used within a week and throughout the year. 

Meter data

If the property has a smart meter you can upload half-hourly data to get a more accurate projection. The file must be in a particular format for Easy PV to use it:

• The data should ideally span at least a year (but if it contains a minimum of 6 months our algorithm will automatically attempt to fill in gaps where they are detected).
• The file must have a .csv file extension. If your data is in another file type you can export it as csv from Excel, Google Sheets, Libreoffice or any other spreadsheet editor. 
• If you are getting an error when trying to upload the data, you can also download our sample spreadsheet here and change your data into this format.

Not sure

If you don't know the electricity consumption in the property and it's domestic, you can use typical values for the size of property provided here. 

These options will assume a domestic consumption profile. 

Here you should select the tariffs used in the Easy PV calculation. It is important to set suitable tariffs so the financial calculations for this project are accurate, particularly if you plan to configure forced charging or discharging of a battery. By default, we'll calculate the financial benefits using your default tariffs which you can specify in your financial settings.

You can select from the drop down you can create and select a new tariff by selecting + New import/export tariff.  

If the tariffs you've selected are different to the ones the customer is currently on, then you can select their current tariff for more accurate financial benefit calculations. This is used to calculate how much they will save on their current bills. The tariffs input above will be used for any future calculations. 

Warning: This only sets the tariffs for the Easy PV self-consumption calculation. If you'd like to use the MCS method you will need to set your tariffs in the Financial task. 

​Learn more:

• Creating Tariffs in Easy PV 
• Financial defaults

In this section you can optionally model export limitation and forced charging and discharging of batteries. Read more about setting these up below. 

Export limiting

In this section you can limit the export rate if this is required by the DNO. Export limitation restricts the amount of solar power sent to the grid, preventing it from exceeding a set threshold. This is used to comply with grid regulations, prevent overloading, and encourage self-consumption. Any excess energy beyond the limit is curtailed.

Switch the toggle on and then input the annual export limit in kW.

Battery management

In this section you can set the periods where the battery will force charge and discharge to and from the grid. Switch on the toggle and then input the times and days you want the battery to charge and discharge. 

Warning: The discharge period is for discharging to the grid. Easy PV will still model when the battery will be charged and discharged based on solar production and consumption. These charge and discharge periods are to override the Easy PV model. 

Easy PV simulates generation, consumption and battery usage across a full year to estimate how much solar energy is used on site. The self-consumption is the proportion of electricity generated that is consumed on the property (directly or via a battery).

To determine how much is used in the property, we use the total generation figure from the Performance task and model this across the year using a PVGIS generation profile. This is then compared against the chosen consumption profile. Easy PV looks minute-by-minute over the course of the year at how much energy is generated and consumed and, if present, how charged the battery is. It then models how the energy would be diverted accordingly. For example, if solar power is being generated and the profile shows they are consuming energy at that time, then this energy will be diverted to consumption. If they are not consuming at that time then it will be used to charge a battery (where present) or discharged to the grid. This factors in forced charge and discharge times, battery specs and export limits. We can then determine how much is used directly, used to charge the battery or sent to the grid. 

There are a few differences between the Easy PV and MCS self-consumption calculations: 

If the tariffs in the proposal do not match the ones you've set up, it's likely you're using the wrong self-consumption method, as these use separate tariffs. 

To fix this, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Financial task
2. Select Financial inputs in the top right
3. Under self-consumption, you can see the method selected and which tariffs are being used. Make sure you have both the right tariffs and method selected there: 

   

4. Save and exit