Great video as always! I have a Solar Iboost and it is wireless to the clamp that senses the 'excess'! no wires other than the one to the immersion (albeit not self powering, it has batteries in like a normal cheaper energy monitor clamp like the Owl etc.! I'm sure they have done some serious testing compared to the iboost but i can't say it is noticeably slow on updating and changing the power to the iboost to be of concern like when boiling a kettle or the sun goes behind a cloud. Export margin on Solar iboost is 100watt but i don't think this is changeable! The looks point, again if you can see it all the time, mines in the 'airing' cupboard and doesn't get looked at ever as i have a wireless display that connects to it to show what its doing anyway! Rest of the points i completely agree with, looks like a nice product! I have to say my solar iboost when heating @3kw's does put the fan on which you can definitely hear from outside the airing cupboard (although why you want to stand outside the airing cupboard listening to it i don't know!)
Thanks for the info Scott and clarifying on the wireless component of the iBoost, I didnt realise that was a feature / option, so appreciate the correction. The Eddi is fanless, so no issues there, but like you say its not a big deal unless for some reason you sit in the same room as it.
Thank you for clearly explaining how power below the rating of the 3kw immersion element is utilised. The 50w example was excellent. That cleared up the question in my mind, thinking it would not work unless I had 3kws available. Thank you. I guess the cheaper iboost would do the same, albeit more basic?
Would it make any difference if you could set a target temperature in the Eddi rather than in the water tank? I am speculating that the slow amount of heating is perhaps getting stopped by the thermostat of the water tank, and perhaps what you want is the heating to continue a bit further. If your water tank permits two heating elements, try changing the heating element to the other slot. It is possible that the water tank’s thermostat is placed near one of these positions. The other possibility would be to change the thermostat to a higher setting. If it is fixed, you might want to exchange it for a different thermostat with a higher set temperature. You should be reaching around 60°C to avoid Legionaries disease. The Eddi’s esense board (optional) allows for a temperature probe to be connected to the Eddi, and you can set the heating sessions based on temperature as well. The temperature probe would go inside the water tank to read the internal temperature.
Its a while ago since I did this video, but I have no issues with how the Eddi is performing or the water temperature. The slow amount of heating is just down to how many kW surplus goes in when its less than the 3kW max. So all good, Eddi works really well and I recommend it.
Thank you for doing all these videos. I’m looking into getting 4Kw array and your videos have been really helpful. Has there been anything that you wish you had done differently?
Not really, just wish I had done it sooner :) I am happy with the product selection and the performance so far. I wont know if I have anything I would do differently until its been a year. I hope to get the Zapi charger and an EV in the next 6 months or so. If you have any specifc questions that might be helpful in a video let me know. Thanks again for watching.
Great series of videos on Eddi, Harvy, Powerwall, and SolarEdge. I am curious about a few things. 1- SolarEdge has a hot water solution similar to Eddi. Could this have been an option for you? 2- In one of the SolarEdge videos you went into the inverter menu, and you showed a limit of 6 kW which matches with your graphs. If your solar array has 9 kWh would it not be beneficial to have this number higher? Look forward to your response.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and ask questions Eric. 1 - Yes this was an option, but as I plan to get a proper EV soon and I planned to get the MyEnergi Zappi I wanted a solution that worked together in terms of charging priorities for car, water, battery etc. At the time SolarEdge had not annouced their car charging option, but even now I would still go the same route. 2 - In an ideal world I would have a 9kWh inverter to match the size of my array, however in the UK for single phase 6kWh Inverter is the largest SolarEdge offers. I thought about having a 2nd inverter to get up to a total of 9kWh, but in the UK as the peak day light will only rarely generate the full 9kWh (like 2% of the year I think the clipping rate was overall), I decided its not worth the extra cost and another inverter to have to replace / add extra warranty for a couple extra %. Also my panels will lose some performance over time, so in 30 years they should be working at at least 80%, so about 7 kWh over all, so again didnt think its worth having another inverter for little gain. Maybe I will change my mind in the summer, when the sun is out all day and an EV charging on the driveway, but so far no regrets. Hope this helps. Dale
Hi there buddy, very interesting video. :) Can you confirm that I would require THREE CT clamps to be able to fully utilise / monitor my Eddi in conjunction with my Solar PV array and SolarEdge battery?
Ideally yes. You want one CT clamp for the grid, one for the solar, and then if you want to ensure it avoids battert drain, then you need one for the battery also.
Very interesting! How does the Eddi work alongside an existing boiler connected to the tank? Does the Eddi heat the water in the tank regardless of the heat being sent via the boiler? I would have thought so, since that will allow the boiler to take up the slack automatically if the Eddi has no surplus. I'm just a bit vague on how exactly that interaction happens.
If you are still using the boiler to heat the water and the electricity from the Eddi, the Eddi will continue to heat the water until the heater element indicates to the Eddi the required temperature has been reached. Personally in the summer I heat my water 100% with surplus solar, in the winter I heat with electricity via the Eddi boost settings during off peak energy times, and if needed outside of this (very rare) I will boost it by heating from the boiler whilst the central heating system is already running.
@@SpectrumGeeks Many thanks for the content. I'm looking to switch from my gas-fired Combi system to an electric system and leverage any surplus from my 3.6kW Solar PV. The current system heats domestic hot water and also runs our radiator-based central heating (I believe this is called "wet heating"). So, I'm guessing I'll need both an electric boiler and an electric immersion tank, and then add the Eddi/Harvi arrangement. Can you recommend products or suppliers for the boiler/tank components..?
@@returner323617 I can't recommend anyone, as I had the immersion tank already, just added the Eddi to it, and still using gas for heating. Be interested to hear what boiler solution you end up with though.
Hey Ben, the Eddi is used to power the heating element in an immersion tank, so its only heating hot water for the taps, its not able to heat water for the heating system. However, that being said I think you could set it up to heat under floor heating, or an electric heater for example, but you need to keep in mind the limits of the Eddi operation and how it works.
@@SpectrumGeeks Thats great, thanks so much for clearing that up. After crunching numbers im not 100% sure its worth the cost and install cost personally! Thanks again!
You have a similar setup to mine. Do you utilise the second output from Eddi? I have an oil filled radiator in the hallway which is connected to it. But since install in early spring '19 it's not be providing much heat so it may have been a bad choice!
@@SpectrumGeeks The radiator I've connected may prove a benefit to supplement the central heating during those months. I was advised by someone who came to discuss (and recommend against) getting ground/air source. But he used his 2nd output for a radiator.
I thougth about a radiator, but the only time I would have enough surplus to heat it would be in the summer, so seems pointless when it will be warm air temp any at that time.
When the Eddi is diverting to the water tank how will it know if the tank no longer needs heating ? ( I'm after this setup to divert to a Thermal Store, I have the Zappi already)
The immersion will signal when the set temp has been reached, like it would do even without the Eddi. Eddi see's this signal and marks as max temp reached.
@@huudielbo728 Perhaps you don't have an Eddi, but if you do you will see that when the thermostat reaches the desired temperature the element turns off as you said, and the Eddi acknowledges the max temperature has been reached. I am not saying its an actual signal, but the Eddi knows max temp has been reached.
@@SpectrumGeeks The Tank thermostat is two contacts operated by a bi-metallic arm with 3 kw across them. I know from experience that eventually the arcing will weld them together causing boiling which overflows to the cold water tank which in turn tops up the hot tank ad infinitem. the result leading to 'hot' everywhere, even the Toilet cistern. I intend to get a diverter but the Thermostat is the weak link in the chain and it needs something more reliable ie: a second Thermostat, until then do not leave it switched on unattended in midsummer.
There are millions of immersion heaters in the UK. If the bi-metallic strip fails, then the secondary thermal trip operates, stopping the immersion from operating. And no hot water until it’s manually reset or the thermostat unit is renewed. ⚠️Old immersions (without a reset trip / 2nd safety) should be urgently updated with a new thermostat that cost about £15 👍😁🥸
Hi Tony, I heat my water using a scheduled boost in the early hours of the morning to utilise the Octopus Go tariff saving. I have not done any specific testing to see whats more efficient (elec or gas) but the costs are relatively similar. The only caveat if your heating the house with gas, might make sense to consume a little more gas to do the water at the same time.
@@SpectrumGeeks Thanks, I did not realise the Eddi does boost as well. I have now read the manual, so all I need to do is put the Edddi between the consumer unit and the Immersion heater. I do have water solar panels for heating my domestic water, but this could be useful in the colder 6 months of the year. I also have a 3kw PV installation on the roof which I hope to augment by 3 kw next year, when my Kia e-niro arrives.
It will depend on your storage tank. Mine has a blanked plate for an additional immersion heater, so I could simple add another one. As a side note the Eddi can manage heating two devices so might be able to utilise that if you have two.
I have 4 x 250watt PV panels. In Ireland we cant export excess to the grid, can this Eddie divert all unused power during the day to heat the immersion? I am getting an electric car next year and intend to get the zappi and harvi too. Where would I get the CT clamps and how does the Eddie communicate with them? Thanks
Yup, this is what it is designed to do. It will take surplus / excess and heat your water. The CT clamps are either hard wired to the Eddi, or to the Harvi which then wirelessly communicates with the Eddi
Spectrum Geeks thanks. I would need to get the Harvi then, sorry for the stupid questions but the harvi can use the CT clamp and monitor usage in the house. Will I need another CT clamp for the PV panels so the system knows how much is being generated? I’m not sure how my PV even works at the minute in terms knowing the house load.
Great video as always! I have a Solar Iboost and it is wireless to the clamp that senses the 'excess'! no wires other than the one to the immersion (albeit not self powering, it has batteries in like a normal cheaper energy monitor clamp like the Owl etc.! I'm sure they have done some serious testing compared to the iboost but i can't say it is noticeably slow on updating and changing the power to the iboost to be of concern like when boiling a kettle or the sun goes behind a cloud. Export margin on Solar iboost is 100watt but i don't think this is changeable! The looks point, again if you can see it all the time, mines in the 'airing' cupboard and doesn't get looked at ever as i have a wireless display that connects to it to show what its doing anyway!
Rest of the points i completely agree with, looks like a nice product! I have to say my solar iboost when heating @3kw's does put the fan on which you can definitely hear from outside the airing cupboard (although why you want to stand outside the airing cupboard listening to it i don't know!)
Thanks for the info Scott and clarifying on the wireless component of the iBoost, I didnt realise that was a feature / option, so appreciate the correction.
The Eddi is fanless, so no issues there, but like you say its not a big deal unless for some reason you sit in the same room as it.
@@SpectrumGeeks Had my i-boost about 4 years 10 minutes to fit no bugs no nothing works perfectly and to be honest did not even no it had a fan Lol
Excellent, I like the iBoost, but as I wanted to get the Zappi for car charging I wanted two devices that could communicate over surplus usage.
Thank you for clearly explaining how power below the rating of the 3kw immersion element is utilised. The 50w example was excellent. That cleared up the question in my mind, thinking it would not work unless I had 3kws available. Thank you. I guess the cheaper iboost would do the same, albeit more basic?
Yup, iBoost is very similar.
I went with the Eddi as I knew I was getting the Zappi and wanted the wireless CT clamp options from the Harvi.
Would it make any difference if you could set a target temperature in the Eddi rather than in the water tank?
I am speculating that the slow amount of heating is perhaps getting stopped by the thermostat of the water tank, and perhaps what you want is the heating to continue a bit further.
If your water tank permits two heating elements, try changing the heating element to the other slot. It is possible that the water tank’s thermostat is placed near one of these positions.
The other possibility would be to change the thermostat to a higher setting. If it is fixed, you might want to exchange it for a different thermostat with a higher set temperature.
You should be reaching around 60°C to avoid Legionaries disease. The Eddi’s esense board (optional) allows for a temperature probe to be connected to the Eddi, and you can set the heating sessions based on temperature as well. The temperature probe would go inside the water tank to read the internal temperature.
Its a while ago since I did this video, but I have no issues with how the Eddi is performing or the water temperature. The slow amount of heating is just down to how many kW surplus goes in when its less than the 3kW max.
So all good, Eddi works really well and I recommend it.
Thank you for doing all these videos. I’m looking into getting 4Kw array and your videos have been really helpful.
Has there been anything that you wish you had done differently?
Not really, just wish I had done it sooner :)
I am happy with the product selection and the performance so far. I wont know if I have anything I would do differently until its been a year.
I hope to get the Zapi charger and an EV in the next 6 months or so.
If you have any specifc questions that might be helpful in a video let me know.
Thanks again for watching.
is there a way to do a conditional boost? For instance if the heater tank didn't receive 5kWh this day from solar, then boost for 1h at night...
I don't believe so, but that would be handy.
I semi counter this by just having a short boost period so minimise summer grid pull.
Great series of videos on Eddi, Harvy, Powerwall, and SolarEdge.
I am curious about a few things.
1- SolarEdge has a hot water solution similar to Eddi. Could this have been an option for you?
2- In one of the SolarEdge videos you went into the inverter menu, and you showed a limit of 6 kW which matches with your graphs.
If your solar array has 9 kWh would it not be beneficial to have this number higher?
Look forward to your response.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and ask questions Eric.
1 - Yes this was an option, but as I plan to get a proper EV soon and I planned to get the MyEnergi Zappi I wanted a solution that worked together in terms of charging priorities for car, water, battery etc. At the time SolarEdge had not annouced their car charging option, but even now I would still go the same route.
2 - In an ideal world I would have a 9kWh inverter to match the size of my array, however in the UK for single phase 6kWh Inverter is the largest SolarEdge offers. I thought about having a 2nd inverter to get up to a total of 9kWh, but in the UK as the peak day light will only rarely generate the full 9kWh (like 2% of the year I think the clipping rate was overall), I decided its not worth the extra cost and another inverter to have to replace / add extra warranty for a couple extra %.
Also my panels will lose some performance over time, so in 30 years they should be working at at least 80%, so about 7 kWh over all, so again didnt think its worth having another inverter for little gain.
Maybe I will change my mind in the summer, when the sun is out all day and an EV charging on the driveway, but so far no regrets.
Hope this helps.
Dale
Hi there buddy, very interesting video. :) Can you confirm that I would require THREE CT clamps to be able to fully utilise / monitor my Eddi in conjunction with my Solar PV array and SolarEdge battery?
Ideally yes. You want one CT clamp for the grid, one for the solar, and then if you want to ensure it avoids battert drain, then you need one for the battery also.
What size tank are you heating? I am looking to heat a 300Ltr tank with a single 3kw element with EDDI. What sort of KWH used are you seeing monthly?
Hi Ewan, my tank is 250L. I cant say exactly how much kWh used, but I put about 130kWh solar suplus into it over a month, but obbiously this varies.
Very interesting! How does the Eddi work alongside an existing boiler connected to the tank? Does the Eddi heat the water in the tank regardless of the heat being sent via the boiler? I would have thought so, since that will allow the boiler to take up the slack automatically if the Eddi has no surplus. I'm just a bit vague on how exactly that interaction happens.
If you are still using the boiler to heat the water and the electricity from the Eddi, the Eddi will continue to heat the water until the heater element indicates to the Eddi the required temperature has been reached.
Personally in the summer I heat my water 100% with surplus solar, in the winter I heat with electricity via the Eddi boost settings during off peak energy times, and if needed outside of this (very rare) I will boost it by heating from the boiler whilst the central heating system is already running.
@@SpectrumGeeks Many thanks for the content. I'm looking to switch from my gas-fired Combi system to an electric system and leverage any surplus from my 3.6kW Solar PV. The current system heats domestic hot water and also runs our radiator-based central heating (I believe this is called "wet heating"). So, I'm guessing I'll need both an electric boiler and an electric immersion tank, and then add the Eddi/Harvi arrangement. Can you recommend products or suppliers for the boiler/tank components..?
@@returner323617 I can't recommend anyone, as I had the immersion tank already, just added the Eddi to it, and still using gas for heating. Be interested to hear what boiler solution you end up with though.
Quick question. Does the Eddi heat your radiators or only the hot water tank? Apologies my plumbing knowledge is non existent!
Hey Ben, the Eddi is used to power the heating element in an immersion tank, so its only heating hot water for the taps, its not able to heat water for the heating system. However, that being said I think you could set it up to heat under floor heating, or an electric heater for example, but you need to keep in mind the limits of the Eddi operation and how it works.
@@SpectrumGeeks Thats great, thanks so much for clearing that up. After crunching numbers im not 100% sure its worth the cost and install cost personally! Thanks again!
@@benholland3682 NP, everyones use case is different, so its important to do the numbers for your own individual situation.
You have a similar setup to mine. Do you utilise the second output from Eddi? I have an oil filled radiator in the hallway which is connected to it. But since install in early spring '19 it's not be providing much heat so it may have been a bad choice!
I don't use the 2nd output as I don't really have anything I think will benefit from being connected.
@@SpectrumGeeks The radiator I've connected may prove a benefit to supplement the central heating during those months. I was advised by someone who came to discuss (and recommend against) getting ground/air source. But he used his 2nd output for a radiator.
I thougth about a radiator, but the only time I would have enough surplus to heat it would be in the summer, so seems pointless when it will be warm air temp any at that time.
When the Eddi is diverting to the water tank how will it know if the tank no longer needs heating ? ( I'm after this setup to divert to a Thermal Store, I have the Zappi already)
The immersion will signal when the set temp has been reached, like it would do even without the Eddi.
Eddi see's this signal and marks as max temp reached.
@@SpectrumGeeks The heater has a simple thermostat that simply switches off when hot(until it gets stuck), how can that signal anything?
@@huudielbo728 Perhaps you don't have an Eddi, but if you do you will see that when the thermostat reaches the desired temperature the element turns off as you said, and the Eddi acknowledges the max temperature has been reached. I am not saying its an actual signal, but the Eddi knows max temp has been reached.
@@SpectrumGeeks The Tank thermostat is two contacts operated by a bi-metallic arm with 3 kw across them. I know from experience that eventually the arcing will weld them together causing boiling which overflows to the cold water tank which in turn tops up the hot tank ad infinitem. the result leading to 'hot' everywhere, even the Toilet cistern. I intend to get a diverter but the Thermostat is the weak link in the chain and it needs something more reliable ie: a second Thermostat, until then do not leave it switched on unattended in midsummer.
There are millions of immersion heaters in the UK. If the bi-metallic strip fails, then the secondary thermal trip operates, stopping the immersion from operating. And no hot water until it’s manually reset or the thermostat unit is renewed. ⚠️Old immersions (without a reset trip / 2nd safety) should be urgently updated with a new thermostat that cost about £15 👍😁🥸
How would this work with using a cheap energy tariff e.g. Octopus to heat in the evening in the winter?
Hi Tony, I heat my water using a scheduled boost in the early hours of the morning to utilise the Octopus Go tariff saving.
I have not done any specific testing to see whats more efficient (elec or gas) but the costs are relatively similar.
The only caveat if your heating the house with gas, might make sense to consume a little more gas to do the water at the same time.
@@SpectrumGeeks Thanks, I did not realise the Eddi does boost as well. I have now read the manual, so all I need to do is put the Edddi between the consumer unit and the Immersion heater. I do have water solar panels for heating my domestic water, but this could be useful in the colder 6 months of the year. I also have a 3kw PV installation on the roof which I hope to augment by 3 kw next year, when my Kia e-niro arrives.
@@SpectrumGeeks As an aside, anyone know how difficult it would be to add an extra immersion heater to a storage tank?
Yup you got it. You probably have an on / off switch for your immersion heater element, so you just need to wire it in there. Job done.
It will depend on your storage tank. Mine has a blanked plate for an additional immersion heater, so I could simple add another one. As a side note the Eddi can manage heating two devices so might be able to utilise that if you have two.
I have 4 x 250watt PV panels. In Ireland we cant export excess to the grid, can this Eddie divert all unused power during the day to heat the immersion? I am getting an electric car next year and intend to get the zappi and harvi too. Where would I get the CT clamps and how does the Eddie communicate with them? Thanks
Yup, this is what it is designed to do. It will take surplus / excess and heat your water.
The CT clamps are either hard wired to the Eddi, or to the Harvi which then wirelessly communicates with the Eddi
Spectrum Geeks thanks. I would need to get the Harvi then, sorry for the stupid questions but the harvi can use the CT clamp and monitor usage in the house. Will I need another CT clamp for the PV panels so the system knows how much is being generated? I’m not sure how my PV even works at the minute in terms knowing the house load.
You need a CT clamp for GRID monitoring and then another one of the SOLAR if you want to be able to see that also, but its not needed.
Spectrum Geeks thanks got sorted its working great
@@johnnygallagher3457 Excellent news.
Does the installer of the Eddi need to make a DNO application?
Nope, no DNO required for an Eddi.