A: You can install either the Lux AC or the Lux Squirrel Pod System.

A: In most cases yes you can. We do need to some information from you first to see if your currant solar system qualifies for this upgrade.

• We need to know how many panels are on your roof
• We need to know what the output of your panels are: i.e., 200w, 250w, 300w, 350w etc.
• Are the panels on one roof or two?
• We need an image of your currant inverter showing all cable attached
• Where is the Inverter Located?

Once we have the above information we can then determine if your current system qualifies for the Lux Hybrid.

A: If you have seen a product that you would like to go head with you can notify use in Three ways:

1. Click on the page of the product you are interested in and fill in the enquiry form at the bottom of the page.
2. You can email us your order/Enquiry to sales@homeenergygroup.co.uk
3. You can call us on 01535 210050

Once you have made the initial contact with us, we will follow this up with an email asking for some relevant images to the Installation for our Engineers. Usually this is enough for our engineers but if they need more information, they will contact you to arrange a video call at a time that suits you.

The images that we require are as followed:

• Picture of the outside of your house/Property – This is to make it easier for our engineers to find you
• A picture showing Access into the property
• A picture showing you property meter
• A picture of your fuse-board showing all breakers
• A Picture of the installation area – This is where you would like the system installing
• Picture showing the Access to the installation area
• If the system is to be installed in the loft please send a picture of the front, side and back of the property – This will help the engineers with knowing cable runs

A: Yes, All our Lux systems can take up to 8 batteries per controller, providing you have not reached your limit of 8 batteries per controller then you can keep adding.

For pricing on additional batteries please click on the relevant link below:

GreenLinx – www.homeenergygroup.co.uk/Greenlinx

Uhome – www.homeenergygroup.co.uk/uhome

Pylon Tech US2000C – www.homeenergygroup.co.uk/Pylon-US2000C

Pylon Tech US3000C – www.homeenergygroup.co.uk/Pylon-US3000C

Pylon Tech US5000C – www.homeenergygroup.co.uk/Pylon-US5000C

Please refer to our Technical Support page on how to add additional batteries to your system. If you are not comfortable adding batteries yourself, we can always arrange for an engineer to fit these at a cost.

A: This is the number one question we are always asked, and the answer is different for everyone!

To answer this, we need to break this down into 3 answers:

1. Using your battery system for storing Solar only
2. Using your battery system to store Solar & Charge from the grid on cheap tariffs
3. You don’t have solar; You are only looking to charge from the grid from cheap energy tariffs

Storing Solar Only:

The key to understanding what size battery system you need for storing excess solar depends really on what you are exporting back to the Grid on a daily/Monthly/Annual basis, Also understanding what your daily energy usage in your property also helps.

Due to the fact that our Lux systems are modular you don’t have to jump straight in with a big system! As a rule of thumb, we work on the following:

• PV systems that are 1kw to 2Kw – Start with a 1 battery system
• PV systems that are 2kw to 3Kw – Start with a 2-battery system
• PV systems that are 3kw to 4Kw – Start with a 2 to 3 battery system

You can always add more batteries later should you need too.

Storing Solar & Charging from the Grid:

Having the option to charge from the grid as well as storing excess solar PV really allows you to now expand your battery system.

To work out what would be a suitable system is understanding what your general daily energy usage is for your property. Understanding you can charge up to 14Kw of bankable battery capacity from the grid alone really gives you the option to expand, as a rule of thumb we recommend the following sizes systems based on Solar and Grid power combined:

• PV systems that are 1kw to 2Kw – Start with a 2 battery system
• PV systems that are 2kw to 3Kw – Start with a 3-battery system
• PV systems that are 3kw to 4Kw – Start with a 3 to 4 battery system

You can always add more batteries later should you need too.

A: Yes, If your energy provider offers you any form of cheap energy tariffs at certain times of the day or night then you can simply set the Lux to charge from these times at a push of a button.

A: Octopus Outgoing offers people with Solar and batteries the option to sell back there stored Solar Pv generation between the hours of 4pm to 7pm. Between 4pm and 7pm every half-hour the price changes, You can set the lux to only discharge back to the grid should the pay back price exceed your stated sell back price.

Example: you request that the Lux can only discharge back to the grid should the payback price exceed 15p, The Lux algorithm will then select any of the highest paid half-hourly periods that exceed your 15p set price and discharge back to the grid.

You always have full access to the pricing structure, and you can charge your payback price at any time.

A: Octopus Energy send tomorrows Agile prices today to Lux; Lux will then update their algorithm to allow your system to charge from the cheapest half-hourly rates as set by Octopus Energy.

Depending on how many batteries you have will depend on how many half-hourly rates you will need to charge your batteries up to full. The Lux controller will very cleverly choose the cheapest half-hourly rates and only charge from these.

Agile will offer you and two cheap periods a day, first being from midnight to 8am and the second from 12pm to 4pm.

Please always consult Octopus Energy regarding your account and different tariffs they offer.

A: Octopus Energy’s Go tariff is a set time feature between the hours of 00:30am to 04:30am, On day of commissioning your system our Engineers will pre set this time feature for your batteries to charge every day from the grid between the hours of the Go tariff. Once set you don’t have to anything, just allow the system to take controller of your energy demands.

A: Yes, Lux Power and Octopus Energy have a very good relationship and between them both have developed a fully automated system/platform via the Lux portal and App which allows you full access to change settings to suit your energy needs.

A: Depending on which system you have i.e. The Lux AC or the Lux Squirrel Pod and how many batteries you have will determine how much power you can charge and store.

If you have the Lux AC system the maximum you can charge at is 3.5Kw per hour, therefore if you have 4 hours of cheap energy i.e., Octopus Go then the maximum you can charge, and store is 14Kw of bankable power.

If you have the dual Squirrel Pod system the maximum you can charge at is 7.0Kw per hour, therefore if you have 4 hours of cheap energy i.e., Octopus Go then the maximum you can charge, and store is 28Kw of bankable power.

A: Yes, it can. In most cases you will be charging your car from cheap energy tariffs like Octopus Go, at the same time you will be charging your Lux batteries so the two will not conflict we each other as they are both in a charge state, i.e., the lux batteries won’t discharging to the car battery.

You can use your Lux battery power to help charge your car but to us personally this seems silly as you can charge your car from cheap energy tariffs at night.

Should you wish to charge your car from your solar but still hold your Lux battery capacity you can. We have a built-in feature that allows you to block discharge through different periods of the day (of your choice) to allow your Lux battery power to be free to help power your home.

A: Yes, but you will find there is some confliction between the two technologies! They both work on the same principle using a CT clamp to measure the export from your Solar PV generation.

Most of our customers have removed the CT clamp of the water diverter and use the override boost function on the panel display of the water diverter first thing in the morning to allow the water to heat up to temperature. Once the water has hit its target temperature the solar water diverter will switch off, this will allow the batteries to take over and charge accordingly with any interference.

The other options our customer have chosen is to change the water diverter for a diverter that works with battery storage. There is one unit on the UK market that will work with batteries and is UK manufactured, The company is called intelligent Immersion

Here is a link to there website: Intelligent Immersion (intelligent-immersion.co.uk)

A: This is always a good question, but the real answer is, is that is hard to tell! Everyone uses power very differently from each other, some people are high users of energy and others are low users of energy, Also it depends on how many batteries you have installed.

Let’s work on the assumption you have a Lux Ac system with Greenlinx batteries, and you are a high user of energy and that you are using the battery system at its maximum discharge rate of 3.5Kw then the following number of batteries will last for the following amount of time:

• 1 x 3.2Kw GreenLinx Battery = 1-hour 6mins
• 2 x 3.2Kw GreenLinx Battery = 1-hour 50mins
• 3 x 3.2Kw GreenLinx Battery = 2-hour 40mins
• 4 x 3.2Kw GreenLinx Battery = 3-hour 30mins
• 5 x 3.2Kw GreenLinx Battery = 4-hour 30mins
• 6 x 3.2Kw GreenLinx Battery = 5-hour 20mins
• 7 x 3.2Kw GreenLinx Battery = 6-hour 20mins
• 8 x 3.2Kw GreenLinx Battery = 7-hour 15mins

The above is based on a worse case scenario and using all the battery power in one hit. Most houses do not work like this, and you will find that stored energy in your batteries will last for a long time reducing your call for power from the grid.