Solar Power Diverter

Solar Power Diverter

What is a solar power diverter and how can it maximise the savings of your solar PV system?

When a solar photovoltaic (PV) system is generating more electricity than the home is using the ‘excess’ energy is usually exported to the grid. Home owners normally receive an extra payment for this exported energy from their energy supplier, but these rate energy suppliers pay for exported energy is normally a lot less than they charge for importing energy to your home.

Since a unit (kWh) of electricity always costs a home owner more to buy from the grid than they receive for exporting energy it makes sense to use as much of the energy a solar PV system generates as possible. Obviously there is no point in turning on lights, or other devices which do not need to be on, but if the ‘excess’ energy can be diverted into things which can store the energy, or make use of it to avoid buying electricity in the evening or at night, there are big savings to be made. Controlling a solar photovoltaic system in this way with a solar power diverter makes great sense and can reduce the time it takes for the system to ‘pay back’ its’ installation cost.

The most effective way to store ‘excess’ solar energy, and reduce your energy bills, is to use a solar power diverter to send the electricity which would have been exported to heat the water in your hot water tank. Doing so means your gas boiler, or other type of water heater, will have less work to do to heat your water to the required temperature.

Obviously you need a hot water tank to be able to use a solar power diverter in this way, so it won’t be an option if you have a combi boiler. But if you do have a hot water tank the changes required are very simple, since most hot water tanks already have an immersion heater installed, so all you need is a solar power diverter which will sense when your PV system is generating more energy than your home is using and send any excess to the immersion heater.

The most common solar power diverter is probably the Solar iBoost+ which has been installed widely in the UK, but some customers have reported problems with problems with the iBoost running and not running when expected.

The Cool Energy Solar Power Diverter, linked below, can replace your current immersion heater and can usually be installed by a competent DIYer in 30 minutes. The wireless clamps to measure current mean that you can install the Solar Power Diverter wherever you need it in your home, so you’re not restricted to having it by your meter or near your fuse box.

If you’re interested in maximizing the savings from your solar PV system, check out the following products on Amazon:


See also our Top 10 energy saving tips.