What is self-consumption?
Across France, homeowners are increasingly turning to renewable energy sources, particularly solar energy, to meet their heating needs. self-consumption of electricity. 💡
One of the main goals of future solar installation owners is to save money by reducing their electricity bill. At the house of Oscaro Power is also one of our priorities!
Before detailing our best tips to help you increase your self-consumption rate , we will help you better understand self-consumption achieved with a solar system.
What is self-consumption with a solar installation?
Solar self-consumption is a means simple and effective to generate energy to meet consumption needs thanks to the production of solar electricity via a solar panel system.
To get a better idea of self-consumption: if you have a self-consumption rate of 50%, it means that you consume half of the green electricity you produce with your solar system☀️. What happens to the remaining 50% that you have not used, you ask? It will be exported to the electricity grid, or if you have installed a battery storage system, it can be stored for later use.
Self-consumption means producing your solar energy cheaper rather than buying it from an energy company.
What is network independence?
The less you need of electricity with your current energy supplier, the more independent you are from the national grid. Today, almost all French homes and businesses rely on energy supplied by the various electricity suppliers.
The installation of a solar panel system will reduce your dependence on your energy supplier, while remaining connected to the national grid when needed. The more autonomous you want to be, the larger your solar installation will be.
Why is self-consumption important for solar panel owners?
Self-consumption is important because it allows you to make significant savings on your electricity bill, as well as moving towards self-sufficiency.
The higher the self-consumption, the less you will have to spend with energy suppliers . In addition, you reduce your carbon footprint. Since you use a renewable energy source rather than depending mainly on fossil or nuclear energy. Solar self-consumption can therefore represent a solid financial strategy.💰
Our advice on self-consumption
Our advice for increasing your self-consumption
Perform an energy audit
Do you know how much energy you actually consume each day? To maximize your self-consumption, you must start by install a smart meter which helps you track your electricity consumption and energy production.
Oscaro Power offers you different supervision tools of your solar energy production, in order to monitor and adapt your consumption to maximize your savings . Connected to your solar installation, these monitoring tools (which most often come in the form of an application), will allow you to know your production peaks and thereby change your consumption habits.
Know your consumption habits is therefore essential to get the most out of your photovoltaic installation. With a solar system, you consume your energy differently. For example, household appliances must be started during the day, during production peaks, to make the most of your home green energy. 🏠
In the evening, you can choose from reduce your consumption , or add a battery to your solar system.
Charge your devices during the day
Although you own a solar installation , you might be tempted to charge your batteries at night while you sleep. However, changing your habits can save you hundreds of dollars on your electricity bill.
Whether you're charging a smartphone or an electric vehicle, it's essential to consider the financial implications of your actions. If you work during the day, Remember to charge your devices first thing in the morning or as soon as you get home.
Power your gardening with solar panels
If you enjoy spending time outdoors, you can use your solar power in your garden . Solar power is ideal for powering garden tools such as hedge trimmers and lawnmowers, which need to be recharged or constantly connected to power to function properly.
Using solar energy during the day is a great way to power your garden! 🏡
Install a battery storage system
A solar battery allows you to store the energy produced by a photovoltaic system so that it can be used later.
You can store the electricity produced by your solar panels during the day and use it at night. By using your green energy stock, you significantly increase your self-consumption and become even more independent from the grid.
Do not hesitate to go see the storage batteries that we offer at Oscaro Power.
Switching to an electric car
We know it's a big decision to switch from a petrol or diesel car to a electric car …🚘 But it is undeniably the way of the future.
You can charge any electric vehicle using electricity generated by a solar photovoltaic system. This means you will reduce both your carbon footprint and your gas costs.
I invite you to go see our article on our charging station for electric cars, a terminal that allows you to recharge your vehicle using your solar power!
Our advice for moving towards autonomy
If beyond self-consumption , you are aiming for complete electrical autonomy, you will have to extend your actions to sobriety and energy efficiency .
Install insulation in your home
Heating or cooling your home accounts for a significant portion of your total electricity consumption, so keeping your home at or near the proper temperature is a surefire way to reduce your electricity bill .
Insulation is a cost-effective solution to ensure your home stays at a comfortable temperature for longer and reaches an acceptable temperature more quickly when you need to turn on your heating.
Heating is one of the main causes of your electricity bill . By improving insulation, you will not have to consume as much energy during the winter months. Thus, a greater percentage of your consumption needs will be covered by electricity produced on site.
Renovate your home for better energy efficiency
Older homes are less likely to be energy efficient. energy , resulting in higher energy costs, more heat loss and increased greenhouse gas emissions over the life of the property.
Although renovations can be expensive, there are several effective and cost-effective ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home, which we'll explore below.
Investing in larger improvements should be part of your long-term plan, as the lasting benefit of modernizing older homes can significantly increase your savings of the household.
Since you won't be using as much energy for air conditioning, your self-consumption levels will decrease and get closer to the energy levels you produce through your system. photovoltaic .
Make sure your devices are not in sleep mode
In standby mode, some devices continue to use electricity. even when they are not in use, causing them to consume more energy overall. Electronic devices in sleep mode may be downloading content or performing Wi-Fi inspections, making them ready and waiting for users when they are turned on. 📲
If possible, turn off laptops, electronics, video games and televisions that you will not be using for an extended period of time.
Change the bulbs to LEDs
The bulbs are usually used in the evening, which means they are powered by mains electricity. rather than your solar energy system.
As they are one of the few things that are essential at night, it is essential that the bulbs you use consume as little energy as possible.
LED bulbs use much less energy and last longer than standard compact fluorescent bulbs.
Not only will your home be safer by upgrading all of these lighting fixtures, but you'll also be making cost savings replacing bulbs and operating the lighting.💡
Improve your home's building envelope
The building envelope serves to protect the interior while facilitating indoor temperature control. It can encompass the entire exterior building system of your home and typically consists of a roof, subfloor, exterior doors, windows, and of course exterior walls.
In simpler terms, the envelope is the barrier that separates the inside of a home from the outside, protecting the interior from hot and cold air, water, light and noise.
From an efficiency point of view Energy efficiency , temperature and air barriers should be given the utmost attention, in order to “seal” the envelope from the outside, much like the envelope that carries a letter in the mail. If your building envelope is not properly secured, and there are holes and small openings around your windows and doors, you will see a significant spike in energy consumption during the colder months of the year.
Older homes are much more likely to have gaps that need to be filled, whether they're obvious gaps you notice every day or more serious issues like unsealed skylights and insulation holes.
Installing weatherstripping for doors and windows is a great way to keep your home at its optimal temperature while avoiding paying for electricity outside of daylight hours.
Now it's up to you to improve your energy efficiency, you have the keys in hand!
