{"id":1563,"date":"2020-05-14T00:16:55","date_gmt":"2020-05-14T00:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.regalgrid.com\/magazine\/autoconsumo-e-autosufficienza-energetica-cosa-sono-e-come-migliorarli\/"},"modified":"2024-09-25T12:47:35","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T12:47:35","slug":"self-consumption-self-sufficiency","status":"publish","type":"magazine","link":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/magazine\/self-consumption-self-sufficiency\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar energy self-consumption and self-sufficiency"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Self-consumption<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>and energy self-sufficiency<\/strong>\u00a0are two concepts that together form the basis of an\u00a0<a href=\"\/en\/magazine\/what-energy-communities-are-and-how-to-join-the-revolution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>energy community<\/strong><\/a>. In fact, that which is lacking with\u00a0<strong>individual self-consumption<\/strong>\u00a0in order to reach energy independence can be provided by\u00a0<strong>collective self-consumption<\/strong>, achieved by sharing energy between equals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Self-consumption<\/strong>\u00a0is the consumption of energy produced by your own photovoltaic system and represents the starting point for energy\u00a0<strong>self-sufficiency<\/strong>. The latter is a synonym of energy independence and refers to autonomy from the national electricity grid and the energy that it supplies, still currently generated primarily from non-renewable sources.<\/p>\n<p>However, if we look closely at all the different aspects of\u00a0<a href=\"\/en\/magazine\/generation-of-energy-with-the-photovoltaic-system-and-more-convenient-self-consumption-or-exchange-on-site\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">self-consumption<\/a>, we realise that in certain settings, it may in itself become synonymous with energy self-sufficiency. The three aspects of self-consumption are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Instantaneous\u00a0<\/strong>self-consumption<\/li>\n<li><strong>Deferred\u00a0<\/strong>self-consumption<\/li>\n<li><strong>Collective\u00a0<\/strong>self-consumption<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To reach complete energy self-sufficiency, however, a step-by-step approach is required. First of all adopting a more responsible approach to energy consumption. Here are some\u00a0<strong>practical tips<\/strong>\u00a0to consider straight away in order to\u00a0<strong>maximise energy self-consumption and reduce waste<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>#1 Monitoring your consumption is the key to energy self-sufficiency<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Information<\/strong>\u00a0feeds understanding:\u00a0<a href=\"\/en\/magazine\/monitoring-of-consumption-and-generation-of-electricity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>monitoring<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>analysis of energy-consumption data<\/strong>\u00a0represent the first step towards more responsible and sustainable actions. How?<\/p>\n<p>Firstly, you can identify\u00a0<strong>habits<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>consumption peaks<\/strong>\u00a0for calculation and scheduling of energy production.<\/p>\n<p>Secondly, monitoring allows you to identify\u00a0<strong>wastage<\/strong>: paying attention to domestic appliances that use a lot of power because they are out of date, and to excessive residual consumption of all household appliances while they are on stand-by.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>#2 Avoiding wastage is essential for independence<\/h2>\n<p>Avoiding careless consumption and concentration within the same periods of the day demonstrates a sense of\u00a0<strong>responsibility<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The first step is to eliminate\u00a0<strong>obvious wastage<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lights on with no reason<\/li>\n<li>Power and standby lights on appliances<\/li>\n<li>Fridges set to excessively low temperatures<\/li>\n<li>Boilers on with no reason<\/li>\n<li>Thermostats set to excessively high temperatures<\/li>\n<li>Air conditioners at freezing temperatures<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Regarding the last three points, remember that 20\u00b0C is more than sufficient for a good level of comfort in the home.<\/p>\n<p>Next, it is necessary to adopt\u00a0<strong>new habits\u00a0<\/strong>on the basis of monitoring data: remove plugs when appliances are not in use (or install multi-way socket adapters with a power switch), set certain devices that remain in stand-by to power down automatically or programme start-up of heating at an appropriate time to reach the desired temperature at the right time of day.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>#3 Actions supporting energy efficiency<\/h2>\n<p>At the same time, solutions can be adopted to support energy savings. Firstly, there are those of a more structural nature, if you are having work done in the home or are able to make some improvements:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Check and improve\u00a0<a href=\"\/en\/magazine\/thermal-insulation-things-and-what-materials-to-use\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>thermal insulation<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0around the home.<\/li>\n<li>Install large windows to make the most of the\u00a0<strong>natural light<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Choose windows with\u00a0<strong>thermal or insulating glass<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>If you need to replace an appliance, purchase\u00a0<strong>smart models<\/strong>\u00a0with low energy consumption.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are also steps than can be taken immediately:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If all of your domestic appliances are in good condition, you can install a Regalgrid\u00ae SNOCU unit to monitor them and view your consumption in real time.<\/li>\n<li>Close shutters and balconies at nightfall to keep in heat.<\/li>\n<li>Do not leave windows and doors open if you have the heating switched on. This may seem obvious, but it can happen, particularly if you have a pet and a garden. If you do, it is best to have a dog door fitted or leave a tilting window open for your cat, preferably in the room which is heated the least.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><\/h4>\n<h4><\/h4>\n<h2>#4 Correct sizing of photovoltaic system and storage units permits independence<\/h2>\n<p>To achieve energy self-sufficiency more easily, you need to have a\u00a0<strong>photovoltaic system<\/strong>\u00a0and a\u00a0<strong>storage unit<\/strong>\u00a0of the\u00a0<strong>right dimensions for your requirements<\/strong>, within your available budget. This is why the monitoring data mentioned above is so essential.<\/p>\n<p>It certainly isn&#8217;t possible to buy a storage system with the total capacity required for your household. Currently, this would require too great a cost and would take up too much space. However, with an appropriately sized storage unit for your consumption, you could reduce bills by up to\u00a0<strong>65-70%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>#5 Self-consumption increases with energy self-sufficiency<\/h2>\n<p>To achieve energy independence, we have mentioned that it is necessary to be a member of a\u00a0<strong>digital energy community<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, in the majority of cases\u00a0<strong>energy independence\u00a0<\/strong>is approached with installation of a\u00a0<strong>photovoltaic system<\/strong>\u00a0(making you a prosumer) and a\u00a0<strong>storage system<\/strong>\u00a0(making you a\u00a0<em>proconstomer<\/em>, i.e. a prosumer with a storage system). In such cases, your bill can be greatly reduced. Once you have offset the cost of the system, the only amount you have to pay is for energy not covered by\u00a0<strong>instantaneous and deferred self-consumption<\/strong>. These two approaches can be paired with\u00a0<strong>collective self-consumption<\/strong>, which provides for the remainder of your energy demand, allowing total\u00a0<a href=\"\/en\/magazine\/energy-independence-is-it-possible\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">energy self-sufficiency<\/a>, abandoning the\u00a0<a href=\"\/en\/magazine\/generation-of-energy-with-the-photovoltaic-system-and-more-convenient-self-consumption-or-exchange-on-site\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">net-metering system<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, if you are a member of the community solely as a consumer, you can contribute to collective self-consumption by purchasing all or a portion of the renewable energy generated by other members who are prosumers or stored by members with storage systems (storers). The\u00a0<strong>advantage here will be lower-priced energy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In an ideal world, the perfect solution would be to immediately\u00a0<strong>consume all energy produced by your system<\/strong>: location of production and consumption correspond, eliminating wastage during the transport and storage phases. However, energy exchange in a smart community allows you to achieve the same result overall: also consuming energy produced by others immediately, with minimal transport distances.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>#6 Generating heat using photovoltaic power contributes to independence from traditional sources<\/h2>\n<p>To reach a new level of energy independence, you can connect the photovoltaic system to a latest-generation\u00a0<strong>heat pump<\/strong>, creating a\u00a0<strong>hybrid solution<\/strong>\u00a0that allows heating and cooling of your home and savings on your gas bill.<\/p>\n<p>Energy self-sufficiency is therefore the new approach to energy consumption. The essential ingredients are an awareness that leads to a new &#8220;quality&#8221; of consumption and the decision to play a part in the true energy revolution offered by smart grids and digital energy communities.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":4317,"parent":0,"template":"","category-magazine":[41],"class_list":["post-1563","magazine","type-magazine","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magazine-solar-and-photovoltaic"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine\/1563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/magazine"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine\/1563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4319,"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine\/1563\/revisions\/4319"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category-magazine","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regalgrid.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category-magazine?post=1563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}