November Solar Generation and Export Numbers
As expected for November, solar generation continued to decline, although performance was slightly better than last year. We generated 96.70 kWh, compared to 80.00 kWh in the same month last year, an increase of 16.70 kWh year-on-year. Solar accounted for 14% of total household consumption, which is typical for this time of year. Total household consumption for the month was 714.50 kWh.
The best solar generation day was 4 November 2025, producing 6.20 kWh in total. On that day, the east–south facing panels generated 3.80 kWh, while the west–north facing panels contributed 2.40 kWh. In contrast, the worst generation day was 14 November 2025, with just 0.40 kWh generated, evenly split between the front and rear arrays at 0.20 kWh each. This clearly highlights how limited solar contribution becomes during poor winter weather.
Battery usage increased significantly as we moved deeper into winter. The batteries were charged with 434.40 kWh and discharged 405.20 kWh, indicating heavy cycling to offset higher-cost grid imports. In total, we used 253 charging slots during the month. However, the battery was suspended for 221 of the available charging slots, with most of these suspensions occurring between 1pm and 4pm.
During this window, the grid price matches the Cosy charging rate, so there is little benefit in cycling the battery. Instead, the heat pump is used to heat hot water during this period, making direct use of the cheaper electricity. This approach avoids unnecessary battery wear and has the added advantage of ensuring plenty of battery capacity is available for the rest of the day, particularly for covering higher-priced evening rates.
There were no periods where solar generation exceeded household consumption or grid imports, resulting in no self-sustained days this month by either measure.
Grid imports totalled 488.10 kWh. The cost of electricity imported on the Cosy tariff was £104.51. For comparison, importing the same energy on the standard tariff would have cost £129.49, and supplying the household entirely on the standard tariff would have resulted in a total cost of £189.56. This represents a saving of £27.16 compared to standard tariff imports, and £87.22 compared to standard tariff house consumption.
Export opportunities were limited this month. The best solar-only export day was 23 November 2025, with 0.30 kWh exported. There was no meaningful export via the battery, with the best battery export day recorded as 1 November 2025, effectively N/A. The highest export profit also occurred on 1 November 2025, totalling £0.30. Overall exports amounted to 14.50 kWh, delivering £2.18 in export savings.
The cheapest day of the month was 11 November 2025, when total electricity costs came in at just £2.08, demonstrating the value of effective tariff and battery management even during a low-generation period.
Overall, November shows the system operating firmly in winter mode. Solar contribution is modest and highly weather-dependent, batteries are doing the heavy lifting where it matters, and savings are primarily driven by intelligent use of the Cosy tariff rather than generation or export. Even during one of the most challenging months of the year, the setup continues to deliver tangible savings compared to remaining entirely on the standard tariff.
According to the Octo-Aid app this was the breakdown of our usage per rate.
Grid Usage by Rate (High, Mid and Low)
As solar panels output declines over the years I have added the previous years generation to the table at the bottom. Of course weather comes into it as well, but I thought it would be interesting to track. I have added this post that shows each year as a graph.
Octopus Energy bill
Octopus Watch Tariff Comparison Report. This does not include exporting
Best Solar Generation
| Date | kWh | |
|---|---|---|
| Generation | 26th May 2023 | 32.90 |
| Front generation | 14th June 2023 | 19.80 |
| Back generation | 7th June 2023 | 14.70 |
| Worst generation | 12th December 2022 | 0.20 |
Solar Generation November 2025
| Date | kWh | |
|---|---|---|
| Best generation | 4th | 6.20 |
| Best front generation | 4th | 3.80 |
| Best back generation | 4th | 2.40 |
| Worst generation | 14th | 0.40 |
| Worst front generation | 14th | 0.20 |
| Worst back generation | 14th | 0.20 |
Best Solar Export and Profit
| Date | kWh | Profit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exported kWh | 15th June 2024 | 22.20 | |
| Exported profit | 15th June 2024 | 22.20 | £3.15 (15p kWh) |
| Profit day | 14th April 2024 | 18.20 | £2.67 |
Solar/Battery Export and Profit November 2025
| Date | kWh | Income/Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best kWh export - Battery & Solar | 1st | 0.30 | |
| Best kWh export - Solar Only | 1st | 0.30 | |
| Best export profit | 1st | 0.30 | £0.05 (15p kWh) |
| Cheapest Day | £2.08 |
The graph below shows the generation for both front and back panels
Total Solar Generation
The graph below shows generation, battery discharge, battery charging, export, import to use and consumption for 2025
Showing generation, battery discharge, battery charging, export, import to use and consumption for 2025
Generation
Overview for September
The graph below shows the generation for each day
Graph showing production for the month
The graphs below show the generation split between the front and back panels
Graph showing production for the front facing panels
Graph showing production for the back facing panels
The graphs below show the yearly generation split across both the back and front panels
Total Front Solar Generation
Total Back panel generation
Octopus Cosy
The costs shown here do include the standing charge. Any comparisons are compared to the unit cost if we were not on Cosy Octopus. There are two comparisons. One is the cost of what we imported from the grid for battery charging. The other is, the cost of the energy used by the house, house consumption.
November Grid Information
| Standard Tariff | 26.53p | ||
| Standing Charge | 0.48p | ||
| Cost from the grid | £ 104.51(Cosy) | ||
| Cost from the grid (Standard Tariff - Imported) | £ 129.49 | ||
| Cost from the grid (Standard Tariff - House Consumption) | £ 189.56 | ||
| Savings including export (Imported) | £27.16 | ||
| Savings including export (House Consumption) | £87.22 | ||
| Exported | 14.50 kWh | 2.18 @ 15p kWh | |
| Charging slots used | 253 | ||
| Battery Suspended (Slots) | 221 | ||
| Agile plunge slots used | 0 | ||
| Average unit slot price | 15.00p | ||
| Cheapest slot | 14.62p | ||
| Most expensive slot | 29.82p | ||
| House consumed | 714.50 kWh | ||
| Solar generated 2025/2024 | 96.70 kWh | 80.00 kWh | |
| Battery Charged/Discharged | 434.40 kWh | 405.20 kWh | |
| Percentage generated by solar | 14% | ||
| Self Sustained Days 2025 (More solar than consumed) | 182 | ||
| Self Sustained Days 2025 (More solar than we imported) | 96 | ||
Here is the Octopus Watch report summary
Octopus Watch summary
Featured posts
Solar panel performance declines over the years. I thought it might be interesting to see how mine compares. Of course weather comes into it, but hopefully this will be a useful guide.