Recent content by hertfordnc

So if i build a pretty big system that mostly runs my whole house, how much love and attention will it need over the long haul? I'm 63, retired but very busy. My plan is to dramatically reduce my energy cost over the next couple years. Then i'd like to not worry about it for the next decade...

Awesome. thanks. Now we talk about cost. $Can it be done for $25K if i do all the work? Thinking i'd go with a lot of salvaged panel to make up for my lack of southern exposure- i'm at 225 deg and 135 deg Apprently that costs about 15% of rated capacity.

I've read a lot, watched a lot of videos and done a lot of math and this is where i put it all together and you tell me the fatal flaws, or you tell me I'm an idiot. It;s OK, i can handle it. My current average daily load is 60kwh, I just got one EV (bolt) and i plan to get another...

I have one 370 watt commercial panel for my sprinter. Obviously it was not made for this so i'm trying to find the balance between airflow to remove heat and not turning it into a wing. I'd kinda' like to set it flat against the roof and maybe drill some holes in it. So what happens if...

So it's the conventional blower that's pulling all that power. No way around that for a ducted system. might be a while before my wife will tolerate minisplits on the walls. (we loved them in our last house but the aesthetics are different)

Where i live wind is not the problem. We've never seen more than a Cat 2. It's the huge number of trees taking out a huge number of power lines that has the lights out for days. Also flooding keeps the roads closed.

i may do something like that. I could start with the one mini-split we have in our bedroom. But however I get there. My strategy is to power specific systems one at a time on 100% solar. Maybe one minisplit, or the pool pump. or the washer and dryer.

But days without sun require a lot less AC. Which segues to another question, how mush does output diminish under various cloud conditions?

Yes, that is exactly the question. I am conversant in ohms law but solar mathi is a little less tangible and the information is fuzzy. It says my location has 4.5 hours of sun. Does that mean daily average? Does it mean i'll only get the rated wattage for 4.5 hours on a sunny day in...

I'm going to rephrase my question, Ya'll know what I'm trying to accomplish, I figure if it works in August it will work the rest of the year. So, let's say we have a 3 ton mini split, 23 SEER that pulls 7 amps so it needs 1800 watts 16 hours a day and the sun is out for 14 of those hours...

Yes, but if you add the cost of an emergency generator to the equation it might make sense. I could DIY a whole house generator for aout $2K plus some propane work and It would sit there and rust between hurricanes. So if i spend $10K to make the HVAC stand alone it solves the blackout...

Surge is pretty much eliminated with inverter heat pumps. You're right, building it for the HVAC is pretty much building it for the whole house but I am determined to NOT have a relationship with the power company. So, we start with the HVAC, and once that is off grid maybe we add other...

Just trying to understand the culture of the group. I posted a question about monitoring my HVAC load over time. I got a very thoughtful reply, to which i replied and that comment is "awaiting moderator approval" That seems strange Edit: i may have figured it out, in my comment i mention a...

All of that is good but I want to completely sever the grid-tie for the HVAC. And i want to start by figuring out how much power needs to be replaced. Part of my rationale is that i want this to keep me cool for a week without power in august. And the other part is that as this stuff gets...

I'm recently retired and thinking about solar for my home. I don't want to partner with Dominion power. I just want to run my heat pump. This solves two problems. In North Carolina we tend to have bad hurricanes in August. Isabel in 2003 we lost power for 8 fairly hot days. We were lucky...