Components do not seem correct

[mran]

Hi,

I am new to all this so for months I've been trying to get a system designed by Signature Solar. I am not going to lie, it's been a prolonged process which seems like I am only getting a tiny percentage of the person's attention. According to my electricity bill, my average kwh is 80kwh/day. They have designed a system that uses their 18KPV hybrid inverters. Is it because of my power requirements that they are going with them or are they the wrong inverters to use if wanting an off-the-grid system?

Thank you!

​

 

[42OhmsPA]

Hi,

I am new to all this so for months I've been trying to get a system designed by Signature Solar. I am not going to lie, it's been a prolonged process which seems like I am only getting a tiny percentage of the person's attention. According to my electricity bill, my average kwh is 80kwh/day. They have designed a system that uses their 18KPV hybrid inverters. Is it because of my power requirements that they are going with them or are they the wrong inverters to use if wanting an off-the-grid system?

Thank you!

​

Hello,
There are lots of variables... What are your loads? Surges, continuous average draw, max sustained draw, etc..?
How much battery storage?
Array size(s) ?
Do you need permits? UL listings, RSD, inspections, etc.
Do you want grid support for charging?

Are you set on EG4? The 6000XP may work in a parallel setup.
Current Connected is another EG4 distributor, they also sell other tier 1 equipment and are well renowned on the forum.

 

[BentleyJ]

A fully Off-Grid system for that amount of usage is going to be expensive. I would strongly suggest you perform an energy audit and identify areas where you could replace inefficient appliances. Just as an example lets say SS designs a system that will cost $50,000. I'd bet that you could spend 10 to 15K of that budget on energy reduction and then could install a smaller solar system that costs less. In this scenario you're getting some new appliances and solar for about the same $$.

Before purchasing anything, make a list of the big energy consumers (appliances, not your wife and kids, LOL) in your house and post it here so we can make suggestions. Also, your present electrical panel layout and available space for solar panels either on your roof or ground mount. If you go through a rough design process yourself, that education makes it that much harder for a vendor to rip you off or confuse you with inaccurate information.

 

[mran]

Hello,
There are lots of variables... What are your loads? Surges, continuous average draw, max sustained draw, etc..?
How much battery storage?
Array size(s) ?
Do you need permits? UL listings, RSD, inspections, etc.
Do you want grid support for charging?

Are you set on EG4? The 6000XP may work in a parallel setup.
Current Connected is another EG4 distributor, they also sell other tier 1 equipment and are well renowned on the forum.

They did not ask for any of that information, nor did I provide it to them. I guess I have a lot more investigative work to do before trying to have a system designed.

Thank you for the information.

 

[scrubjaysnest]

Replacement of some appliances may qualify you for tax credits.

 

[42OhmsPA]

They did not ask for any of that information, nor did I provide it to them. I guess I have a lot more investigative work to do before trying to have a system designed.

Thank you for the information.

Definitely, I spent months researching, collecting data, etc before I made any purchases.

@mran gave some great info in the post above.
Definitely provide more info and you will get excellent support here.

 

[mran]

Definitely, I spent months researching, collecting data, etc before I made any purchases.

@mran gave some great info in the post above.
Definitely provide more info and you will get excellent support here.

So the first step should be an energy audit to find out all of the information you've mentioned?

 

[42OhmsPA]

So the first step should be an energy audit to find out all of the information you've mentioned?

That's where I'd start.
I'd also spend some time on Suncalc and JRC looking at your location.
Do you have a well pump or any large surge loads like compressors?
Do you need permits / inspections?

 

[mran]

That's where I'd start.
I'd also spend some time on Suncalc and JRC looking at your location.
Do you have a well pump or any large surge loads like compressors?
Do you need permits / inspections?

I have a well pump and heat pumps. It looks like I will need to get a permit however information is unclear on inspections.

Thanks again

 

[42OhmsPA]

I have a well pump and heat pumps. It looks like I will need to get a permit however information is unclear on inspections.

Thanks again

If you're comfortable working inside a panel I'd put a clamp meter on the well pump to see what the inrush current is.

Post back with more questions when you have them.

Good luck.

 

[mran]

If you're comfortable working inside a panel I'd put a clamp meter on the well pump to see what the inrush current is.

Post back with more questions when you have them.

Good luck.

Thank you again, I always research everything to death before pulling the trigger. I thought by watching a dozen or so videos on DIY solar, and reading supporting materials, that it was as easy as figuring out a target kwh and designing a system around it - like they tell you in the videos.

 

[Quattrohead]

Treat yourself to an Emporia energy monitoring system, it will tell you what you need to know.
Also we probably can with the info 420 asked about above.

 

[Quattrohead]

I thought by watching a dozen or so videos on DIY solar, and reading supporting materials, that it was as easy as figuring out a target kwh and designing a system around it - like they tell you in the videos.

Ah you mean sales people, not technical people !!!!

 

[SignatureSolarJess]

Hi,

I am new to all this so for months I've been trying to get a system designed by Signature Solar. I am not going to lie, it's been a prolonged process which seems like I am only getting a tiny percentage of the person's attention. According to my electricity bill, my average kwh is 80kwh/day. They have designed a system that uses their 18KPV hybrid inverters. Is it because of my power requirements that they are going with them or are they the wrong inverters to use if wanting an off-the-grid system?

Thank you!

​

Hi @mran If you'd like to reach out to me at engagement@signaturesolar.com, I can have our design manager look into what you've been working on and make sure all the appropriate questions are asked. We will ensure your design is perfect for your needs!

 

[mran]

Hi @mran If you'd like to reach out to me at engagement@signaturesolar.com, I can have our design manager look into what you've been working on and make sure all the appropriate questions are asked. We will ensure your design is perfect for your needs!

Thank you for the offer however, as you can see from above, I do not have the correct information at this time for an accurate design.

 

[SignatureSolarJess]

Thank you for the offer however, as you can see from above, I do not have the correct information at this time for an accurate design.

I understand! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any assistance while gathering the information needed!

 

[mran]

Definitely, I spent months researching, collecting data, etc before I made any purchases.

@mran gave some great info in the post above.
Definitely provide more info and you will get excellent support here.

Hi,

So I've had an Emporia energy monitoring system installed for a few weeks now, what information from the app would you like me to send?

Thank you

Mark

 

[42OhmsPA]

Hi,

So I've had an Emporia energy monitoring system installed for a few weeks now, what information from the app would you like me to send?

Thank you

Mark

Hi Mark,

I would share as much as you can, that will allow others to give better feedback.
Average usage, peak usage, max sustained load duration, total usage, how much battery storage time you'd like, etc are a few things that come to mind.

 

[mran]

Hi Mark,

I would share as much as you can, that will allow others to give better feedback.
Average usage, peak usage, max sustained load duration, total usage, how much battery storage time you'd like, etc are a few things that come to mind.

Hi,

So I've been online chatting with the people at Emporia, excellent customer service btw. My house has an in-law apartment in it so my power setup and usage are more than expected. I am not sure if I can even get a solar system large enough to handle this. I have a 400amp service which splits into 2 x 200 amp panels. Unfortunately, the Emporia Gen 2 maxes out at 200amps so it hasn't been reporting correctly due to no fault of its own. The agent asked for pictures of my setup and said I may need to put a monitor on each panel.

The reason I said my usage may be to much is that when it was -6deg my peak usage was 12.16kwh; this would absolutely be worse case power consumption scenario. This is the usage for that day:

High Usage:​	12.16​
Low Usage:​	5.06​
Average Usage:​	9.12​
Total Usage:​	237.22​

I can put the Empoira on a sub-panel and see what my heat pump's (which are all the same) stats are if that will help?

 

[42OhmsPA]

Wow! If I'm reading that correctly you're using ~9KWh average?

It's definitely doable but may be quite costly.

I'll reply with some more details later today.

Do you have any idea how many panels you could mount?