hello from Tazewel Va USA

[JeffB1961]

We are in our 60s living the life on top of a ridge line in the mountains with great sun access .
I want to invest several grand into a backup/solar setup in two stages .
I have zero solar and zero electrical experience but i am a avid DIYer .
I did construction for a few decades and i'm a stickler for meeting codes and being safe and i appreciate quality tools and equipment .
We have a wood boiler for heat , our 2 bedroom home is a little less than 1000 sq ft and we are using one 5k btu and one 10k btu window AC units in the summer which keeps us comfortable .
I'm coming here so you folks can help keep me from killing/harming myself and causing a fire , and also help me choose equipment .
Take care , Jeff

 

[svetz]

Welcome to the forums Jeff!

Solar (and wind if you're on a mountain top) are both a lot of fun and easily in the realm of the DIYer.

... i'm a stickler for meeting codes and being safe ...

This just proves wisdom comes with age. Those codes typically exist in trying to find solutions to tragedies.

Will just did a video on some safety tips and tricks that might interest you.

SAM is a great PC tool for giving you detailed information regarding economics based on meteorological data from your area, but watch the video tutorials because while it's the biggest and best; it's also the most complicated. Based on your location and monthly power usage, with it you can easily make changes to do things like alter the panel angle to minimize grid consumption.

Hope to see you around on the forums and Good Luck with your projects!

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Welcome! Have fun!