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diy solar

What ratio of kwh of batteries/kwp of panels do you have in your system?

kc130up said:
The Hydronic heater would be more than 1/2 the power AND would run less as the liquid keeps the space warmer for longer.
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Heat is heat though. If you are putting in less BTU, it won't be as warm. You use less energy only if you have a way to make more BTU for less kWh. Source: living in freezing climate for a lifetime.
kc130up said:
If the wife and I had regular 9-5 jobs, we'd use so much less energy!
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Another way to look at it is that you would be driving to a 9-5 and quite possibly using more energy overall.
 
kc130up said:
My wife has a space heater she uses under her desk (even in the summer). I've convinced her to switch to a hydronic heater to reduce energy costs.
That space heater is 1800w. Not that it runs all day, but it could be on for 4-8 hours a day. Even longer in the winter.
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A portable oil filled radiant heater may be a better choice on low.
 
SunDave said:
Heat is heat though. If you are putting in less BTU, it won't be as warm. You use less energy only if you have a way to make more BTU for less kWh. Source: living in freezing climate for a lifetime.
Click to expand...

This is why I believe it's much easier to skip things like BTU, and just use kWh: 1 kWh of electricity == 1kWh of heat, especially since electric heating elements are 100% efficient. Heat pump with CoP of 4 -> 1 kWh of electricity == 4 kWh of heat. You could go all the way with Joules, but the kWh is easier since we start with electricity as an input and don't care about yet another conversion.
 
There are still ways to get the home office to be more efficient. You could close a door to it, or otherwise separate it from the rest of the living area. That way there will be less heat required in that area for the 8 hours its in use. It wouldn't be drifting to other parts of the house quite as fast. Setting up in a smaller room will also require less heat to make it comfortable. If you really want to be an energy miser layering on the clothes helps a lot if you are cold.

I don't intend to be negative about another heater choice, but I did want to point out that a different type of straight electric heat is usually not an end all solution.
 
4kw of panels 15kwh battery on 48v. 24v 7.5kwh backup bank and inverter.
Solar runs my business office, man cave, internet and observatory. During the summer it runs the pool pump, 8-10hrs everyday along with heat pump when needed.
 
I have a relatively small system for our cabin in the Colorado mountains: 1.7kW of panels, 11.8kWh of battery, so a 7.0 ratio. Like @timselectric I think the ratio itself is pretty worthless without lots of context, but I also think this thread has turned into another very interesting discussion. It's easy for me to convince myself we could use more panels AND batteries, although neither are really needed right now.

I put in our off-grid system in 2017, initially with 8kWh of AGM (so only 4kWh usable). It was fine while it worked and while we were very efficient, but no fun. Since replacing the AGMs with LiFePO4 in 2022, we've also added more loads including a large fridge and a drip coffee maker. The larger batteries have given us the luxury of not being frugal with our electricity.
 
mactech said:
4kw of panels 15kwh battery on 48v. 24v 7.5kwh backup bank and inverter.
Solar runs my business office, man cave, internet and observatory. During the summer it runs the pool pump, 8-10hrs everyday along with heat pump when needed.
Click to expand...
you have to show and tell your solar powered observatory man.
 
SnickeringBear said:
Somebody around here should write a book about ways to conserve electricity instead of consuming more.

1. Get a higher efficiency heating/cooling system
2. Convert tank/tankless water heater to heat pump water heater
3. Seal and insulate your house better including upgrading windows
4. swap your old dryer for a heat pump clothes dryer
5. Convert your lights all to LED and where possible use solar fed battery for outdoor/flood lights

Add a dozen more ways to save.
Click to expand...
1. Buy more panels
2. Buy more battery
3. Buy more panels
4. Buy more battery
5. Buy more inverters
. . .

Build out your solar to meet your current demand, screw conservation waste electrons!
 
42OhmsPA said:
Same here, house stays around 70F, bdrm 65F; I wish I bought an EV sooner.
All electric dryer. Sooner or later I'll replace the oil fired water heater.
I'm easily using triple what I was when I used grid, makes ROI that much quicker.
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Dittos to #1, got the EV before the solar. I was all electric on appliances to start with, and I'm using 50% more than when I was on the grid. Solar so I don't have to worry about my electric bill. If I'm hot I turn down the A/C, if I'm cold I turn up the heat. I don't yell if a door is left open a bit long when it's 110 outside. I'm using my solar to improve MY quality of life. This is the main reason I don't grok the rush to replace working stuff with hyper efficient appliances and such when you go solar. Spend the cash on more solar if you can stuff it in, and then you don't really care.
 
I'm more interested in being highly efficient - meaning consume what I need and have some surplus - than in producing myriads of myriawatts which basically support a lifestyle of over-consumption. Said another way, save some money by being efficient.
 
I can also say you further improve your ROI by not buying bleeding edge hyper-efficient appliances when you do buy new. Just need something reasonable as a price point with the features you want. Could care less about the energy sticker.
 
SnickeringBear said:
I'm more interested in being highly efficient - meaning consume what I need and have some surplus - than in producing myriads of myriawatts which basically support a lifestyle of over-consumption. Said another way, save some money by being efficient.
Click to expand...
"Over-consumption" of a finite resource is one thing. But your argument is silly because the lifestyle is the reason you don't live in a cave and hunt with a bow. Since you ain't living "at one with the land" wearing skins you are past any "consumption" arguments, you consume things needlessly now. And if you could you'd fly private, instead of coach. So it's all pretty relative. If you are buying more efficient products looking for an ROI over time, that is one thing. But spending more money than you need to to meet your lifestyle desires so you can say you bought something "efficient" is pretty dumb. "I just bought this $2000 HPWH, it is so efficient it uses 50% less energy than the old $500 tank unit I had!", "Wow how much money will that save you in a year?". "Well nothing, my solar equipment is capable of meeting all my demands". "Wow you are so smart!"
 
ksmithaz1 said:
But your argument is silly because the lifestyle is the reason you don't live in a cave and hunt with a bow. Since you ain't living "at one with the land" wearing skins you are past any "consumption" arguments, you consume things needlessly now. And if you could you'd fly private, instead of coach. So it's all pretty relative. If you are buying more efficient products looking for an ROI over time, that is one thing. But spending more money than you need to to meet your lifestyle desires so you can say you bought something "efficient" is pretty dumb. "I just bought this $2000 HPWH, it is so efficient it uses 50% less energy than the old $500 tank unit I had!", "Wow how much money will that save you in a year?". "Well nothing, my solar equipment is capable of meeting all my demands". "Wow you are so smart!"
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My lifestyle is exactly what I choose because I can actually afford just about any lifestyle I like. I choose to use energy efficient appliances because they are cost effective over time. If I can build a house that uses an average of 30 kWh/day or less, then I will size my solar to produce twice that much so I have a buffer for cloudy winter days. It is a free country. Live your life the way you like. Sunshine is still free. It shines on honest men and jackasses alike.
 
1k of panels and 20kwhr of storage, easy math on that one.

Off grid cabin, used on 2-3 days on weekends, so there’s plenty of time of low to no usage to charge the batteries back up.

We use only 2-3kwhr when we are there so I need more load, lol
 
5:1 or 7:1
Off grid.
6 kW max of panels (practically 4 kW due to angles and heat)
30 kWhrs of batteries

I read somewhere that a 6:1 ratio is ideal for filling them up and then draining them, which is what I do with 2 Tesla Y's.
 
SnickeringBear said:
I'm more interested in being highly efficient - meaning consume what I need and have some surplus - than in producing myriads of myriawatts which basically support a lifestyle of over-consumption. Said another way, save some money by being efficient.
Click to expand...

I agree - and that's why I built my house to just need 5 kWh or so per day in winter. However, it is extremely nice to be able to generate a ton of energy in summer to essentially do with whatever you want.
 
kc130up said:
My wife has a space heater she uses under her desk (even in the summer). I've convinced her to switch to a hydronic heater to reduce energy costs.
That space heater is 1800w. Not that it runs all day, but it could be on for 4-8 hours a day. Even longer in the winter.
Click to expand...
Have you considered a personal heater, foot warmer or heating mat, like the Cozy Legs or Cozy Toes?

www.cozyproducts.com

Personal Heaters

The easiest way to save keep your home cozy without paying a fortune for energy is to use heat only where you need it, instead of blowing it around...
www.cozyproducts.com www.cozyproducts.com
 
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