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YEEE HAAA….FINALLY ….

J

JRH

Solar Wizard
Joined
Mar 15, 2020
Messages
2,311
Short and sweet… it’s not about the money, it’s all about independence ….and success …and freedom..
the first full month of running the system “some of the time” and experimenting with things..
This is for a full size Rv ( I live in ) and normal mobile home [ wife lives in ) and we both use normal amount of electrical stuff…plus a decent size workshop with all types of electrical devices and cloths dryer too. All used frequently and a damn private street light too.
look at the KW usage difference in just a month… and I now see the path to get it down way way way lower ..maybe about 20 dollars ..
need a few more panels and I’m free from them rascals…( except for the street light.)….. and those odd little add on charges..
I wonder who really gets that extra money the charge ya for on every bill For stuff you didn’t agree to pay for…

thanks forum people for assisting me get this far in this journey…
 

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Jim H said:
Short and sweet… it’s not about the money, it’s all about independence ….and success …and freedom..
the first full month of running the system “some of the time” and experimenting with things..
This is for a full size Rv ( I live in ) and normal mobile home [ wife lives in ) and we both use normal amount of electrical stuff…plus a decent size workshop with all types of electrical devices and cloths dryer too. All used frequently and a damn private street light too.
look at the KW usage difference in just a month… and I now see the path to get it down way way way lower ..maybe about 20 dollars ..
need a few more panels and I’m free from them rascals…( except for the street light.)….. and those odd little add on charges..
I wonder who really gets that extra money the charge ya for on every bill For stuff you didn’t agree to pay for…

thanks forum people for assisting me get this far in this journey…
Click to expand...
You’re not to far from me if you use blue ridge energy. Hour maybe.
 
you have almost halved the usage? Any compromises that you made to get to this?
 
Azeem said:
you have almost halved the usage? Any compromises that you made to get to this?
Click to expand...
there are some compromises…
mainly the wife think I have lost my mind buying stuff…,and the neighbors down the road are convinced I have become an eccentric hermit that works on weird stuff and wires.
 
As long as you get what you want who cares about comprmises or what others think of you!
I am over the moon as well as I have also go credit from grid for selling 2500kwh to the grid for 2nd quarter.
 
Cutting by half is huge! But you’ll do even better as you go. ?

I remember before i went off grid i used to watch my ‘rank’ on a list of ‘100 comparable homes in your area’ that my utility would send to my email. I was usually in the top 10, and i think i got to 2nd or 3rd place a couple of times but it was annoying that the 1st place number was so low that the house obviously was either unoccupied most of the time, or had a big solar setup. ?

Now that im 100% off grid the goal is actually to use MORE power.. just gotta make it first! Its already been one year but it seems reasonable that within one more year ill be able to basically ignore my system and do whatever the heck i want without consulting my battery first. Thats the next stage of freedom im looking forward to.

Congrats on your progress!
 
I hear ya
Cloudy and rain for two days then
Spouse did four loads of laundry yesterday washer & conventional dryer on the solar,
ESS dropped to 60% then late day sun poked through the clouds long enough to bring me back up to 80% SOC for the night,
Mix of sun and cloud today will mean we get back up to full ESS.
So awesome!
 
Azeem said:
you have almost halved the usage? Any compromises that you made to get to this?
Click to expand...
I run my whole house off grid. I have an acreage and the shop is still on the grid.

The only aspect of our system is that we try to manage loads and don't run the dryer with washing machine, microwave, vacuum cleaner and air conditioning running at the same time as the well can kick on at any point and we could go over on rated inverter capacity. My wife is the official test operator, she likes to run everything all at once. :)
 
Zwy said:
I run my whole house off grid. I have an acreage and the shop is still on the grid.

The only aspect of our system is that we try to manage loads and don't run the dryer with washing machine, microwave, vacuum cleaner and air conditioning running at the same time as the well can kick on at any point and we could go over on rated inverter capacity. My wife is the official test operator, she likes to run everything all at once. :)
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My wife thinks because a light bulb exists ,that it should be turned on and left on ..it has some natural right to always “be on“ and express itself …. I just stopped even trying to understand …
 
Jim H said:
My wife thinks because a light bulb exists ,that it should be turned on and left on ..it has some natural right to always “be on“ and express itself …. I just stopped even trying to understand …
Click to expand...
I knew this gal that felt that way about TV sets. Never understood why they were left on overnight (sound muted) and even when the house was empty.
 
Congrats! "Regular" people who have never attempted something like this usually don't get what an accomplishment it is. I've noticed a few of them pay more attention when I tell them what my electric bill runs now. It was never about the money for me, but that's what gets their attention. Human nature I suppose. Anyway, good job!
 
Started working on my set up in January2023 slowly took everything except a 240 volt dryer which is still on the grid so you can see the results in my grid usage. Save at least $100 to $120 a month. Still got to figure out something with the dryer though.
 

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Johno1066 said:
Started working on my set up in January2023 slowly took everything except a 240 volt dryer which is still on the grid so you can see the results in my grid usage. Save at least $100 to $120 a month. Still got to figure out something with the dryer though.
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Nice! Mine looks similar. The POCO has started a go fund me page because they're going to go broke after losing all that income from me.

I still have the dryer and few odds and ends circuits on the grid but still only used less than 600kw from them last month. I can put those on solar but I'm going to need to upgrade my critical loads panel at the least. Hoping to upgrade inverters and if so I'll upgrade the panel then. But even as it is I'm pretty darned happy.
 
Johno1066 said:
Started working on my set up in January2023 slowly took everything except a 240 volt dryer which is still on the grid so you can see the results in my grid usage. Save at least $100 to $120 a month. Still got to figure out something with the dryer though.
Click to expand...
I run the dryer off the system. Takes close to 3Kw per leg. I'm waiting to purchase a new dryer that is heat pump/condensing type when larger sizes are available.
 
Zwy said:
I run the dryer off the system. Takes close to 3Kw per leg. I'm waiting to purchase a new dryer that is heat pump/condensing type when larger sizes are available.
Click to expand...
At least for us, one of the reasons I left the dryer off for now is that it uses quite a bit when it's on but over the course of a week or a month it's not on that much. The other is I have my breaker panel maxed out. Right now we don't have to change anything with our routine, which makes my wife very happy and me too for that matter. If I add the dryer or the double oven I'll have to monitor and manage usage. She uses various countertop appliances for most of the baking needs so the oven gets little use. That leaves the dryer at some point.

I have exceeded my original goals by so much that it makes it a lot easier to wait on moving some of this last stuff over to solar. It'll get there someday.
 
EastTexCowboy said:
If I add the dryer or the double oven I'll have to monitor and manage usage.
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My issue exactly too,
I have the dryer on the solar, but not the double oven, since I would need to figure out a way that both are never on together on the solar.
I wonder about a relay that would switch over the oven to Grid if the Dryer is on. ie if the dryer is on the oven will automatically connect to grid, if the dryer is off the oven will automatically connect to solar.
Like you, I am just being patient, and will just wait to add the oven when I expand the inverters for more solar capacity.
 
Jim H said:
To you or me that’s a perfectly logical thought….BUT, Oh …if life was only that simple…

” honey , I had the electrician guy come out today and replace that broken light fixture that kept going off and on by itself … coulda started a fire … said he would just send a bill”
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Yeah, I know what you are saying...I had to make a plan to "Sell it to her" so I waited for the right evening, installed the motion sensor light in the laundry room.
Then said 'hey honey can I help out by taking this haper to the laundry room, it looks pretty heavy' she naturally agrees sure carry that to the laundry, as we walk into the room the lights turn themselves on automatically, no putting down the haper to switch on the light. She is surprised, says ' hey what turned on the lights? you didn't touch a thing"
show her how the sensor turns the lights on just walking into the room, and automatically turns them off again after so many minutes. Ok I had alterior motive (I don't have to run around and turn off lights), yeah, but it is all in the delivery people.
Next day she says - hey would one of those light sensors work in the kitchen? what about the bathroom? yeah so I am a victom of my own success.
 
OffGridForGood said:
Yeah, I know what you are saying...I had to make a plan to "Sell it to her" so I waited for the right evening, installed the motion sensor light in the laundry room.
Then said 'hey honey can I help out by taking this haper to the laundry room, it looks pretty heavy' she naturally agrees sure carry that to the laundry, as we walk into the room the lights turn themselves on automatically, no putting down the haper to switch on the light. She is surprised, says ' hey what turned on the lights? you didn't touch a thing"
show her how the sensor turns the lights on just walking into the room, and automatically turns them off again after so many minutes. Ok I had alterior motive (I don't have to run around and turn off lights), yeah, but it is all in the delivery people.
Next day she says - hey would one of those light sensors work in the kitchen? what about the bathroom? yeah so I am a victom of my own success.
Click to expand...
Well you’re lucky …your wife has a working memory… I would have to schedule a meeting each day to explain why the lights go off and on by themselves…I Just don’t have the energy…I would rather stay in the shop , drink some beer , work on fun stuff and be left alone..
 
Jim H said:
Well you’re lucky …your wife has a working memory… I would have to schedule a meeting each day to explain why the lights go off and on by themselves…I Just don’t have the energy…I would rather stay in the shop , drink some beer , work on fun stuff and be left alone..
Click to expand...
You sure picked your moniker accurately.?
 
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