Solar Systems

[Nix]

Just an update re my solar set up, it's really proved it's worth. Been up for over two years now and been ultra reliable. Gas & electric bills have been significantly cut (only paid £87 for gas & electric last quarter) which, in it's context, I'm very pleased with. Having two girls in my household who like nothing better than to live in a hot bath really tests the system's capabilities. Daughter's now gone to Uni so 90% of our energy usage will probably go with her ha!

Due to our location ie the hills and trees around us, the winter sun is brief but we still get enough to make a difference. The LVR I fitted to the system has been a true asset, I can go out for the day and come back to a tank full of hot water without having to keep an eye on things, brilliant!

A wee note on controllers. I did splash out for a decent 60 amp PWM controller which has the useful automated function of "equalising" the battery bank once a month. This is essential as it keeps the batteries in tip top condition for a longer life. Highly recommended.

The grid tie too, has been beneficial. During any good sunny day, and we've had quite a few this summer, the hot water tank trips out, the batteries get fully charged and we can divert some excess to the house mains. Despite now having one of those new digital meters, all it does is either help with the load or stop it dead in its tracks.

When the girls went away for a few days a month back, I tried running the whole house on my back up so mains was turned off. Only issue I had was with the fridge and freezer units. They take more electric than most people realise. My 2kW inverter did the odd blip when either of those units kicked in with their brief 1kW + surge. This can be too much when added to what's already on load. These units take about 100W each when humming away to themselves - soon adds up. Might upgrade to a 3kW inverter which should cure that but it really wasn't that bad. In a bad SHTF scenario, you'd only be running one unit if any at all. Nights would test the batteries for sure, I ended up turning the freezer off as it doesn't start defrosting for probably at least 24 - 48 hours. Turn it back on the next morning and you're good. People tend to overestimate what a battery can do and don't realise that you have to treat them with respect to get the most out of them, I'm talking about what DOD you take 'em to. I try and keep mine to minimum DOD so I get maximum cycles.

For those with security alarm systems, they take minimal power but for those with cctv cameras, watch out for those night time cameras, the IR will add approx 50% to the power load.

That's it, I'm happy to answer any questions.