# So we are now over the sticker shock of solar power and ready to proceed.



## HELIXX (Jan 2, 2011)

Lexxi and I are now over the sticker shock of solar power and ready to proceed.
We have composed a tentative shopping list and would like to ask the experts if this would run a home with 2 AC units, 3 Refer's all lights replaced with LED's, 4500 sq ft freshly built flat roof Territorial home in AZ.

Extensive research has pointed us at the 2 products below just for starters. 
20 Surrette Rolls Battery 6 Volt 450 Amp Hour S-600 $382.70 - sunelec.com
30 Kyocera KD240GX-LPB 240 Watt Polycrystalline Solar Module Kyocera KD240GX-LPB BLK Solar Panel 240 Watts | CivicSolar $409.76


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

do you run an electric well pump?

is each room a seperate circuit and what is the expected draw from each?

what is the draw from the refers?

what is the draw from the A/C units?

what is the draw from the lights?

do you have any fans (ceiling, pedestal, or box)?

do you have TVs or radios and their draw?

what type of computer(s) do you use?

what type of heating do you use?

are the refers in a basement or other natyurally cooler room?

what are the R-values of your walls?

what temperature do you expect to keep the interior?

is the exterior and roof light or dark colored?

do you plan on a 'green roof' ?


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## HELIXX (Jan 2, 2011)

Heating is wood.
Well pump yes.
No basement
78 in the summer.
As far as the rest I have no clue
Thanks for your reply Blob.

Looks like the proposed list comes up somewhat short. We would need two times that much. 60 panels and 40 batteries. Ouch!


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## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

HELIXX said:


> Heating is wood.
> Well pump yes.
> No basement
> 78 in the summer.
> ...


Generally speaking, one will have some sacrifices when going 100% off grid. Unless one has plenty of $$$ to spend.

Jimmy


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

If you want to live in your house exactly as you do now attached to the grid, take a look at your power-bill and try to convert that power-usage to battery-based systems.

It might be better to take small steps - convert one room (area) at a time over to solar and build up from there. The reason why I am suggesting that is because that is what I am working towards at my own home. First my garage will be setup with a solar-heater and solar-panels / batteries to heat and light / power my garage (garage door, lights, small appliances). After my garage is done, I will convert the lighting in the house over to solar and throw-in some small-appliance circuits as well.

My fridge / freezer / furnace will all be on solar-connected UPS systems to start and if things go well, I will disconnect the UPS portion of the system to be totally solar powered.

Baby-steps will get me to where I wanna be ...


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## Nadja (Jan 12, 2011)

78 deg. in summer ? Where I live that is almost winter, and I don't have any air conditioning etc. A couple of fans and glad to have them. You need to cut your useage way down if you really want to live on solar without the grid. If your just going grid tie, then you should have nothing to worry about. I have heard that there are some new air conditioners that are comphy with solar. Don't know the brand though.


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

Helixx, instead of researching products (although that will be useful later), research what you can do to cut your usage. For things you can't or won't cut, research what they actually use. Kill-A-Watt or other similar meters can be connected and used to monitor real time usage and over time usage. For example, how much does a refrigerator use to get running (start up surge) and how much does it continue to use while running? How often does it run? What's your daily usage for it (usage over time)? 

I checked my TV, Receiver and DVD player. If I leave everything plugged in but turned off I would need all the power a 60watt panel could produce in a day just to keep that stuff connected but off. Now if I actually want to turn it on I'd need about 6 panels of power. This all assumes that the panels actually can produce "full" power each and every day. No rain. No clouds, etc. Simple fix, put the equipment on a surge strip and actually power the strip off when not using. Now it pulls zero power when off. I still need sufficient power when I want to watch but I've eliminated a substantial continuous load.

Side note, I read somewhere that all those electronic picture frames that show images on them... if everyone got one and we all ran them all the time they'd need to build 6 more power plants to accomodate that extra usage. It's a little power draw, but a lot of little ones add up.

You should do an analysis like this on everything you use to first, save as much as possible, and then second, understand how much power you actually need. Only at that point can you really start to design a system. Failure to do this will result in what Jimmy said... just throw a lot of $$$ at it and over engineer to allow you to not have to make any changes.


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## HELIXX (Jan 2, 2011)

Nadja said:


> 78 deg. in summer ? Where I live that is almost winter, and I don't have any air conditioning etc. A couple of fans and glad to have them. You need to cut your useage way down if you really want to live on solar without the grid. If your just going grid tie, then you should have nothing to worry about. I have heard that there are some new air conditioners that are comphy with solar. Don't know the brand though.


Yea but Phoenix runs 118 in the summer.
The house has 3 air conditioner and they will all need to run to keep Lexxi's furniture from cracking.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

HELIXX said:


> Yea but Phoenix runs 118 in the summer.
> The house has 3 air conditioner and they will all need to run to keep Lexxi's furniture from cracking.


how much acreage do you have & do you have the mineral rights?

if you do, and have enough land, maybe you'll get lucky like us & have natural gas... then get a multi-fuel genny :sssh: :dunno:

http://www.electricgeneratorsdirect...shop+portals&gclid=CNaZ1r_UwawCFYbrKgodZnYcsQ


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## Nadja (Jan 12, 2011)

HELIXX said:


> Yea but Phoenix runs 118 in the summer.
> The house has 3 air conditioner and they will all need to run to keep Lexxi's furniture from cracking.


I lived in Phoenix for 12 years before moving up here. I was there the day it was 122.5 ! I tore the air cond. out of my truck while living in phoenix. It gave me flu and colds all the time. In and out .


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