Electrical
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Off-Grid Homes and Battery Backups
You may have noticed that your home runs on either 120V or 240V instead of the 12, 24, or 48 volts a battery supplies. Off-grid homes, small holiday cottages, boats and recreational vehicles used to use 12V direct current systems but such low voltages (and DC) are only useful in very small installations. There are relatively few low-voltage appliances and wiring a low-voltage direct current system is often difficult and unviable for a typical home in full-time occupation.
What is Energy Conservation?
Energy conservation (using less to do more) is healthy for the Earth and reduces a renewable-energy utility station’s size and cost. Obviously, more battery power will make a light bulb last longer, but it is less obvious that a more efficient light bulb requires less battery power. Typical electric circuits push electrons through an electrical conductor to reach the load before returning to the source.
How to deal with Generator Noise and Heat
A genset can be a noisy, annoying piece of home equipment. The best way to get rid of the noise is to get rid of the generator!
Reduce Copper Usage
One of the biggest impacts a home has on the overall world environment is also one of the least visible. The miles of copper wiring, plumbing and piping hidden behind the walls of almost every house in the first world result in devastation that most of us never even hear about.
Energy Efficient Lighting
Fixtures
If you're thinking of updating your fixtures, replacing incandescent bulbs is an absolute must. The energy-conscious consumer therefore has two main choices: LED and fluorescent.
The Basics of Energy Efficient Lights
Most daytime lighting choices are built into good house design: the inherent energy efficiency of using the sun's light (and heat) far outweigh any gains made by using low-cost bulbs or other powered options.
However, humans still need light after the sun has gone down so there are choices to be made for the proper selection and use of lighting fixtures and equipment. Studies show that about 20% of a home's electricity goes into lighting, so the savings should not be underestimated!
How to Reduce your Energy Consumption
It can be difficult to separate a building's inherent energy needs from those of the people living in it. This is especially true once the home is occupied and in many ways is irrelevant since overall energy usage is all that affects the bill.
PV Energy Requirements
Calculating Energy Requirements
The first step in planning a PV installation is to determine the exact amount of renewable energy you require. You should start by reviewing your energy use to reduce electricity consumption wherever possible, which in turn decreases your system generation requirements and costs. The general rule to remember is that every dollar invested in energy efficiency will reduce the capital cost of electrical generation by about 3-5 dollars.
What are Inverter ratings?
When purchasing an inverter, important considerations are the unit's electrical rating and the option of a "sine wave" or "modified square wave" model.
Here's what to check when selecting an inverter:
Output Voltage
Most North American houses are grid-connected to service loads at 120V or 240V. Small electrical appliances using wall plugs are usually at 120V with heavier electrical loads at 240V (electric stoves, clothes dryers, furnaces, central air conditioning and so on).