"Every person’s life is theirs by right. An individual’s life can and must belong only to himself, not to any society or community, or he is then but a slave. No one can deny another person their right to their life, nor seize by force what is produced by someone else, because that is stealing their means to sustain their life. It is treason against mankind to hold a knife to a man’s throat and dictate how he must live his life."
COFFEE!
MountainGirl (07-02-2018),Walter Tyler (07-02-2018)
Ah...right. I forget sometimes that most of the US cant survive without A/C. We run fans & air conditioners up here on the few times it's in the 90s... but the sun is always bright then meeting that need. One thing that really surprised me (because before installation all I knew was what 'charts' told me re sizing/need/etc) is that even on all but the heaviest overcast days - power still came down from the array, and even on those days we still always get a trickle (200-300w). Normal cloudy days it comes down like 80% of bright sunny days. Yeah, the batteries were $10K alone. 16 Rolls-Surrette. I wanted to make sure we could always run the well pump, and Tom wanted a fridge/freezer after hauling ice up here for 10 years. Here's a pic from the build:
Last edited by MountainGirl; 07-02-2018 at 10:44 AM.
Now deferring to the judgement of horses ~ because Truth comes in 30 round bursts.
juskom95 (07-02-2018),Walter Tyler (07-02-2018)
juskom95 (07-02-2018),MountainGirl (07-02-2018)
The ironic thing is, the hotter areas get more usable UV light for power. I've been in a no-AC condition in the upper nineties (and the 110+), you won't last long doing much of anything except sitting in a cool area. Forget yard work or anything rough, even when you're accumulated to it, you have to be careful.
To give you an idea, when I was in LA we had to run the AC constantly to keep the home below 85. Over the last weekend, the AC was on constantly to to the same thing. They are going to be pulling roughly 3.5 kW per ton, per hour, roughly.One thing that really surprised me (because before installation all I knew was what 'charts' told me re sizing/need/etc) is that even on all but the heaviest overcast days - power still came down from the array, and even on those days we still always get a trickle (200-300w). Normal cloudy days it comes down like 80% of bright sunny days.
Lights are easy ones, their power consumption can be lowered quite readily. Something I learned about fans in LA though, if you're running multiple, constantly their draw can/will cause bulbs to burn out much quicker, it has something to do with their constant amperage.
Fridge/freezers are another big energy pull. I run two fridges and a freezer (I have a family) which is an additional draw.Yeah, the batteries were $10K alone. 16 Rolls-Surrette. I wanted to make sure we could always run the well pump, and Tom wanted a fridge/freezer after hauling ice up here for 10 years. Here's a pic from the build:
I did the math, and retro-fitting an existing home is expensive, plus there is the behavior of those who live within. They have to also keep consumption in mind. I'm not against it, but some areas it won't work as readily as others.
Now if I had a natural gas well . . . . .
"Every person’s life is theirs by right. An individual’s life can and must belong only to himself, not to any society or community, or he is then but a slave. No one can deny another person their right to their life, nor seize by force what is produced by someone else, because that is stealing their means to sustain their life. It is treason against mankind to hold a knife to a man’s throat and dictate how he must live his life."
COFFEE!
MountainGirl (07-02-2018)
Bury the House...
juskom95 (07-02-2018)
"Every person’s life is theirs by right. An individual’s life can and must belong only to himself, not to any society or community, or he is then but a slave. No one can deny another person their right to their life, nor seize by force what is produced by someone else, because that is stealing their means to sustain their life. It is treason against mankind to hold a knife to a man’s throat and dictate how he must live his life."
COFFEE!
Walter Tyler (07-02-2018)
I love KY, but it has been a hell of a summer and I wouldn't give up my AC . . . even after getting the utility bill!
Yup.Hoping for you cooler, and quieter, days ahead - sooner rather than later.
Best regards.
I do like reading accounts like yours though, it gives me great ideas for retirement so I don't have to deal with crazy utilities and I can minimize my contact with society. I even got the wife on board too!
"Every person’s life is theirs by right. An individual’s life can and must belong only to himself, not to any society or community, or he is then but a slave. No one can deny another person their right to their life, nor seize by force what is produced by someone else, because that is stealing their means to sustain their life. It is treason against mankind to hold a knife to a man’s throat and dictate how he must live his life."
COFFEE!
Innkeeper (07-04-2018),MountainGirl (07-02-2018)