Energy Use & Conservation

Hi can anyone assist with the Efergy elite Classic . I have tried everything according to the suppliers trouble shooting to try and get the transmitter to connect and give a power reading - with no joy . Any suggestions to resolve this ?

Hi I was looking online for energy usage monitors and saw this recommend in the US on CNET, has anyone seen these locally/tried one out? I am interested to know what the usage of it is like as it looks very granular on the usage reports https://sense.com/ Thanks JohnB

Still a work in progress. But I have build a dash to display all the different alternative energies on one page.

Maximum demand where you basically pay the utility for the highest KVA used during one month cycle. There is some formula mixing KWH x KVA x factor x whatever = $$$ I have a scenario where during lockdown the electricity cost has dropped by about 25% off the normal monthly rate. This drop is about R300/day This is on a machine that normally runs about 8Hours/day 75KW inverter motor. Unfortunately this machine has to run at least 1/2 an hour to 1hour every day during lockdown. So you would expect a bigger saving but 25% saving is what it is. Survival mode now has to kick in and trying to reduce this maximum killer charge by comparing diesel cost of generato…

This morning, being bored, I amused myself by playing a favourite game of mine. It is called "where the heck is all that electricity going?" The sun had finally broken through the clouds, free power was raining down upon our roof and the batteries were getting the dregs whilst the house consumed nearly 3 kw. What I found was the dish washer, washing machine and pool pump all running at the same time. What interested me is that the load was up and down for the next while. Being particularly bored I kept EZ manage running on my phone and did the rounds as the load changed. So, my observation is that washing machines and dish washers seem to use lots of power when they…

I installed a 200ltr solar geyser and a 5KVA off grid inverter just as 2019 winter started. I have looked at my 2018 average winter KWH consumption compared to the same months for 2019 and have more clarity on what I actually saved since my installation. I must mention my inverter was not running at full capacity. I lost lots of days during the first two months as I was figuring out and deciding on how to wire and what extras to install as It was my first installation and job in progress, with DB upgrade and even relocating inverter to garage. Than in the beginning my system was manually operated and there were days that I forgot to switch to solar and lost the…

Hi All does anyone know how to, or where I can find a formula to work out how much it costs to heat water in say for example a 250lt geyser with a 3kw element in 20 c ambient temperature. I have a feeling the formula may not be as straightforward, with many factors to take into account. Some education would be appreciated. Many thanks in advance.

Hi Guys I am currently running a 3kw infini with 4kw panels and 600ah battery bank. I run almost everything through the inverter which isn't an issue when the sun is shining and eskom is on. The inverter can be overloaded without problems while there is sun and eskom to supplement. My question is, can I connect an energized contactor to my pool pump mcb so that it drops the load when eskom goes dark? The contactor's switch side would be eskom, the power side from the inverter. I am not sure if the contactor will mix the loads causing EL to trip. Maybe someone with some experience in this field might have some answers. Thanks Johann

Hi guys, I need some advice on a new fridge. We bought a Bosch unit about 10 years ago and it was disappointing from the start. Since getting involved in the whole solar thing I've become more aware of energy consumption and also measuring more. I noticed that the fridge causes cycles in the power consumption, more frequently than I expected, and I decided to measure the consumption individually. (See graph below.) What I found is that it consumes almost 5 kWh per day. For me that is excessive, it equates to around 2MWh per year!!! I suspect the measurement can be suspect, assuming the compressor draws 200W for about 70% per day (it is on way too much), that equates to 3.…

My kitchen is very for from the solar heated geyser. What options are there for a very small geyser, or any other way of instant hot water? I am changing to a grid-tied hybrid PV solution, so the kitchen sink must not draw high power for short periods. 4kw is way too much. I would prefer under 2kw, for longer periods. So it seems I am looking at a small under counter geyser, with a small element, maybe connected to dumb timer that switches it off overnight? Kwikot has a 10 liter that uses 1500W - at R2450 Lorenzetti has a instant heater that uses 4400W for R1300 - too much power! Heattech as a 15 liter that uses 1500W, at R1899 …

I have a off-grid 4KW inverter and have noticed the dishwasher uses about 2KW for long periods when in operation. I am thinking to connect my solar geyser water straight to the dishwasher to reduce my dishwasher elements from switching on. My inverter sometimes switch over to utility when the washing machine and dishwasher both run at the same time. (It happens only when dishwasher is used) Would the hot water from the solar geyser make a substantial difference?

I've read of two initiatives now that reduce electricity costs (and thus C02 generation) in supermarkets. Interestingly both involve companies connected with motor racing (who usually have lots of aerodynamicists on their staff). The first was a simple vane for fitting at the edge of open refrigerator shelves. By carefully managing the airflow over those edges they can redirect the cool air so that the customer doesn't get as cold and the fridge doesn't lose as much cold air. Now Wirth Technologies have come up with a system that prevents air losses from inside the store to outside via the doors. The air is usually warmed in the winter and cooled in the summer, and …

Hi All. Last night I connected a sonoff pow R2 to a multi plug and had some fun measuring the appliances usage around my house. Thought i would report back here. At my PC desk i have a PC, 2 x monitors, a printer (i didnt measure the ADSL router) all these things were using 16w while being plugged in, but not in use/switched on. from 17:00 to 07:00 (14 hrs) they use 0.224 KWh which is R0.48c incl vat - thats a crazy R14.40 / month by just being plugged in. at my TV (LED tv, apple tv, DSTV, DVD player) I measured 20w, while being plugged in and not in use. again at 12 hrs through the night (we dont really watch TV) that is 0.24KWh of usage by just being plug…

Hi Everybody Need advice (lots) on air conditioners. I am looking to install an air con in a room that is 30m2. What size should I be getting? Any advice on consumption brands etc? Chris

I have recently installed Infini V 5KW inverter at my house. It runs all of my household lights, fans, 2 referigerators, 1 inverter based air conditioner. A microwave and an iron is also on it but they are occasionally used for short periods. There is a second inverter based air conditioner which I have not connected to this inverter yet. I have 3-phase grid supply available.Throughout the day, the load varies anywhere from 600W to 2500W. I am using SUB and off-grid modes. I have 3 strings of 325W x 3 Renesola solar panels (9 panels) connected at PV1 input of this system. At peak sunny days, I have noticed these panels going up to providing 2KW of power (as sho…

I have recently installed Infini V 5KW inverter at my house. It runs all of my household lights, fans, 2 referigerators, 1 inverter based air conditioner. A microwave and an iron is also on it but they are occasionally used for short periods. There is a second inverter based air conditioner which I have not connected to this inverter yet. I have 3-phase grid supply available.Throughout the day, the load varies anywhere from 600W to 2500W. I am using SUB and off-grid modes. I have 3 strings of 325W x 3 Renesola solar panels (9 panels) connected at PV1 input of this system. At peak sunny days, I have noticed these panels going up to providing 2KW of power (as sho…

Hi All, Saw this and wondered how long before we get this in SA. Anybody aware of this? If it is -+25% more efficient that A+++ fridges, then maybe worth a wait and cost. http://www.achahome.com/refrigerator-fridges-in-india.html#linear-comp

Stanford is doing a free webinar next week on auto-tinting windows. Just thought I'd share: https://goo.gl/eSYwzM Wednesday 10/11 @ 10 am PST Not sure how affordable it would be for consumers out the gate, but hoping to possibly use this down the road.

This product can detect if excess PV |Energy is being fed back into grid and use it to heat water ( upto 3 KW) https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3000W-Excess-plus-Solar-I-boost-Alternative-Energy-saving-for-water-boiler-infrared-heating-system/32613200769.html PV panel users applying net metering or grid ties should benefit from it I just found it while browsing for Solar Hot water products

I thought this could be use full for some else as well. "Disclaimer - This relates to AC current run trough a relay with DC volts so if you didn't understand what this is do not continue!! - I do not take any responsibility for ANY damages or loss of life, fingers , wife and or pets included " (Just to cover my self ) I have some security lights around the house and a fairly high quality perimeter alarm system and to top it off a DVR jut to check in if the Alarm did go off. The power supply for the cameras takes a fair amount of juice to run and we only use the cameras to view remotely , also I dont care for recording as it is useless most of the time , in my ca…

Hi all, As part of our solar project, we replaced the fridge with a Bosch KSV36VL30, which is A++ rated. It really is an awesome device at a good price (compared to, say, the fancy Samsung and LG stuff which often costs more and use more electricity too). Tonight, while cleaning out the drain pipe, I noticed it uses an interesting arrangement at the back. Where every other fridge I've owned simply has the drain pipe running straight into a plastic container on top of the compressor (where heat from the compressor will evaporate it), this one has plastic channels running the full width of the fridge, arranged such that the water will actually dam there, and overflow i…

Hi Guys Whag is the best way to use solar for space heating? It seams like heating water with flat panels and using a heat exchanger to circulate the warm air into your living space? Thanks L

Hi, Can anyone, who has setup a solar system for an 8 zone alarm? I am not sure how to spec this. The alarm looks the same as those kits that ADT installs. It has a keypad and some passives in the house, 2 beams outside and a siren, as well as a 12V7Ah battery.

12v 120liter boks vrieskas en 'n 148liter yskas/vrieskas Hierdie was net 'n toets, maar nou werk dit so goed dat ek al heelwat van die yskaste en vrieskaste verander het.