I need help with getting my house off the grid. Where/how do I start? I'm not technically minded at all and I suck at installing anything. So I guess I need a supplier and installer who won't rip me off

Thanks

On 2022/01/15 at 11:19 AM, Silkman said:

I need help with getting my house off the grid. Where/how do I start? I'm not technically minded at all and I suck at installing anything. So I guess I need a supplier and installer who won't rip me off

Thanks

Just take a week or so to read how different units work.  Rather start with still being on grid and see how far you can go on a certain battery capacity. This will give you an idea what you will need to spend on the most expensive building block being batteries.

You also need to monitor what used how much power when to take the plunge on solar.

Edited January 16, 20223 yr by Scorp007

@Silkman, what part of the country are you located in

@Silkman

Essential information you need to formalise your requirements:

1) Have you optimised your electrical consumption yet?

First reduce power consumption before oversizing your system at great expense. Alternative options include gas for the hob, geyser, etc., more efficient or lower capacity appliances (e.g. for when next you must replace a freezer), thermal insulation of the house for both winter heat retention and summer cooling. Even simple alternatives such as opening windows for fresh air, rather than using an airconditioner can deliver significant results.

2) Understand your present power consumption, and preferably times of use too.

If you use much power during daylight hours, you may lean toward more solar panels. If heavy consumption is at other times, you'll need to store this in batteries to be able to supply it later, unless you live in a region where wind power or a water turbine provides an alternative source. Presently the PV (photovoltaic = solar panels) is often the cheaper option, and having additional capacity helps for rainy days and shorter winter days.

You may consider replacing a geyser element to allow fit it into your capacity plan (i.e. inverter sizing).

3) Priorities.

If your usage patterns are flexible, how flexible are they? Are your solutions acceptable to the household (who could make it work or break it). Daylight electrical use to pump borehole water and heat geysers to maximum is general practice, but do you need to reheat overnight? This point is a very touchy subject, and several people regard it as non-negotiable. After all, who enjoys a lukewarm bath on a winter morning? Are you prepared to accept only powering essential items when battery power is low, or will you need to add storage, typically to compensate for the second or third rainy day. (On that note, where do you stay? Your weather is a significant factor and learning from others in similar climatic regions will shorten and lighten your learning.) Also factor future developments in, such as children, work from home, etc.

And the most important question to answer for yourself is what your budget allows. Are you prepared to pay for: a)  overcoming load shedding, b) a reduction of dependency on municipal supply, c) self-sufficiency while still maintaining the municipal connection for unforeseen situations while proving that your capacity planning was sufficient, or d) total grid separation (which may require supplementing with a generator for emergencies)? It never hurts to have additional funds for all the additional expenses which pop up during and after the main event.

Finally, find out which local suppliers are effective in delivering good service. Building a solid foundation to keep your system running afterward may have significant cost implications later on. The forum members' advice in this regard may also assist in avoiding unreliable suppliers.

On 2022/01/15 at 11:19 AM, Silkman said:

I need help with getting my house off the grid. Where/how do I start? I'm not technically minded at all and I suck at installing anything. So I guess I need a supplier and installer who won't rip me off

Thanks

Off-grid is a costly and sometimes unobtainable goal.  My 6.37kWp panels make something miserable 5kWh on a day with really crappy weather.  To get to my average 25kWh per day consumption on such a day I would need 5 times as many panels, or a lot more battery storage to save the sun for a rainy day.  My objective was 75% off-grid and somewhere around this mark is probably realistic. Most days it is more like 95%, but those gloomy days typically come with higher consumption (less heat from solar geyser, longer showers, a few extra cups of coffee, maybe run the tumble drier for a while) and drag the average down. 

Edited January 17, 20223 yr by Scubadude

12 hours ago, Scubadude said:

Off-grid is a costly and sometimes unobtainable goal.  My 6.37kWp panels make something miserable 5kWh on a day with really crappy weather.  To get to my average 25kWh per day consumption on such a day I would need 5 times as many panels, or a lot more battery storage to save the sun for a rainy day.  My objective was 75% off-grid and somewhere around this mark is probably realistic. Most days it is ore like 95%, but those gloomy days typically come with higher consumption (less heat from solar gesyer, longer showers, a few extra cups of coffee, maybe run the tumble drier for a while) and drag the average down. 

You are spot on. With only 2hrs a week LS better to up the % lower use of grid. 

Every off grid has to have a large enough genny for those days we only get 10% of the good days out of PV. I recall in Feb we had 10 miserable  days in succession and also if we have a 5-10 day power failure which we are experiencing due to lack of maintenance of the grid. 

Essential to plan well for these conditions. 

 

22 hours ago, Tariq said:

@Silkman, what part of the country are you located in

Jhb

Thanks for the replies guys. Alot of reading ahead I guess 

@LoodPyp, you summed it up perfectly.

22 hours ago, LoodPyp said:

And the most important question to answer for yourself is what your budget allows. Are you prepared to pay for: a)  overcoming load shedding, b) a reduction of dependency on municipal supply, c) self-sufficiency while still maintaining the municipal connection for unforeseen situations while proving that your capacity planning was sufficient, or d) total grid separation (which may require supplementing with a generator for emergencies)?

I think most of us start of with a). Then we add a few panels to achieve b). Then we start pushing the limits and add a few batteries to achieve c). That eats deep hole into your wallet. As @Scubaduderightly said, d) is "Costly and sometimes unobtainable goal." I think once you have reached that goal and look back and wonder if it was worth spending all that money, as the ROI of probably 6-8 years (just taking a wild guess here). We would all like to go off-grid. It all comes down to how much money you have available to spend and what sacrifices you are willing to make. 

I also believe a lot of guys sitting at c) that think they can easily cross over to d). The day we have a "Blackout" and the grid goes down for 2-4 weeks (not to far into the future), they will have a rude awakening as that will be the ultimate stress test when they realise what it really takes to be off grid.  

Going off grid will cost you a lot. My system is valued at around R200k and while I am off grid, there are times that I have to be very careful what I use, especially when we have a few rainy days in a row. Some days when we should be doing a load of washing, we just have to postpone it to another day. At times we have to use the gas stove instead of the induction cooker. Some days we have to turn the geyser off so that we can at least have lights, WiFi and TV. With a little discipline it is possible. 

One good thing is that it teaches you to be frugal. 

14 hours ago, Scorp007 said:

You are spot on. With only 2hrs a week LS better to up the % lower use of grid. 

Every off grid has to have a large enough genny for those days we only get 10% of the good days out of PV. I recall in Feb we had 10 miserable  days in succession and also if we have a 5-10 day power failure which we are experiencing due to lack of maintenance of the grid. 

Essential to plan well for these conditions. 

 

This is what one has to plan for. Many days of low PV like at the end of Jan and beginning of Feb 2021. Genny will have to work overtime. This is not dependant on actual battery SOC/load  but using all the PV that was available.

Edited January 17, 20223 yr by Scorp007