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Posted

I see some awesome graphs that people have of the solar power that is provided against the usage that they have. I am guessing this is info from the inverters that are installed.

I would like to find out what my usage is, before installing a system, so that I can estimate and design a system that will match my usage properly.

Is there something I can connect to my mains to measure and track this?

Thank you!

Posted (edited)

You could also look at past electricity bills or if you are on pre-paid then most units have a total consumption reading that can be used to get your average usage. 

All electrical equipment also have labels on them to give you the power required.

 

Edited by Piper
Posted
8 minutes ago, Nexuss said:

Have a look at the Efergy hub. 

I've just Googled it - and it appears to be a UK product. 
Anywhere in SA where I can find it? (Preferably JHB?)

Posted
4 minutes ago, Piper said:

You could also look at past electricity bills or if you are on pre-paid then most units have a total consumption reading that can be used to get your average usage. 

All electrical equipment also have labels on them to give you the power required.

 

I have done that already - I use approximately 18kWh per day which is good, because I have gas geysers and stove! 
I need to get an idea of where the high level consumption lies, and the baseline at night......... to make sure I have enough batteries to last till morning! 

Posted

I see the efergy hub is pretty hard to find atm stock wise. I would recommend you dont get it tho as you will stop using it as soon as you get your inverter. For avg of 18kwh a day you are probably looking at a 5kw Sunsynk,5-10kwh LFP battery storage and 4 -6 kw of panels.

Posted
6 minutes ago, Nexuss said:

I see the efergy hub is pretty hard to find atm stock wise. I would recommend you dont get it tho as you will stop using it as soon as you get your inverter. For avg of 18kwh a day you are probably looking at a 5kw Sunsynk,5-10kwh LFP battery storage and 4 -6 kw of panels.

Wow! a design already! Thanks! 😀 You're a superstar! 
I was wondering if this sort of approach would work to cover pool pump, washing machine, dishwasher, electric mower and weedeater etc... or are those going to be too large a load for such a sized setup? 

Posted
6 minutes ago, PicHopper said:

Wow! a design already! Thanks! 😀 You're a superstar! 
I was wondering if this sort of approach would work to cover pool pump, washing machine, dishwasher, electric mower and weedeater etc... or are those going to be too large a load for such a sized setup? 

It depends , How reliable is your grid? where are you located ? In Cape town for instance the grid is pretty stable so you can get away with a 5kw inverter vs 8kw and slightly smaller battery. So what this means is that you split your loads into essentials and non essentials.The inverter will send the power to the whole house as long as the grid is available.Now and then when your total load is more than 5kw it will be supplemented from the grid but this cost is pretty marginal(maybe a few rand a day every odd day) compared to the cost difference between the 5 and 8kw inverters. 

Posted
1 minute ago, Nexuss said:

It depends , How reliable is your grid? where are you located ? In Cape town for instance the grid is pretty stable so you can get away with a 5kw inverter vs 8kw and slightly smaller battery. So what this means is that you split your loads into essentials and non essentials.The inverter will send the power to the whole house as long as the grid is available.Now and then when your total load is more than 5kw it will be supplemented from the grid but this cost is pretty marginal(maybe a few rand a day every odd day) compared to the cost difference between the 5 and 8kw inverters. 

That makes sense!
In this case, the issue is not so much a cost saving (its nice to have!) - the intention is to have essential electricity when the power fails for days at a time when the contractor up the road pulls out the mains supply feed again.

Lights and the fridge are absolute essentials (along with DSTV and the TV of course!)  Other parts are nice to have's

 

Posted (edited)

If i didint have power for multiple days i would definitely want the 8kw Sunsynk atleast or 2 x 5kw is what i am aiming for in the future :D

And as many LFP batteries as you can afford !

Edited by Nexuss
Posted

A cheaper solution to measure your devices to see how much power they use is "kill-a-watt" adapter.  It's fairly accurate. You can check with GEEWIZ as they stock them as well as Efergy hubs. Just inquire with them to see if they still have stock.

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