We finally want to pull the trigger & go Solar

[bwana]

I have an 18btu one in the bedroom but only need it a few hours to cool things down in summer.

The issue with the old compressor type was their start up current the new inverter ones are much gentler on the inverter.

I'm thinking of starting off with a couple inverter ones and gradually adding more whenever I have surplus funds.

 

[acidrain]

Monthly consumption is around 600kWh. I'm looking to (immediately) add some A/C to the mix.


We've got a gas stove/electric oven so everything else needs to be catered for.


Ok - thanks.

I'm actually a little higher than you on consumption. roughly 30 units / day so 900ish kwh / month and I would say with your budget, you would probably get an identical system if not better than mine.


I'd keep your geyser, if it's sunny you will have enough energy for it, and would be wasting energy if you don't have it.

An interesting concept though is a hybrid setup but that will only be useful on cloudy days.

One advice I can give is don't listen if someone says put some panels east/west to catch the morning and afternoon sun. Have as much north as possible. I've gone down this road already. My north panels were not far behind the others before generation started and when I say not far, an hour max. I've now put everything north.

 

[Thorium]

Thanks for that. I’m trying to avoid looking like a total noob next week.

My immediate plans are as little reliance on NMBM as possible for my electricity on a budget of between r150-r190k.

You can easily cover your monthly utilisation, almost off grid with a budget of around R120K. I'd suggest speaking to Wimpie from Powerforumstore.