Best generator for loadshedding

J

jacauc

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2004
Messages
306
Reaction score
13
Location
Cape Town
Looking to invest in a generator or inverter that will be permanently hooked up to my power grid at home.
Preferably something reasonably quiet so as to not drive neighbors crazy.

I use about 30 units of power per day around the house. Obviously the Geyser and pool pump circuits don't need to be fed off the generator.

It will be outside, so I guess I'll have to get an enclosure built.
Even lights don't necessarily have to run off it.

A few questions:
Guessing I'll need about 6 to 8 kva?
Petrol or diesel?
Size?
Value for money?
Quiet? How much noise can I expect?
Autostart?
Anything else I need to consider?

Any hints or product suggestions would be appreciated!
 
Last edited:
I have not seen that thread - feel free to move my thread there if needed.
Listed what I don't need because it is a shorter list - was hoping the average daily consumption of 30 units could be a key determining factor. 2.5 units per hour average, which equates to 6.25kWh - so around 2500Watts on average.

If an inverter is better for my needs, that will also be a reasonable option for supplying around 3000-4000Watt for approximately 3 hours. Any recommendations on brands to look at and brands to avoid would be appreciated

I need to run the following:
- Alarm System
- Desktop PC with 3 large monitors
- One or two laptops charging
- Fiber ONT
- Synology NAS
- 24 port Switch
- Mikrotik Router
- 65" TV
- A few lights
- Garage door, Front Gate
- Other smaller accessories such as wireless routers or raspberri PIs around the house

Don't need:
- Geyser
- Pool pump
- Kitchen appliances (kettle, dishwasher, fridge, washer)
 
Yes, this is mainly for loadshedding. Budget is as much quaility and wattage/backup I can get for <R50K
 
After you've spent all that money on a genny, after a few months you'll wish you'd gone the solar / inverter / battery route.
R50K? Go Inverter, and spec it so you can upgrade in future.
 

Generator or Inverter for residential use?

Ive been looking at the two options.The quietest genny you can get for the power i need is the honda eu65is inverter gen at R60k.Its a 6.5kva unit with 5500W.Im in a complex so cant have a noisy gen. Ive phoned a few inverter supply companies and they reckon about R40k for a similar inverter...
mybroadband.co.za mybroadband.co.za
 
Grouter said:
After you've spent all that money on a genny, after a few months you'll wish you'd gone the solar / inverter / battery route.
R50K? Go Inverter, and spec it so you can upgrade in future.
Click to expand...
That's why I came here :) Happy to go inverter route too. Any products or suppliers to avoid?
 
jacauc said:
Yes, this is mainly for loadshedding. Budget is as much quaility and wattage backup I can get for
Click to expand...

Ok. So batteries would be your most costly expense if you go the inverter route. I'm biased towards the inverter and batteries as it can be expanded on depending on what you get.

Do you really need 3 000w to 4 000w per hour of load shedding? This would mean you need about 15kwh of batteries. That already going to cost over R80k just in batteries and a further R20k for a 5kw sunsynk inverter. This inverter can be expanded to take solar in future or even paralleled should you want to run your whole house off grid.

If you can get your usage down for load shedding, you could go with one hubble 5.5kWh lithium battery at under R30k.

What exactly will be powered during load shedding?
 
jacauc said:
I have not seen that thread - feel free to move my thread there if needed.
Listed what I don't need because it is a shorter list - was hoping the average daily consumption of 30 units could be a key determining factor. 2.5 units per hour average, which equates to 6.25kWh - so around 2500Watts on average.

If an inverter is better for my needs, that will also be a reasonable option for supplying around 3000-4000Watt for approximately 3 hours. Any recommendations on brands to look at and brands to avoid would be appreciated

I need to run the following:
- Alarm System
- Desktop PC with 3 large monitors
- One or two laptops charging
- Fiber ONT
- Synology NAS
- 24 port Switch
- Mikrotik Router
- 65" TV
- A few lights
- Garage door, Front Gate
- Other smaller accessories such as wireless routers or raspberri PIs around the house

Don't need:
- Geyser
- Pool pump
- Kitchen appliances (kettle, dishwasher, fridge, washer)
Click to expand...
Just read this now and I don't think you need a constant 3 000w to 4 000w pet hour.

Best first step would be to do an actual energy audit on the appliances you want to run.

Get a killawatt plug and run your items through the for a few days to get your energy profile.
 
This is my typical energy profile for my whole house. This is data pulled from my inverter but it ties into my the data I collected over 3 years with an efergy energy monitor.

Peaks are the geyser switching on in the morning and afternoon and pool pump running from 12pm to 3pm.

I have a large house and never have a constant load of 3 000w or more and daily usage is about 35 units or 35kWh.

One 5.5kWh hubble AM2 lithium battery and a 5 kw sunsynk inverter should be about R50k excluding installation and splitting your DB and other electrical work and cabling.

It's then very easy to add solar panels in future to make you some money back in savings.

Backup only systems and generators are a money pit. With adding solar panels you are generating electricity that will save you money every minute the sun is shining. Screenshot_20210317-122510_SOLARMAN%20Smart.jpg
 
I noticed that you are based in Cape Town.

Get in touch with Jason from GW Store / Mega Solar. I bought most of my equipment from him.
 
If you’re in CT pop me a PM. I know a guy who’s very good!
 
jacauc said:
I have not seen that thread - feel free to move my thread there if needed.
Listed what I don't need because it is a shorter list - was hoping the average daily consumption of 30 units could be a key determining factor. 2.5 units per hour average, which equates to 6.25kWh - so around 2500Watts on average.

If an inverter is better for my needs, that will also be a reasonable option for supplying around 3000-4000Watt for approximately 3 hours. Any recommendations on brands to look at and brands to avoid would be appreciated

I need to run the following:
- Alarm System
- Desktop PC with 3 large monitors
- One or two laptops charging
- Fiber ONT
- Synology NAS
- 24 port Switch
- Mikrotik Router
- 65" TV
- A few lights
- Garage door, Front Gate
- Other smaller accessories such as wireless routers or raspberri PIs around the house

Don't need:
- Geyser
- Pool pump
- Kitchen appliances (kettle, dishwasher, fridge, washer)
Click to expand...

I run a 2.8KW peak generator for loadshedding, Pretty much runs everything on your list minus the garage door and gate but + my fridge and chest freezer and all lights (inside and out). I also run the washing machine on it without a problem. Struggles a bit if I turn the pressure pump on.

www.okfurniture.co.za

Ellies Petrol Generator Fbg2800/3800

Ellies Petrol Generator Fbg2800/3800
www.okfurniture.co.za www.okfurniture.co.za

Side note, more than double what I paid for mine in 2015...
 
signates said:
This is my typical energy profile for my whole house. This is data pulled from my inverter but it ties into my the data I collected over 3 years with an efergy energy monitor.

Peaks are the geyser switching on in the morning and afternoon and pool pump running from 12pm to 3pm.

I have a large house and never have a constant load of 3 000w or more and daily usage is about 35 units or 35kWh.

One 5.5kWh hubble AM2 lithium battery and a 5 kw sunsynk inverter should be about R50k excluding installation and splitting your DB and other electrical work and cabling.

It's then very easy to add solar panels in future to make you some money back in savings.

Backup only systems and generators are a money pit. With adding solar panels you are generating electricity that will save you money every minute the sun is shining. View attachment 1037700
Click to expand...
This is great information! My wattage calculation was purely based on 30 units per day / 24 hours.... But I just realized I made a mistake in my calculation above. It's actually 1.25 units per hour average. Which translates to 1250 watts. But some additional buffer on it and 2000W might be more of a reasonable number to aim for initially. Can always expand later as necessary.
I think my power profile will look very similar to the above - also a large house, pool, geyser in the morning etc. Will look into the devices to profile my usage.

One 5.5kWh hubble AM2 lithium battery and a 5 kw sunsynk inverter
Click to expand...
Is this what you have installed? Any regrets, anything you would have done differently?

Another caveat - My DB board is in a kitchen cupboard, but right next to the back door leading outside to a small open area covered with a roof. Can inverters and battery boxes be mounted outside? (if protected from direct rain) or is it strictly for indoor use? No idea where I'll find place for this in my wife's kitchen :)

1615979933137.png


I'll get in contact with Jason thanks!
 
Rough thumbsuck based on my own house for generator or inverter:

I aim for 300w per Entertainment zone ( TV,Media Player,Decoder ) up it to 500w if you involve consoles
Same with Office/Study with Router/ONT,microservers,switches 300w
Desktop PC and laptops add another 500w
Gates,Lights,Fridge etc 500w-1000w

No big loads,Kettle,Driers,Washing machine,dishwasher,geysers,heaters,aircons

These are max loads,not constant,but you'd need a buffer in the generator/inverter to take those hits even if the batteries don't get constantly discharged
 
jacauc said:
This is great information! My wattage calculation was purely based on 30 units per day / 24 hours.... But I just realized I made a mistake in my calculation above. It's actually 1.25 units per hour average. Which translates to 1250 watts. But some additional buffer on it and 2000W might be more of a reasonable number to aim for initially. Can always expand later as necessary.
I think my power profile will look very similar to the above - also a large house, pool, geyser in the morning etc. Will look into the devices to profile my usage.


Is this what you have installed? Any regrets, anything you would have done differently?

Another caveat - My DB board is in a kitchen cupboard, but right next to the back door leading outside to a small open area covered with a roof. Can inverters and battery boxes be mounted outside? (if protected from direct rain) or is it strictly for indoor use? No idea where I'll find place for this in my wife's kitchen :)

View attachment 1037730


I'll get in contact with Jason thanks!
Click to expand...
I have the bigger 8kw sunsynk inverter but the 5kw should work just as well with the option to add another one if you want to expand in future. I just wanted a single unit so went for the 8kw inverter.
 
The sunsynk is IP65 rated so can be mounted outside.

If there's space on the other side inside you can run a cable through the wall and keep batteries inside rather.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X