Electricity bill

[chrrris]

I have a Xantrex 3024 3kW pure sinewave inverter/charger lying in my workshop - doing nothing! I'd sell it (cheap) but delivery would be a b****h - weighs 50kg+

Have just googled it. What a beast! I wouldn't fancy chugging that around in my van permanently. My little one from Amazon must be 3 or 4 years old and weights maybe 5kg. Works fine for me, but it's not exactly under a heavy load -- maybe 2 or 3 18v powertool battery charges a week tops. Would be interesting to know just how reliable it would be under heavier loads. I'm still pondering a small home off-grid system, as much for experimentation as anything. Now my entire house is lit by LEDs of one form or another, it'd be interesting to see if I could get away with switching the house lighting circuit (there is only one for the whole house here - 5 rooms + hallway and landing).

[kellys_eye]

I made a point of getting our house power consumption down to well below 500W (it's around 300W at the moment) - lights, entertainment, comms (heating and water are by wood/gas) - so I can run the whole place on either solar PV (not yet fitted) or one of my two 750W inverter generators.

The 3kW inverter/charger jobby was given to me by someone after I repaired it for them - they'd had it condemned by the insurance who replaced it with a more modern unit - but it still works 100%. It's blocking the entrance to my workshop! Too damned big to move around and no real use for it either (don't have a boat needing an anchor either).

If you can live without a fridge/freezer it's surprising just how little electricity you actually need - unless you're stuck with electric heating of course. We count our blessings that we live in a forest, have a woodstove for all heating and use only two 47kg bottles of gas/year for water and cooking.

But then there's the business........... too many fridges and freezers mean we are stuck with a £3k electric bill every year

Still, when the SHTF we'll 'eat the business', close the doors and manage just fine!

[Neelix]

Even solar only works for those who receive subsidies.

Not sure I agree with that. It really depends on your roof, where you are in the UK and how much lecky you actually use

Then there are devices that “send” excess power to your immersion heater so you get free hot water too

[kellys_eye]

Not sure I agree with that. It really depends on your roof, where you are in the UK and how much lecky you actually use

True, there are a whole lot of variables but the 'fact' is that solar PV is pushed as one of the ways to go to reduce your 'carbon footprint' - when, in reality, there are very few locations and circumstances where such a system can work WITHOUT receiving subsidies - in the real world, where things should be settled by peoples ability to pay and not political interference.

Take away solar PV subsidies (or ANY 'so called green' subsidy) and the take up would fall off a cliff.

There's no point in pushing subsidies as the way to encourage use either - anyone could do anything if they were paid by the taxpayers to do so. If they can pay subsidies to solar PV they can pay subsidies to me to put my feet up and take it easy. What's the difference?

[oz0707]

Are you a restaurant then Kelly's eye