solar power help

[satchelmcqueen]

i really need to get some relief from the power company bills. they just keep getting higher and i cant cut back any more.

are there any panels i can buy to run at least my water heater, fridge, or anything simple like that?

if i ever get the money i plan on doing my whole house solar and windows for heat and all of that, but that is years away IF i ever get to build it.

right now im in a 65x16' trailer, and while nice enough, im getting raped every month. are there any options for simple things as mentioned above?

and i do have a timer on the water heater which and the heater is wrapped and inside the closet. still no power savings. ive had it this way for 9 years and not one change in the bill ever.

[angelatc]

i really need to get some relief from the power company bills. they just keep getting higher and i cant cut back any more.

are there any panels i can buy to run at least my water heater, fridge, or anything simple like that?

if i ever get the money i plan on doing my whole house solar and windows for heat and all of that, but that is years away IF i ever get to build it.

right now im in a 65x16' trailer, and while nice enough, im getting raped every month. are there any options for simple things as mentioned above?

and i do have a timer on the water heater which and the heater is wrapped and inside the closet. still no power savings. ive had it this way for 9 years and not one change in the bill ever.

I'm surprised yout HWH timer isn't saving you money. WHen I lived by myself my bill went down by half/ do you have it off most of the time? (I used to shower in the morning, so I had a timer on it that would turn it on a couple of hours before the alarm went off. I'd jump out of the shower, and then turn the dishwasher on, and the timer would shut it back off after I left for work.)

Maybe get a tankless hot water heater? Those are huge money savers.

[silverhawks]

See if this helps.

Take your spare room off grid

Looking into this stuff myself, for my family and our friends and neighbours. Taking individual rooms off-grid would more than likely be more cost-effective than taking off an entire house at once, especially if you take your most frequently used rooms (living room, kitchen, laundry room) off first.

[satchelmcqueen]

I'm surprised yout HWH timer isn't saving you money. WHen I lived by myself my bill went down by half/ do you have it off most of the time? (I used to shower in the morning, so I had a timer on it that would turn it on a couple of hours before the alarm went off. I'd jump out of the shower, and then turn the dishwasher on, and the timer would shut it back off after I left for work.)

Maybe get a tankless hot water heater? Those are huge money savers.

yes, i have it timed to run about 4 hours total a day.

[CaseyJones]

tankless water heaters are only good in gas the electric ones don't work worth a flip

[CaseyJones]

oh and you would be surprised how much doing some caulking in your house can save you

[pappy]

It's commercial, but check out MrSolar.com.

http://www.mrsolar.com/

pappy

[Chester Copperpot]

i really need to get some relief from the power company bills. they just keep getting higher and i cant cut back any more.

are there any panels i can buy to run at least my water heater, fridge, or anything simple like that?

if i ever get the money i plan on doing my whole house solar and windows for heat and all of that, but that is years away IF i ever get to build it.

right now im in a 65x16' trailer, and while nice enough, im getting raped every month. are there any options for simple things as mentioned above?

and i do have a timer on the water heater which and the heater is wrapped and inside the closet. still no power savings. ive had it this way for 9 years and not one change in the bill ever.

Have you ever thought about making your own batteries for cheap? Ive got an interesting pdf.. shows you how to make batteries with old soda cans and rain water, and basically as long as you got a little property to put the device on, you can run all the electricity you want all the time for as long as you want, you just have to do regular maintenance, etc.

[Anti Federalist]

i really need to get some relief from the power company bills. they just keep getting higher and i cant cut back any more.

are there any panels i can buy to run at least my water heater, fridge, or anything simple like that?

if i ever get the money i plan on doing my whole house solar and windows for heat and all of that, but that is years away IF i ever get to build it.

right now im in a 65x16' trailer, and while nice enough, im getting raped every month. are there any options for simple things as mentioned above?

and i do have a timer on the water heater which and the heater is wrapped and inside the closet. still no power savings. ive had it this way for 9 years and not one change in the bill ever.

How much money do you want to spend, how much is electric costing you now and where do you live?

Here is a self contained system with inverter/battery and solar panel for charging, at $1500

http://www.mysolarbackup.com/

I'm thinking you could do better than that if you have a place to stack your own batteries, and spend that money for more panels.

The site is a little vague about what realistic re-charge times on solar are.

Just off the top of my head, the cost for a system that could reliably meet all the electric needs for a 65 foot house trailer, excluding central AC would be about $15,000

[tangent4ronpaul]

Have you ever thought about making your own batteries for cheap? Ive got an interesting pdf.. shows you how to make batteries with old soda cans and rain water, and basically as long as you got a little property to put the device on, you can run all the electricity you want all the time for as long as you want, you just have to do regular maintenance, etc.

sounds interesting - gotta link?

-t

[satchelmcqueen]

Have you ever thought about making your own batteries for cheap? Ive got an interesting pdf.. shows you how to make batteries with old soda cans and rain water, and basically as long as you got a little property to put the device on, you can run all the electricity you want all the time for as long as you want, you just have to do regular maintenance, etc.

show the pdf. sounds interesting.

[satchelmcqueen]

How much money do you want to spend, how much is electric costing you now and where do you live?

Here is a self contained system with inverter/battery and solar panel for charging, at $1500

http://www.mysolarbackup.com/

I'm thinking you could do better than that if you have a place to stack your own batteries, and spend that money for more panels.

The site is a little vague about what realistic re-charge times on solar are.

Just off the top of my head, the cost for a system that could reliably meet all the electric needs for a 65 foot house trailer, excluding central AC would be about $15,000

right now i could go only about $1000. later on down the road, ild go up to 15k - 20k if it would get me off the grid.

[silverhawks]

Just curious - what would be everyone's opinions on how to get the cost of this technology lowered?

Find a philanthropist willing to invest money to research a low-cost proof of concept?

[Objectivist]

i really need to get some relief from the power company bills. they just keep getting higher and i cant cut back any more.

are there any panels i can buy to run at least my water heater, fridge, or anything simple like that?

if i ever get the money i plan on doing my whole house solar and windows for heat and all of that, but that is years away IF i ever get to build it.

right now im in a 65x16' trailer, and while nice enough, im getting raped every month. are there any options for simple things as mentioned above?

and i do have a timer on the water heater which and the heater is wrapped and inside the closet. still no power savings. ive had it this way for 9 years and not one change in the bill ever.

I'd need to know the climate and location of your humble abode before I could calculate your needs. Insulation is a biggie for saving energy and are you using gas for any of your appliances or just electricity? You can put an electric water at a lower temperature. Smaller refers help too. How much food do you really need in the fridge? On solar, it can be expensive but I'll give you a link. The area on top of your unit won't give you much and I don't know how much ground area you have. Lights? What kind? Use CFLs. Dual pane glass is best and ask for the dissimilar size glass to reduce noise levels.
Paul Gipe has a site and much info in his book "Wind Power", I recommend it to everyone, he is very realistic and returns email questions promptly.
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/
http://www.magnet4less.com/product_i...roducts_id=475

[Objectivist]

Have you ever thought about making your own batteries for cheap? Ive got an interesting pdf.. shows you how to make batteries with old soda cans and rain water, and basically as long as you got a little property to put the device on, you can run all the electricity you want all the time for as long as you want, you just have to do regular maintenance, etc.

I can make electricity from running lemons in series but that doesn't make it a viable idea. Batteries release caustic fumes and gases, not healthy.

[Acala]

For a $1000, you are probably going to be better off trying to get more efficient appliances. Or switching them to gas. I think you can get a very efficient refrigerator/freezer for $1000.

A home-made solar water heater might work if you live somewhere that is sunny. Plenty of plans on the net.

[tmosley]

right now i could go only about $1000. later on down the road, ild go up to 15k - 20k if it would get me off the grid.

Harbor Freight Tools has a 45 watt solar panel (made with crappy amorphous Si--only lasts 8-10 years), for about $200. Get a couple of those, some batteries, and an inverter, and take one of your rooms off the grid. I'm probably going to do something similar, though I'll probably be getting monocrystalline Si (more expensive, but lasts more or less a lifetime).

[roho76]

Check mininova or piratebay. I downloaded a ton of stuff off there the other day. I found stuff on making wind turbines and stuff on building your own panels from solar cells off of ebay and other suppliers. I also found a pdf on how to make you own solar cells using a screen printing method based on a Japanese patent that once you have the materials cost about a quarter to make one cell and they are quite efficient and last for a long time. You can then make panels from there. I am waiting for the chemical inks to show up and then I will make one and post some pics and a vid. If your at all technically able I would consider buying the cells off ebay or the like and building them yourself. They are really good and when made this way they are cheap. Also look into the companies that own the construction equipment on the side of the highway. The ones with the solar panels on them. I heard when they have little chips in them they throw them away and you can usually get them pretty cheap if not free and they still work. But the part you can't really get around is the battery back up's, converter and the rest of the junk you need to tie into your existing system. They are expensive depending on what you are trying to accomplish.

I will search for the torrent files and post if I can find them again.

[Elwar]

I've considered doing some DC lights in my house powered by batteries that are charged with solar.

I figured I'd do my exterior lights first, then go one by one inside as I have the time and money. They make DC LEDs that should do the trick.

From there I'd probably need an inverter for the appliances.

Maybe some solar fans for my attic and such as well.

[Elwar]

I also found a pdf on how to make you own solar cells using a screen printing method based on a Japanese patent that once you have the materials cost about a quarter to make one cell and they are quite efficient and last for a long time.

This would be cool...

[jkm1864]

Here You go I searched for months trying to find the cheapest rate on solar panels. This is the cheapest by far for the wattage. If You figure the cost its like 229 a watt and its going down. I am wondering if I should get off the grid or pay my cars off and its a tough decision. As it is now it all seems to complicated and I will more than likely pay off the stinking cars which will save me 1000 a month.

http://www.dmsolar.com/solar-module-111.html

[Objectivist]

The best bet per dollar is insulation or if you live in a hot climate painting your roof reflective white would cut down on your air conditioning needs.

The solar water is great too, anything you can do to reduce the energy needed to heat water helps.