I found it was hugely interesting to understand base load for my small house. After you have that gen it really is just a case of being mindful of what goes on when with the solar generating, or time of use tariffs. So much folks can do when they are on grid as well as off. Thanks for sharing this. Looking forward to your next broadband set up video.
When your off grid you pay attention to your usage because you are the owner operator of that system! When your on grid you pay attention to the bill! Good for you! You have the best because you have solar and hydro. Winter you can run hydro for the two, two and half months when solar is minimal! Wind can be used but it’s unpredictable! Thank you
Thank you. No we havent run to zero or beyond but as soon as we get low on power we tend to start finding ways to stop it running out such as switching items off not doing clothes washes or turning a back up generator that we have (very rarely)
I'm always amazed at how much energy people use. I live off grid in the summer with 3KW of panels which at any time are covered by shade. I can actually go for days on just ambient light. I don't have much more than a car battery. Yet I have a dishwasher, refrigeration, clothes washer (all cycles done with hot water), three water heaters and the normal assortment of electronics all running off solar. And a couple devices to keep me alive. Amazing how cheap a system can be and use little amounts electricity if you put your mind to it. At home in the winter my utility says I use well above average power!
I wouldn't use a kettle, i'd be using a distiller but the thermos is a nice trick. Only found your channel tonight, looking forward to the breakdown of the inverter... And maybe a video of why you choose the parts you choose, the batteries, inverter etc...I'd be a complete novice even looking into it. Also, if you had slightly more cash, what you might have upgraded to...just so we know what options are available here in the UK
Have you covered for inverters, and items that have a load surge at start up ? Like washing machine . Just watching now great info. Never mind. You did.
Good explanation of the off grid energy requirements. We have a 4kw solar array and are always mindful of using high power devices in turn, ie do the ironing after the oven etc so the consumption remains free. Do you dump load to an immersion for hot water?
Your setup and mindset sounds excellent. Not yet although that is the end plan (the caravans plumbing would need to be reworked to allow an immersion heater) so for now we dump to an electric heater and dehumidifier.
Great video 👏👏👏... Will you be doing a vid to show how much power you are (on average) pulling in from your solar, and what you have to supplement with your generator or other power generation units? I'm also curious to know how (if your daily consumption is 13-15+kW... Do you have to switch your generators on?
I think I will do that one once I have the wind turbine set up so that I can give an all round energy video. The generator will go on for around 1 day a month (usually when there has been no rain for ages and we have a cloudy couple of days)
What battery are you using for storage. Assuming some sort of Li-ion 10Kwh. Was looking at things like Tesla powerwall but hugely expensive. Anxious about cheaper eBay options being less reliable/safe.
If you want to know for a house, get an amp clamp meter and put it round one of the meter tails to measure the current of the whole house or if you are very careful and have the correct knowledge to safely complete this in the consumer unit put clamp meter around one of the wires on each circuit to measure the current
Get a system from open energy monitor. It will monitor per circuit, in steps of 10 seconds. You may want to have a consumer unit near your inverter for ease of monitoring
Ha, you have the same Inverter, kettle, washing machine and water pump we have on our off grid house. Heat pump tumble dryer though make a real difference.
Things like vaccum cleaners and pumps generally draw less current when restricted. Moving less air/water requires less power. Nominal UK voltage can be 230V -6% +10%.......216 to 253 Volts. Many on older supplies are still 240V plus. Inverter generally are 230V output.
@@wayne7521 I mean if you restrict the flow of air to a vacuum cleaner or water to a pump, motor current and power consumption decrease. Yes - a vacuum cleaner will also get hotter due to the reduced cooling air flow. Nothing to do with variable resistors.
@@wayne7521 wrong I'm afraid......... restricting the air flow to a vacuum cleaner reduces power consumption. The same applies to most pumps. If you move less air or less water, it requires less energy. A vacuum cleaner cools itself with the same flow of filtered air it has drawn in with rubbish. And resistors are a poor way of controlling motor speed.........that is archaic!
Cant help notice you have left a lot of cable on the extension reel, this will get hot when you run the kettle/Hairdryer/Hoover and cause the current to drop which is why the hoover is only taking 1000W. You should always fully unwind extension reels if your drawing high loads through extensions but ideally dont use extension leads at all with high loads.
@@beyondtheworkbench no probs, absolutely love your channel find your videos very well presented and enjoyable. The series trying to get fast internet speeds was particularly interesting
2kWhours is a measure of an amount of energy not power… be careful to be precise when referring to power and energy. Power is the rate of energy consumption (or generation).
NEVER use a coiled up extension to power high current devices! The coiled wire generates a LOT of heat (induction) and will soften/melt the wiring insulation very quickly. As per the wire reel instructions - UNCOIL it completely when in use.
So I see the hair cut was to save on power usage, you get quite a few more cups of tea that way. If things get really tight with cuts all around it may look like your running a Buddist commune.
Some devices have significant inrush current that means you (very) temporarily need a higher peak than the sticker. In a normal grid application you would never notice, but it is important for off-grid as it can trip your system protection.
@@Marc-ww7cc many inverters are fine with that because they have a peak rating and a continuous load rating and in any design you should never aim for it to go above the continuous load rating so the peak rating will be able to suffice most likely natural running things like industrial motors
Have seen plenty of people encountering this issue who have off-grid workshops due to lathes, bandsaws, table saws, etc. I guess there's a natural overlap between off-grid homestead types and wanting a workshop to enable you to build stuff yourself. Soft starts can be a nice solution there.
Ok this is a really dry video. Buy a big JCB with tracks and dig a trout pond. And then the foundations for your house. Get with the program, start building,....
As always very informative. Another great video mate, I eagerly anticipate the next one. You guys will be set once all the building is done! Love it.
Thanks 😁
Thanks for taking the time to explain all that. Great video.
The forthcoming video you mentioned sounds good.
Thank you very much
Great video, loads of really useful info.
Thanks
Concise & enlightening as always, thank you for taking your time impart your knowledge & seperiences 👍
Thank you very much 👍
I found it was hugely interesting to understand base load for my small house. After you have that gen it really is just a case of being mindful of what goes on when with the solar generating, or time of use tariffs. So much folks can do when they are on grid as well as off. Thanks for sharing this. Looking forward to your next broadband set up video.
Thank you I hoped it would be of some use. I agree that even on grid it is helpfull to understand where the power goes to keep costs down
Very interesting video, Thank you
👍
Gtrat video. Very useful. Thsmks mate
Thnaks Ian
@@beyondtheworkbenchWas that deliberate lysdexia to make Ian feel better?
When your off grid you pay attention to your usage because you are the owner operator of that system! When your on grid you pay attention to the bill! Good for you! You have the best because you have solar and hydro. Winter you can run hydro for the two, two and half months when solar is minimal!
Wind can be used but it’s unpredictable!
Thank you
Thank you I totally agree with paying attention in different ways on/off the grid
Thanks for doing this. It’s great to get realistic figures for a daily life.
Have you ever had total negative in the power bank of charge?
Thank you. No we havent run to zero or beyond but as soon as we get low on power we tend to start finding ways to stop it running out such as switching items off not doing clothes washes or turning a back up generator that we have (very rarely)
I'm always amazed at how much energy people use. I live off grid in the summer with 3KW of panels which at any time are covered by shade. I can actually go for days on just ambient light. I don't have much more than a car battery. Yet I have a dishwasher, refrigeration, clothes washer (all cycles done with hot water), three water heaters and the normal assortment of electronics all running off solar. And a couple devices to keep me alive. Amazing how cheap a system can be and use little amounts electricity if you put your mind to it.
At home in the winter my utility says I use well above average power!
Wow thats amazing you have worked out such an efficient system!
I wouldn't use a kettle, i'd be using a distiller but the thermos is a nice trick.
Only found your channel tonight, looking forward to the breakdown of the inverter...
And maybe a video of why you choose the parts you choose, the batteries, inverter etc...I'd be a complete novice even looking into it.
Also, if you had slightly more cash, what you might have upgraded to...just so we know what options are available here in the UK
Those are some great video ideas I will add them to my list so that I dont forget them
Have you covered for inverters, and items that have a load surge at start up ? Like washing machine .
Just watching now great info.
Never mind. You did.
Thanks, I tried to cover it
Good explanation of the off grid energy requirements. We have a 4kw solar array and are always mindful of using high power devices in turn, ie do the ironing after the oven etc so the consumption remains free. Do you dump load to an immersion for hot water?
Your setup and mindset sounds excellent. Not yet although that is the end plan (the caravans plumbing would need to be reworked to allow an immersion heater) so for now we dump to an electric heater and dehumidifier.
Great video 👏👏👏... Will you be doing a vid to show how much power you are (on average) pulling in from your solar, and what you have to supplement with your generator or other power generation units? I'm also curious to know how (if your daily consumption is 13-15+kW... Do you have to switch your generators on?
I think I will do that one once I have the wind turbine set up so that I can give an all round energy video. The generator will go on for around 1 day a month (usually when there has been no rain for ages and we have a cloudy couple of days)
What battery are you using for storage. Assuming some sort of Li-ion 10Kwh. Was looking at things like Tesla powerwall but hugely expensive. Anxious about cheaper eBay options being less reliable/safe.
We are using two pylontech us5000 so its actually 9.8kw that we have
@@beyondtheworkbench thanks. love you're Chanel and watching your journey. We're not able to go off grid but slowly trying to do our bit. X
If you want to know for a house, get an amp clamp meter and put it round one of the meter tails to measure the current of the whole house or if you are very careful and have the correct knowledge to safely complete this in the consumer unit put clamp meter around one of the wires on each circuit to measure the current
Nice thanks one of those will be handy
Get a system from open energy monitor. It will monitor per circuit, in steps of 10 seconds.
You may want to have a consumer unit near your inverter for ease of monitoring
I haddnt heard of those and after googling it they look amazing thanks for the tip!
Ha, you have the same Inverter, kettle, washing machine and water pump we have on our off grid house. Heat pump tumble dryer though make a real difference.
What are the odds! I love the inverter I haddnt thought about a heat pump tumble dryer I will have to check that out
Please unwind extention cord next time when using high amp devices my friend.
Thanks I usually do but not this time
Things like vaccum cleaners and pumps generally draw less current when restricted. Moving less air/water requires less power.
Nominal UK voltage can be 230V -6% +10%.......216 to 253 Volts. Many on older supplies are still 240V plus. Inverter generally are 230V output.
@@wayne7521 I mean if you restrict the flow of air to a vacuum cleaner or water to a pump, motor current and power consumption decrease. Yes - a vacuum cleaner will also get hotter due to the reduced cooling air flow.
Nothing to do with variable resistors.
Thanks I think I mentioned half way through the video about the change to 230v.
@@wayne7521 wrong I'm afraid......... restricting the air flow to a vacuum cleaner reduces power consumption. The same applies to most pumps. If you move less air or less water, it requires less energy.
A vacuum cleaner cools itself with the same flow of filtered air it has drawn in with rubbish.
And resistors are a poor way of controlling motor speed.........that is archaic!
Cant help notice you have left a lot of cable on the extension reel, this will get hot when you run the kettle/Hairdryer/Hoover and cause the current to drop which is why the hoover is only taking 1000W. You should always fully unwind extension reels if your drawing high loads through extensions but ideally dont use extension leads at all with high loads.
Thank you I usually do but In setting things up I forgot
@@beyondtheworkbench no probs, absolutely love your channel find your videos very well presented and enjoyable. The series trying to get fast internet speeds was particularly interesting
2kWhours is a measure of an amount of energy not power… be careful to be precise when referring to power and energy. Power is the rate of energy consumption (or generation).
Thanks for pointing that out
NEVER use a coiled up extension to power high current devices! The coiled wire generates a LOT of heat (induction) and will soften/melt the wiring insulation very quickly. As per the wire reel instructions - UNCOIL it completely when in use.
Thanks
So I see the hair cut was to save on power usage, you get quite a few more cups of tea that way. If things get really tight with cuts all around it may look like your running a Buddist commune.
It definitely would
Watts (P) = Current (A) x Voltage (V). AKA Ohms Law.
It’s generally a requirement for products to have the wattage on the if they don’t have the wattage I would not trust that really to be plugged in
Some devices have significant inrush current that means you (very) temporarily need a higher peak than the sticker. In a normal grid application you would never notice, but it is important for off-grid as it can trip your system protection.
@@Marc-ww7cc many inverters are fine with that because they have a peak rating and a continuous load rating and in any design you should never aim for it to go above the continuous load rating so the peak rating will be able to suffice most likely natural running things like industrial motors
Have seen plenty of people encountering this issue who have off-grid workshops due to lathes, bandsaws, table saws, etc. I guess there's a natural overlap between off-grid homestead types and wanting a workshop to enable you to build stuff yourself.
Soft starts can be a nice solution there.
@@Marc-ww7cc it will probably be worth that point purchasing an inverter with a high capacity and in rush as an investment
The voltage in the UK is 230 plus minus 10% and hasn't been 240 for some years please do you're homework !
I think you will find that since 1st January 1995 it is actually 230V -6% +10%........216.2 to 253 V.
Please do your homework! 😀
Thanks, I think I mentioned that half way through the video
Get the hair chopped I see.
Yea cut it a few weeks back.
Ok this is a really dry video. Buy a big JCB with tracks and dig a trout pond. And then the foundations for your house. Get with the program, start building,....
Maybe try to be a bit nicer.
Sorry it was meant as a guide to those (like me) who werent sure how to calculate power, not really as an entertaining video.