1 Hack To Eliminate Your A/C Power Bill This Summer!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 มิ.ย. 2024
- In this video, we show you how to transform your standard air conditioner into a solar-powered air conditioner with ease! With a few simple modifications and some basic DIY skills, you can harness the power of the sun to keep your home cool and reduce your energy bills. We'll guide you step-by-step through the entire process!
Discover how to integrate solar panels, and a micro-inverter, to convert your traditional AC unit into a green, money saving, eco-friendly cooling solution. Join us as we explore the benefits of solar-powered air conditioning, from saving money to even eliminating your HVAC power bill, to reducing your carbon footprint. Don't miss out on this innovative and cost-effective project that will keep you cool all summer long!
Buy an Enphase iQ8+ microinverter like you saw on this video: enphase.com/store/microinvert...
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Watch the installation video about the Micro-Air EasyStart: • Save Lots of $$$! Micr...
Buy a Micro-Air EasyStart for your own A/C:
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Chapters:
0:00 IT WORKS!
0:22 Can I turn my A/C into a solar powered A/C?
2:28 What do you need to convert you’re A/C to a solar power?
3:24 Connecting everything!
5:33 Turning on and testing!
9:28 Thoughts and feedback
#solar
#diy
#offgrid
#hvac
#theresatrickforthat
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Buy an Enphase iQ8+ microinverter like you saw on this video: enphase.com/store/microinverters/iq8-series/iq8plus-microinverter
Buy the Bouge RV 200W solar panels like you saw in this video: amzn.to/3V0VALW
Free Shipping and Generally NO Sales Tax! Buy the best deals on new high quality solar panels: shrsl.com/4j8e9
Buy the multi-meter you saw me use in this video: amzn.to/44GAupB
Buy Wago wire connectors: amzn.to/3ULqneF
Watch the installation video about the Micro-Air EasyStart: th-cam.com/video/JT9Sw57CZXE/w-d-xo.html
Buy a Micro-Air EasyStart for your own A/C:
Buy the ASY-368-X48-BLUE (the easy start I used in this video) for 31K - 48K BTUs A/C units: amzn.to/3jKAJsO
Buy the ASY-368-X72-BLUE for 49K - 72K BTUs A/C units: amzn.to/37jljcM
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As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you! Thanks for your support!
So this micro inverter output is 240v split phase (two hot legs L1/L2 ?) or just one hot leg with 240v ? If its two hot legs does this means from ground or neutral you’ll see 120v off each hot leg? I mainly use NEP micro inverter, seems like it maybe the same as this one?
@@fullyelectricIt’s split phase. Two hots each at 120V 180 degrees out of phase with each other just like the utility power. Thanks for watching!
@@theresatrickforthat very good and technically since you house will always have something pulling in well over 300-400w all the time you can offset even more just connection it to your panel, the NEP works well too, almost identical products except the NEP has like a heatsink built on the case, BTE does Enphase make any micro inverter over 400w?
@@fullyelectricYeah, I’ve seen those NEP ones around. Not sure all the sizes Enphase has. Just happened to have an extra one kicking around and started having some fun with it. :)
I looked at the specs. The IQ8+ is rated 240v 290VA out continuous. That's an output of 1.2A. You're already maxing out the output. If you want more solar power then you'll need more inverters or an inverter with a higher output rating. Also, for a permanent installation you'll want to fuse the lines and add disconnects when you feed the compressor. You could also add batteries that are charged by the solar power during the day but are used to offset the power at night.
I am a retired electrical engineer, and what you are doing is technically correct. You are adding a grid-tie inverter to the circuit to CONTRIBUTE to the power being drawn by the AC unit. You will never come close to power draw that the AC unit needs, and its only inserted when its running, there is no chance you would ever inadvertently export to the grid. Since the micro-inverters are designed to require a grid to sync with before they will export power (anti-islanding) there is no safety concern. Also no way the utility will ever know.. Before I became legitimately connected to the grid, I made a far more sophisticated system consisting of current sensors and outputs from my thermostats to control how many panels were connected to my inverter depending on the load. That way i didn't have to completely disconnect the grid until the total house load was less then what a single panel produced. Super nerd project. I ran it like that for over 2 years until the official connection was made, and now I'm legal! Endphase inverters want to see a gateway, so it would be better to use the cheap Chinese micro-inverters that don't spend time looking for a gateway. Also, switching the DC side will get the power to the AC unit with a shorter delay, but you would have to control an external relay to do so. Make sure you provide a disconnect of some sort so you don't confuse the poor AC tech who is trying to fix your AC unit when it fails in the hottest part of summer! BTW. The best thing you ever did, was install the soft start unit to the AC. They are pricey, but worth it. A final word of advice: Just because you CAN do something, it doesn't necessarily mean you SHOULD do it. You have to be the judge. I tend to live on the edge myself, it keeps things interesting.
Hey! Sincere thanks for your thoughts and wisdom! Probably the most valuable comment so far! Thanks for taking the time to write it! Sounds like you had a pretty sweet setup. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Great info. So OP has one panel with one inverter, would iir be safe to add a combiner box to parallel more panels?
Beautiful comment! Us TH-camrs appreciate the knowledge, experience, and encouragement! I'm considering this, but with batteries.
Thank you for your input. As just a regular home owner, it’s nice to hear from someone knowledgeable in the field to further my understanding of the elements involved. To me this seems likes a pretty ingenious idea in theory.
Awesome comment , very educational , you should create a video explaining to those of us that dont know much.
Hold on a minute..... I'm mesmerized by how good your lawn looks....
Haha! Thank you! That’s another project of mine! Got a video on that as well! th-cam.com/video/zSvJwO9IJTE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=gYDD_jhGNjFw0yXS Thanks for watching!
Lol me too lol😂
Scott's Turf Builder!!
I was thinking that too
Is that Bermuda?
People getting hung up on thinking the 2 panels are supplying all the power. They are not! They are just reducing what the grid has to supply. No different than if the panels were tied to the breaker box and every time the ac kicked on he turned on the solar breaker.
Wattage is wattage. If your panels produce 400w then your overall grid usage will go down 400w.
Nice way showing initial draw and then the supplied amperage and overall amp draw after the micro inverter kicked in. 👍🏻👍🏻
Before I installed my full array, I did this same thing to see if it would work. It did and my home energy monitor helped prove it as I could see my overall grid usage drop when the panels were producing. The electric company had no idea for months.
Haha! Yep! They seem to have a hard time wrapping their heads around the concept. Thanks for the kind comment and for watching!
Maybe people are thinking the panels are supplying all the power because of the clickbait title. I mean after all, it does say "Eliminate your AC power bill"
@@TheBear470well you just add enough panels and it can eliminate it, just don’t add more than you need
Yes you correct but if there is a smart meter involved it will show more power used Sneaky electric company has some built in the meter to watch the Hz
@@Branx86I have solar and worked with the electric company when they setup my meter. They had no idea I had solar hooked up for the previous 2 months, I was supplementing power to see how much it would produce and a way to reduce usage without the extra bi-directional meter fee. Producing exactly what I used or up to double my usage would save me money. Producing over double my usage cost me more. After the couple of months I had them out to inspect my setup and reprogram my meter to be bidirectional. I found in my situation it was more beneficial to just let my panels work vs trying to supplement and track output and usage.
I have same setup with 10 panels running my pool pump for free for like 4hr if the sun is out, had the setup for 5year now and it sure helps to offset power consumption.
Nice! A pool pump would be a great application!
I'd love to do something similar. This sounds like a dream setup.
@@theresatrickforthat There are affordable DC pool-pumps which run directly off solar panels, with no inverters. I'm considering a setup.
How is it “free” when you spend a significant amount of money on the panels, micro inverters, controllers and cables - were these items free?
I've been doing hacks like this for a decade. The problem with most grid-tie inverters is that they follow the legal mandate of waiting 5 minutes before exporting power, so unless you are in a particularly hot climate, that misses most of the AC cycle. There are lots of options to get around that, but the point of this video is that it is the cheapest way to do this.
You’re exactly right! Thanks for watching!
Captain Obvious, do you know what work-arounds for the 5 minute delay are? Are there inverters that are configurable? I was wondering if UK or AU inverters didn't have that requirement.
so I'm in Central Cali very hot and sunny most of the year.. my ac is pulling like 5-7k watts when running..If I get like 3kw of solar panels it will cut my bill in half during the day? Will it backfeed to the grid and will PGE know ?
Thank you for the video. I learned something new about inverters.
You’re welcome! Glad I helped you! Thanks for watching!
I see that you have a great way of helping many to save on electricity. Especially with the AC unit and pool pumps. I am looking forward to trying this out and looking forward to your pool pump demo. Love your channel.
Thanks so much! Yep! The pump video will be coming out in a few weeks so stay tuned!!! Thanks for watching!
Brilliant! Thank you
You're very welcome! Thanks for watching!
Well Done! I did something similar with my pool pump.
Thanks! Good to hear about your pool pump! Thanks for watching!
I did a setup like this for my house. Six industrial solar pnl using a 2x3 setup and three inverters I picked up from ebay. Just plugged the whole thing into a 30a socket I have on the out side for a gen. Knocked about a $100+- a month off my bill. On a good clear day it would crank out 1kwh on average.
Sweetness! Thanks for watching!
How much money do you have in your setup if you don't mind me asking?
@@skeon67 The Solaria panels (230W) were a $100ea. used. The inverters were $130ea. new. The wiring/cables, meter and other odds and ends like water proof connectors and such were another couple hundred. I got lucky with the solar panels. Very high end...each panel was covered with a glass panel that had a convex lens over each cell. Captured light from almost any angle.
thanks@@Bluebark64FIS
I'm assuming this 30A socket is tied directly into your panel and will actually backfeed to the grid if there's not enough load being used to consume all the solar power generated?
This is an awesome idea. if you can do more video like these, that would help a lot of people to save money.
Thank you! I’ve certainly got more fun ideas for the future so be sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss them! Thanks for watching and commenting!
If this is drawing 5 to 10 amps look into victron multiplus. Those units are design to sync solar with grid in one unit. RV people do this all the time.
That’s like 8x the price of this
I'm sure it would work too! The idea behind what I'm showing here is you can start small and grow over time all while offsetting the power consumed sooner rather than later once budget allows for a large inverter. Thanks for watching!
Yep! You're exactly right! Thanks for watching!
Genius, Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure! Thanks for watching!
GREAT JOB!!!! KEEP ON ADDING ON !!!
That's the plan! 100% solar AC here we come! Thanks for watching
This is awesome! Show more!
Thank you and sounds good! Thanks for watching!
I have seen this done many ways, but the contactor is a very clever way to get this working minimally. Usually insee more complicated methods of detecting the state of the unit.
Thank you! And thanks for watching!
Ty
You’re welcome,
Sitting here thinking, gee I wonder if this could be done and BAM, here you are! Thank you sir!
Haha! Happy to hear this! Thanks for watching!
Great idea 💡
Thank you! And thanks for watching!
Great job
Thank you!
Awesome thanks for sharing, would love to see your ideas in reference to pool.
Cool! I think that would be a good video to make as well! Thanks for watching!
Awesome I would like to learn more about this
Great! Stay tuned, got a few good ideas in mind to come related to this, plus I'm going to scale my system for the AC coming up, so I'll provide further details then too! Thanks for watching!
Nice! yes Elec current made by the solar thur micro inverters will flow just like water it going to flow in the least resist way so yes what power it made is only going to flow into the nearest appliance long before it will ever flo out into the main grid. Besude the micro inverters need to see power before they will turn on! And no power they turn on off, to safely keep from back feeding a grid line. Thanks for sharing
Great explanation! Thanks for watching!
Great video
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
I really like this, im spending a lot money especially in winter I want a system that can offset not just my Summers but Winter aswell.
If you have a heat pump, this would work year round! Thanks for watching!
😊 Super 😊 great 😊 thanks 😊 much 😊😊😊
No problem! Thanks for watching!
more vids like this please
Sounds good! Thanks for watching!
Im sort of doing it the other way around. I call it mt emergency system. I do as much as i can to do well tv microwave even will run 600w heater. But is mostly for hurricane season. To offset gas gen. This idea of yours is amazing.
I appreciate it! Thanks for watching!
Can you do a video on the connections in more detail , awesome video !!
I'll add that to the list of future videos! Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
A wiring video would be great.
Awesome hack. Do you think other models such as the IQ7 will work as well?
Thank you! I would imagine earlier versions of the Enphase inverters would work…but I can’t personally say since I’ve only tested with the iq8+ as you saw in the video. Thanks for watching!
I will not say eliminate but definitely offset. Good job 😊
Offset is a great word! Thanks for watching!
I was wondering about the life span of the micro inverter cycling on & off when the ac is operational. I have a pool pump, which I will be doing the same set up, but that stays on for 8 hrs.
@@andys5203 Time will tell on the longevity I guess. Glad to hear you’re going to be using it with the pool pump! Great solution for that!
The HVAC industry could eliminate grid power with self contained package minisplit AC units....they already have soft start circuitry and draw much less power...plus as zone ACs they could be programmed to automatically ration Air Conditioning to priority and low priority zones when solar power drops.
The AC would pull grid power only when insufficient solar hours exist.
If the collective world was really worried about what they said they are, then that would have been the first mandated upgrade to heavy appliances in the 1980s and 90s.
As it is, the design described above would triple ir quadruple the cost of a minisplit install...which would require years of payback...which may not be covered by the lifecycle of the unit.
I recently purchased my home and am eager to try out the solar panel system. I am also considering adding a few batteries to assist with energy storage during the night.
I believe that utilizing solar energy for cooling the house is an innovative and eco-friendly approach, just amazing 👏.
Congrats on your home purchase! Glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching!
That is a good idea didn't think about that my utility is very sensitive to back feeding. I didn't expect 1 amp I was thinking you might get .25 of an amp at best with two panels. Hoymiles makes a microinverter can connect 4 panels to one inverter up to 2000W each inverter.
Glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and thanks for watching!
Too cool! New sub here, keep it up!
Thanks so much for the sub! I'll be doing the same trick to my 240V water pump in an upcoming video, and then I'm working on figuring out solar solutions for window A/C's for another video too. So you should enjoy those when they hit! Thanks for watching and subbing again!
@@theresatrickforthat We have our own well, that video will be very helpful!
Hello great project great results, will it be possible if you show a drawing on how you connect the Micro inverter to your AC and etc???? Thanks in advance,
Thank you! Unfortunately, I don't have any kind of drawing or diagram. But feel free to watch the part of the video where I show where I connect everything. Thanks for watching!
I have 4 of the older IQ7's. I was thinking about getting a 12dc to 220vac inverter to simulate grid power. And see if I could make a off grid, grid. Don't know what for, other than just seeing if it can be done.
Worth a try I suppose! Thanks for watching!
The challenge with this is that the inverters will "push" their output higher until the inverter is putting out as much power as possible. This will feed back into the 12v to 220v inverter, and cause it to either shut off, or burn up. The "mains source" needs to be a lot more powerful than the grid tie inverter(s)... by at least several times. IOW, if you want to use 1000 Watts of solar through grief tie inverters, your main source of "artificial grid" needs to be at least 3-5 times as much power. In a case like this, those IQ8 inverters can actually form their own micro-grid on their own... but you need their other equipment to control the IQ8 inverters, as this is a special mode that has very strict requirements.
... or just buy a Hybrid Solar Inverter - that can do both Grid-Tie (grid interactive), or off-grid operation as needed... though that usually requires a storage battery to fill-in the gaps when cloud cover would cause a loss-of-solar black-out.
That's beyond amazing! Wow I am impressed. I would also add the dryer as well.
Thanks! It’s a very cool option! The dryer is a good idea! Thanks for watching and commenting!
This has been a thing for over a decade. And it's nothing but a pile of code violations.
Are there any phase synchronization issues or dose the inverter handle Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) ?
The inverter handles all of that and you don't have to worry about it. Thanks for watching!
Simply Genius
Thank you! Thanks for watching!
@@theresatrickforthat no seriously this is a absolute game changer to lowering electric bills and reducing emissions. Bring a kit to market that makes it easy to install ( inverters, shut off , connection s, and instructions. Bcuz it's coming thru somebody anyway,,from your idea.. thx again
How long do the Enphase micro inverters look for a gateway before producing power? I am wondering if the APSystems inverter may be a better choice.
It takes about 5 minutes for it to start producing power after it sees grid power. Thanks for watching!
Please give spec's for the A/C demand and the two panels output, because my back of the envelope figures fall far short of running that whole house A/C
Did you watch the entire video? I show amp draws and everything for the A/C unit! Also, see if you can find the part in the video where I talk about my two panels and single micro inverter not being sufficient for my A/C unit. Thanks for watching!
Good video, certain some food for thought. Those micro inverters cost like $175.00 each, where as the regular inverters are around $200.00 but will handle 10 times the power. I've never seen a big inverter with m4 connectors. I wonder would it be possible to string a bunch of panels directly to one big inverter without going through a charge controller?
It would be interesting to see what the options are! They just need to have grid interactive features like these micro inverters do, otherwise you’re stuck building an off grid system that requires some kind of battery. Anyway, I love the ideas and thoughts! Thanks for watching!
Missing the point here - just using a solar panel and microinverter part-time. Basically you are handicapping what the solar panel and microinverter can do for you by only running it a fraction of the time. Because you have this hooked up to the contactor output, the solar panel only supplements some power via the microinverter when the air conditioner compressor is on. Why would you not hook this to a free 240V breaker in your main panel (like regular solar), or the other side of the contactor? That way the solar panel is giving you power anytime there is sun - not just only when the air conditioner is on. Then you don't have that 5 minute delay where you have no output from the microinverter - each time the A/C kicks on. With this small solar setup of only 264W (AC output - your 1.1A measured), you'll never backfeed the grid - most homes draw more than that all the time. And if you did increase your setup and at times you did export some power, this is a non-issue - you are just giving free power to the grid that you won't be paid for. And the click bait title - this doesn't eliminate your A/C portion of your bill - just offsets a very small portion: 264W of say 4000W (4 ton A/C unit). 6.6%, not 100%
You're right, it would be ideal to have these panels running all the time, but I know some people who have been charged for excess power that went backwards through their non-net meter so better safe than sorry especially as it gets scaled up and you're pushing more power. And that's the beauty of this setup, start small with what money you have and scale from there! Offsetting 6.6% is still better than nothing while I continue to save for more panels and stuff! Thanks for watching!
@@theresatrickforthat Yeah sorry, it just makes no financial or logical sense to do this the way you've shown. The cost of the panels and microinverter will take forever to recoup vs. the fraction of the time the AC is on with sun shinning, and the power up delay. Most homes draw several hundred watts all the time - you won't be giving back to the grid. Just connect the microinverter and panels full time.
@@billjohnson3344 I agree 100%, IF your base load is always over what the solar panels can produce. In his case, if his baseload isn't 300W+, say it's only 200W+, he'd probably still be better off wiring only one panel to the main, compared to two on the AC that's only occasionally running, especially with the 5 min delay factored in after each cycle... Unless his AC basically runs most of the day.
@@billjohnson3344there is inbetween here you are both missing. A 5 min delay is still good for grid stability issues and hooking to main panel if done correctly can use the solar more efficiently. Or adding batteries as an inbetween the panels and the inverter would be almost equally as good to panel tie in. Allowing a smaller array handle power 24/7 without over amping.
There are string inverters that can do what you want in a more efficient ways. You can control via computer if the inverter will sell excess energy or to grid or not.
These are the newer hybrid inverters. Of course you will need batteries to store energy for the off times..
That would be the ultimate setup for sure! This way I showed is a way to get up and going with solar and saving money with it faster and with a smaller system while you’re saving for the ultimate setup like you mentioned. Thanks for watching!
That’s great during the day, but is their a way to add a timer so as to hook up to grid during off peak or night hours?
No need. It's always connected to the grid so the grid will make up for the difference in the solar when it cloudy or at night when you're not generating as much or any solar power. Thanks for watching!
Yes, I've always thought this is how solar would be used. I think placing all the high use items on one circuit and run by smaller panels instead of all over your roof
It was a fun proof of concept to run! Thanks for watching!
CAN YOU SEND US ELECTRICAL SCHEMATICFOR THE HOOKUP OF YOUR IQ 8+ micro invertor and soft start unit. thanks Connie
I don’t have a schematic. But the two hot wires from the IQ8+ just connect on the load side of the A/C contactor like you saw in the video, the ground wire of course goes to ground. MicroAir EasyStart has its own schematics for different A/C types. Thanks for watching!
This is an interesting concept of how to apply solar. One of the things stopping me from implementing a solar system is the size and expense of a whole house system. But, what if you could build a smaller system to power just the energy hogs in your house. Instant savings on energy for a lower cost of entry than a whole house system. Fantastic idea here.
That’s exactly right! Huge thanks for watching!
This works and using emphases are best. Recommend adding FRN fuse pairs just off the contactor and a ground wire to the panel frame to the condenser frame ground.
Great ideas! Thanks for watching!
This is exactly what I was looking for!!! Thanks!!! My only concern is these inverters have that "5 minute saftey" delay. So technically everytime the AC kicks on you lose 5 minutes of free solar. Does anyone know of these micro inverters are configurable to be less than that? Or are there ones that are?
I don't understand why the 5 minute delay either. My A/C only runs about ten minutes each cycle so I am losing half my power output. I wonder if that can be explained or changed. I would think a second or two would be fine with modern electronics.
One of life's mysteries I guess! Thanks for watching!
My ac unit on the inside of my house plugs into a 110/120 outlet .
If I was going to do that.
I would install a couple of deep cycle batteries outside and a power inverter somewhere near my AC unit and a solar panel to recharge the batteries.
Looks like a good setup to me.
Adding batteries and an off grid inverter so you could harvest solar power from the panels even if the AC was off would be the ideal solution for sure! This proof of concept at least lets us poor people start getting some solar benefits for much cheaper while saving for batteries and a bigger inverter. Thanks for watching!
@@theresatrickforthat you're welcome.
I really like this idea
Thanks! And thanks for watching!
Do they still sell those little grid tir inverters you just plug into an unused outlet in the house? I don't remember how much they handled in watts, but seems similar to this.
I’ve seem them around…but they seem gimmicky at best to me. Enphase is pretty solid and good quality. Thanks for watching!
Good morning Sir. I have a 115 volts mini split. Can I offset the power on that. I see you using 220 volts. I would appreciate your feedback.
You can't use the same setup I show in this video with a 115V mini-split. And all of the other 120V micro inverters on the market seem gimmicky or expensive. So if I were you, I would just get a solar power station, plug the mini split into that, connect solar and away you go! Here's a video I made earlier this year testing the run time of my 115V mini split on an EcoFlow Delta 2 Max in heat pump mode. Note, I do not have any solar connected...but if you did, that would help offset some of the mini-split consumption all the way up to fully offsetting it with enough solar. th-cam.com/video/eLvLTR6wPkc/w-d-xo.html Thanks for watching!
@@theresatrickforthat thanks
How do you connect the wires coming from the inverter to the condenser unit ? in parallel to the 240v coming from the grid?
Yep! It connects in parallel. But on the load side of the contactor so the contactor controls when the inverter sees the grid and turns the inverter on when the AC is on and then turns the inverter off when the AC turns off. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for answering my question!!!
Does the inverter only allow solar power to flow when an amperage is drawn from the grid or will it feed the grid when it just "sees" 240? I want to use this on my pool pump but it is a variable speed hooked up to a Pentair easy touch 8 and apparently the line and loads must be hooked up to the line side of the line side of the relay. No current flowing until the relay kicks on. I know that sounds strange but that is the way it is wired.
I'm unfamiliar with your setup...but these inverters just need to "see" the grid to produce power. They do not need to see power being drawn in order to produce power. Thanks for watching!
Cool!
Thanks for watching!
Nice.
I'm surprised this sort of setup is not more common as a way of making the AC "more efficient."
Right? Thanks for watching!
I do the same thing, but for the washer and dryer. Washer and dryer connected to a power strip that's connected to a kill-o-watt meter that's connected to a y&h 1300w grid tie inverter that's connected to two in parallel 535 watt solar panels. I still back feed to the grid, but what the washer and dryer consume is more than what I back feed into the grid so I'm ok with that.
Sweet! Thanks for watching!
By backfeeding to the grid, wont the power company won't realize you have solar without a permit and give u an issue ?
For those less sure of what they are doing, there's a kit (EGR4?) that lets you control a heat pump from off-grid solar.
Thanks for watching!
I wonder if one of those single 2000w grid tie solar inverters would work in this setup?
I'm sure they would! They're just more expensive in one bulk chunk as opposed to slowing adding more panels and micro inverters as money allows. Thanks for watching!
This might could be a great partner to a regular solar system with batteries. (Less panels needed, less batteries, less stress on all of it too) On bright sunny days your battery charging system would end up mostly dedicated to charging batts for your night time use, cause the "partnered" reduction of grid power use, solar set up would be handeling the day time heavy draw stuff.
Set it up wisely so in a SHTF / you loose grid power, You could easily unwire the panels from the grid side and add them to your battery side....
Definitely some good thoughts and ideas here! Thanks for watching!
This is pretty cool! I didnt see you test the voltage after you connected inverter to the contactor while the disconnect is still unplugged. When the contactor is off, the microinverter should not energize the compressor but could the capacitor have enough current to "trick" the microinverter making the system live even though the contactor is off? Also the solar energy from the panels is wasted when off, so having a battery or some other way to use the energy would be good to get more use out of the panels.
Maybe it's possible that capacitor could fool the inverter for a minute...but it takes a few minutes of the grid being present before the inverter starts producing, so I don't think we need to worry about that. And yes, it would be best to not only be producing power when the A/C is on. But solar panels are cheap, batteries are not. So if you could run your A/C for "free" even though you're leaving power on the table, that might be enough for some people. Or start by just offsetting your A/C power bill and apply your savings to the cost of a battery down the road. Thank for watching!
@@theresatrickforthat The best part is you already have a virtual battery. It's your house.
If you run your AC during the middle of the day when you're at work instead of shutting it off because you're not home and cool all the rooms down really well, then keep the house buttoned up until early morning when it's cool outside, you don't need to have batteries to run the AC at night.
@@jm-um1tx Agreed, although that really only makes sense to do it that way if you have enough solar to come close to zeroing out the consumption from the grid.
Also, keep in mind if there's a little bit of excess solar energy being produced in excess of what the AC is consuming, it would likely be consumed by the base load from the rest of the house (refrigerator, wall warts, fans, lights, etc) before it got pushed back to the grid. Most houses always seem to use at least a couple of hundred watts at all times, obviously that varies by household, but generally this is the case.
@@ssoffshore5111 Yep, and as you say, buy more panels, they're cheaper than batteries.
I’m in Florida, in reality how much would this assist my electric bill? I have a brand new 4 ton unit in my house and with the current weather it’s running often. Every little bit will help! Also looking at the easy start to assist with hurricane season.
You can scale this concept as big as you need to fully eliminate the power you A/C unit uses, then apply the power bill savings to getting battery backup so then you'll be able to use the solar panels all the time including when the AC is off and have the battery and solar to assist you during hurricane season. That's at least what I would do! Thanks for watching!
getting a soft start for the AC would help....
Might want to watch the entire video and see if you can spot something that resembles a soft start! Thanks for watching!
Is there a wire diagram we can look at? I'm intrigued on how it doesn't go phase to phase
I don't have any kind of diagram. Sorry about that! You're welcome to watch the part where I show the connections again for further insight. Thanks for watching!
Do you think it can run off batter also if you set it up when there is no sun
I’m sure. It’s just more involved. Thanks for watching!
So the inverter is $189 + solar panels are $380 + wiring ~$50 = $620 to save 1 amp or 1/5 of your electricity on just your AC. If your power was $0.20 a KW you would break even in about 17 months time on 24/7 use. 1 amp = 0.24 KW X 24 hours = 5.76KW per day or $1.152 per day/$34.56 per month/$420.48 per year of savings.
If the system works for over the 17 months you would start to see "Free Power". Which is not bad time frame..:)
You know the old saying…a penny saved is a penny earned! Haha! Thanks for watching!
@@theresatrickforthat Yeah, id like to see what it takes to get the AC full on solar.
He can't run the panel 24/7 for obvious reasons. The power output is also going to change with time of day and even time of year.
@@theresatrickforthat a penny saved is more than a penny earned because of income tax and compounding interest.
can get 100w panels for 40$ new and can get blemished/used panels for 20$ for 200-300w
roi will be a year or two on the cheap
That is genius
Thank you and thanks for watching!
The panels are not supplying anywhere near the power to run the AC, they just offset a little bit and only contribute when the AC is running. They would contribute more power if you connect then to your breaker panel so they contribute all the time instead of intermittently when the AC is on.
What you said is true. However, if you don’t have a net metering agreement or off grid solar system, this way I show proof of concept only runs when the AC is on thus eliminating the chance of back feeding the grid which you would run the risk of of your hooked directly to the breaker. Thanks for watching!
U think this same setup could run my 2 ton mini split?
The challenge with Mini-Splits is they don’t have a contactor to isolate the unit from the grid when the unit is off. So it would involve more parts and pieces to make work. Thanks for watching!
I guess you could also do a similar experiment with your pool pump which also take some power running all day long
I plan to! That video is coming in a few weeks! Be sure you're subscribed so you don't miss it!
I like it. The only downside is the loss of solar when the AC is off. Better application for a pool pump. Quick back of the envelope calculation is a 4 year payout with tax credit and only a 4 hour run time per day.
Yep! You would get more bang for the solar if it could run non-stop. But hey! Solar panels are cheap...batteries are not. So might as well reap some offset to your power bill while you're saving for other equipment to allow your solar to run non-stop all day! Thanks for watching!
I was wondering if you could add more solar panels and add a switching board that can instantly switch between the grid and the panels with the goal of totally or partially offset grid consumption and save on your electric bill. I'm sure there is a device that can do that and fool the electric meter into not charging you for any solar electricity production. I am thinking of doing something like what you have with the proper electronics to safely switch between grid and solar and mitigate any issues during cloudy days.
Sounds like a cool idea! Thanks for watching!
Before determining how...we should mathematically work out the "how much"
My Heat Pump adds $40 to my power bill in summer based on the spring and early fall months I don't use it. It adds 65 to 70 in the winter months. Very efficient house, 1200sqft, good unit, ducted, blue ridge mtn foothills.
So at that the grid cost of my HVAC is $360 per year. At best with 💯 solar running it and no batteries that's
i'm a happy bourge rv customer...bought solar ref/freezer 4yrs ago and it's still going strong...take ice cream with me when i go fishing.
Sweet! That’s the way to do it! I agree Bouge RV is awesome. Thanks for watching!
I have a fish tank with lots of accessories. That might be a good idea to power it with the sun.
Sounds like a fun DIY project! Best of luck to you! Thanks for watching!
This is totally amazing. Now if only I could do this to a window unit.Wait, do you think it will work with a window unit?
Thanks! It won’t work with a window unit very well unless your window unit is 240V or you find a 120V micro inverter. But then you’ll have to wire in some kind of relay that turns on and off with the window unit compressor to avoid back feeding the grid…seems like to much trouble and hassle. Sorry about that! Maybe consider getting a solar power station, plugging your window ac into that and then connecting solar to the power station. Would probably be more useful and an easier solution for a window unit. You might consider the Anker Solix C1000. Here’s a link to my review and testing of that unit. I think it’s even on sale for Memorial Day. th-cam.com/video/Zdl3syXDUP8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=GYXwEd0gqnx8fORw
Thanks for watching!
You can buy a 24,000 btu mini split from Signature Solar for $1899. It has a built in MPPT inverter built in and you can connect solar panels direct to the AC unit. But some used solar panels locally, or from San tan Solar to cut costs and you're good to go. It will run 100% from solar and from the grid on cloudy days and at night.
If you don't need 24,000BTU they have a 12,000BTU unit for $1299.
They also sell complete setups with solar panels
Awesome. How could you build this system out to supply power to the entire home but not back feed? Offsetting energy usage with a solar array but using no more than what is called for? Is there a “limit switch” of sorts for solar?
Probably the best way would be to get an all in one inverter with batteries, and then let the inverter do the switching between solar and battery power and grid power. Thanks for watching!
@@theresatrickforthat Unless I'm missing something, that inverter, even with batteries, would have to have some type of internal limiter feature with current sensor(s) to keep it from back-feeding the grid. Much like Sol Ark's inverters have.
Very interesting, diagram somewhere?
No diagram! Sorry about that! Thanks for watching!
hmmm... what abut when power goes out....... could this in anyway be feeding power into the grid and harm the lineman up the road fixing things....... Im thinking NOT cause your set up using the grid powered device's contactor (in this case the AC's contactor) to activate the solar setup. WIthout grid power.... the contactor cant' flip things to solar, thus solar setup remains disconnected from grid. Am I understanding that right?
PS- contactor is in automotive terms essentially a solenoid in theory right?
You’ve actually got double protection in this case. 1. You’re right, the contactor physically disconnects the solar inverter from the grid. 2. These Enpahse inverters are grid tie capable. That means they have rapid shut down capability. So if they can’t see grid power, the utterly will not produce power. Yes, the contactor is very similar to a solenoid. Thanks for watching!
Do you have a 1 or 2 pole contactor, just wondering if 2 pole would be safer to use in case there is some scenario where having one leg of the contactor always hot could cause the inverter to kick on when it shouldn’t.
So does that mean you're running 48 volts into your compressor windings continuously all the time? So if that's the case I think you need another relay . Are the compressors going to heat up
Thankfully, no. When the AC shuts off the micro inverter can't see the grid anymore and it completely shuts the power down from the panels. Thanks for watching!
Doing the same thing on the timer side of my in ground pool pump. Those IQ8s will eventually stop sending power without a full system connected and gateway. Recommend using the M215s which.
As a test I would leave it connected for a week and report back. The other person that did this showed it stopped after 2.5 days.
Good for you! Are you using the M215’s on your pool setup? I don’t have information on how long the IQ8+ will export power without the gateway. But I will soon because I am working on wiring it up permanently to my A/C. The one thing that might make a difference is the fact that basically any time the A/C shuts off at night and there’s no solar coming in, it basically power cycles the micro inverter and resets everything on it. So I might avoid any issues due to that happening. But we’ll see! I’m going to make a follow up video once I get my installation done and it’s been running a bit. Thanks for watching!
@@theresatrickforthat I've been using the more reliable IQ7's (compared to the M215's) w/o a gateway in a similar fashion for over a year, no issues.
Awesome idea to offset ac unit power but what if you could make it more efficient too. Company called cool and save. Makes a product that sprays your ac condenser with water. Water has a better thermal efficiency than air and will pull more heat out of the condenser making it more efficient
I’ve seen those cool and save units. What you said is right about the evaporative cooling providing better heat transfer for the A/C unit. My only gripe with that is the minerals in the water. I really don’t want to have to try and clean minerals from my condenser coils. One thought would be to capture the condensate water from the A/C and then pressurize that water through the misters. That’s essentially distilled water since it was in the air and then got condensed. So that solves the mineral issues, only problem now is that you won’t get very long sessions of misting that condensate water because you’ll evaporate it faster then it can condense. Got to contemplate this concept more. In any case, huge thanks for watching and commenting!
@theresatrickforthat well yes distilled water minus whatever would be in the air or whatever junk you be trapped in the coils. But other than that there's of course filter setups that would both allelize and acidify the water. The preference there is yours. And then besides that I would look into rainwater. Because just like you said through condensation and evaporation we get rainwater it's supposed to be pure water, that might do the trick for you. I guess the only question would be how far down the rabbit hole are you willing to go.
Does it harm the solar panels when the microinverter is off with no power flowing through the system? I imagine the panels are still producing energy but where does it go when the A/C is off?
Nope! No harm at all! Thanks for watching!
The only real problem with a setup like this is in the event the grid fails, you would be feeding current into the grid. In all likelihood the enphase usit goes into overload protect. But depending on where the downed line is and who come in contact with it, they could get exposed to the current from your enphase even past the point of the downed line. I understand this is just an experiment and you likely already understand that an automatic isolation switch is needed. But I kinda wished you would have mentioned it.
I have two points of good news for you on this! 1. If the grid power goes down, that will obviously kill power to the entire house resulting in a loss of 24V at the AC unit contactor which will cause it to open thus completely disconnecting the solar from the grid. 2. Enphase micro inverters meet the rapid shut-down requirements. Thanks for watching!
No your not, that's the point of tieing to the ac unit itself
@@theresatrickforthat That's good. I wish you would have mentioned it in the video. Maybe you did and I didn't notice. A lot of people have a very simple understanding like I do and they don't know that. Hell, I didn't even know the enphase shuts off when it stops detecting the grid.
@@chipperfluffy "no your not", what?
How about a ecoflow with battery ecoflpw solar to that configuration
Just need the new Delta Pro Ultra and we’d be set! Let EcoFlow know I need one will ya? Haha! Thanks for watching!
how aqbout a pool fliter system and pool heater
Great idea! Thanks for watching!
How much solar to actually start and run with the soft start on the unit ?
In my case, I’m just worried about the running amps. The AC can pull the extra starting amps for a spit second from the grid that it needs. I would need about 5 of these micro inverters with solar panels like I showed in the video to 100% run the unit on solar power. I plan to do that as money allows. Thanks for watching!
Not everybody has a outside unit AC ..so the Best to test with a AC window unit. Something like 4500 BTUs or 5000 btu. Yes it's small but will have the continuing flow of cold air.. let me know what you think....
Good idea for a future video for sure! Thanks for watching!
How about a window air unit. What parts would be required?
Connecting solar to a window unit? Not as easily as a central unit. The best way for a window unit would be to get a solar power station, plug the window AC into that, and your solar panels. Here’s a review I did for a solar power station that might work well for you: th-cam.com/video/Zdl3syXDUP8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=QWl4Ml7eYH4qRHTT Thanks for watching!
Since you're not offsetting when the A/C is not running and there is a ramp up time for the inverter, this would seem to discourage frequent cycling. Have you investigated programming different thermostat set points during the warmest part of the day, potentially going cooler/running longer to maximize your output, effectively using your house as a (probably not terribly efficient) thermal battery?
This is a great idea to maximize the solar power you harvest! Doesn’t cost any extra…just a bit of programming of the existing thermostat. Great idea! Thanks for sharing and for watching!
@@theresatrickforthat Having a 2 stage system goes a long way toward longer run times. There may be some settings deep inside that will cause it to run longer, longer, longest in low stage before going into high output. BTW, you would say that your max PV output would have to be limited to the less than the wattage at the low output stage, yes?
@@garyhiland6013 Yep! Longer run times do help! And yes, I would agree to size the solar array for low stage and not high stage since it runs in low stage 90% of the time. Thanks for watching!
The micro controller can go from 12v to 240v?
It'll take 16-58V DC and output 240V AC. Yep! Pretty cool tech! Thanks for watching!
Use it for water heaters and electric dryers.
Great ideas! Thanks for watching!
if you use a generator switch(s) maybe..... you could use that to switch the solar/inverter setup to toggle between heaters, dryers, AC etc. You could just not have more than one on at a time unless you arrange it to where one location of the switches allows two "specific" things on- and those two things power draw when in use/ power draw added together, does not max out any more than the solar set ups parameters.
Would you please run through the calculations you had to do to make sure that your solar panel output was sufficient to run your air conditioner? As you said, you have 400 watt of solar panels and it is running your air conditioner? What did you do so that at startup of your compressor you had sufficient amps to turn it on? Also, how many ton AC do you have?
If my math is correct, to have enough output from your solar panels to fully power your AC, you would need approximately 11 (200 watt) solar panels to produce enough power to run your AC. I understand the logic behind what you have done to supplement the actual power draw of your AC. With your current panels producing a little over 2 amps, I wonder what your cost savings would be if you were able to keep this running? How long then would it take you to pay for your current setup? (I realize you would probably have to put your panels in a different location for a more permanent setup.)
What is your SEER rating on your AC?
Good thoughts and questions! 400 watts of panels is NOT enough to run an A/C my size. The secret sauce is that enphase inverters are gird tie compatible. So it's just contributing what power it can from the panels and the grid makes up the rest which you can see in my amp readings. I lowered the amount of amps being pulled from the grid by 1.2 or so, but the remaining 4ish amps needed by the A/C unit to run were still being pulled from the grid. You could add more panels and micro inverters to offset the A/C 100% if you would like. Thanks for watching!
What about the air handler both have to work at the same time
You’re right…but the indoor blower uses much less power than the outdoor condenser so I’m wanting to offset the larger load first. Thanks for watching!
Can this be done on a window unit?
Not as easily as a central unit. The best way for a window unit would be to get a solar power station, plug the window AC into that, and your solar panels. Here’s a review I did for a solar power station that might work well for you: th-cam.com/video/Zdl3syXDUP8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=QWl4Ml7eYH4qRHTT Thanks for watching!
Could go to a higher output panel and one inverter per panel. 5 in total to cover most of the heat exchangers draw.
I agree that would be simpler! I just already had those 200W panels so figured I'd put them to use! Thanks for watching!
@@theresatrickforthat I have 41 365w panels on my house each with an iq7+ inverter and sit at just over 80% offset. Im hoping to double the system size when I get our garage addition built. These panels are 3yrs old now and technology has already reached 450-500w panels on the market at close to the price my 365s were. 🤦🏼♂️
Oh and I have a 90kW Tesla model 3 battery to install as well when the new addition is up.
So you’d need about 8 more panels to completely offset the power useage?
Yeah! That's about right! Thanks for watching!
So, what size is your AC unit and who makes it? That 5 amp draw is impressive if it is a 3 ton unit. My old units need to get replaced.
Mine is a 3 tone Trane…but it’s two stage. So the amp draw you were seeing was on low stage where it starts. It’s been great and works very well for me. Thanks for watching!
@@theresatrickforthatVery roughly, about how many watts would a typical single stage 3.5 ton AC unit consume while running? (I’m sure that depends how n a number of variables, but ballpark?)
@@rocktman81You’re right…there are a ton of variables! I can only speak to my 3 ton unit in high stage the most watts I’ve ever seen it pull is just over 2000 or about 8.5 amps at 240V. Thanks for watching!
@@rocktman81: The startup amp draw is what you need to be concerned about.
@@zapa1pnt Not sure why that is a concern. The grid takes care of that before the iQ8 jumps in. (and he has a soft start device at that) Am I missing something?