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Hmmm this is interesting... currently i'm on a 2 year fixed, i live in quite an energy efficient flat and mostly keep everything off unless i'm home. Currently

by JazCE 7y ago

Hmmm this is interesting... currently i'm on a 2 year fixed, i live in quite an energy efficient flat and mostly keep everything off unless i'm home. Currently i pay roughly £16 a month for my electricity. Literally the only things on during the day would be: my alexa, my router, my hue hub and bulbs (in an off state), my fridge/freezer, my home hot water/heating thermostat and the apartment extractor fan. I'd love to charge my laptop and phones off of a solar battery.

michaelt 7y ago
The author of the article has a smart battery which (as far as I can tell) outputs 460 watts of power [1] - whereas and a fan oven can use up 2.5kW†, a kettle 3kW, a shower 8.5kW. So unfortunately you'll be importing electricity from the grid sometimes anyway, if you want to shower or cook when it's dark. [1] https://www.moixa.com/solar-battery/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/0240_Moixa_User_Manual_Email_July_UM001.pdf https://www.moixa.com/solar-battery/wp-content/uploads/2018/... †When the thermostat is turned on, that is. So the average consumption over an hour of operation will be lower.
benj111 7y ago
That seems quite doable? You don't even need an inverter, assuming you don't use your laptop during the day, you could use that as the battery. Worst case, enough 12v panels, 12v battery and cigarette lighter adaptors for phone and laptop. Relevant: https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2016/05/how-to-go-off-grid-in-your-apartment.html https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2016/05/how-to-go-off-grid-i...
zaroth 7y ago
How much electricity do you use in a month for that £16? By contrast, my apartment was empty last month with only zombie loads, the fridge, 2 routers, a set top box, and two Nest thermostats left on. My electric bill was $46 for about 150kWh. This is with no lights, heating, cooling, or hot water heater running. (Hot water is demand provided by the building and billed per gallon so not even a tank being kept warm) 150kWh in a month is about 200 watt continuous which seems a bit high but not double what I would expect. And you’re saying you heat your water in that £16...?

by JazCE 7y ago

michaelt 7y ago

The author of the article has a smart battery which (as far as I can tell) outputs 460 watts of power [1] - whereas and a fan oven can use up 2.5kW†, a kettle 3kW, a shower 8.5kW. So unfortunately you'll be importing electricity from the grid sometimes anyway, if you want to shower or cook when it's dark. [1] https://www.moixa.com/solar-battery/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/0240_Moixa_User_Manual_Email_July_UM001.pdf https://www.moixa.com/solar-battery/wp-content/uploads/2018/... †When the thermostat is turned on, that is. So the average consumption over an hour of operation will be lower.

benj111 7y ago

That seems quite doable? You don't even need an inverter, assuming you don't use your laptop during the day, you could use that as the battery. Worst case, enough 12v panels, 12v battery and cigarette lighter adaptors for phone and laptop. Relevant: https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2016/05/how-to-go-off-grid-in-your-apartment.html https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2016/05/how-to-go-off-grid-i...

zaroth 7y ago

How much electricity do you use in a month for that £16? By contrast, my apartment was empty last month with only zombie loads, the fridge, 2 routers, a set top box, and two Nest thermostats left on. My electric bill was $46 for about 150kWh. This is with no lights, heating, cooling, or hot water heater running. (Hot water is demand provided by the building and billed per gallon so not even a tank being kept warm) 150kWh in a month is about 200 watt continuous which seems a bit high but not double what I would expect. And you’re saying you heat your water in that £16...?