How to slash the price of your home load-shedding system

3 years ago 1

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Switching out certain home appliances or optimising their consumption can significantly reduce the cost of a solar-and-battery backup power system to fend off load-shedding.

Several solar companies recently told MyBroadband that a 90% off-grid home system would cost in the range of R125,000 to R254,000.

Those prices can triple or quadruple if you want to go fully off-grid, as it requires oversizing to make up for periods with low solar generation — such as during prolonged cloudy weather.

The final amount you will have to cough up depends on your home’s electricity consumption, which determines the size of your inverters, batteries, and solar panels.

Bringing down the peak power output you require reduces the size of your inverter. Consuming less electricity overall will bring down the required capacity of your battery.

MyBroadband asked three prominent solar companies — AWPower, Hohm Energy, and Solar Advice — for tips on reducing electricity usage to keep the required system specifications to a minimum.

Solar Advice marketing manager Sam Berrow said appliances that produce heat are the biggest energy consumers.

These include electric geysers, ovens, stove hobs, and tumble dryers.

Berrow advised customers to switch to a solar geyser and reduce heat loss with a geyser blanket, which is a relatively inexpensive solution.

By wrapping the geyser in these heat-insulating blankets, you can reduce their energy usage by an estimated 10–20%.

MyBroadband found prices online from reputable retailers starting from R228 for a blanket that could cover up to a 200-litre geyser.

An additional option is to replace the conventional electric geyser element with a positive temperature coefficient heating element or energy-efficient element to reduce electricity usage at night.

AWPower managing director Christiaan Hattingh said installing a timer that can switch the geyser on when warm water is required, and off when it is not, can also play a big role.

Hohm Energy’s head of business intelligence and public relations, Matthew Cruise, explained how a timer could help negate the need for buying a solar geyser on top of solar panels for general electricity consumption.

“A geyser can typically be fed solar power during the day with the excess power generated after batteries have been charged and there is minimal electricity demand in the house,” Cruise said.

“At this time, the solar power can be directed to a house’s geyser with a geyser timer that turns on from 14:00 to 17:00,” Cruise said. “This way, you will use solar power for heating up your water for the evening.”

Water in a geyser typically only loses around 10°C of heat every 24 hours. So as long as you don’t over-consume, there should be enough hot water remaining for the following morning.

The next energy-consuming culprits you should target are the stove and oven.

“Replacing your electric stove with a gas stove is recommended as a stove cannot be on the battery backup of a solar system,” Cruise said.

“Typically, the electricity draw from a stove is too high for the inverter and battery to handle and would trip the system due to its high electricity load.”

In addition, Berrow said an air fryer could provide significantly more energy-efficient cooking capabilities than a full-sized oven.

According to GoBankingRates.com, popular large air fryers consume around 1,500W while a full-sized oven can use between 2,500W and 5,000W.

Berrow also recommended that consumers look into tumble dryers fitted with heat pumps rather than those using condensers.

“Heat pump tumble dryers are significantly lighter on electricity than conventional tumble dryers,” Berrow said.

Other energy-intensive appliances like irrigation systems, dishwashers, washing machines, and pool pumps should be run during the day, when solar generation is at its peak, Berrow said.

That way, you can ensure you don’t consume precious stored capacity you will need overnight.