Tuesday, December 12, 2017

How To Use Off Grid Solar Systems Oregon

By Ruth Clark


One of the largest household expenses that anyone faces each month is the electric bill. This is especially true if you live in an area with extreme summer or winter temperatures, because your air conditioner and heater take in a lot of energy. If you want to save some money and be kinder to the environment, then consider investing in off grid solar systems Oregon, which can help you save a lot of money in the long run.

Most houses that have a system installed do so on the grid. This means that you are still hooked up to power from your local utility, as a backup of sorts should your energy needs exceed what your panels are producing. You still save a lot of money this way, but it does not fulfill al your needs for power.

Instead of connecting to the grid, you can opt for a completely off grid system. With this setup, you are not connected to the electric company, so you must ensure your system is large enough to handle all of your daily energy needs without any backup. Daily use is called your load, and your system must be equipped to handle it, which could lead to blackouts or short outages.

To calculate your daily load, you should sit down and make a comprehensive list of all the items you plug in each day, and ones that stay plugged in, like your refrigerator, for example. You can then add up how many watts they use each day. If you are unsure, you can refer to the manuals that came with the appliance. If you no longer have these, most manufacturer websites or customer service can help. You might even be able to download a manual with the pertinent information directly from the manufacturer's website.

In the rush to list all the appliances such as coffeemakers or heating units, some people overlook little things like lamps or phone chargers. Do not overlook these. In fact, you may want to scrutinize them to see if some can be eliminated to save power. This is important if you want to conserve energy.

Lighting is the easiest way to pare down, because simply changing out your bulbs can work wonders. If you are still using the old school fluorescent bulbs, stop immediately. Replace them with LED bulbs, which consumer a fraction of the power.

Contact a local contractor who specializes in solar systems to come out and help you pick out what is best for you. They can sell you everything you need to get going, including the panels themselves, batteries to hold the energy, an energy inverter and a charge controller. They may put these items into a bundle to keep costs low.

They can also determine where on your property is the best place to get the most sun. Placement is key with solar systems, because if they get too much shade, the amount of energy they output can be reduced significantly, which means your power needs may not get met. Once the perfect area is found, they can be installed by professionals, often from the same company you are purchasing, to ensure maximum exposure and power generation.




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