Inverter (minimum running power)Inverters run off battery voltage and they run 24 hours a day, usually in idle. The typical watts and runtime are filled in for one inverter. If you have more than one inverter just change from one to the number that you have. Reduce time if Inverter will use "sleep" mode.
Inverter (minimum running power)
LED Lights are the way to go as they use a fraction of the energy that other types of light bulbs consume. When calculating the number of average lights on at a given amount time, we use 2 and a half lights per person. We don’t include babies or dogs because they don’t turn on lights. The other point here is we use the number of people that will be there constantly and not guests. 2.5 lights per person (not including babies or dogs)
LED Lights
AC Well Pump (1 hp) It is true that 746 watts is one horsepower, but when we figure that for a pump when it is pumping water it averages 1100 watts per horsepower. So, if you have a ½ hp. Pump figure it a 550 watts. If it is 1.5 hp. 1650 watts and so on. Well pumps pumping into a cistern may only come on once every three days. If you are using the well pump as a pressure pump as well the number of times it runs is going to be determined by the size of the pressure (bladder) tank. In this case if you have three people the pump will average about 2 hours runtime a day. 2.5 lights per person (not including babies or dogs).
AC Well Pump (1 hp)
AC Pressure Pump (1/2 hp) It is true that 746 watts is one horsepower, but when we figure that for a pump when it is pumping water it averages 1100 watts per horsepower. So, if you have a ½ hp. pressure (booster) pump figure it a 550 watts. If it is 1.5 hp. 1650 watts and so on. The number of times it runs is going to be determined by the size of the pressure (bladder) tank. In this case if you have three people the pump will average about 2 hours run time a day.
AC Pressure Pump (1/2 hp)
Refrigerator (Energy Star Rated) Refrigerators have really come a long way in a short period of time as far as efficiency. Today a typical energy Star Refrigerator, at normal ambient temperature, runs an average of 9 hours a day, it consumes somewhere between 1350- and 1575-watt hours a day. Remember the old side by side units from the 1980s that came in either avocado or gold? Those puppies consumed around 10,000 watts a day, or more than a whole off grid house If you are just going off-grid get a new Energy-Star refrigerator. It is cheaper than buying more solar panels and batteries to keep the old one.
Refrigerator (Energy Star Rated)
Freezer Freezers efficiencies have not improved as much as refrigerators. They run an average of 8 hours a day and consume a lot. If you have a chest freezer you can cut down on the runtime by gluing 2 inch (blue board) closed cell foam board to the bottom, as all the lost cold is generally out the bottom. You have to be careful as to the type of glue you use, as construction adhesive will melt blue board. If you want a really efficient freezer, we sell DC Freezers which are way more efficient and quite a bit more expensive.
Freezer
A Flat Screen TV the typical size is about 40 inch which uses about 90 watts. However, if your Screen is substantially larger, look up the watts online and change it. We have found that the average time for most folks is going to be around 3 hours.
Flat Screen TV
Washing Machine (Front Load) Front Loading Washing Machines. There is a lot of really good reasons to go with a front loader, off grid, first they use about a quarter of the energy of a top loader and less than half the water. Your clothes will last 4 times as long. Some folks say that the washer smells but the simple trick to stop that is to just wipe the door dry and leave the door opened for a while to let it dry out.
Washing Machine (Front Load)
Washing Machine (Top Loader) Top loading washers have been around for a long time and they are cheaper than their front-loading counterparts. They use a substantial amount more energy and usually twice the amount of water, which if you are Off-Grid this makes your well pump run times longer too.
Washing Machine (Top Load)
Gas dryers are the way to go for Off-Grid and they are second only to a solar dryer (clothesline) But if you really like those fluffy towels a machine dryer is a requisite. We often get asked “how about an electric dryer?” while you can do an electric dryer you have to be willing to spend the extra up-front cost for extra solar panels and batteries. Gas dryers do use more energy than a front-loading washer because they typically have bigger motors, but given the weekly use they don't add much to the daily load calculation.
Gas Dryer
Electric Dryer. We often get asked “how about an electric dryer?” while you can do an electric dryer you have to be willing to spend the extra up-front cost for extra solar panels and batteries.
Electric Dryer
Cell Phone Chargers are a necessary annoyance as it seems like every time, I look at mine, it needs charging. They hardly use any energy but this assessment lists everything that gets used at least once a week.
Cell Phone Charger
Furnace (1/2 hp) Forced-air Gas Furnace while they sure beat bucking and chopping wood, they do make an impact on the monthly budget. The good part is that with solar you don’t have to pay to run the fan. Typically, they have about a half horse motor which puts them at 550 watts times a usual runtime of 8 hours so it adds up.
Forced Furnace Air (1/2 hp)
Coffee Makers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some use none or appreciable amount of energy, a French Press comes to mind, while others especially the ones with a hot plate, to keep the coffee pot warm, often wind up using as much energy as the whole house! Like when at lunchtime you notice that you have left it on since breakfast. If you like filtered coffee get one with a thermal carafe that will keep the coffee warm for about 4 hours without using a drop of electricity.
Coffee Maker
Toaster (2 slice) or Toaster Oven Toaster and toaster ovens are quite acceptable due to the small amount time of use. Sure, they use 1400 to 1500 watts an hour, but it only takes 3 minutes or less to make toast. If we factor it out over the whole day and then all week (toasters are used an average of 3 days a week) the electrical load contribution is almost negligible. If you use a two-slice toaster just put two for the quantity.
Toaster (2 slice) or Toaster Oven
Microwave ovens are very efficient users of electricity. Like the toaster they are generally used for brief amounts of time thus rendering their daily electrical load to be quite small.
Microwave
Laptop computers and tablets are part of the lives of a good portion of the population. Many of us work from home so the times of use are going to vary a lot with these items. We do not recommend leaving them on 27-7 like you may have been used to when you were “On-the-Grid”.
Laptop
Desk Top Computers are part of the lives of a good portion of the population as well. As many of us work from home, so the times of use are going to vary a lot with this item as well. We do not recommend leaving it on 27-7 like you may have been used to when you were “On-the-Grid” either. Also, with a desktop there is more of a chance of having a laser printer which if you have one should be turned off when not in actual use.
Desktop Computer
Router or Modem here we have a piece of equipment that uses very little energy but it is on 24-7 in most cases .
Modem-Router
Hair Dryer here is an item that hands down, gets a bad rap and it does not deserve it. Once again sure, it uses 1700 watts it says that right there on the thing 1700 watts, and I have had hotel owners tell their guests… “but here in this hotel you can’t use a hair dryer, because we’re on solar”… I say, are you nuts? If you used a hair dryer long enough to use an appreciable amount of electricity your hair would fall out. Most folks use one about three times a week so like the other equipment in this category factored out over a week… not much energy use at all.
Hair Dryer
Blender Seems like everyone owns a blender but there the similarity ends. There are those who use them every day, sometimes more than once and there are some of us that just own one and rarely use it at all. The question here is do you use it every week or not, if not don’t count this appliance. .
Blender
Ceiling Fans are probably the most overlooked appliance you can have. First, nobody ever turns them off. Second, they don’t cool the air they just cool people. While they typically use slightly less than 90 watts, if they are left to run all the time, they can rack up quite a bit of energy usage. I have visited off-grid resorts with a large verandas replete with chaise-lounges and 5 or 6 ceiling fans going strong with nobody there. Like I said nobody ever turns them off when they move away from them. What to do? Go down to the local hardware store and get the push-button timers that replace the wall switch. Get the kind that let you push either two, four or eight hours. Even if you are sitting there and the fan goes off you can just push an additional two more hours and if there is one over your bed just choose eight hours.
Ceiling Fan
Dishwasher (cool dry) These labor-saving devices actually use less water than hand washing dishes. They give you the choice of hot dry or cool dry. If you are not running a restaurant you do not need to sanitize your own dishes so if you are going to have one use the cool dry option.
Dishwasher (cool dry)
Dishwasher (hot dry) If you are not running a restaurant you do not need to sanitize your own dishes so if you are going to have one use the cool dry option.
Dishwasher (hot dry)
Electric Toothbrush or Shaver Small appliances like these don’t really use much power but we include them because they are used every week. If you have both or more just enter how many.
Electric Toothbrush/Shaver Charger
Sound System These days most people just stream their music but some of us still have big surround sound stereos. Because of the wide range of potential energy usage you will have to figure this equipment load yourself and the time of use. Add custom value depending on type of sound system.
Sound System
Tablet Lot’s of folks have tablets as a compromise between a laptop and a small cell phone. For this computation it is best to figure the usage time and the charge time the same.
Tablet
DC Pressure Pump Water pumping can use up a lot of energy, but DC motors tend to use half the energy of AC motors. DC Pumps cost more than their AC counterparts but are often better quality and have much longer life. In some circumstances they can be utilized Solar-Direct eliminating the need for Inverters, Charge Controllers and Batteries.
DC Pressure Pump
Solar DC Well Pump Water pumping can use up a lot of energy, but DC motors tend to use half the energy of AC motors. DC Pumps cost more than their AC counterparts but are often better quality and have much longer life. In some circumstances they can be utilized Solar-Direct eliminating the need for Inverters, Charge Controllers and Batteries.
Solar DC Well Pump
DC Ceiling Fan Years ago, DC ceiling fans were more popular than they are today. Solar Panels were very expensive and anything you could do to cut the energy load, you would try. Today however DC fans are typically used in situations where a fan is desired but running AC Power over a long distance is cost prohibitive Plus a DC fan can be wired solar direct without the need for a lot of equipment and it just runs when the sun shines which is when it is needed anyhow.
DC Ceiling Fan
DC SunDanzer DCF225 Freezer AC freezers are not energy friendly but they’re popular because they are cheap. DC Freezers and by comparison very efficient but they cost more. Some situations cry out for them. We sell a lot of DC freezers to beach front beer stands who run them from a couple of solar panels. They turn the thermostat up to 32 and stuff it with beer or other drinks. In a home situation you will probably save money by not having to buy more solar panels and batteries to run an AC unit.
DC SunDanzer DCF225 Freezer
DC SunDanzer DCF225 Refrigerator DC Fridge of the chest type can be used for longer term refrigerated storage, but a chest unit is very hard to find anything. We sell units that can run on one solar panel and can transport vaccines and refrigerated medical supplies on the back of a donkey.
DC SunDanzer DCF225 Refrigerator