rebelrider.mike
Member
- Joined
- May 25, 2017
- Messages
- 554
Hi folks. I've put all my time and effort so far into understanding batteries. I've not even begun to discover how to make one work for a whole house yet. In fact, I had only ever intended to use old laptop cells to make small projects; the largest being an eBike.
Since I've been part of this community though, the idea of a power wall has grown on me. It just makes too much sense to have one. So I'm going to add this to my list of things to do to make my house more energy efficient. It's already a long list...
First, a little info about the building. It was made in 1941, and the outer walls are cinder-block rather than wood. This makes it very durable as well as resistant to carpenter ants, mold, and rot. I live in the Pacific Northwest area of the US, so these things are big issues here! Unfortunately, the R value of cinder-block is around 2-ish. So we spend a lot of energy heating and cooling. The attic space is also under insulated. And under ventilated. The good news though, is that there's lots of room for improvement. Oh, one other thing of note: the basement is a daylight basement and partially above ground. So parts of it would benefit from insulation too.
Update 12/22/2023:
There are over 100 posts on this thread now. Rather than make people run through them all to get up to date, I've decided to post here at the top the progress I've made so far. Still happy to have people post though. Advice and info here has been invaluable.
Energy Production:
Energy Efficiency:
Updated Charts and Diagrams:
Since I've been part of this community though, the idea of a power wall has grown on me. It just makes too much sense to have one. So I'm going to add this to my list of things to do to make my house more energy efficient. It's already a long list...
First, a little info about the building. It was made in 1941, and the outer walls are cinder-block rather than wood. This makes it very durable as well as resistant to carpenter ants, mold, and rot. I live in the Pacific Northwest area of the US, so these things are big issues here! Unfortunately, the R value of cinder-block is around 2-ish. So we spend a lot of energy heating and cooling. The attic space is also under insulated. And under ventilated. The good news though, is that there's lots of room for improvement. Oh, one other thing of note: the basement is a daylight basement and partially above ground. So parts of it would benefit from insulation too.
So there's two ways to reduce the electric bill:
- Use less engergy
- Find cheaper energy
I intend to work at it from both sides.
On the energy efficiency side:
- The old single-pane windows have been replaced with modern ones.
- The old back door made from a single sheet of plywood has been replaced with a modern insulated door.
- The front door and basement door need to be replaced.
- The basement is in the process of getting additional insulation
- The main floor walls need insulation. I'm looking at a product called Fill-5000 (basically a truckload of expansion foam) to insulate without having to tear the place apart.
- The attic needs proper ventilation and insulation.
- Ye Olde furnace could be replaced with a modern heat pump.
- Air ducts could be improved for better air circulation.
- Electric hot water tank could be replaced with an on-demand water heater.
On the cheaper energy side:
- Solar would work great in the summer, and ok in the spring and fall. Winter is almost always overcast here.
-I don't know if a wind turbine would be effective in my area or not. I have to read up more about it.
- I'm also looking at upgrading my little 1500W gasoline generator with a gasoline/propane generator closer to 3500W. Still reading up on that, but during a power outage, I could conceivably run the house of the battery, and at least slow down the discharge rate with the generator.
- And if all else fails, I can use the grid to keep the battery charged in case of power outage. This is more common in the winter due to wind storms.
Do people charge their batteries with more than just solar? I need to read more of the DIY builds here to see what others might be doing. Based on what little I do know, here is how I think a house battery might be set up:
I know there are solar charge controllers with MPPT to get the most from the panels. I don't know how power from a wind generator would be controlled. I've never heard of a wind charge controller. I'd expect the gasoline/propane generator as well as the grid input would run on a regular A/C charger. Just have to find one to fit the battery.
As far as the battery, I know I'd want 48V, but I don't know the other properties yet. I'm not even sure what chemistry I want. They all have their pros and cons. I also need to learn what the energy usage of my house is like. I can get overall consumption from my power bill, but what about peak usage? How much power am I using if all my stuff is running at once? So I've got some learning there to do.
Related to that is the inverter. 48V DC to 220V A/C @ 60Hz. That should be no problem, but what about the Amps? Again, gotta know how much power my house uses so I don't accidentally buy an inverter that can't handle the load.
After the inverter is where my knowledge gets really limited. The inverter has to feed the service panel in order to feed the house. But it has to be able to isolate the battery power from the grid power in case of an outage. Turns out, its both illegal and immoral to electrocute linemen. But the battery still needs to power the house during an outage. I really don't know how all that works.
- Use less engergy
- Find cheaper energy
I intend to work at it from both sides.
On the energy efficiency side:
- The old single-pane windows have been replaced with modern ones.
- The old back door made from a single sheet of plywood has been replaced with a modern insulated door.
- The front door and basement door need to be replaced.
- The basement is in the process of getting additional insulation
- The main floor walls need insulation. I'm looking at a product called Fill-5000 (basically a truckload of expansion foam) to insulate without having to tear the place apart.
- The attic needs proper ventilation and insulation.
- Ye Olde furnace could be replaced with a modern heat pump.
- Air ducts could be improved for better air circulation.
- Electric hot water tank could be replaced with an on-demand water heater.
On the cheaper energy side:
- Solar would work great in the summer, and ok in the spring and fall. Winter is almost always overcast here.
-I don't know if a wind turbine would be effective in my area or not. I have to read up more about it.
- I'm also looking at upgrading my little 1500W gasoline generator with a gasoline/propane generator closer to 3500W. Still reading up on that, but during a power outage, I could conceivably run the house of the battery, and at least slow down the discharge rate with the generator.
- And if all else fails, I can use the grid to keep the battery charged in case of power outage. This is more common in the winter due to wind storms.
Do people charge their batteries with more than just solar? I need to read more of the DIY builds here to see what others might be doing. Based on what little I do know, here is how I think a house battery might be set up:
I know there are solar charge controllers with MPPT to get the most from the panels. I don't know how power from a wind generator would be controlled. I've never heard of a wind charge controller. I'd expect the gasoline/propane generator as well as the grid input would run on a regular A/C charger. Just have to find one to fit the battery.
As far as the battery, I know I'd want 48V, but I don't know the other properties yet. I'm not even sure what chemistry I want. They all have their pros and cons. I also need to learn what the energy usage of my house is like. I can get overall consumption from my power bill, but what about peak usage? How much power am I using if all my stuff is running at once? So I've got some learning there to do.
Related to that is the inverter. 48V DC to 220V A/C @ 60Hz. That should be no problem, but what about the Amps? Again, gotta know how much power my house uses so I don't accidentally buy an inverter that can't handle the load.
After the inverter is where my knowledge gets really limited. The inverter has to feed the service panel in order to feed the house. But it has to be able to isolate the battery power from the grid power in case of an outage. Turns out, its both illegal and immoral to electrocute linemen. But the battery still needs to power the house during an outage. I really don't know how all that works.
Update 12/22/2023:
There are over 100 posts on this thread now. Rather than make people run through them all to get up to date, I've decided to post here at the top the progress I've made so far. Still happy to have people post though. Advice and info here has been invaluable.
Energy Production:
Stage 1, electrical upgrades:
- Permit for sub panel and generator inlet acquired
- Sub panel installed
- ATS installed
- Parts for generator inlet installed
- 100lbs propane tank acquired/recertified/filled
- 1 circuit installed and operating on the sub panel
Stage 2, Battery/Inverter installation:
- Battery/Inverter tentatively chosen
Stage 3, Solar array installation:
- Requirements for AHJ and utility/county identified.
Energy Efficiency:
- Antient windows replaced
- Nasty kitchen door replaced
- Front door repaired
- All attic spaces now accessible
- Wall insulation started
- Heat pump installation scheduled for late spring
Updated Charts and Diagrams:
Last edited: