How to save money with Solar when it is only available in the day?
Do nothing don't change your habits and still save money, but how? Everyday our homes consume energy on an ongoing basis from our "always on" appliances such as our fridge and freezers and items on standby. We can choose to passively manage them by turning everything off at scheduled times or live an active life and generate power to cover their usage.
The Sun's usable energy production is about 8-10 hours in summer and 4-6 hours in winter, therefore solar would cover 46% of your bill in summer and 25% in winter.
Turning items off at the wall is a fools errand as your biggest consumers of power are actually anything that cools or heats using electricity.
Such as your biggest energy consumers are:
- Toaster
- Kettle
- Cooktop
- Oven
- Air Conditioner -Water heaters (hotwater units)
- Washing Machine
- Dishwasher
- Clothes Dryer
Your medium energy consumers are:
- Computers (due to being on the most)
- irons (due to short duration)
- blow dryers (due to short duration)
Your lowest energy consumers are:
- Items on standby
- Lights (unless you own a stadium in your back yard)
- Lamps
- Small electrical appliances like clocks and electronic equipment
Yes the small and medium items can add up to a lot over a long period of time but they will only ever be a quarter to half of your annual bill. The big consumers will be the other three quarters or half, so how can we manage these loads when solar is only available in the daytime?
Simply turn your big consumers on during the day with delay on timers built into the dishwasher, washing machine or dryer, getting home a little earlier to cook dinner or using a slow cooker to absorb energy throughout the day.
