REAL Green wrote:Certain times of the year I achieve 50% of electrical usage but a yearly average is probably 35%. I am curious are you grid tied and just feeding the grid and using the grid to charge the EV?
Because my panel output is relatively low compared to overall household usage (with or without the EV), electricity flows into the house and feeds whatever is needed. I can occasionally spin the meter backwards, but it only happens under certain conditions, panels being fed at capacity, no EV charging going on, low household use at the same time, etc etc.
REAL Green wrote: Grid tied solar does but you are dark when the power goes off.
Backup NG fired generation. I was in Vienna, VA in July, 2012 when the big derecho hit. Power out all over the place, could barely get to the airport and out of town. NG fired backup generators became quite popular for awhile. More than a couple folks on my block installed them, but more because of power outages in snowstorms. Hooked to the NG line, you can buy a manual or auto-activated type, dual fuel if you want. I have a friend who went whole hog after a snow storm took out power for a few days, auto-switching, dual fuel, enough output to run the entire house and then some. Overkill. I kept mine simple and smaller, NG only, manual switchover, 10kw for less than $5Gs.
REAL Green wrote:I am also happy with my Heatmaster wood boiler that is a highly efficient wood gasifier. Again when you consider your opportunity cost of labor and dollars invested in equipment wood does not pencil out either. I love wood heat so it has value to me.
Tried wood heat for a few years in the old place, prior to down sizing. Big old stove. It worked okay in not too cold conditions, the wife loved the heat quality, but it was a 4000sf 3 story, and the freeze line just had too much potential to make it inside the walls during a cold snap. No way of moving the warm air to the far side of the house, let alone the garage.
Plant Thu 27 Jul 2023 "Personally I think the IEA is exactly right when they predict peak oil in the 2020s, especially because it matches my own predictions."
Plant Wed 11 Apr 2007 "I think Deffeyes might have nailed it, and we are just past the overall peak in oil production. (Thanksgiving 2005)"