30+ years of Solar Electric (off grid) basic tips | Alternative Energy | Forums

I thought it might be useful to post a few of the Tips we have learned in our life living off grid.

1) Start small and build as you can buy (debt free).

Our first PV panel (circa early 1980s) was a single 35 watt one. It provided us with electric light, music and a RV TV & radio. Not used all at once either! As we saved $$, we added a few more panels - 40 Watts and eventually replaced our propane refrigerator with a mega efficient Sun Frost. 

2) Make each electrical use count.

When we moved to our property we sold almost anything we owned that had an electrical cord. As we added electrical items we made very sure that those were as energy efficient as we could find. (a Brand Meter told us what actual electrical use was, not 'rating' advertised) Educating one's self is cheap and costs only the use of one's mind and ability to read/research [online]. 

3) Discover - by and for yourself - alternatives that work, $ave time and costs.

We lived without a dishwasher in our last place. When we lived a 'rental' house while our house was being built, the there dishwasher died. I looked for a dishwasher which had ultra energy efficient cycles. Nearly burnt my hands when I picked up the price tags! Ended up with nearly the cheapest model I could find and switched it from a 900 watt sucker to a 90 watt beauty! How?!? First I disconnected the wiring (pulled slip on lead) to the heater element. After having talked to an engineer in customer service for that product line, I found out that the heat element at the bottom of the cabinet serves mainly to get water hot enough to activate detergent so it will dissolve and wash away food bits. Well, simple brushing off and a quick rinse of items going in cuts that need down! What I do as I start this appliance is to run the hot water at the kitchen sink (INTO a gallon container so as to not waste drinkable water down the drain) so that the water that goes into the dishwasher is as hot as the water heater can make it. I then set a timer for the length of the wash & rinse cycle so that I can stop the cycle at that point and open the door to let everything air dry. Been using this 'method' for the last 10+ years and still get clean dishes.

A couple of footnotes - each month I dump in a cup of vinegar to run with regular cycle to help counteract hard water that ruins the pump and other water pipes. Mid month I run in an EMPTY machine using the Rinse (15 min.) cycle 1/2 cup of bleach. I do this because the water heater temps can not kill some bacteria like the element boosting heats water to near sanitizing levels.

4) Be as FRUGAL with use as possible! Turn lights not in immediate use OFF. Install switch-able outlets so that phantom (not visible but there) loads like microwaves, computers, tvs and battery rechargers are not ALWAYS 'on'. The less you use, the smaller and cheaper your system can be!

That's it for now. Hope this is helpful and maybe more ideas will be shared as replies tag on or questions get sparked.