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22 Aug ’15
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We are totally new to the wrold of alternative power and have been planning to get our house set up with solar power. I am curious what you all think of the new Tesla battery released this summer. There's a 7kilowatt-hr option and a 10kilowatt-hr option, and it has everything built into it except the power converter and the solar panels themselves. Would the 7kilowatt-hr option be enough to power a small/average home with average usage of appliances?
15 Feb ’12
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Hey Udder, it really depends on your current energy usage. Do you have a current electric bill handy to see what it is? The biggest impact you can have is by downsizing your current usage and building a system for that.
I have been following the tesla batteries since they announced them, I think a prudent choice at this time is waiting to see reviews from people that have ordered them after they start shipping. I am a big fan of musk and hope he can deliver on the expectations and promises that have been conveyed through the promotional material for these.
22 Aug ’15
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We just moved into this house at the end of Jan, and it looks like our highest kilowatt-hr usage was in April and May at just under 700 kilowatt-hrs for each month. Our stove is gas, our heat is electric. We have a fridge and toaster oven and lights, but that's pretty much it. Oh and the pumps for our well & cistern are electric. I like your advice on taking the prudent approach and not jumping right in with the Tesla battery, but of course Musk has me freaked out thinking I gotta get one now because he said the price will go up significantly after this first year of marketing it.
15 Feb ’12
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So you are using roughly 23.33 kwH per day, you would need 3 of the 10 kwH ones or 4 of the 7 to maintain with your current usage. Any chance of switching out the high electric components in your home? The solar panel array to feed three or four of those units would be pretty massive.
22 Aug ’15
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I couldn't figure out at first why our usasge was higher for those months - now I remember; we were incubating eggs...with a food dehydrator. *cringe*. That wasn't the best idea. It looks like with our normal usage we are averaging around 300. But it seems like if we went the Tesla battery route we probably still wouldn't be able to get away with 1.
Oh and we have two kids in cloth diapers which we have to wash everyday - forgot about the washer/dryer. I'm thinking we need to get a clothesline... that's probably a "duh".
15 Feb ’12
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the 10 KwH would be cutting it close. A clothesline should have a pretty large impact. Lol, know you got me thinking what our useage is, I'll have to check our electric bill when I get home.
How did the dehydrator work as an incubator for you?
22 Aug ’15
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Thank you for helping me think through that. We are learning slowly what our needs are and where in the world to start. I'm wondering if it would be better to just go the route of something like what this fella on the forum set up... http://thehomesteadi.....wer-setup/
The dehydrator worked and we had a pretty successful couple of hatches! To buy a good, reliable incubator is $500 or more so we figured we'd not waste our money. Didn't think of how much power our method would use... but at least we got our flock of ducks started and hopefully now they'll make more of themselves without our help.
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