This chart helps ascertain how many devices your system will support during an ongoing multi-day power outage such as a substantial storm, hurricane or other disaster might cause. It also supports the relationship between different power sources in ways I have never seen elsewhere. There are extensive formulas within this chart to help guide your input to realize practical and usable results.
This part sets your base line for all the rest of your energy calculations. Some of these numbers might be difficult to find because there are brands that do not want to make it obvious that their equipment may not be sufficient for your application. If the parameter does not apply, leave it blank. For instance, if you do not have any solar panels to recharge your system, that box does not get a number.
Parameter A: Solar Capacity – this is the rating of your solar recharge panels in watts
Parameter B: Battery Capacity – your battery size in amp/hours
Parameter C: Battery Voltage – your combined battery voltage
Parameter D: Charger Amps – this is the wall charger for your unit, which may also be recharged by your gas generator if you have one.
NOTE: if your battery system is only rated in watt-hours, put that number in the capacity box and 1 in the voltage box. This will also affect the recharge rate which should now also be stated in watts.
Parameter E: Generator Capacity – this is the full 120 vac output of your gas backup generator. Do not use any 240 volt rating.
Parameter F: Generator Run Time – for calculating fuel consumption, this is usually given as a half load rating. If not, adjust the number to compensate.*
Parameter G: Generator Tank Size – when the generator gives a run time, it is typically a half electrical load using a full tank. This helps calculate the watts per gallon baseline.
This is your wish list of equipment you want to use during the outage. The lists are short because let’s face it, you will never run that much compared to what you could when the grid was up. Look for the electrical label on your equipment or use a portable watt meter like the Kill-A-Watt ™ to measure an item’s energy consumption.
CONTINUOUS LOADS: Things like your air conditioner might run 1/3 to ½ of the time in the summer, so put a duty cycle of 0.33 to 0.5 in the box. Later you find you have better insulation or you can stand to run it at a higher temperature and it runs less, so adjust this down to maybe ¼ or 0.25. Your refrigerator goes here, too.
INTERMITTANT LOADS: These are the things you only use at certain times. The TV, lights, CPAP machine or a fan go here. If your system has the rating, maybe add a hair dryer or coffee pot, but don't use them for long!
INTERMITTANT DEVICE RUN TIMES: Here is your challenge. How much can you use things with the power you have? Put a 1 in the box to see if you can operate a TV for the whole hour. Put a 2 in the box if you have two identiacl lights that will run the entire hour. You want to might make coffee and if you turn it off as soon as it is brewed, that number might be only 0.1 (6 minutes). Let’s say you do not have enough power at 7 am, but after the sun rises there is enough at 9 am. Learn to have coffee at 9 am and you might get to have coffee every day during a prolonged outage.
Legal stuff: The chart below is offered for private use to evaluate your alternative energy system. We do not grant permission for you to modify, distribute or use it for commercial purposes. We also do not warrant the chart as being suited for any particular purpose. The first section is filled in with our Elite System parameters but can be changed to compare other systems.
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