Trying to figue out a cost effective method of powering my house...not only for load shedding...but a way to have a pure sine wave feeding my electronics at home.



No return on investment installing a generator...starts costing as you install it...what seems common...people dont maintain the generator so the day you need it...carb is blocked or diesel requires bleeding...so it is off to the generator service guy and you end up with another bill.

...plus the fuel costs and services....etc etc...for those 12 hours blackouts...and the fridge needs to run etc...a generator is a good way to get all those heavier loads up and running...not forgetting the terrible distorted sine wave it produces.



So then we look at an inverter connected to the mains charging batteries ...pure sine wave...an investment? ...i would think so...not only are you providing a pure sine wave...if installed correctly...could also save your electronic devices/hadrd drives etc from minor over voltages or dips...much like installing an online pure sine wave UPS back in the old days...connected via batteries...thats where it starts getting expensive and replacing the batteries ever 5 -7 years becomes a huge capital out lay.



Now we look at a solar setup...add an charger unit/inverter and a pile of batteries and you in for around R60 000...for a 6 kva unit....my response would be too expensive...and not an option for a home..



So i have been thinking cut out a pile of batteries and your 5-7 years huge capital outlays is no longer a nightmare from hell...but then why waste the money installing only solar panels if you are not home during the day and your max demand is in the evening from around 5 pm...by that time the sun is already going down...now that i am looking into finding a solution for my own house...it got me thinking.



Here are my thoughts for my house.



An affordable outlay...sell one of my bicycles (R20k ) and invest the money into my house...buy a start kit ...by this i mean 1 or 2 solar panels to get me started...a solar charger/pure sine wave inverter (24 volt)...and just 2 batteries (12 volt 100 amp/hr) ...



the system will run all the electronics in the house with the the battery as a backup...the alarm...which will be linked to the phone app so that i can control everything from my phone...open and close gates etc...cctv system also connected to an app for remote viewing...to check the gate which will also be controlled by the phone...control LED lights around the house...ADSL router and the TV...so no matter if there is load shedding or not...all this stuff will have power.



The solar panel will feed power into the house during the day and charge the batteries...depending on the size and quantity of the panels the more stuff will run...fridge...pool pump etc and as more panels are added so feed more items...to a point that hopefully it will start turning my meter backwards ( i told i am not allowed to do this)...there was talk at one stage about getting a refund...i cant see that happening...i believe we will be taxed before we are credited.



These are just my thoughts...please share your thoughts or ideas...i might be way off the mark.