New project

[Baitbucket]

Very cool Will.  I don't care about rebates at all.  I dont want to rely on the grid or my generator in an emergency so this highly interests me.

I think the federal rebate is 26%. So whatever you end up paying, you get 26% back when you file your taxes over 3 years.

Does your house face south and have good exposure? Sunnumber.com is a pretty good site to get a quick guesstimate on how well your house would do with solar.

[lowaccord66]

Most of my house is shadded but I have a large yard that gets tons of exposure all day where an array could be placed.

[Baitbucket]

Most of my house is shadded but I have a large yard that gets tons of exposure all day where an array could be placed.

Ground array about triples the price due to hardware and having the run the cable underground to your house.

It was way cheaper for me to remove a few rows of trees to improve my sun exposure. I got to keep the tress they cut down to split into fire wood, essentially paying for the cost to have the trees removed.

[lowaccord66]

Isn't that the way it goes.  These trees here will stay...couple of birch, oak and a willow.  Shade all day immediately around the house is tremendous.  I guess I'll have to spend more money if I go solar. 

Meantime I need to get the panel for the generac re-wired.  They wired a majority of the breakers to baseboard heat.  No need for that with the pellet stove.

[Baitbucket]

Meantime I need to get the panel for the generac re-wired.  They wired a majority of the breakers to baseboard heat.  No need for that with the pellet stove.

I assume the Genrac has its own panel with breakers? If so, just leave the baseboard heat breakers off. Having the option to flip them on (should the pellet stove die) is a nice backup option.

[stripernut]

^^^^^^^^^^^^
What he said.

[lowaccord66]

It does.  The issue Will, is that there's lights in the house that are not wired to the breaker, like bathrooms.  So yes I agree leaving maybe one or two wired makes sense but not every room.

[Baitbucket]

It does.  The issue Will, is that there's lights in the house that are not wired to the breaker, like bathrooms.  So yes I agree leaving maybe one or two wired makes sense but not every room.

Light are important as well lol

If you need one of the breakers that the heat is on to add lights, that sound like a good swap. If u have space for more breakers, i would just have them add more for the lights.

I read and article and watched a couple videos on wiring those critical loads panels, its stupid easy..

[lowaccord66]

I'll check some of those videos out and see what I can learn.

[fishsluggos]

WOW

Will, I am very impressed! I have been looking into this for awhile and you have posted some of the best information I have seen yet.

[Baitbucket]

WOW

Will, I am very impressed! I have been looking into this for awhile and you have posted some of the best information I have seen yet.

Many thanks man. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

I havent posted an update in a bit on this. I decided to not use the 18650 batteries. While they are great for battery back up, they arent the easiest to get setup. Ive decided to switch over to Lifepo4 cells instead. They strap together with bus bars and are safer for in home use. They also are much easier to add on additional batteries. I have them on order and will update when I get them in. On the plus side, i sold the 18650 cells i had for $250 more than i paid.

Now i just need to find an electrician that can AC couple my existing converter to a hybrid inverter to hook the batteries to. Im confident I could do it myself, but having someone who has done it before would be beneficial.