Your guide to smart, optimal, self-sufficient energy.
Your guide to smart, optimal, self-sufficient energy.
Solar panels can be a pretty consistent source of energy, but when it comes to exactly how much energy that is, it is important to set your expectations right. To do that, it is important to understand the difference between Power (Watts) and Energy (Watt-hours), and what each…
Electricity measurement units can be very confusing and are often misunderstood, this is mainly because electricity itself is a complicated subject. In my article about Electricity and its measurement units, I discuss Amps, Volts, Watts, and Watt-hours. In this article, I’ll explain what kW and kWh are, what…
When you look at your utility bill, your electricity usage is measured in kWh, which stands for kiloWatt-hours (1000 Watt-hours) and is what your utility company charges you for at the end of the month. However, when you look at the electrical specifications of an appliance, a solar…
Below, you’ll find our Energy Consumption Calculator, which helps you estimate your energy consumption in both Watt-hours (Wh) and kiloWatt-hours (kWh) based on: The appliances you use. Their Power Usage (in Watts). Their daily usage duration (in hours). The number of days in which you use each appliance.…
Fuses and circuit breakers are what you call overcurrent protection devices (or OCPDs for short), and their job is to disconnect the circuit in case the current (in Amps) exceeds a certain threshold. This allows them to protect the wires and the equipment if – for any reason…
The 5kW (5000 Watts) rating on a solar system means that, provided enough direct sunlight, the system could potentially produce 5000 Watts of power. But the actual amount of power that a system of this size produces is not constant and will fluctuate throughout the day. For example,…
Electricity has many measurement units, such as: Volts, which measure Electrical Potential, or simply voltage. Amps, which measure Electrical Current. Watts or kiloWatts, which measure Electrical Power. Watt-hours or kiloWatt-hours, which measure Electrical Energy. The 4kW (4000W) rating of a solar system means that, provided there’s enough direct…
Unlike Energy, which is accumulative and is measured in Watt-hours (Wh) or kiloWatt-hours (kWh), Power is instantaneous and is measured in Watts (W) or kiloWatts (kW). Power measures the rate at which Energy is being generated. For example, a 3kW (3000 Watt) solar system is capable of producing 3000…
In a solar system, a battery bank has one important job, and that is to offset 100% of your energy usage. So naturally, when sizing a battery bank for your solar system, your energy usage, among other things, should be taken into consideration. If sized improperly, the battery…
In the summer, with the right weather conditions, a 2kW (2000 Watts) solar system could produce up to 2 kiloWatts (or 2000 Watts) of power, or even more in some cases. However, what really matters at the end of the day, literally, is not the amount of power…
To find the proper wire and fuse (or circuit breaker) sizes for your 3000 Watt inverter, you’ll need to calculate the maximum amp draw of the inverter. This maximum amp draw will generally depend on 2 factors: The efficiency of your inverter. The lowest battery voltage at which…
The amount of current (Amps) that a 1500 Watt inverter draws will mainly depend on the voltage of the battery bank (12V, 24V, or 48V), and the power usage (Watts) of the AC load. However, the wires and over-current protection devices (fuses and circuit breakers) used for the…
