Solar Panels and Windmills, is it possible to get off the Eskom's grid.

Have any of you gone this route, of replacing some of your power with solar panels etc? My Eskom bills are getting ridiculous now, I'm considering an option B. Any advice or ideas? I know this is a betting forum, so excuse me for asking here, but I've often got some good advice on these forums.

.....I'm also toying with the solar panel idea.....but at the moment costs are prohibitive and skilled installers are few and far between....ESCOM should give some form of subsidy like they do for certain solar geyser installations....to make it financially viable....not only trying to save electricity with the idea.....just do not want to be too dependant on it....so I can power certain appliances when be have blackouts....EVEN started collecting deep cycle 12V batteries for power storage....:S

Gas is a very good option , for showers and stoves .

Here's something which I installed successfully :

1.) This works well if you are a family of two ( ie kids are gone or no kids )
2.) My geyser is a 150 litre unit.
3.) I installed a 50 litre geyser. ( 1x bath = approx. 44 litres, 1 x shower = approx. 22 litres )
4.) Electrician installed in such a fashion that you can use either or. We have yet to use the big geyser again which is now permanently off.
5.) Both geysers are, therefore, normally off unless hot water required.
6.) Hot water from the 50 litre unit available after about 12/15 minutes in summer. Double that time in winter.
7.) Immediate reduction in electricity after installation was about R500 pm.
8.) The entire installation cost about R4,000 and doesn't involve the re-building of your home!

gg Wrote:

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> Gas is a very good option , for showers and stoves
> .
Got gas back in 2006 actually bought the stove 18months before when reading articles about ESCOM not being able to supply enough electricity in the future ......had to wait to install when I finally refitted kitchen....it is quick instant and cost effective.....exception my gas fire place chews gas...:S

Muhtiman Wrote:

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> gg Wrote:
>

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>

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> > Gas is a very good option , for showers and
> stoves
> > .
> Got gas back in 2006 actually bought the stove
> 18months before when reading articles about ESCOM
> not being able to supply enough electricity in the
> future ......had to wait to install when I finally
> refitted kitchen....it is quick instant and cost
> effective.....exception my gas fire place chews
> gas...:S

Except when gas runs out like a few years ago.....groot kak coming this winter!

they had some guy on radio 702 last week, he spent 250k installing a complete solar energy plant at his house...:

Buy a good generator for back-up. Keep about 10litres of fuel. Candles, gas appliances and a moerse lot of (more ) candles, Lions matches, etc
Rooikrans hout get delivered to your house for +/- R800 per 1000 pieces. That is a braai every day for about a month with all the pleasure going with it.....eskom se moer.

I am also looking into Solar which IMO is the way to go. I have a Solar Geyser, Gas Hob Electric Oven and an Aga anthrasite stove which burns 24/7/365. My killer is a Submersible Borehole for the Gardens irragation which has a 3kW motor, but the Wife loves her Garden and I love my punting so it is a trade off.

To have a 15kVA Solar system installed would cost about R 375 000 - 00 and the payback time would be approx 15 years. The efficiency of Solar Energy is very low about 20 to 30 % but the biggest problem appears to be the Batteries available to store the Energy and Batteries also have a life span which in most instances is way less than 15 years. Plug-In Solar Panels are available so it is possible and easy to build up a Solar installation over time by starting smaller e.g. Lights only and then increasing the Output (kVA).

There are basically 2 systems available.
One where there are no Batteries so there is no Storing of Energy. The energy consumption at any point in time is supplied from the Solar Panels. Should the Energy consumption be greater that what the Panels can supply the surplus is drawn from the Mains and conversely if you are using less Energy than what the Panels are supplying then the excess get transferred back into the Mains and in theory your Elect Meter should rotate in reverse, still investigating whether this is possible in RSA. But Solar Energy will only be available mainly during daylight hours.
In the other system the Solar Energy is completely divorced from the Mains supply and all the Energy generated by the Solar Panels is stored in Batteries and Energy for domestic purposes is drawn directly off the Batteries.

OR - a bit off topic but still ... instead of candles try camping lamps, the LED type. Cost c. R250 and from personal experience they will last all evening. Maybe longer. And they are bright enough to read by. Not a long-term solution like solar but will see you over (most) Eskom "load shedding".

I have the notion that Solar (perhaps not completely) could be the industry that could be the next Cellphone type savior that could help with unemployment. Our government should be training up installers all over the place as I have tried to investigate Solar but do not have trust in the few people and the prices are totally exorbitant if you want to use that energy for most of your home.

Good topic this.

I have installed Solar Geysers. They have cut my monthly bill quite dramatically in summer and do OK in winter. Not as dramatic saving due to the ESCOM Sliding tariff system.

I have had timers fitted to the Pool and Borehole and reduce the Pool time in winter quite dramatically.

Jacuzzi a no go.
Under floor heating a no go.
Heated pool unless Solar a no go.
Oil or electric heaters a no go.

Kettle and stoves if u can move them to gas big saving but I am still getting to that at my house.

Halogen globes no go.

I inststalled software called Owl or Mister Owl that manages my electricity flow on the board. Not sure how it works but makes a small difference.