That EG4 efficiency is remarkable !

Good tips. Always look for efficiency. Most of the day I just need a USB 5V fan blowing on me to stay cool enough, whereas I used to run the window unit all day when it was warm. I watch movies and TV shows that I downloaded on my kindle and plug my laptop into my smallest solar generator when the power goes out, instead of powering my TV and PS4. I buy a certain amount of food that can quickly be heated in a microwave. Cover the small stuff first and there's a good chance you'll realize that you can go without the big stuff for longer than you thought.

@slomotrainwreck

23 күн бұрын

Dude I completely agree with covering the small stuff 1st, it's kept me from overspending on the big nice-to-have things. 👍

I really like the EG4 hybrid mini split, I have 4 solar panels connected to it and cools very well. My next house I'm going to build will be all electric off grid, I'm going to use an electric cooktop and a large air fryer combo oven. I have propane at my current place and off grid with the EG4 6000xp and EG4 battery rack with 6 batteries. No issues and highly recommend especially in the Caribbean

Mini split heat pumps really are a good off ramp from the huge central air conditioning system. A lot of the houses built in the past in Texas tended to be one story,long front, not very deep front to back. The ductwork in the attic runs in a very hot environment so it is a big drain on efficiency. The best ductwork is no ductwork at all.

Great to hear of new components. Please keep reviewing the cycle time of the all in one washer / dry through the next seasons summer, spring, fall, winter. Tell us the cycle time on a humid day vs dryer day, etc. Then that will be a really useful review, thanks!

I can't thank enough for that pdf you created. it's simple and easy to read.

I really wish some company would build an inexpensive wind-turbine that uses same cable/plug as solar panels.

Thanks!!! You reminded me of cooking unit forgot I had used in the past!!!!

Great video Brian im very interested in those Nu-wave induction cooktops or similar ...sounds like you've had great experiences with those thanks for sharing this info.👍👍

Heat pumps for all heating and cooling tasks are the most efficient way to go, even for us who are staying on the grid. For those of us who live in the north, the newer heat pumps can keep your house warm through most of the winter, though some backup is helpful during extreme cold. A good quality, full sized induction cooktop burner is expensive, but it can be fast and energy-efficient. The biggest problem with all of these is the availability of repair. There are not enough technicians trained to do the job, and sometimes parts are hard to obtain. That will improve in time, but meanwhile you have to hope that nothing will go wrong or you have to learn to do the repair yourself.

@jtmg11

23 күн бұрын

Yes everything you mention is true. I would add that keeping very clean air in the environment surrounding all the heat pumps as being a key to their longevity.

Bio gas can be a good alternative to propane and can be completely self generated

Check out impulse labs. They’re coming to market this year with an induction cooktop with a built in battery that will let you cook in it 3 or so times without power and also speed boil water by dumping 10kw into a burner if you need that. Best part is it can slow charge on 110v socket.

Can’t wait to see what you think of that 18kpv when you switch. Thanks for all the info.

I have solar and I fill my own propane tanks too

We've never had a drying issue with our GE either, I don't think it's the sensor but rather that they're either pulling the clothes out as soon as it finishes and not doing the magic one shake, or they're not cleaning the filter every time, or they've got like our day-one unit, lint-blow past where lint's building up on the coils and they aren't getting that cleaned out of there, ours got better after we did the electrical tape mod to the back of the filter, next up is the epoxy but I wanted to see it work before permanently modding it.

@mfb6310

3 күн бұрын

I have a new washer/dryer pair. But never use the dryer - Hang clothes outside or on 2 lines downstairs by furnace/HWH. I do wish I'd purchased a less wattage pair though, I went with Made in USA longevity. Excellent quality, just...not that efficient.

I did a deep dive on efficiency for cooking a while back, looking into the new efficiency standards that many say are designed to kill gas cooktops... Anyway, I DID find that induction is fairly efficient if all the government numbers are right. A FULL size cooktop is expensive but a single burner or two is not so costly. They do enable cooking with electricity with solar PV, something not so cost effective before. Electric oven maybe not so much if you want to bake, etc. I also hear the Instant pressure cooker pot, internally IS INDUCTION also. Interesting. I can pressure cook a roast for 60-75 min, and use only ~500w start to finish for a complete entre. My NG cooktop works fine, but Induction might be OK. Like another commenter said, IMPULSE labs has a crazy induction system with inverter and batteries AT THE COOKTOP. Not cheap but amazing performance. Take a look.

@callmebigpapa

3 күн бұрын

I see the single burner induction cooktop as thrift stores in my area all the time. Check your stores and you might be surprised.

I’m going to get 1000’ of 1/2” black poly tubing and strap to my roof for hot water with an on demand 12v pump for the shower and kitchen sink.

I don't know what it is... but you remind me of what Tom Green's big brother would look like. Greetings from the Republic of Texas.

How about an electric Aga oven/range? And a diesel heater?

The battery voltage should also be the utilization voltage, and as much equipment as possible should run directly at battery voltage. No obsession with Alternating Current.

Be careful. In many cases it is less expensive to just increase your solar system. I can run a traditional electric hot water heater, AC, well pump and the entire house even off batteries only. It wasn’t too bad money wise either. Geothermal alone would have cost more than my entire solar array and batteries.

I had not heard of a heat pump washer/dryer... Dang, I just bought a new gas dryer.

I will likely buy a heat pump water heater the next time I need to replace one. In the meantime,I put the 240 v elements in series so the load is cut in half. Uses the same amount of energy but takes twice as long to heat up. With 3500W elements, the inverter only has to supply 1750W. Since the top thermostat controls the whole tank,instead of switching to the bottom element,it turns on the next water heater on my system. The cold water enters the last heater in the sequence so ,in effect ,the second unit functions like the bottom element in a conventional water heater. The reduced current allows the system to run on #12 wire also saving on the investment in red gold.

@unpluggedtexan

28 күн бұрын

That’s smart. 👍

peeps rarely consider that if you are heating the inside of your space where the hybrid water heater is with an even (probably) more efficient mini split.... you are taking advantage of that heating efficiency.the COP of the WH is less than the latest mini splits most likely.. so the net COP is somewhere in between.. but we are still way ahead of the game. Use smarts to only heat during solar hours to the highest temps...might want to use elec elements near end of day to peak the temp right before solar diminishes.

@unpluggedtexan

29 күн бұрын

Yep that’s exactly how I use my water heater. On sunny days once my batteries are full I’ll kick the water heater up to its max setting of 140 degrees and use the heating elements to give the heat pump a rest.

My Gree mini split is 38 SEER

@unpluggedtexan

14 күн бұрын

That’s incredible. Wish they had a diy version. It costs a fortune to hire an HVAC guy to install them now.

Well, in Texas, sure. The sun shines when it's hottest when you can run A/C. In the north, you have to use non-solar sources in the winter. No way there is enough sun to heat, not even close.

I have 3 ton unit Central AC Bosch IDS2.0 20.5 seer Im very curious if I can run it with an 18kpv with an appropriate number of panels. Great video btw....taking notes. Im also from texas

@corba197

29 күн бұрын

A "soft start" unit added to your hvac might help with the startup surge, thus allowing the 12kW max output of your inverter to survive the current crunch when the heat pump starts.

@jasonhermosilla9064

29 күн бұрын

@@corba197 i cant...its already a full inverter not a staged system. From my understanding it's almost like it has a "soft start" already. You can educate me if I'm wrong

@AlfredBakovich-ms5dt

7 күн бұрын

Engineer777 makes the Bosh work on a five ton inverter

I'm concerned about the induction cooktop on top of the metal stove. Isn't it better placing them on a wooden surface

@unpluggedtexan

18 күн бұрын

They’re very safe. I’ve never had an issue with them on my stove top or on the counter.

Are convection ovens a lot more efficient than element ones?

@unpluggedtexan

29 күн бұрын

Not really. They save maybe 20%. So not game changing.

Does EG4 14.3 W 280AH indoor battery compatible with SolarEdge?

@unpluggedtexan

29 күн бұрын

I’m not sure. I don’t have experience with SolarEdge. Reach out to signature solar to ask that question.

You should being use a bas Mac M3 Mac mini because that Arm chip only take minuscule power!

What's the difference cost per BTU on your hot water tank between the heat pump and the resistance elements?

@unpluggedtexan

25 күн бұрын

I haven’t calculated the exact cost. But if I run on heating elements only I use about 8-9 kwh’s per day. When using the heat pump mode only I use between 3-5 kwh’s per day. The big difference for me is the lower running watts.

@unclegeorge7845

25 күн бұрын

@@unpluggedtexan Thanks.

Don’t you have EGR 18k as well?

@unpluggedtexan

29 күн бұрын

I do. I’m about to swap out the Sol-Ark with the EG4 18k PV to start testing it.

@scotthall1381

29 күн бұрын

@@unpluggedtexan AH ok I though you were going to combine the system

You can produce Hydrogen your solar can produce

My washing machine is 120Vac in a standard 20amp outlet. No sure what kind of magic you have to get a washing machine to 5Kw....LOL. Mine draws about 680W in wash and 750W in spin.

@unpluggedtexan

6 күн бұрын

The washer isn’t what uses 5,000 watts, it’s the dryer. This heat pump dryer only uses 400-500 watts when drying. That’s the game changer.

@iamblaineful

6 күн бұрын

@@unpluggedtexan You said between the washer and dryer it uses 5Kw each in the video, go back and watch it.

@unpluggedtexan

6 күн бұрын

@@iamblaineful if I did that was a mistake. In wash mode it’s about 350 watts. But every washer, even the older ones aren’t more than 1,000 watts. It’s the dryer that kills your battery bank unless you use gas or this heat pump model.

When you live off grid, you don't need clean cloths. You just stay stinky.

@unpluggedtexan

28 күн бұрын

Lol

Not all of California is in the south my friend. Ever hear of SoCal, it’s a real place...☀️ And Northern California can get pretty cold…🥶 I’m just saying brah…🤷🏻

If your attached to the grid your not offgrid. These are things you do to lower your bill not sustain you off grid.

@unpluggedtexan

9 күн бұрын

Those actually are the things I’ve done so I don’t need the grid when it finally becomes too expensive to use or becomes to unreliable to depend on.

Saving money sure sounds expensive. I bet you spent $500k on that stuff.

@unpluggedtexan

22 күн бұрын

While home solar system with energy storage was $35k. I spent around $7k on the energy efficient appliances. But I installed all of them myself which saved at least another $5k. We just had a thunderstorm knock out all power in our area for 6 hours. For me it was like it never even happened. I still had everything running including air conditioning.

Why do you call it "off grid"? You deceive,,, If you are connected, are NOT off grid pal.

@unpluggedtexan

28 күн бұрын

Because if I wanted to I could hand my meter back to the electric company. As I’m typing this I’m not using any electricity from the power company. I rarely do. I only have the grid connection because it’s the cheapest form of backup power. That’s like saying someone isn’t really off grid if they have a generator for backup (which everyone does). I deceive? I’m very clear about what I’m doing. And if my power company ever raises my fixed “meter fee” to the point it’s cheaper to run my generator as backup then I’ll go that route.

@jray831

28 күн бұрын

But if his system isn't drawing from the grid then I think it counts I wish US would require power companies buy surplus from people that have solar systems

@ethernet01

26 күн бұрын

still connected to the grid, not using the grid the lights are running off grid at night

@user-dt3sq7rw3b

12 күн бұрын

In many parts of the country if grid is available, you must be connected or the sheriff will have to declare it illegal for habitation. He did say he has generators. But also said the grid is cheapest backup

I thought this was an info commercial to sell that book what a waste of a click