Submitted 11 months ago by ciferecaNinjo@fedia.io to energy@slrpnk.net
https://fedia.io/m/energy@slrpnk.net/t/125128
The energy suppliers in my area all have contracts I do not agree with. My gas & electric service may be cut in a couple weeks.
What’s my best move? I need enough electricity to power a mid-sized refrigerator (but could downgrade to a minifridge if needed), a few lights, router, laptop.
My boiler is gas but I have an old previously used mazute tank and furnice which I could possibly get working again with some effort.
Not sure what to do for cooking. Maybe use a portable electric cooktop.
Skip the batteries for now, get a few solar panels and an inverter. Skip depending on a fridge until you can get batteries in. But more details about your must haves, want to haves and nice extras would enable more exacting calculations.
Details on basic setup can be found here: anarchosolarpunk.substack.com/p/offgridsolar
I agree. skip the generator and skip batteries for now.
Put some ice blocks on your fridge that will help it stay colder longer and run less often. Also add some rigid foam insulation around the outside of it and the door (don’t cover any cooling coils or fans or anything like that) OR get a small chest freezer and use it as a fridge, you can often find them used for cheap or free. Freezer tend to be better insulated also a top opening chest freezer is less convenient to store/organize stuff in but it holds cold better because it doesn’t dump out the door every time you open it.
The guy suggests not mounting the panels on the roof. That would be my only option. Then he mentioned hail. Well that would seem to blow it. We get flash hail storms. They’re short enough that in the time it would take me to protect the panels (assuming I'm home) the storm would stop and the damage would be done.
offtopic: Such a nice post for a place themed “green energy”, LOL.
slrpnk.net/c/offgrid would have been the better place indeed 🤷♂️
Hi there! Looks like you linked to a Lemmy community using a URL instead of its name, which doesn’t work well for people on different instances. Try fixing it like this: !offgrid@slrpnk.net
Yeah, I meant that normally people focused on being able to live off the grid are often aggressive towards green energy proponents and vice versa, because, well, gasoline and diesel fuel and all that are good to be autonomous, but very, very not green. I’m thinking of survivalist types.
You probably want a gas generator since diesel smells terrible and you don't want that anywhere near your home.
You just need to make sure you get one that can run long enough without having to stop. Most portable can't even run an entire day. If you get a stand by generator, that shouldn't be an issue. But you might still need to take a break once a week.
In general gas generators require more maintenance and have a shorter lifespan. But you probably want to switch to another energy source all together. A generator is. only good for 10,000-30,000 hours. Which is 1-4 years if you are using it every day.
A diesel generator would last longer and is easier to repair. So if you plan on using a generator for the next few decades, get a diesel. But I would suggest adding solar power asap and then only using the generator as backup. That way even a gas generator could last 20-50 years.
Unless your using a 1800RPM industrial generator you will be lucky to see 2000 hours of use. Any generator you can get at Home Depot, Lowes, etc will not last long. They hold less than 2qts of oil and do not have oil filters. They are in no way made to be used in a prime power situation.
Since this would be a short term solution, a gas generator is probably your better choice. Diesel generator smell terrible and you don't want that near your home.
Gas generators need more maintenance and have a shorter lifespan than diesel but that shouldn't matter since long term you would want to switch to another energy source all together.
Just add up the electricity you need and get a generator that makes enough, probably in the 5-7000 watt range.
For cooking you can also get a gas stove. You can buy a smaller 1-2 burner one or a full on stove and just hook it up to a gas cannister instead of the gas outlet in your home.
Hotchpotch@beehaw.org 11 months ago
Both will blow a lot of dirt and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. What about solar panels or a windmill?
Hillock@kbin.social 11 months ago
Neither can be realistically installed in a couple of weeks. Depending on where you live, the waiting time for a battery is already 3-4 weeks.
theory@feddit.uk 11 months ago
Would that generate remotely enough power?
I_Miss_Daniel@kbin.social 11 months ago
Solar with enough panels and storage can do a great deal. For cooking consider an induction cook top as they're about double the efficiency of a traditional stove.
Batteries are kinda pricey though. I guess it depends on your budget. Perhaps a generator for standby or night time / overcast power.
Hotchpotch@beehaw.org 11 months ago
That depends on how many sun hours or/and wind you’ve got at your place, how much panels you can install and of course how much light you’re using. I don’t have the knowledge to do the math on that.
Is there a free market to buy (sustainable) electricity from at your place? Or are you forced to buy from the local/regional provider?