Do You Have to Run Your Generator to Turn on Your Lights?

Living on the ranch for most of us is peaceful and relaxing compared to the fast pace of the big city. But it can also bring lots of new challenges to life. One of these challenges is living off grid where we are our own finite power source. Another new experience is taking that extra-long shower at night doesn’t cost us 4¢ on our water bill but may mean that we get to go pick up water on Sunday as opposed to relaxing with the family.  

Living with a finite power source is one of the biggest adjustments needed when going from urban to off-grid living. That is unless you like to hear the buzz of a generator running all the time. So how do you live smart off grid with a solar/battery system? Let's discuss options to make your house as energy efficient as possible. This will help you maximize the precious power that you have stored in your batteries from the sun. 

We’ll start with the lights. Most of us are very familiar with the old incandescent bulbs that have been around for decades and use on average 40-60 watts per bulb. Even more common these days, and what we see a lot of on the ranch, are CFL or compact florescent bulbs. These bulbs will put out the same amount of light as their incandescent partners but at a significantly reduced power consumption, usually around 14 watts for a 60-watt equivalence. They range around $1.50 to $2.00 each based on quality. Not bad for a 75% power savings, and these bulbs can run for up to 8,000 hours. That’s a great deal of energy savings. Now the bad news; these bulbs take a few moments to reach full brightness which can be a problem in a bathroom or an area where you only turn the light on for a few moments (say a pantry or closet). Secondly, they contain mercury which is harmful to you and the environment if broken or not disposed of properly. 

The best lighting option is the LED light. In recent years, these bulbs have gained great popularity and have dropped in cost drastically, making them the front-runner in overall efficiency. A good quality LED 60-watt equivalent bulb will draw only 8 watts of power and run about $2.00 each. Even better news is these bulbs will last between 25,000 to 50,000 hours, have no harmful chemicals inside, and light to full brightness instantly. This could mean it may be the last bulb you ever buy. 

So, what does all this mean to us living off grid? Well let’s say you have four old style incandescent bulbs running in your house for six hours every night. That is a total of 1,440 watts of power consumed every day, and 525 kWh of power used over the period of a year. Let’s do the same four bulbs except in LED. Now we have dropped to 192 watts per day and a total of 70 kWh’s per year. That is a savings of 750% in power consumption, which overall means less battery draw. This extends the life of the batteries by reducing the daily depth of discharge. It also means less time listening to the beautiful sound of a generator running in the back ground sucking up your hard-earned cash in fuel costs. So, live power wise, and let the sun create all the power you need.

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions.