Solar Cost Myths! How Much You Can Actually Spend!

[@juniorlargie]

Eric you talk A LOTTTTTT. AND I LOVE IT. Because you give EVERY LITTLE DETAIL so that no question is left unanswered. I’m going to be using you as a guide to setup up my off grid system and I’ll keep you updated. Keep up the great work.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Lol, awesome! Glad I can get all of the info packed into the video for y'all. Keep me updated for sure.

[@patricklofton564]

I bought rural land in Tennessee. It would cost about $40000 to get electricity there. I'm hoping to go totally off grid solar from the start. This would include the home build also. Keep the info coming. I'm electrically challenged. 😀

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You can do it! I was electrically challenged before starting these projects too. I studied hard to acquire the knowledge.

[@uhjyuff2095]

@@CountryLivingExperience Awesome job!

[@charelsmissinglink]

@patricklofton564 very similar but my bid was 35k. Or I can just pay 45k and get a big overkill system from day one.

[@enriquemorales8419]

Your video is GREAT. I live in PR where is sunny thru all the year and I have a little system configure as a backup unit and I did as you tell and it is been excellent and it is stackable too. I wish I had seen you video sooner to avoid some issues when was building my system. I will be following your advises as I make my installation bigger.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[@mnj5089]

VERY well done! I am sharing to a chat group I am in and hopefully getting closer to wrapping up our system using the Growatt 5000ES inverters and the same batteries you have. I just want to second that Signature Solar has been incredibly supportive to us as well depsite some growing pains, moving and good grief are they busy! The sign of a really good company I think. Anyway, thanks for making this! Hope my comments reach some of your views on the fence too. We have zero regrets on our decisions and feel blessed to have found this company and these products. They absolutely do save a fortune and give you incredible bang for the buck.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you and thank you for sharing.

[@Wrenchen-with-Darren]

You've done well, my 9200watt system (I built) cost me $14,600 and I shopped for all parts. You did good!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Awesome. Thanks. Sounds like you did well also.

[@hippiewithacowboyhat]

I agree 100% with everything he said. My use loads for Puerto Rico can be fully off grid with a 7kw system. And I can get almost everything needed for less than $10k from signature as a DIY kit. To note, the solar companies in PR will quote you $25k for the same size system with cheap unknown brands. It pays to either already know what you're doing, or learn how to do it. But be mindful, a mistake can kill you, so if you're not sure or not up to the learning, get an electrician to do the wiring at least.

[@secondadventmessengerminis3594]

I have three of the Growatt 5000’s and 6 EG4LL’s and 24 385 kWH biracial panels and I tell can tell you that, without even having bought my rack and additional hardware, your cost is spot on.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Amen

[@emerald_pollex01]

I really appreciate this info. I just found out about your channel and started binge watching a bunch of your videos. I'm a plumber in southern Ontario and my wife and I are looking forward to getting a half-acre property with a small house on it. I want to get a small solar generator that I have full ownership and control over but retain the freedom to bum power off of it and not use "the grid" by use of a manual switch. I eventually want to build a secondary building (auxiliary building) that serves as a workshop/external garage/storage that would be powered off-grid and use reclaimed rainwater for gardening and flushing toilets and other grey water applications. I enjoy following your homestead journey and look forward to more of your videos. Keep being honest like you have been and if other people want to stick their heads in the sand and not research what "they" are doing, that's their loss. The good book says something about a shrewd person seeing trouble arising and doing something about it to protect themselves. I think despite all of our differences in our beliefs, that is one principle that everyone should agree on, just like the golden rule. :)

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome. Thanks for being here. Sounds like you have a good plan in place.

[@emerald_pollex01]

@@CountryLivingExperience i hope so. Now with all this food scarcity starting up again in North America, you can't be too prepared. :)

[@jamesadams5281]

Thank you for this video and linking materials that you purchased.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You are so welcome!

[@chasmarischen4459]

Good video! Well said. Have been piecing together parts for about ten years. And I power an 18 cu ft fridge, a 4 cu ft fridge, two (2) 7 cu ft chest freezers, Lights, TV, Computer, with 10 - 260 watt panels (that's a 2.6w system), an Outback MAX 80 charge controller (for future expansion), 48v, 3300 watt Spartan Pure Sine wave inverter. And 16 (yes sixteen) 6v GC2 batteries... My primary income is the average Soc Sec so hoping to get LiFePO 4 batteries before the lead acid ones die. A lot of this I bought 5 to 8+ years ago, and even with this recent rapid inflation. The newer components are cheaper now. Except the batteries I got for $89 each at Rural King 3 years ago. My investment totals around $6000 (that includes the tools). Yeah that buys a lot of electricity, BUT what's the value of electricity when it's out for a few weeks. And the price of electricity IS going up, gas for a generator and the generators themselves will go back up... It was fun to put together, thus I know how to fix it IF it has a problem (none yet). And yet the newer components/systems are basically 'Plug & Play" and not as complex as mine. Go for it!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Cool. Hope you can get those LiFePo batts someday soon.

[@paulgreen5255]

Sounds like you maybe in my neck of the woods. I’m in the SW corner of Arkansas, Texarkana area. I had not realized that Signature Solar was that close to me. Thanks. I will be consulting them soon.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Yep, we are near Tyler.

[@bobbydale1957]

Thanks for all the info.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Our pleasure!

[@solartime8983]

🌻 Great Solar Presentation C.L.E. 😁 A note: From my experience ...Lowest cost 'Cheap' (anything inc. Labor) is Too expensive in the long term🌅

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you. I totally agree.

[@orlandolucas8421]

Well spoken and I totally agree with everything, and you made very understandable.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you

[@randywildman4412]

Just wanted to thank you for all the info I needed for my Solar Install, you explained the install of your Growatt system extremely well, I was able to install my Growatt es5000 system with no problems and now it's up and running perfectly. It feels great to be off grid and not relying on the power company. Keep up the great video's. Take care brother. Also I agree with you about people lying about there low costs of system installs.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome. Glad I could help. So awesome that you got yours running!

[@randywildman4412]

@Country Living Experience: A Homesteading Journey working like a charm brother, by the way it's a 460 watt panel at 36 of themfor a total of 16560 watts. 3 Growatt ES5000 inverters in for total of 15000 watts and 8 EG4 batteries for 40 total. Also forgot lol 1 Growatt Transformer to give me my 120 volts. Take care brother and tha KS for your help.

[@vjslaughter2059]

Thank you YES NEEDED info.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kayemoore]

OMG THANK YOU! Your honest guidance is appreciated

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You’re welcome

[@GavinStoneDIY]

You’re going to love the 6500’s. I have the mpp version. Easy to wire and program. You should use the bypass option when you wire it this time. Much easier then manually switching things back and forth.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Awesome! Yea, can't wait to get them in. I have to run new wire to the main panel through the attic though. Waiting until it drops below 100F to do that.

[@GavinStoneDIY]

@@CountryLivingExperience yeah I don’t blame you there with the attic. I made a little video on this also, but I will mention, balancing loads is something you have to think about with these inverters. The growatts wouldn’t have an issue because of the transformer. But these you need to be more mindful of balancing which breaker runs what on the 120 loads because of the split phase. That way one inverter isn’t running a whole bunch more then the other. Also balancing the solar panels between them. That way they can run purely off of sun in a balanced way. If the panels are heavily run to one inverter the one will be using battery while the other is using sunshine. Anyway, I know it may seem fairly obvious but it’s actually important stuff that I sorta thought about along the way.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Very good point. My main panel seems to be very balanced right now. However, I will really find out once get the EG4's installed and running.

[@uhjyuff2095]

@@CountryLivingExperience Electrician life!

[@parriska]

Local electricians just quoted me 56k for a 16kW grid tied system with no battery backup. I'm going the diy route. Lots to learn, but it'll be rewarding I'm sure! I'll be reviewing your previous solar videos.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

What did the 56k include? All components and installation?

[@parriska]

@@CountryLivingExperience yes. All materials and install.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

That is actually not a horrible price by today's standards but DIY is going to be way less expensive.

[@jdollar5852]

I was quoted between $20k and $70k for a system with no batteries this time last year. The $20k was a local company and all quotes were for grid tie systems.

[@niktak1114]

That's insane. For $56k you can get dual Sol-Ark 15s, 16kW of bifacials, a Sinclair ground mount, 60kWh of batteries with grade A cells, and still have money left over for the wiring and everything else.

[@debbiedogs1]

This is a great overview and comparison, thank you!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome

[@zachtaylor6824]

your the man no bs thank you

[@willbass2869]

*EXCELLENT* You could've had another 30 minutes added and still been great. I really like project parameters, parts & prices all broken down. Watching and LEARNING is a great way to start the day. Thanks very very much.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I appreciate that. Glad it was helpful.

[@DougieFresh1970]

For those that just want a necessity backup that can’t build kits or can’t afford having one built. They can get portable units like Bluetti, or EF Ecoglow. They have lithium batteries built in. You just need solar panels, get them at Harbor Freight. For months Ive been purchasing piece by piece paying as I go from Signature Solar. I’ve got about everything I need just undecided how I want to rack the solar panels. If I put on my roof, then I’ll have to have building permits, and inspection. I’m aiming towards ground mounted solar rack… If your house burns down from the solar unit you’ll be SOL with your insurance company if you don’t do it by the books.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Great points!

[@tomroach6275]

I have a generator hard wired to my home (natural gas) but, who's to say natural gas will always be available (or affordable)? Thank you for breaking it down and translating it to simple English so that I have a chance at understanding how to build my own system, starting out small with the ability to expand as I can afford to do so. Great Channel! God Bless!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you Tom. Glad I could help. God bless you as well.

[@randywildman4412]

Hey my friend, love your videos, there are always going to be Trolls out there that are not worth the time it takes to open there posts, Just letting you know that quality people are watching your videos and learning alot from them. Again ignore the Trolls, not sure why there are people like that in the world, but it would be a hell of a lot better place without them lol. Take care buddy and keep up the great videos.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[@xrpayday5637]

Good stuff. I hope to get into this sometime

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Cool

[@MrCornelius1973]

Greetings from Tyler! Great info!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Hello neighbor. Glad it was helpful.

[@alhaah777]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome!

[@joelquaintance9025]

Whether some MacGyver can melt 6" thick steel with a Bic lighter and a can of hair spray or can build a 10K solar system for under $1000, is Alice In Wonderland. This guy is doing a great job educating persons like me, who haven't a clue as to where to start and what to do. THANKS.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I appreciate your comment. Glad we could help.

[@noody2081]

Awesome info.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Glad it was helpful

[@brightphoebesays]

I paid soooo much for electric heat last winter. SO this summer I am building a wood shed so I can gather all the firewood I need to heat with wood instead. Last year I had a wood stove but nowhere to store firewood. I was being given wood and didn't want to over take, taking only enough for a couple days at a time. In the summer I use about a dollar a day in electricity from BC Hydro. Pretty cheap. I have a gas stove. Cooker costs me $12.mo in gas. : )

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Cool

[@philip1091]

Eg4 makes some budget all in one inverters but beware standby consumption. 115 watts per unit for the 6500!

[@twosongs7396]

Thank you so much for this informative video, Eric. Are these prices in USD or CAD? How do we hook up such a system? Have you a video? I’ll go check your playlists. New Follower. Happy New Year to you and yours, Buddy.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Our solar installation playlist is located here: kzbin.info/aero/PLe8gvCbPFkexFmUtg3xRS4sTZQ1Ve-ft1. Hope that helps.

[@piperruelas6924]

Thank you for this explanation 👏 well done sir.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You’re welcome

[@Fritz_Schlunder]

Recommend adding some diagonal struts to that solar panel racking system. In my observation, DIY homeowners often tend to grossly underestimate the power of the wind. While it is not possible to compute exactly how strong/what wind speeds the existing system may be able to withstand from looks alone, the system as currently configured looks fragile to my eye. Although steel can be strong, the lack of diagonal bracing gives the wind too much force cross distance (leverage) advantage, which is a recipe for bent and mangled metal and likely broken solar panels (along with associated grief and heartache). Proper sauce storms are serious business.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

It is my observation that many who comment on KZbin don't holistically look at the information at hand but make assumptions. This rack is engineered by a large company. The engineers who designed it are intelligent professionals with engineering degrees. This homeowner just didn't throw it together on a whim. This homeowner is also an Architect by trade and understands how to calculate wind load including uplift on a structure. I appreciate the concern.

[@Fritz_Schlunder]

@@CountryLivingExperience Who do you trust the most? 1. Anonymous engineer(s) working at a large company? 2. Your own wisdom? 3. Some random dude of unknown qualifications on the internet that critiques or criticizes your goodies? It may make sense not to put much faith in the opinions of some random dude on the internet that seemingly criticizes your goodies, but at least from my perspective, I'm not some random dude on the internet. By education, I am an electrical engineer. I have spent a number of years working for a large company, but my experience is that not all engineers truly know what they are doing, and not all engineers necessarily care about quality and reliability. Often times, engineering decisions get swayed or dictated by managers and marketing or business types, that are also on the design team, but do not necessarily have the same priorities and technical understanding as the engineers on the team. Additionally, "things happen", including mistakes and desire to meet deadlines, while potentially sacrificing detail of work necessary to ensure that all the tees are being crossed and all the eyes are being dotted. Consequently, human engineered products frequently do have problems, which often do end up causing consumers of those products various forms of grief. That said, you are correct in that I am just some dude making assumptions about your equipment, without knowing the real details, as such information is unavailable to me, from my position in the peanut gallery. One thing I do know however, is that big and complex rockets designed in "Kerbal Space Program" often disintegrate unexpectedly when you don't add enough struts to stiffen things up enough.

[@Flowing23]

great video, thank you.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You’re welcome

[@UnlimitedWhitetailHunting]

Very good video!!

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you

[@fasnuf]

I've got almost $14,500 in my system and my array is half that size. Sig Solar purchased so I think prices have gone up quite a bit. My DIY system includes (2) EG4 6500's, (3) LifePower4 batteries, (10) BlueSun Bifacial 460W panels and a ground mount rack I bought from another company because SS told me they didn't have a rack for purchase. The rack was probably the hardest for me to locate because the bifacials limited my options. I have a little over $1500 in the rack and concrete which is an Iron Ridge design. I called the company that made yours and they couldn't help me and said they don't sell through SS. The small pieces and wire really add up too.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I think my SolarEver panels were $190 when I bought them. Racks are hard to find for sure. I am so surprised you found an Iron Ridge for only $1500. When I looked, it was about $2500 plus I had to buy the pipe myself. The total for a rack like that would have been almost $4k.

[@WindsorCraftDesigns]

Greatly appreciated this video brother. The only thing missing was your dog running around in the background ;).

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome. He was trying to cool off under the back deck.

[@cooltrkin]

Right now you can buy a sungold 3k all in one. For 600.00, 400ah of lifepo4 batteries for 1075.00 . San Tan solar has panels Canadian Solar 255 watt for, 50.00 bucks a piece 6 is 300.00, shipping was 200. All the other Little stuff is about 400.00. There's my set up, I'm buying the second Sungold power all in one for 120/240. So add another 600.00. That's running my 500 Sq. ft. Tiny home.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Nice!

[@jeremyjames6901]

You have a lot of good comments here. Can you do a cost list for us for each of the items. I'm looking to do this for a 1800 sq ft home. Thanks

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you. We did a full cost breakdown in this video.....kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJ_KXnZ3eLWirZI

[@steveabbott6979]

Grid tied system in FL. Grid goes down you can not use solar. Transferred switch not allowed

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Crazy. Hopefully you can go off grid if you want.

[@acefire4050]

And yes I'll probably buy those small systems and probably more than one cuz I get enough of those small systems and my make a big system too and I can surely use it my daughter can sure use it especially with their medical needs.

[@LifescrazyAdventure]

I've just ordered a zero Net energy home from Clayton homes. The home is supposed to be very low energy with a new energy efficient heat pump, water heater, can LED lighting throughout the home. The electrical box is set up to add a solar system after you have it put on your land. I'm really wanting to go to solar, but I'm not a great do it yourself guy. Any tips in what I can do, I'm in Alabama on a 17 acre land, so I have plenty of sun light and the home should be easy to hook up to solar.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

As an Architect myself, I am not sure I would trust Clayton homes to provide a Net Zero home. Hopefully you were not sold a marketing scheme. That being said, I have about 30 videos on solar including several how-to videos for two different systems. I honestly think you could put in your own system and maybe hire an electrician to make the final connections to the electrical panel.

[@PraxisPrepper]

Your approach of starting small is a great idea. I did that myself years ago (when lead acid batteries were the only way to go) to just run the refrigerator and well. Then I stepped up to a full house system later. It's a great way to go - and if you do the house in sections, then you have a nice situation where if part of the system goes down, you still have the other parts working fine.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thank you. Glad you stepped it up. Most people don't move forward because they look at the full cost up front for a huge system.

[@PraxisPrepper]

@@CountryLivingExperience Yeah, it's a bit to bite off. I was building my second homestead and figured I'd step it up to the full house. We went with 6Kw of panels on the roof and a 10kWh battery array. So far it covers up 99.9% of the time. We've only had to pop off it back to the grid (I set it up so I could toggle back and forth) once since we installed it 6 months ago (when we had 3 days of super thick cloud cover and rain). But even then, if we had elected to simply stop using power per usual and conserve, we wouldn't have had to switch to the grid to cover our basics. It's a REALLY nice feeling to be able to generate one's own power! :)

[@wyattogrady9742]

So excited to see you do a video series on the EG4 6500s! I followed Will Prowse's channel and have two of them with 6 EG4 batteries. I wired mine in parallel to a 120v only critical loads panel, but am curious how much two of them wired for 240v will actually run!

[@GavinStoneDIY]

They will run a whole bunch. I’m using the mpp lv6548’s. You’d be surprised how much you can push through them.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Cool. I am excited too. Also excited to get power to my barn with the Growatts.

[@wyattogrady9742]

@@CountryLivingExperience that's got to be exciting! I've thought about using a couple of the growatt 5ks on my shop as well since most of my loads out there are 240v. Are you going to be installing more panels and batteries for your shop as well?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Yes. Probably just 1 battery for any tiny load running at night. Adding a few panels too.

[@wyattogrady9742]

@@GavinStoneDIY I've heard it both ways, but do you know what the total available wattage is when running two of the 6500s in split phase? In my case of paralleling them for 120v single phase only, I have 13000 watts available. Is it 6500 available watts or 13000 available watts when running split phase?

[@Lapeerphoto]

What is your estimated cost recovery time? 10 years? 4 years? 3 years? Thats something I thing is an important consideration. Not so much the initial investment, but how long until break even? Then it's free money after that. Really nice install! Well done! Thanks for the info. Me:

[@CountryLivingExperience]

We did a video on that before....kzbin.info/www/bejne/mH-llKOHa5mcsNE. Our original payoff was about 4.5 years but our electricity costs increased in our area so that payoff time is less now.

[@Lapeerphoto]

@@CountryLivingExperience awesome. I'll go back and watch it. Thanks!

[@mnj5089]

I used to think the way you do and it is important still but I hope you don't mind me also pointing out that after living through 4 days of the Texas freeze with no power and it being cold enough inside the house to freeze the kitchen sink pipes mere feet from our fireplace, I rather think there is more to it than just having it paid off. Fast forward to Ercot warning of rolling black outs during these crazy high temps and no rain this summer and the peace of mind of knowing that we don't have to suffer is worth a good deal of money as well to us. Maybe not everyone but for us, it's a big deal. For others it is potentially life saving.

[@Lapeerphoto]

@@mnj5089 ok.

[@uhjyuff2095]

@@CountryLivingExperience But it went up because you are buying two more inverters right?

[@dc1544]

I spent the same as you around $14,500 total. only difference Is I have 60kw of battery backup as I built my own banks. I also will add 5k more solar and another inverter(same ones you have).

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Ok, cool. Glad you built your batteries so cheaply and that you have the knowledge to do that. Most people don't. What are the rest of your current components?

[@dc1544]

@@CountryLivingExperience 40 235 watt panels, 2 5k us version inverters with auto transformer. my inverters take from grid and can charge my batteries as I moved all house to another breaker panel. I have that turned off unless I need to charge them this winter which I am sure I will. 64 280AH EVE cells with 6k cycle life in 4 banks of 16S. I agree most should buy batteries. People can save money by buying used solar panels as I did.

[@benjones8977]

You could save a lot of money just having three batteries, twice as many solar panels and buying them from Santan solar. This would cut your cost down significantly and you would still have enough to power most systems. It’s not needing so many batteries, it’s needing more solar panels in order to charge the batteries.

[@uhjyuff2095]

Totally right! I was not willing to spend the money on new solar panels and ended up going with used panels. At $0.06/watt total (some panels were free) I took the risk and built a system. With the absolute steal of a price and also a free 3kwh lithium battery my system still cost $1000 total. Man I even got all the copper and electrical breaker panels and junction boxes free too! It has been working great for almost 3 years and it doesn't show any signs of breaking down. Of course it won't last forever, but it was a great investment and I learned a lot along the way. Can the system power my whole house... no, but a couple circuits and about 30 percent off the bill is great.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

That is awesome! Nice work.

[@PYehl1]

Question - how much did your home insurance go up from the ground mount system. My agent is stating it is insured as a new ‘building’. Could be an additional $500/yr.

[@lokimulholland]

Love all your videos. I was getting some quotes from solar installers (to get an idea of what I would need to do it myself) and one thing jumped out at me: they're always quoting a system that seemingly is less than what is need but produces more than I use. For example, a ground mounted system: "This is a 9.6kW ground-mounted PV system which would produce 13,067 kilowatt-hours per year, offsetting your annual usage of 12,527 kWh by 104%" - What is this about?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Thanks. The 9.6kw is just the total number of wattage the panels are rated for. Those panels may produce up to 13067kilowatt hours in an entire year based on the amount of sun you have and the efficiency of the panels. The offset of your annual usage is dependent on your specific load usage.

[@lokimulholland]

@@CountryLivingExperience thank you for quick response. So, because their evaluation is based on the placement of the panels in an unobstructed field (I'm on three acres) and south facing then that's probably where they're getting that number.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You’re welcome. Yes, that played into their calculation I am sure.

[@JarredSutherland]

So far my total build for my 8.9kW system is about 10K but it is grid tied. Growatt has a UL 1741 listed grid tie inverter (10kW) for around $1500. While this WILL do AC and DC coupled batteries, it's very specific batteries from Growatt. My panels are 20 x Canadian Solar 445W in two strings and my rack is an engineered solution from a company in Ohio (4K for it). I suspect my total build will be around 11-12K when it's all said and done. I have no clue how people are getting full systems with batteries for less than my build or yours. Stuff is EXPENSIVE right now.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

That is awesome. Wire prices are still out of control and good luck finding it. I suspect that those commenting that they built if for cheap are either not telling the truth or buying super cheap Alibaba junk.

[@gerdberg4188]

There are carbon pile batteries that are now being used for this . They are large but have a decent life and are much less hazardous

[@motomike1197]

I spent $14k the first time around and installed everything myself and it's not enough. Im now purchasing 6 more batteries, 14 more pannels, and one more 6500 inverter WITH PLANS to get one more 6500 and 14 more panels. Just too much to do all at once. That would put me at 23k in panels, 25k in inverters and 12 EG4'S. Totally cost $39k with me doing all the work I would be able to run a 3100sf home, a shop, and a one room schoolhouse for a family of 6.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

That should be enough unless you want to get more batteries too.

[@motomike1197]

@@CountryLivingExperience we'll see where we are.. I dont think you can have enough batteries.. Lol like today its super cloudy now and im only at 80%...the saving grace will be its warmer and i wouldn't have to run my heater as much tonight. Waiting on you to see how that hot water heater goes.. Lol that will be my next change.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

@@motomike1197 I hear that. The more batteries the better especially for these long winter streaks with no sun.

[@acefire4050]

I actually hope there are a lot of people that will read my comments and actually put two and two together and they'll realize there might be a lot of things changing in this world like what they are well forget it it doesn't matter.

[@wkp4139]

I was drinking a $5 latte when he said that

[@CountryLivingExperience]

lol

[@insensitiveinsanity7145]

Curious, why did you decide to go with the 6500? When you could have use the 6548 that is a split phase 240 volt or the Growatt 12k split phase, which is the most cost effective at $1999.

[@bubbawubba2307]

That growatt 12k is not stackable and has I think 2 pv inputs. These 6500 will provide 13KW and is stackable and has 2 pv inputs each which means you can put 16,000 watts of solar panels on 2 of em. That 6548 is a low voltage unit isn't it? Those 6500's can handle 500Volts which means much smaller wire coming from your solar array.

[@lawrencebeeles6738]

Can you give me a list off parts to run a 1800 sq ft house will want lithium battery's at least 15 kwtoff grid

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You can do 3 - Growatt 5000es stackable off-grid inverters, 34-445W Solarever panels, 2-Growatt 5kw ATS Transformers, 2-IMO PV disconnect switches. All can be obtained from Signature Solar here: www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=countrylivingexperience. DC wiring will depend on how far away your panels are and how many panels strings you create. AC wiring will depend on the location of your equipment in relation to your main breaker panel. You will need a sub-panel with breakers. Wire and breakers must be sized appropriately. In this video I list all of my equipment....kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJ_KXnZ3eLWirZI

[@lawrencebeeles6738]

Thanks for the info greatly appreciate

[@wednesdaygray4002]

I'm in MO and see lots of adds, lots of solar panels around town, but noone seems know what they have done. Who is an honest and knowledgeable source for solar information?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

There are a lot of great sites to gain info. EnergySage.com is one of them. I have heard great things about Missouri Wind and Solar.

[@banditdog1338]

Your breakdown of the cost did not talk about the ground mount racking you have installed. I am currently planning to install 10.2 kW off grid system and I am buying each piece based on reviews and price and I hoping to keep the system at or close to 15 thousand. It is difficult to get compare racking system cost the two companies that seem to be well known are Ready Rack and Iron Ridge so your system is about the same size mine will have 23 445 kW bi-facial panels. So perhaps on your next video you could talk a bit about ground mount racking.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I have done an entire series of videos on my solar system including the rack and a more in-depth cost breakdown of my entire system. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJ_KXnZ3eLWirZI kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5-WopieabxgbJo

[@stevepailet8258]

As I spend time looking and researching I have decided to try to do things a bit differently. I love the server rack batteries. Excellent price and should last and last. My real problem is that I want to use micro inverters as I find them to be generally a lot more reliable. Now my real problem is how does one go from AC to DC with a hybrid inverter or some sort of converter to do the conversion?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I like micro inverters as well. I will gradually add them to the system. I should have no problem doing that with the equipment I have. I don't really understand your question. All inverters will change AC to DC.

[@stevepailet8258]

@@CountryLivingExperience Well DC to AC for sure but I dont have an inverter that goes from AC to DC. I am sure they make them just not in a micro inverter that I have found

[@CountryLivingExperience]

@@stevepailet8258 Why do you want to reverse the process? What will you use straight DC power for?

[@stevepailet8258]

@@CountryLivingExperience charging batteries LOL Last time I checked cannot use Alternating current to do so without a converter. On the other hand could do 50 /50 with a string set up to just run thru a charge controller

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Mostly all modern inverters are inverter/chargers. They do everything all wrapped up on one unit. I think we are talking past one another.

[@wva5089]

With all your shading.. I'd be curious if solar edge optimizers (unlocked) would add much production. aliexpress has unlocked ones for pretty cheap. maybe not for your 440w panels.

[@wva5089]

Wonder what your string layout is like.. I'd arrange it for your shading pattern. prolly would need a few extra feet of wire though.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

It may help but I am not worried about it. That video was shot in early morning hence all the shade on the panels. Also, these panels have a good amount of Bypass Diodes built in to help in addition to being split cell.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I think we showed our wiring layout in this video....kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZLdqK2CrrB3aKM. If not in this one, it is certainly in another video in the series.

[@seabreezy3368]

I have a grid tied system (10-kWh) which has a 10-kWh battery that isolates my system from the grid when the grid goes down. The switch is so fast that I do not notice when the grid goes down except from notification from the system software which sends a notification to my computer and phone. For comparison purposes, my system is a top-of-the-line Enphase system where all of the components are engineered and packaged together and installed by Enphase contracted solar installers. Each panel is inverted at the panel so I can track each panel separately. Like I said, it is top of the line, and I did not lift a finger on the install. Total cost $40K. Here's the issue. In a grid out and cloudy day, I'm in emergency mode powering only the fridge, freezer, a few lights and computer (800 Watts) for 12.5 hours. The system can produce 10-kWh on a cloudy summer day. On a clear summer day, I can produce 50-kWh. On a clear winter day I can produce 30-kWh. Bottom line: the battery is the bottleneck in the system for having reliable (uninterrupted) backup power. I would like to have 50 kWh of battery, but that alone is $50k. The good news is my average monthly electric bill since Oct 2021 is $20. I do not mind paying that that even though I have produced 18.3 megawatts of power and consumed 18.1 megawatts since the install. The electric company acts like a big battery during each month. There is a gotcha though. At the end of each month the electric company sets my "bank account" to zero. There is no carry over, so I lose the extra power that I produce while the electric company sells it to my nearest neighbor for a profit. Oh, if I am a net importer of electricity for a month, I pay 18 cents a kWh verses non-solar customers who are paying 9-13 cents a kWh. Choose wisely my friends.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Batteries are the bottle neck. I did another video on that exact topic. Choose wisely for sure.

[@angelawagnon9159]

So do I understand correctly that a 5w system will power a fridge, small chest freezer and a couple of fans just fine? I really like the detail you are sharing in your videos.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You are correct. A 5kw system will do a lot. You can add a window air conditioner to that with no problem. The trick is the batteries. If you want it to run at night (or in prolonged cloudy conditions), then you need to have enough battery power to get you through that time until the sun returns.

[@jdollar5852]

It's all about the batteries. A 5kw system without batteries will run most of your 110 needs while the sun is out, including a small AC. It won't run any of you 220v items. A 5kwh system with a couple of server rack batteries will keep all your necessary stuff running for a long time.

[@chasmarischen4459]

Absolutely! I've been piecing together parts for about ten years. And I power an 18 cu ft fridge, a 4 cu ft fridge, two (2) 7 cu ft chest freezers, Lights, TV, Computer, with 10 - 260 watt panels (that's a 2.6w system), an Outback MAX 80 charge controller (for future expansion), 48v, 3300 watt Spartan Pure Sine wave inverter. And 16 (yes sixteen) 6v GC2 batteries... My primary income is the average Soc Sec so hoping to get LiFePO 4 batteries before the lead acid ones die. A lot of this I bought 5 to 8+ years ago, and even with this recent rapid inflation. The newer components are cheaper now. Except the batteries I got for $89 each at Rural King 3 years ago. My investment totals around $6000 (that includes the tools). Yeah that buys a lot of electricity, BUT what's the value of electricity when it's out for a few weeks. And the price of electricity IS going up, gas for a generator and the generators themselves will go back up... It was fun to put together, thus I know how to fix it IF it has a problem (none yet). And yet the newer systems are basically 'Plug & Play" and not as complex as mine. Go for it!

[@thefreese1]

I lived off the grid for 8 years with 2 boys and a wife.... You can indeed live cheaply ... But the answer it not the system.... You have to drop your power consumption... How to do this is very simple... You drop your needs .... I.e. ... I if you want to continue having everything you got now and your standard on the grid house your going to pay through the nose for everything cuz it's going to get very expensive. I did it on a 12-volt system. Not a 48 not 36 but a 12-volt What do you really absolutely need? Well you are going to need lights. I did not have the advantage of LED lights back then but today you should be able to light up your house for virtually nothing really in power. I had a 12-volt TV, 12 v VCR . Radio ... CB and Ham radio .. Servile gas refrigerator/freezer , cook stove and water pump .... Wood stove ... 12v fan blowing through cold water coils from a spring fed stream ... water was heated by the wood stove in the winter inside or a small fire outside in the summer ... or on the gas stove in a pinch.. Water was a 50 gallon gravity fed system and a 12v pump ... The whole thing required 2 12v car batteries...and solar back then was not worth the time .... But today I could get by with a very small and cheap system from Harbor freight easily... I worked in town and it was a 45 min trek one way ..... and simply plugged into the truck when i got home ... I also had a 120v dc-dc converter under the hood in the event that I needed to saw or drill something... Note: this electricity is not free it does cost to charge your batteries while driving... but its not noticeable on a daily run... My point of all this is that we are spoiled living on the grid.... people just don't want to give up any conveniences . If you have that mentality your going to gouge your savings and still not be very happy the first time that flat line wind comes through and wrecks your system.... You will be wasting stored electricity by charging it to DC power then converting to AC appliances that many just convert it back to DC to operate... I could take this guy's system and run 20 homes decked out the way I used to run when I was off the grid ... The biggest problem for me is the cooling in the summertime... I'm old and health requires I stay cooler.. So without living in a cave there's no simple cost effective way to live off the grid. But when you are young thats not a problem ... a simple fan works .... and you will be healthier for doing that . So the system you need boils down to just how spoiled you are..... Pick your location wisely . Any streams close by ? How will you pump water ? Build your house with that in mind .. what do you actually need ? What can you REALLY get by with ? Not as much as you think you need ....and guess what... that was the happiest time in my life ... My recipe for living in general is to drop your needs as much as you can and you will enjoy the simple things in life much more than the internet...

[@gerdberg4188]

I think by the time you get done , you will have spoken to someone is a real electrical professional

[@chrislewis9345]

Did you have any issues on start up when you first connected the egy4 batts to the inverters?The start up resistor is what I'm concerned with.Do you just hook up everything and turn on the battery breakers and on switch and it just does the rest?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

No issues at all. The batteries have a built. I did a video on the connection and startup process a few months back.

[@basspig]

What makes solar prohibitive in the Northeast is the shipping costs for solar panels. I can't see paying $2,000 to buy a bunch of used panels that cost $38 a piece.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Yep, I have heard that there are not many solar companies in the Northeast, Northwest, etc.

[@basspig]

@@CountryLivingExperience there is one in Oregon, but $1800 shipping to the northeast for a few panels. The companies that install up here are out of state entities. I've contacted a bunch asking to buy leftover panels. No response.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

@@basspig Yikes. You should just take a vacation to a southern state and drive back with a Uhaul full of panels.

[@basspig]

@@CountryLivingExperience that might have been an option 20 years ago, but I am nearly blind and gas is $5 gallon. I can drive short distances locally, but my vision is too poor for a long trip.

[@thefreese1]

Ps its an expandable system too .. just add another 12v battery in parallel.. lol

[@jdollar5852]

Critical loads is what I want. I have 3 freezers. I want ro keep my refrigerator running. I want to run some lights, fans, and an electric blanket during winter. My solar is set up to handle a short term grid-down scenario. I don't think solar is a good "payback" scenario. Payback is probably going to be 13years or so for most systems, assuming you really concentrate on how you use energy. Battery prices have been coming down but I think they have about hit bottom for quality names. If you have a freezer or 2, a fridge, an entertainment system, some LED lights, and a few fans, and you only want to spend $2500, I recommend a Bluetti AC200max and 6-100 watt panels. Maybe even the AC200P with 12 panels. These will give you 2kw of battery power per day, assuming adequate sunshine. Ecoflow also has some options. These "solar generators " are all-in-one solutions with 2k inverters built-in. That will handle pretty much anything you need to run for a few days. If you want to run your AC, your clothes dryer, and your water heater then you better plan on having $20k worth of batteries..or schedule all those things to work only during sunny conditions. Solar has definite limitations compared to grid power. So many people have this expectation that they can completely replace their electric usage with solar and pay themselves back in just a few years and that's not realistic. If you spend $20k on a system and it saves you $300 a month in your power then the payback is 5.5 years. You are not going to save 300 a month with a $20k system. Solar is my designated backup in case of a storm. If I have cloudy conditions for several days then I have 2 gasoline generators as backup to my backup. If I run out of gas AND have a week of clouds then....I'll be eating a lot of mushy foods.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Sounds like you got yours worked out. Luckily there are a lot of options for people.

[@acefire4050]

A Honda I had a Honda car once it was a lot of trouble it broke down an awful lot and cost me so much more boy did I have problems with that car there's some other types of cars I had problems with too.

[@jamesprice718]

If you DIY install the solar system, do you get the gov tax credit?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Yes, absolutely.

[@thumbless66]

I have the same rack. I ran into issues mounting my panels. They changed the clamps and my panels don't have a flange on the short side. I was bummed for days. I have 35 460w panels.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Did you get it worked out?

[@thumbless66]

@@CountryLivingExperience Yeah but not ideal. I'm drilling through the side of the panels and the flange on the racking system and putting a 1/4 bolt through it. I have only done 5 panels so far.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Wow. A lot of work. I had my panels beforehand and was able to measure off of them and make sure they fit.

[@draperone371]

We are in Wa st. Most always cloudy

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Yea. Solar is not the best for that area of the country, although people do install them still.

[@draperone371]

@@CountryLivingExperience They do install them here although I don't understand why. Just keeping the lawn light going is impossible. They do well for the summer. I would like to thank you for all we have learned. You are our go to guy. Thank you again

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You're welcome. Glad I could help.

[@robertselvig8835]

I want the info on the small solar system you're doing for your friend. @16:35 mark

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Please email me at the channel email and we can talk there. Thanks.

[@HAHA.GoodMeme]

I was surprised at how cheap solar can actually be when I installed it on my truck. MPPT gang, PWM is a meme

[@CountryLivingExperience]

For sure

[@ufhkbikes]

I got the same size house, except part of house appliances run on gas, i got 6k low frequency invertor , so far im struggle to use as emergency backup with ten 100 watts panels, do i really need a lot more panels ? I thought my house is energy efficiency ( as least thats what the builder said )

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Yes, you need a lot more panels. You only have 1000watts and your panels won’t even produce near that…probably only 700w. You need 10000watts.

[@ufhkbikes]

@@CountryLivingExperience man apparently I didn’t calculate right .. I was just adding watts of the stuff in the house 🤦🏻‍♂️.. only good part is Florida I got a lot of sun..so my panels produce 900-1100 watts a day , well time to order more and climb up roof again 😥

[@CountryLivingExperience]

At least you caught the issue now. You have time to fix it.

[@ufhkbikes]

@@CountryLivingExperience man selection for panel even more now 🤪9bb,10bb,12bb. So I noticed panels might be 12v/100watts but some is higher volt/lower amp and others are lower volt /higher amp… is there any advantage one over the other ?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

It depends on what voltage your inverter is. My panels are 450watt 48volt. My inverters are 48v. I like 48v the best.

[@houseofancients]

i understand why, but you're skipping the middleground between on and offgrid ; hybrid. batteries but still resell overproduction to grid

[@USNUSA]

I would tell the people who have no money to put into a solar systems to save their money. Buy your system. Don’t lease your system. Solar systems are not cheap, but can be reasonably priced.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Sage advice.

[@acefire4050]

One thing I should tell you is I am a carpenter I did it for 13 and a half years and after I stop being in a carpenter I built my brother a 250,000 house okay maybe we did it for $50,000 and then they told us it was $750,000 house but that's besides the point I still claim it's only 250,000 dollar house. When we gave him everything Asana a urinal toilet is separate shower the only thing we didn't give him was a swimming pool inside or outside of his house we also built some other buildings too so I have a place to put his horses which we had to take care of when he was in Iraq fighting a war we also built it part of time is here and part of time is there but but he has retired from the military some years back not too many years back I mean it's been 26 years in the military. He really likes his house too he's surprised at how much stuff we did to it but he still wants to a lot more stuff to it. And of course the other person help me build it is dead now so I do it all alone and if he wants it I'll give it to him.

[@rianreese4138]

How many Kw's do you use in a day?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Honestly depends on the day. Average about 8.5kwh

[@jacoblami1731]

I have no doubt someone can probably power the Vegas strip for $1500 and a 6 pack of bubble gum...problem is reliability, longevity and how much surface area you actually have to dedicate to these panels. The reality is this stuff pays for itself over time so you should buy the type of setup that's going to actually last long enough to break even...buy once cry once.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Buy once cry once is very true.

[@acefire4050]

You said you bought your solar panels from solar signature well I was cute about their inverters for $1,299 you bought the batteries which cost about two or three dollars more than that I'm impressed with your batteries your inverter I don't like that so much but it is well good for you and you know what you have you should probably get the eg4 6548 while the car is 6500 watt inverter it is set up so you don't have to play with any controls when you get them up to those batteries they are made specifically for the batteries you have and they are registered meaning you hook up that 6,500 watt inverter and batteries to the grid to sell to electric company and All 48 states in the United States but I do believe there are a couple States that are not pay you on money for it you're solar power I'm not sure on that one but that's something I heard in one video.

[@larrycox6614]

NM is one state that does not pay

[@acefire4050]

@@larrycox6614 well that is one state of like I think four or five states is not pay they'll take your electricity but they won't pay for it but thank you for replying now I might be able to remember that state cuz I didn't get to catch all those States before especially when they didn't tell me what states were I just heard about them.

[@gerdberg4188]

You have to know that you re still bound by the National Electrical Code . So I know by the price you gave on the sub panel that you do not have any arc fault circuit interrupters . Which you are required to use . So it seems that you are definitely missing some important details here . To power even a small house at line voltage should take at least eight or ten arc faults at the price of around 45 dollars apiece .

[@GrahamCampbell-kr2gz]

Just planning my system and looked at Growatt systems etc. 3 houses (Family and self). 3 hours sun per day in winter. Looked at 1 system per house etc. Came to the following conclusions (Based on "How cheap"?) : One system of 60x 500w panels from AliExpress at $110USD each +freight, 48 volt system, Solis 30kW 220v inverter and Narada REXC-1000 2V 1000Ah deep cycle sealed lead-carbon battery in 48 volt config. This will power all 3 houses with a better shared load distribution. Why not Lithium? Environmental cost, upfront cost, lifespan of about 6-10 years and my belief that something better will come along within the lifespan of lead AGH batteries (NOT Gel). Payback 10 years at our electricity prices. Swimming pool for summer to use the excess power. Water heating - 8 panels direct wired to a 48v HW dual element stainless steel cylinder (220v element in HWC as well). Heating? Houses are R45 walls, R65 ceiling and R30 floors, so shouldn't require much. Propane/LPG hobs. About $30kUSD. The multiple systems were perhaps 5k more (and inferior) but a shared system is more flexible. I am in New Zealand

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Great insulation on the houses. They should use very little energy. Good luck with the parts.

[@GrahamCampbell-kr2gz]

@@CountryLivingExperience Thank you!

[@chrislewis9345]

What's your thoughts on having the 5000es's running your 240 loads and the 6548 for your 120 loads. 2 sub panels and possibly split the battery bank? They wouldn't be able to communicate but it would eliminate the transformer.I already own the 5000es's and sig solar wanted 35% restocking fee to switch me out so I was just thinking outside the box.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

That would work but the wiring would be complicated. You would also have to split the panel strings to power both too. You should be good with just the 5000ES's. They are great machines. Why try to switch?

[@chrislewis9345]

@@CountryLivingExperience It's like everything you buy...Soon as you buy something a month or two later sumn better comes out.I have no doubt the 5000's will do the job.Thinking on buying a 3rd for a spare.next thing ya know they'll phase them out and it'll all be wired for them and that'll be a pain.I was just curious about running both brands

[@chrislewis9345]

@@CountryLivingExperience also that Ian guy and all the hoopla about the transformer failing was worrying me but Poz is still running his with no issues it seems.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Ian had the incorrect Growatts. He had the non-US version. Sig Solar was the only company to work with Growatt to internally modify the 5000ES for the US grid. They are different.

[@chrislewis9345]

@@CountryLivingExperience yes I understood that but there was another guy who had the correct 5000es and has gone to the extreme on preventing "losing neutral" in his setup. I still don't see how you could ever get 240 to your 120 loads if the transformer failed???Its wired on different legs in the panel and if the transformer shorts the breakers trip.If it looses 240 it just stops working. If I'm missing something I'd like to know what but it seems bombproof to me. I'll be double checking with sig solar and rewatching all the install vids(including yours) when I do the install. Thanks for responding and keep vids coming!

[@jamest.5001]

I like all those guys you mentioned, subbed to all of them, but they are not that smart, anyone can learn nearly everything they know from spending a few hours in a library, and watching a few videos if they are smart I guess I am also, the best thing is to avoid lead acid, unless it's backup only, for short outages, off grid only, lithium is king, and a generator is a must, because eventually , the weather will get you, if you have no grid, a generator is a must have, and future proof it as. Much as possible, and to save money, the harbor freight panels are good, and you can use unistrut from Lowes or the depot, There is cheaper way to mount solar, and used. Panels are fine also, as long as they are tested, just because they show voltage and current. It needs to be tested at the same time, test the actual wattage, they can show full current, with very low voltage, that's a major loss of wattage, volts x amps = watts, 2v x 2a =4w 4v x 2a =8w, 2v x 4a = 8a , if a 21v panel does full current, as in amps, but only 10 volts , that's a major loss of power, and can show full voltage, and a fraction of the amperage, Depending on the failure of the panel, the cells crack , due to temperature changes, and time, flexing, there is meters that test the mpp of the panel, showing the true wattage , up to 400watts for about $70,. If you are buying a lot of used panels it's worth it to not get ripped off, it can be much cheaper buying used, panels, solar farms replace often, and the panels are 99%still good,

[@acefire4050]

Wow you do have the EG Force I'm impressed and those go with your batteries with no extra setup where the controls they are made for the batteries they are perfect for the batteries needed something I'm still not able to do I should say I'm jealous but I'm just happy for you instead of course when I start getting those things I'm going to get 12 of them even though I only put six of them in a row and the other six well I guess that have to be my other row and they take an incredible amount of solar power that you can put into them so much you never need a solar charger again because they are taking incredible amount of solar power to power your batteries to the inverters and those ones can sell to the grid they will pass that inspection. I'm not worried about your transformer I don't mind those I'm in my father had a couple of those transformers and he didn't have any solar panels he had them put some other reason but then again we lived in 120 acre farm and we had a lot of different types of animals and a lot of animals at that.

[@acefire4050]

I started off when solar panels were expensive I got myself four 15 watts and two 80 Watts and from there some years later I added to it with some more 15 watts and some more 18 Watts I lost two solar panels in the past one had a hole in it and one person bumped one with a vehicle and cracked it it was still good when I disconnected aside to get rid of it it was still giving power I should have kept it but I was thinking hastily and every place them with more 15 watts but I didn't replace the 80 watt but I also bought two 60 watts two 150 watt. But when I bought the last ones I actually tried to buy 33 more and they never did come I complained about those and I got the money back I ordered 16 780 watt solar panels and they never did come they turned off their phone there are popular business and they never gave me my money back that company is called wish I have a problem with that company they won't give you money back unless you pay to tell them your problem and I don't think they'll still give me my money back. But I did buy four other solar panels and another type of solar panels yet with another four and I also bought 25 watts in solar panels as well to add up to 100 Watts. And I also bought their 100 Watts solar panels as well but before I got those I bought 405 Watt solar panels four of them. And if Menards would of told me about another system they had I would have bought that instead of the four 405 Watt solar panels that they told me was 300 watts which is one benefit they did but I wanted the system that they had that they didn't tell me about that I didn't know about until later when I had the money for it too which would have been $7,200 bucks then more expensive systems but those I wouldn't have been able to buy and that system might have or might not have been able to run the power to my house but the system have does run a camper hooked all up together but will not run my house well it might barely run my house but I never hooked it up to my power system cuz it's only 2,600 and some odd Watts. And some of those solar panels are antiques 28 years old and they still give me the power that they did the day I got them. Which if you really want to add it up those first solar panels everything get I was paying $145 a month and electric when I got the first solar panels then I started paying $35 a month I saved $100 a month or slightly more actually cuz I am plugged things I wasn't using at the time but now times have changed I need more power for some things that I'm not going to tell you about but it helps my daughter in her situation. And you're not a doctor for me to talk to you about it.

[@acefire4050]

Well then I'll just take out of my backyard I mean I got a pile of that stuff already wait I got a lot of stuff in the backyard I use a lot of stuff I'll just have to buy the wiring the solar panels the chargers or inverters something like that as well as the batteries.

[@danielt4730]

Legit question, can I buy the ES5000s off of you?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I am going to use them for my barn and well. You can get them here....www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=countrylivingexperience

[@JonOffgrid]

the batteries are nuts over price 2000 just for one battery the 6548 can run 220 with a ST 5000 and dont use much power to run loads

[@CountryLivingExperience]

If you need to, you can go with the older tech like sealed lead acid. Just keep in mind they will not last nearly as long. So the cost will be more in the end.

[@wheepingwillow24u17]

HI. I HIGHLY DOUBT I COULD AFFORD A SOLAR GENERATOR, WISH I COULD, BUT NOT BEING SAVVY ABOUT SOLAR OR GENERATORS, OR ELECTRONICS, COULD YOU PLEASE TELL ME HOW MUCH OF ONE I'D NEED, WHAT EQUIPMENT SIZE, ETC. AND PANELS I'D NEED TO GENERATE FOR MY SMALL HOUSE. I HAVE A 18 CU FOOT REFRIGERATOR, A CHEST FREEZER, 5,000 BUT WINDOW A/C WHICH I'D CONSIDER OBSOLETE DUE TO ITS LIKELY POWER NEEDED. I HAVEN'T GOTTEN THEM YET, BUT LOOKING INTO SOME YARD TYPE SOLAR LIGHTS TO USE IN MY HOME WHEN THE SHTF AND ELECTRICITY GOES OFF. THANKS SO MUCH FOR ANY ADVICE YOU'D SHARE. :) I'M JUST AN OLE LADY, AND HAVE NO HELP. NO MEN TO HELP EITHER.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

You don't need much to run the items you are mentioning. The question is, what is your budget? That will determine where you can start and what direction you will need to go.

[@wheepingwillow24u17]

@@CountryLivingExperience HI AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE QUICK RESPONSE. I MIGHT BE ABLE TO COUGH UP 1,000, BUT THAT'LL BE ALL I'D HAVE NEXT MONTH, (NOT SURE WE HAVE THAT LONG) :( AND I KNOW THAT WOULDN'T QUITE BE ENOUGH. I'VE CHECKED ON SOME SOLAR GEN'S AND PANELS, WOWEE. LIVING ON TOTAL DISABILITY BITES, I'M DEEPLY CONCERNED FOR MY SURVIVAL. I'M HOME BOUND, SO THERE'S NO WHERE TO GO. I MUST SURVIVE IN PLACE.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

If you save for 2 months or 3, you can get something that would work great for you. A Bluetti AC200, an EcoFlow Delta, or a Growatt Infinity 1500. All are about 2k

[@wheepingwillow24u17]

@@CountryLivingExperience YOU MISUNDERSTOOD ME, THE 1,000 WOULD BE ALL I'D HAVE TO DO SOMETHING IN THAT REALM. THANKS FOR THE INFO THOUGH. BACK TO PRAYING. YES I THINK I INVESTIGATED THE ECOFLOW PRO, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT WATTAGE TO GET OR HOW TO CONNECT SUCH THINGS, I'VE HEARD TERMS LIKE MONOCRYSTALINE, FORGET THE OTHER ONE. BUT ANYWAY. UNLESS FATHER STEPS IN, THEN ITS A NO GO. BUT THANKS ALL THE SAME. I'LL STORE THOSE NAMES, MY CONCERN FOR GETTING SOMETHING LIKE THOSE WOULD BE HOW LONG WOULD THEY KEEP RUNNING. ALL I SEE IS 6 OR SO HOURS. THAT'S A LOTTA MONEY FOR NOR MORE THAN THAT, THEN WAIT 3 OR 4 DAYS OR MORE ACCORDING TO THE SUN TO RECHARGE, RIGHT?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

He will step in. It is always dependent on the sun. If it is not there because of a storm they you don't have any power. You could get a good quality gas generator for $600 that is 2000 watts. Some use dual fuel gas and propane which makes it easier. That would run a lot of things you need.

[@kentfrohock402]

Do you have a list of parts required for let's say a 5000 or 6000 Watt system?

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I don't. Each system is unique. What type of system? Off grid? Grid tied? A generator type like mine? Etc.

[@kentfrohock402]

@@CountryLivingExperience generator type,

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Do you want it to be expandable for the future?

[@kentfrohock402]

@@CountryLivingExperience yes that's the thought, double it in size when I have the $$ also what's your thoughts on used EV batteries? Thank you

[@CountryLivingExperience]

EV batteries don't mesh well with a lot of inverters. It can be done but you need to understand electrical engineering. They are also not as efficient. I may suggest: 2 - EG4 3kw 3000EHV-48 Inverters (you can stack up to 12 in the future), 8 to 10 - 445w SolarEver split cell monocrystalline panels, 1 - IMO PV disconnect, 10awg PV wire (amount depends on your distances from panels), 2 - Nader 60v 200A circuit breakers, battery cable (1/0awg), 2 black and red - MC4 branch connectors, EG4 Lifepower batteries (as many as you can afford), Solar rack as needed, Electrical equipment as needed (wire, breakers, main panel, safety disconnect, conduit, etc.) All of my system and these suggestions are from Signature Solar....www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=countrylivingexperience Hope that helps. Hope that helps.

[@johnprendergast1338]

Solar and EVs seem to being a huge and expensive liability rather than an asset for better living ...I like innovation but for a good reason ...Maintenance seems to be a nightmare everywhere you look ..Don't need it ..

[@CountryLivingExperience]

Lol. You need to do more research of real solar system owners. There is zero maintenance for my system sans the occasional hosing off of the panels.

[@johnprendergast1338]

@@CountryLivingExperience Solar seems a little too trendy/ popular without much long term thought ...Call me ignorant or kind of careful with things changing so fast ..I'm both ..

[@CountryLivingExperience]

It is fine to be careful but I think you would be happy if you studied more about it. Solar for residential has been around since the 1970’s…..50 years.

[@CountryLivingExperience]

I agree about EV’s. At this point they are expensive and impractical for most applications. Solar for your home is different.

[@acefire4050]

I spent $1,000 in 1998 it was not enough power I spent I said $1,000 in 2012 it was not enough to run my house I spent $1,650 in 2020 still not enough to run my house I bought the cheapest real ones out there the ones that I know there because the stores are there I bought other ones like from harbor freights and I still do not have enough but I do have 2600 and some Watts in solar panels maybe if I can stir up the power for a while I might have enough power to run my house but I actually want to run my house everyday all day all night and never let it stop for me to do that I need a better inverter and more batteries and better batteries if I get better batteries it's not more batteries about as many batteries. But the price I still can't pay for it all but I'm going to look at the smaller systems and maybe that can help I mean starter packs to help a little bit I mean I got a couple of those but if Menards went to hid something for me really try to get me to get four 300 watt solar panels they could have sold me a good system when I had a little bit of money for $7,200 And maybe shipping and handling it and some cents or something I don't know but later I found that system and asked him about it and they said that they didn't thinking about it they didn't really look at it or they didn't really think I should have it or something like that and they apologize to me but I still don't got it it would have been a real inverter that I could hook up to my house for 120 and 240 volt system with maybe even a combining box I'm not sure they all said something that I could not afford but at the time I could afford it I even told him that then but when I was 300 watts came they went through in a Watts they were actually bigger they were four 405 watt solar panels with no wire and it took me another year to be to hook those up solar panels up cuz I didn't know where to get the wires from couldn't find them anyways and Menards wasn't help me on that but they did give me the company's name and telephone number but then I ended up stopping on another store and actually buying the wires from them I would like to go back to Menards to buy that system or bigger but it's going to take me several months before I have the money for it and other ones that I know but your business is that our stores I go to to buy things also have some of that stuff but fleet farm no longer has 150 watt solar panels or I probably would have bought all my solar panels from them without ever even knowing about the other solar panels and I would have done that all back in 2012 which cost two times what signature solar costs for solar panels and inverters as well as batteries.

[@acefire4050]

I have two systems and I'll have a third system if someone ever comes in and puts on so the system in my rough of my house to sell to the electric company and that will also have a battery Bank or a power wall so if the power goes out I better run my house three different ways but I would have to improve on two of my systems to do that of course one of my sisters are probably be always really small because I'm not really anxious on getting that one bigger but my main system right now I want to get bigger with batteries which should be enough but probably not and more solar so I need more solar panels I don't want them in a decent size not all different types of small sizes I got or a couple of good sizes I got and I probably even make another system yet besides after that for something else that will never be on the system for the electric company cuz I want to make a greenhouse to cover my garden to grow food for my family all year round and my friends.

[@acefire4050]

Well I only need about 50 ft of line and that might be a little bit more than I need I mean it only going to put it let's see about 20 ft in front of my house of course I'm going to put one 30 ft behind my house or at least behind where I'm going to put all the inverters and batteries but actuality it might be 15 feet behind into the side of my house and in my garden. Which actually grow my food in but that is where I might put my second system at I actually have to be my third system because my first system is leaning against the house and if I get a fourth system it'll be on top of the house of course and that's putting I'll probably go back up there in the next following year and fix it and put it the way I want it not the way they want it but you don't like I mean you put solar panels on the roof it should cover the rough not put a little bit on a little section and have a body roof showing.

[@acefire4050]

What were the battery parts I don't build my own batteries but when I buy solar panels I do not buy racks I don't need to buy a stand to put solar panels up put them on the ground now if I'm going to put them in a rough I need to buy something for that all I want to buy is a solar panels and the wiring the battery inverter or inverters that I need to power everything in my house and everything in my house is hooked up to a fuse box so if I hook up the inverters that have to power everything in my house I mean everything. And right now I'm looking at well just put a solar panels about $14,000 a little bit more than that but that will give me 40 solar panels about 21000 watts. That's kind of what I want for a grown amount 40 solar panels of course I want more than one ground I just make my own grounds so I'll probably triple that that I want to make sure I have enough power for everything. But I've been buying things a little bit by a little bit.