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Would solar power your house during a blackout? If so for how long? And would it power when sun is not out? (Night)
Does it store power on some huge battery or something? I want to be able to power my CAC and/or oil burner during blackout.
No, solar panels will not power your house during a blackout. All solar panel systems include an automatic shut off feature that shut them down in the event of a blackout. This is because utility workers could be killed by working on a power line while your solar panels are pumping power into it.
The only way to use solar to power your home during a blackout is by having a battery bank installed. These are quite expensive and can easily double the cost of the solar panel system. You're generally better off just getting a gas powered generator.
No, solar panels will not power your house during a blackout. All solar panel systems include an automatic shut off feature that shut them down in the event of a blackout. This is because utility workers could be killed by working on a power line while your solar panels are pumping power into it.
The only way to use solar to power your home during a blackout is by having a battery bank installed. These are quite expensive and can easily double the cost of the solar panel system. You're generally better off just getting a gas powered generator.
Plus I doubt even the typical bank of batteries (like a Tesla Powerwall) would power central air for more than a few hours, if it even starts it.
I can run multiple units on my generator but that’s because it’s big (11,400 continuous) and I have soft start kits installed on the compressors so the LRA is a lot lower.
I never did the project back in 2018, I just started getting quotes again. Looks like ~$10-12k excluding permits.
Generac wants to the put automatic transfer switch outside next to the electric meter. Kohler says in the basement next to the breaker panel. Thoughts?
Also, has anyone heard of a *significant* backlog of getting permits from Nassau County fire marshal? Like 6+ months???
I am not one to tout professionals who do what you pay them for, but I had an unusually pleasant experience on a generator install two years ago at my house on the north fork. We had multiple proposals of all sorts (propane, no natural gas), but most gave no consideration to the aesthetics or logistics (i.e., plopping the generator in my garden or next to the patio) of where to put the unit, its proximity to the main panel, or bearing in mind that we already had a 500 gallon buried propane tank that served our pool heater, stove and barbeque, but was 200+ feet from the house. Shore Power (pure Generac shop I believe) were the only folks that put some thought into this, and came up with a proposal to pull the generator feed through the existing conduit between our house and detached garage (200+ feet from the house), and put the generator behind the garage where it is virtually inaudible from the house. We sunk an additional 500 gallon propane tank joined to the existing tank. Pulling a one inch generator feed line through 200 feet of conduit was no small task. They are in Center Moriches. Nick D'Amico was brilliant.
I never did the project back in 2018, I just started getting quotes again. Looks like ~$10-12k excluding permits.
Generac wants to the put automatic transfer switch outside next to the electric meter. Kohler says in the basement next to the breaker panel. Thoughts?
Also, has anyone heard of a *significant* backlog of getting permits from Nassau County fire marshal? Like 6+ months???
I can’t comment on the permit delay but I’m sure many are doing home upgrades while stuck during the pandemic.
The ATS placement doesn’t really matter, it just needs to be between the meter and the panel. Both are likely weatherproof.
The Kohler guy said a client who contracted in August 2020 still hasn't had it done because of the NCFM permit delay. The Generac guy said they're pushed out into June 2021 (not so bad) bc of supplier issues. I haven't had the opportunity yet to ask them about the permit issue; I'll call the local building department to see if I can get information on this too
What a difference 2 years makes since thread was started. You may what to look into solar now. They have batteries these days that can run your house for 3 days. And that’s without any sunlight and complete blackout which never happens.
Anyone have any experience getting a Tesla Powerwall installed on Long Island?
According to the calculator on the Tesla page, I can get a Powerwall installed and if I add in the solar panels, after rebates the price is 25% less than just the Powerwall by itself. It seems like you get solar for free and a 25% discount on the battery.
Just backfeed your panel through a breaker...Simple! Done! No permits necessary.
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