I now have 2 x ac200max’s and 2 x eb70’s. And soon to receive a b230 expansion battery.
I started out with the smallest unit eb3 to start testing and experimenting with solar, but sold that now as I no longer had a use case for it. The ac200max’s are great if you need the 2200w inverter, but I wouldn’t really recommend it for just powering lower wattage items like lighting etc only, due to the idle power draw. I tend to use the ac200max’s for all the heavier loads, and one of them for any items I have powered on permanently e.g. router, fridge, house alarm, cctv. The eb70’s on the other hand seem to be a good balance to use with the 1000W rating and 716wh, combined with portability, so I tend to use these generally around the house for charging ‘stuff’ and lighting, and if I want to power anything on the move.
I originally purchased the ac200max’s with the thought of using both at home, and having the flexibility to take one in the van for travelling, meanwhile still having the one at home. Now having a bit of a rethink on that, and may see if I can manage in the van with taking the two eb70’s as my power use in the van will be alot lower than the house, but still need to test this out.
Overall, I’ve been very happy with the units, and don’t think I’d do anything different if I started out again. One point to also consider if you’re looking at these types of battery packs is the max wattage input from solar + the max voltage they’ll accept, as the first 400w solar panel I purchased wouldn’t work with the eb3 and I had to get a voltage step down bit of kit to make it work - a learning For the eb70’s I used the ac200max’s to charge them in the Summer when there was a massive excess of solar, and recently been using the 2 x 160w portable solar panels that I purchased for the van - idea to have them fixed to the van roof but also have the flexibility to relocate them away from the van if necessary.
Thanks for the insight. I was looking at the eb70 myself, as it would allow me to power all my equipment for at least 14 hours which is plenty. As for solar charging, I don’t need the separate solar panel, as I have 4.1Kw of them on the roof . So, as for idle consumption, which I hadn’t taken into account, what sort of figure are we talking about for the eb70 ? As it is, I won’t be using the mains outputs for my telescope stuff as it all works off 12V, and the eb70 has plenty 12V outputs.
Tel 09 70 83 33 33 apparently if telephone this EDF service after 11am it gives tomorrows colour as well
As confirmed in email this morning from EDF tracking my call to them yesterday as I’m signed up for Rouge emails and SMS’s but only received the email yesterday and no SMS
Exactly. I’m with Soregies so have no reason to visit the EDF website but thank you for the link, @vero , even if I can’t access it without an account!
Off Peak hours on a Red Day are only 6% more expensive than Peak Hours on a White Day, so it’s whether you can wait until 10pm to switch it on and have hot water in the morning on Saturday.
My first red day yesterday - I unplugged everything, just a couple of essentials on standby, and a tiny bit of computer usage. Managed to have a 1,60 euro red day, which is far better than I get on a regular day. Another red day tomorrow.
Having read all comments on power use dodging it sounds all too stressful to me.
I will be sticking with day and night tariffs and stick with my daily routine. In my opinion there’s more to life than feeling I have saved a euro or too after going through the inconvenience of saving it, no heat, no hot water, no light and of course the idea of going out shopping to avoid using electricity at home will cost more in fuel for travel and buying an unwanted bargain.
There is a choice, which is to carry on your life as normal. I have friends who do that and still reckon they save money. They might think twice about doing clothes washing on a red day but otherwise haven’t changed anything.
I admit - having started doing the power-saving thing recently, and obsessively! - I understand your reluctance to save what is, for you, a relatively small amount of money.
I am less concerned about the money, to be honest, than the idea that by a little planning I can reduce unnecessary pollution (in a way that the jokers attending COP decline to do ).
Same as your friends. Have changed laundry /dishwasher cycle to 10 pm onwards and try not to bake bread on red days.
But not going around and turning every electrical item off and not using cooker etc.
That’s our philosophy too. No heavy usage, no car charging or washing machine/dryer or oven, just microwave. Leave air/air heating going etc. I think overall in the year we’ll still save. For example the clim in the summer will have cost us buttons, as will the car charging and pool pump.
Yes I think that’s the secret, not using energy intensive ‘stuff’ on a red day which I don’t think is really any particular hardship, given the relatively small number of red days/year. I have my solar and batteries, but friends who are on tempo with larger households, relying solely on edf, all see attractive savings for just changing habits slightly. Savings plus a positive impact on the environment, that’s got to be positive!
For the eb70’s I used the ac200max’s to charge them in the Summer when there was a massive excess of solar, and recently been using the 2 x 160w portable solar panels that I purchased for the van - idea to have them fixed to the van roof but also have the flexibility to relocate them away from the van if necessary.
. So, as for idle consumption, which I hadn’t taken into account, what sort of figure are we talking about for the eb70 ? As it is, I won’t be using the mains outputs for my telescope stuff as it all works off 12V, and the eb70 has plenty 12V outputs.
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