An AC system plays an essential role in every household, especially in humid and hot states. While most traditional units run on standard electricity, have you ever thought of investing in a solar-powered mode? It’s a good idea to make use of the heat in the summer to produce electricity and reduce your utility bills. In this post, you’ll learn some useful tips to run an air conditioner on solar power.
Purchase a Solar-Powered Air Conditioner
There are three factors to take into consideration when it comes to cooling your home: artificial cooling; ventilation like having open windows and fans for cross-winds; and isolation like insulation, seals and shade. Many small homes do not have a basement where you would retreat to cool off. As your house is entirely above the ground, it is essential to find an alternative method to cool down when the heat rises.
Isolation by shade is essential when you are living off the grid. It is a good idea to keep your home relatively cool just by closing off space. While these ways can help, you still need to install a solar-powered AC system to get through the summer.
How Much Power Do ACs Consume?
For cooling and heating, it is advisable to choose a system that has a high SEER rating, also known as Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. Old and inefficient mini-split AC units often have a score from 8 to 10, while modern aircons might have a rating of 13 or higher. This factor is significant as a system of solar panels in a small house cannot handle less-efficient cooling units.
Another significant reason to choose a mini-split AC system rather than a standard window unit is the aesthetics. Its air handler can be wall mounted above the eye level and out of the way to keep your limited space clutter free. Also, this helps your windows look nicer since no window units are blighting the design.
Test the Duration of Solar Batteries
You can test the system of solar panels by turning on the portable air conditioning unit and setting the thermostat high. By doing this, you can check how long it would take for the batteries of the solar system to bottom out. A charge controller often turns the power off automatically when the battery power goes down to 5o%. This helps prevent damage to these units by charging too deep.
Benefits of Using a Solar-Powered AC
The most important advantage of a solar-powered unit is that you can produce a lot of electricity when it is hot outside. This allows you to run the air conditioner full blast and keep your home cool and fresh. In some cases, it is even possible to add extra power into the batteries. Compared to the heating process, where you usually need most of the heat at night, it can prevent a significant drain in the cells. Thus, an air conditioning system is typically less energy intensive than a heater.
As always, air conditioning services come in handy, whether your aircon is electric or solar-powered.