32
votes
Accepted
Why am I offered a 5 kW inverter with a 6.6 kW solar installation?
It could be that the system will spend such little time providing above 5 kW, once shading and losses are taken into account, that it's not worth the cost of getting the next-largest inverter.
...
- 14.7k
21
votes
Why am I offered a 5 kW inverter with a 6.6 kW solar installation?
Standard Test Conditions vs Real life
Photovoltaic panels are rated at "Standard Test Conditions" (STC):
Irradiance = 1000 W/m²
Cell temperature = 25°C
Air Mass = 1.5
Those conditions are achieved ...
- 311
14
votes
Why am I offered a 5 kW inverter with a 6.6 kW solar installation?
Solar systems are rated at peak power. It's normal for inverters to be rated less since you will very rarely have ideal conditions to reach peak power. For example, my inverter is rated at 80% of peak ...
- 241
13
votes
Accepted
What countries favour people who want to live a sustainable lifestyle?
If you're currently in Western Europe, then Eastern European countries may be very interesting for you to look at, because compared to Western Europe:
The cost of living tends to be lower, so you ...
- 256
12
votes
Accepted
Mismatched socks? What to do with hundreds of them?
Just about anything you would normally do with rags, but these ones are already in tube and bag form:
Use for washing, polishing and cleaning - just put your hand inside
Use to keep stuff in - small ...
- 425
11
votes
Accepted
Alternatives to garbage plastic bags
Ironically, the better you are at reducing your waste, the less likely you are to succeed at replacing plastic bags for the irreducible portion. My mother throws out actual garbage twice a year - one ...
- 1,897
11
votes
Accepted
What is the most sustainable way of making coffee?
I live off-grid, so I did a lot of study on this topic. All used coffee grounds make good fertilizer.
Drip machines seem to use a lot of energy, and they seem to use it for a lot of time. They also ...
- 676
11
votes
How do I set myself up to not have to mow the lawn?
Planting a large garden and covering other areas with gravel and/or stepping stones is one approach. Maybe look into rain gardens; water retention is a key concern here and why you want something ...
- 328
11
votes
Domestic flywheel energy storage: how close are we?
Lets check the pros and cons on flywheel energy storage and whether those apply to domestic use (source):
Compared with other ways to store electricity, FES systems have long lifetimes (lasting ...
- 496
11
votes
Accepted
Is working from home a more sustainable choice?
Here's a piece of the answer for the U.S. Hopefully others can provide additional details covering other countries or regions.
MAJOR EDIT: Comments pointed out that something seemed fishy. I double-...
- 11.8k
10
votes
How do I set myself up to not have to mow the lawn?
Building on the garden answer :
Turn your lawn into a native plant garden. Six or Seven years ago I turned the front lawn of my house (roughly 30' x 50') into a (mostly) native plant garden. The ...
- 603
10
votes
Domestic flywheel energy storage: how close are we?
Domestic flywheels are unlikely to happen for 3 reasons:
They must be heavy to store significant energy. If you need a crane to install one at your house it’s never going to be super cheap, even with ...
- 101
9
votes
Accepted
Is an electric shaver more sustainable than water-based shaving ? And how to determine so for one's context?
Your most sustainable choice is an old straight razor, but there's a reason the replacement is called a "safety razor"... you're much less likely to kill yourself with a safety razor. But these last a ...
- 1,307
9
votes
What are effective ways to make a home significantly more sustainable when renting?
Thermal lined curtains would make a big difference especially if the windows are single glazed. Draught proofing using self-adhesive strip is both subtle and removable. Topping up loft insulation, as ...
- 2,116
9
votes
What's the best way of getting an eco-friendly off-grid house?
I think you're right that building your own is likely to be necessary (we're in the same position). What I've discovered in Australia is broadly applicable in the global north, so:
An earthship can't ...
- 3,875
9
votes
Accepted
How much could the US reduce its electricity demand if people moved from Texas back to Ohio?
Original answer (which had a long explanation):
I proposed using degree days information to determine a baseload value for consumption of electricity and natural gas by region, and assume anything ...
- 11.8k
9
votes
Is heating with candles economically and/or ecologically worthwhile?
A related question was asked on SE Skeptics - Is this tealight-flowerpot heater more efficient than just tealights?
In the third answer, it is claimed the heat produced by one tea light candle is 0....
- 3,517
9
votes
Why am I offered a 5 kW inverter with a 6.6 kW solar installation?
There already are some answers addressing the fact that you probably will not reach or will rarely reach the rated power of your panels. That explains why you don't need a higher rated inverter. Now, ...
- 191
8
votes
Do USB outlets waste energy just like conventional wall warts?
Electronically they're the same and will waste as much energy as a conventional adaptor. Depending on your electrical regulations they may be forced to be at the good end of adaptor efficiency, or ...
- 2,116
8
votes
How to reduce humidity in the home?
The outside relative humidity may be almost as high but the absolute amount of water held in the air is lower. So removing the most humid air is effective. That's the principle behind shower extractor ...
- 2,116
8
votes
What's the best way of getting an eco-friendly off-grid house?
I suggest that you question some of your assumptions.
Difficulties of off-grid.
Off-grid is HARD, and generally isn't worth it unless you are a long ways from the power lines. If you are looking at ...
- 7,207
7
votes
What is the most sustainable way of making coffee?
Your grinder may be less efficient than a commercial unit, and shipping beans rather than ground coffee may affect the bulk for shipping. If you use extra (hot) water in washing a permanent filter you ...
- 2,116
7
votes
How do I set myself up to not have to mow the lawn?
Some of the alternative lawn plants don't need mowing. We looked into chamomile but decided it was too expensive or initially labour intensive.
You probably don't need to cut it as often as you ...
- 2,116
7
votes
Accepted
Environmentally friendly alternative to salt for de-icing walkways?
This is a question that many Departments of Transportation have struggled with as well! There are other chemicals that you can use, but all of them will have at least some impact on the environment. ...
- 306
7
votes
Accepted
Reusable alternatives to plastic wrap?
You don't need a perfect seal in the microwave - in fact the reason your plastic wrap doesn't explode is that the seal isn't perfect. So placing a plate or saucer on top of your microwave container (...
- 2,116
7
votes
Domestic flywheel energy storage: how close are we?
We were looking into flywheel UPSes for my company and I read up on this a bit. Of note in recent developments:
Instead of traditional bearings, they're using magnetic bearings to mostly eliminate ...
- 71
7
votes
How to choose between an electric, natural gas, or heat pump clothes dryer?
You need neither a tumble dryer nor a drying cabinet. I haven't used either for years, and we are a two person household in a 36m² studio apartment in England (so winters are rather humid).
By far ...
- 2,579
6
votes
Prevent concrete roof from absorbing too much heat during summer
I live in Chennai, a place which has only three seasons, hot-hotter & hottest. I had tried this coolroof solution, where a white so called chemical solution is painted on the concrete roof. We did ...
- 61
6
votes
Is an electric shaver more sustainable than water-based shaving ? And how to determine so for one's context?
This will depend on where you live.
It is a question of energy;
First of all take into account the carbon footprint of the electric shaver relative to it's expected lifespan - this is likely to be ...
- 496
6
votes
Should I worry about the minimum mark on our kettle?
I agree with Fred in that it seems logical that a minimum amount of water would be required to help prevent overheating by the element. It's likely though that the manufacturer has specified a fairly ...
- 8,755
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