Pretty much guaranteed our power never goes out
- Thread starter Sawburner
- Start date
Are you A B NORMAL?Naw - I will spend eternity in a jar on a shelf
Dan
and probably half the price.
The panels we bought for $224 are now $124
when the power is out the gas stations can’t pump gas…around here anyways. Also, this damn state has basically made it impossible for commercial businesses to meet air quality standards to get a permit for one.
Correct..which I solve by having 2-3 weeks of it, preserved, on-hand. Hopefully, the power will be back-on ..…somewhere…by then…
No tellin’ where propane might be found, tho’……
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Oh, you’ll lose power. We said the same thing. But a year later a tiny tree fell over on some wires. 19 hours in July and we didn’t miss a beat!
NCL4701
Well-known member
Equipment
L4701, T2290, WC68, grapple, BB1572, Farmi W50R, Howes 500, 16kW IMD gen, WG24
With the 16kW PTO generator with electronic voltage regulator hooked to a transfer switch, electric life goes on pretty much as usual albeit with requirement for some thought toward load management. Takes about 20 minutes to walk to the shop, swap whatever is on the 3 point in favor of the generator, hook it up to the house, and restore power. Being able to run the well pump is nice.
Our power doesn’t go out often. Lengthy outages are even more rare. About 20 years ago we were out for a bit over two weeks. We have enough fuel on hand to deal with that. Admittedly, that’s running during waking hours and leaving the heating to the wood stove during sleeping hours.
Most times, we do something non-grid dependent for a while and it’s back on well before we have to get concerned about food spoiling or pipes freezing. My wife wasn’t 100% on board with upgrading from the 7500W portable we used for years to power refrigerators, freezers, and oil furnace off a birds nest of drop cords. For about $3K, being able to run the well pump sold me, so I bought it and had an electrician put in a transfer switch and make up the cord to hook it up.
First time we used it, someone ran over a power pole that included a transformer, knocking out our power for about 10 hours. Wife was in the middle of cooking and prepping for extended family Christmas stuff. Took about 20 minutes to get her back in business. Haven’t heard any more negative comments about the PTO generator.
If our power went out routinely or stayed out for lengthy periods often or we were prepping for the collapse of society or we had some requirement that power couldn’t be interrupted more than a few seconds, I don’t think a PTO generator would be a good fit. For us, it’s been a very good fit. A good bit cheaper than a comparable stand alone unit, and it doesn’t add yet another ICE to maintain.
Our power doesn’t go out often. Lengthy outages are even more rare. About 20 years ago we were out for a bit over two weeks. We have enough fuel on hand to deal with that. Admittedly, that’s running during waking hours and leaving the heating to the wood stove during sleeping hours.
Most times, we do something non-grid dependent for a while and it’s back on well before we have to get concerned about food spoiling or pipes freezing. My wife wasn’t 100% on board with upgrading from the 7500W portable we used for years to power refrigerators, freezers, and oil furnace off a birds nest of drop cords. For about $3K, being able to run the well pump sold me, so I bought it and had an electrician put in a transfer switch and make up the cord to hook it up.
First time we used it, someone ran over a power pole that included a transformer, knocking out our power for about 10 hours. Wife was in the middle of cooking and prepping for extended family Christmas stuff. Took about 20 minutes to get her back in business. Haven’t heard any more negative comments about the PTO generator.
If our power went out routinely or stayed out for lengthy periods often or we were prepping for the collapse of society or we had some requirement that power couldn’t be interrupted more than a few seconds, I don’t think a PTO generator would be a good fit. For us, it’s been a very good fit. A good bit cheaper than a comparable stand alone unit, and it doesn’t add yet another ICE to maintain.
Around here they won't let you go completely off grid (so I'm told) unless it's new construction.
Battery backup didn't make sense to me. I make enough KHW credits in the summer time to carry me through the winter without an electric bill.
we rarely lose power /if so I connect the genny.
If anyone was thinkin bout going solar they kinda missed the boat...
Trump got rid of the 30% federal tax deduction
I got almost 10k back when I installed my system.
so total cost installed was about $22k
money well spent IMO.
Makes me smile when I get my bill and it says NO PAYMENT DUE.
side note(s) on panels.... when you get a bad winter like this year and there is a foot of snow on the roof. You ain't making power. and batteries will only get you so far.
like I said, I have credit so I pull off the grid. free
And when the panels finally start to get warm from the sun and the snow slides off.... You better not be standing outside or on a deck. It comes down like an avalanche....
Could not agree more. I would rather spend money for something like a Powerwall than a generator but thats a personal choice.
In my service area a homeowner can "sell" 2X what they draw so you can do better than break even.
Dan
Some states REQUIRE you share your batteries during peak demand if you are tied to the grid.
AI Overview
Several U.S. states and utilities have established programs that require or strongly incentivize residential battery owners to share their stored energy with the grid during peak demand, often referred to as Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) or "Bring Your Own Device" (BYOD) programs
While not generally a mandatory "statewide" requirement for all homeowners, participation in these programs is often a condition for receiving upfront incentives, rebates, or reduced-cost battery installation.
Key States with Battery Sharing Programs
- Vermont: Green Mountain Power (GMP) requires customers who receive discounted home battery storage to enroll in a program that allows the utility to access stored energy during peak times, typically 5–8 times per month.
- California: Through the Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP), many residential battery systems are connected to VPPs that discharge during grid stress. Additionally, PG&E operates the "Power Saver Rewards" program and other VPP initiatives.
- Massachusetts: Utilities like Eversource and National Grid offer the "ConnectedSolutions" program, which pays homeowners for discharging their battery during designated peak events.
- Colorado: Xcel Energy’s "Renewable Battery Connect" program allows the utility to manage batteries during peak demand periods in exchange for upfront incentives and annual payments.
- Connecticut: The "Energy Storage Solutions" program is a 9-year initiative that provides incentives for customers who allow their batteries to be dispatched by the grid during high-demand events.
- Hawaii: The "Bring Your Own Device Plus" (BYOD Plus) program allows utilities to tap into residential batteries to manage demand.
I don't know where "Around here", or "under a rock" is, but I guess that the Amish aren't welcome.
AI anwers dont carry much weight with me.
That said it appears those are all voluntary programs and in exchange for other incentives like battery discounts. Incentives would have to be substantial to interest me but certainly something I would consider.
I am much more concerned sbout things like CA's newest Net Metering 3.0 policy that drastically cuts residential reimbursement rates. The power companies see this for what it is - a real threat to their monopoly on generation and distrubution. They are doing their best to impede the wide spread adoption of point of use generation and storage.
Dan
Agreed, we also have the 20K version and it has been very nice to have on occassions.
wow thats a great deal.
I'm in CT.
things have changed over the years.... seems everyone has a different deal.. depending when you installed.
I have net metering that gives me KWH credit for over production.
my buddy that had his system a few years earlier gets a 75% payout for over production per year...
mine just stack up. until you sell the house then you get paid out on any accumulation.
my deal is for 20 years ...
by the time it's up for renewal, I'll probably be in the Box.
Hope your overage payout is in writing, SCE gave me 5.5 cents per Kw for the first 2 years, which gave me about $1000 in my SCE bank, which means I should not have any bill for the next 10 years, but then 2 years ago they dropped it to 1.25 cents per Kw. Thankfully my system has paid for itself already.
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Lost power yesterday due to the wind. Only for 2 hours, but it was so nice to hear that V twin start up!