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OBTW. The starting amps on the compressor are usually 2.5x running. There are much higher spikes in the KW demand to your AC then the average recorded.

AC is not a resistive load. The BTUs are not coming from the BTU input and computed in a Work out/Work in an efficiency formula. The BTUs are drawn from the air. Here lay the difference between a heat pump and an electrical resistive coil that one KW = 3413 BTUs

Believe me it took some doing to have it explained to me because I was "classically" trained as a Gold Seal Stationary Engineer.

Hi Lindsay,

I don't know why, but my 13500 btu ac only draws 960 watts (measured with a kill-a-watt unit).

That 1,000 watts sounds very low to me. You know panels don't run at 100% efficiency. Then again are you talking about in Canada where AC needs would be very low I would think. In US RV AC's start around 13,5000 BTU's. I calculated that cost from my bill and could have easily missed a decimal. That $1800 figure is not what is important, it is what is going on during the peak usage that determines the size necessary. My bill can run $250/month in the summer, but we are frequently camping months at a time.

Hi Lindsay,

Actually the panels are installed vertically and do not require any snow clearing. In winter time the sun actually "bounces" off the snow giving a boost in output to the system.

I'm still toying with the idea of redoing my RV solar so that I could directly run my air conditioner from the panels. I'd need 1000 watts of panels. My existing super low light panels would have to disappear--and the system works so well I'm loath to do that.

I'm still hoping to hear how many kwh's 1800 smackers buys you. Was it a typo that you pay 73 cents per kwh? (i.e. missing a decimal place?)

Isolated places with no access to regular power might make sense. In the US, less than 1 % is powered by oil. Way too expensive. Natural gas and coal are the main power plant fuels. I doubt if they need AC too much up near the arctic circle. There are also many months a year with very little useful sunlight plus snow must be removed constantly to expose the panels.

Hi Lindsay,

The best example I have is Arctic College in Iqaluit, Nunavut. In 1995 they installed a grid tied system that was 3.2 kilowatts. The inverter had to be specially ordered from Japan, and cost $6000.00. Local power generation is 100% diesel. The system has now paid for itself more than 3 times over.

Here is a link about the system. Arctic College

Fortunately we don't have those mandates around here. There are impact fees for new construction that covers things like roads, water, sewage, ETC, but power is generally privately owned though heavly regulated. I don't think $14,400 would get you too far considering installation and electrical storage which is costly. Having the "horsepower" to run AC around the clock can be a huge order. New construction here has to have high insulation. I can't imagine the battery packs required to run my AC nearly 24/7 4 or 5 days in a row. You also have to have movable panels to take advantage of all daylight hours which adds a lot to the cost. An important fact is that if it was profitable, you would see it everywhere. I know of no installations in my area except for government facilities where cost is not an issue. Of course pool and hot water heater solar are common.

Hi Lindsay,

That is why grid tied systems make sense. The grid becomes the storage, so only enough solar to do the "average" day is needed.

Currently in Saskatchewan a lot owner is required to pay for both natural gas and electrical service being roughed in even if they never connect. The cost, last time I checked, for a brand new lot was $14,400.00. That would "buy" quite a nice solar system and could even be "stand alone".

If I went with Ontario where recently the power companies had to purchase solar generated power from home owners at $.80 per KWH it would not take long at all to have "pay back".

That assumes that you supplied enough power for your house first. Not sure that I figured the price correctly, but I believe I pay 72 cents pr kw. Of course the average monthly doesn't make any difference because the solar system must be designed around the most usage day, a hot day in July where we are running the AC 24/7 with a 78 degree setting. We of course need electrical storage and inverter for those need to compete with our off the pole system. Those days actually become weeks on end so the ability store power is large and a must have.