Plugging in at home
Should I plug my 50 amp plug into my home when I am not using my motor coach? I have the proper adapters to do,this.
Forum Discussion
I used to keep my motorhome plugged in when not in use. However when I installed my home solar system, I noticed something was drawing a constant 7.2 kwh per day. I traced the consumption to the gas/electric refrigerator in the MH, which as it turns out, if very inefficient when operating on AC. There was nothing in the user manual about the electrical demand.
The electrical heating element that essentially produces the same energy as the propane flame consumes a constant 300 watts. Hence, the 7.2 kwh/day or 216 kwh per month. At the Tier 5 electric rate, that translates to $70/mo to keep the frig running in the MH, or after the solar, it effectively reduced my Net Metering production by 216 kwh/mo.
So I now turn the frig off when at home, but still power the MH on a timer that charges both the house and engine battery 1 hour/day. The arrangement keeps the batteries fully charged without boiling off the electrolyte.
BTW, I calculated the size of the solar array to essentially balance out my annual demand, without over producing. I just got my first annual electric bill which was $10 for the entire year. With the federal tax credit, the return on the solar investment is 2.5 years, which I achieved by doing the engineering and installation myself.
The electrical heating element that essentially produces the same energy as the propane flame consumes a constant 300 watts. Hence, the 7.2 kwh/day or 216 kwh per month. At the Tier 5 electric rate, that translates to $70/mo to keep the frig running in the MH, or after the solar, it effectively reduced my Net Metering production by 216 kwh/mo.
So I now turn the frig off when at home, but still power the MH on a timer that charges both the house and engine battery 1 hour/day. The arrangement keeps the batteries fully charged without boiling off the electrolyte.
BTW, I calculated the size of the solar array to essentially balance out my annual demand, without over producing. I just got my first annual electric bill which was $10 for the entire year. With the federal tax credit, the return on the solar investment is 2.5 years, which I achieved by doing the engineering and installation myself.
