Refrigerator question for you class A campers
We have had a Winnebago View class C for about 5 years, and a 5er for the decade before. We think at times of a larger class A for part timing in retirement. Many have commercial refrigerators. How do...
Forum Discussion
A/C usage has been brought up once or twice, but no one seems to want to discuss it. One can run a residential refrigerator on house batteries and/or "solar" for limited periods of time, but those power sources won't run air conditioners. For those of us primarily in warm climates, A/Cs are every bit as important as the frig.
My personal opinion of "alternative energies", all of them, is that they're not ready for prime time. They're still expensive and inefficient. The sun's not always out, and the wind doesn't always blow. It's also true that the only way they even stay on the market is through government subsidies, for consumers through local power companies, or through massive federal subsidies for companies. Take away the subsidies and they disappear - remember "Solyndra"? Your tax money at work.
Our Allegro Bus has two sizable solar panels on top, and all they're good for is a small "polishing charge" if the 6 house batteries are already charged. I'd never expect them to keep up with even normal electrical demands of the coach, and the cost to augment them with enough additional panels to make any significant difference would be punitive - a very poor option.
My personal opinion of "alternative energies", all of them, is that they're not ready for prime time. They're still expensive and inefficient. The sun's not always out, and the wind doesn't always blow. It's also true that the only way they even stay on the market is through government subsidies, for consumers through local power companies, or through massive federal subsidies for companies. Take away the subsidies and they disappear - remember "Solyndra"? Your tax money at work.
Our Allegro Bus has two sizable solar panels on top, and all they're good for is a small "polishing charge" if the 6 house batteries are already charged. I'd never expect them to keep up with even normal electrical demands of the coach, and the cost to augment them with enough additional panels to make any significant difference would be punitive - a very poor option.
