Efficient Energy Management

[niel]

Hi,

I am interested in solar projects particularly solar power. Energy produced is energy saved and solar pvs give big time benefits in this regard. More sunlight means more power. However becomes of value only when it is properly used or yields returns. I am keen about the ways to achieve this.

Thanks
Niel

[PNjunction]

Welcome and keep on reading here. It will help to dispel some myths, and get you started very quickly by avoiding a lot of hype.

At first, I thought you were the niel from another forum, but it is obvious I was mistaken.

[J.P.M.]

Hi,

I am interested in solar projects particularly solar power. Energy produced is energy saved and solar pvs give big time benefits in this regard. More sunlight means more power. However becomes of value only when it is properly used or yields returns. I am keen about the ways to achieve this.

Thanks
Niel

Reduce the load first. You'll save money right out of the box. Synergistically, any alternate energy systems that supply some/all of the remaining load will be smaller and less expensive (but perhaps somewhat ironic and counterintuitive, harder to make cost effective).

Use the most cost effective method (in terms of cost of the measure per unit of energy saved) first to reduce the load until the savings produced by that method comes down to the savings per unit of energy produced by the next most cost effective method. Recalculate all the saving. Continue this way and at some point you'll get to the cost of the cheapest way to supply energy to the load which may or my not be alternative energy. Stop there for max. savings or continue if you want to risk subsidizing the solar peddlers.

FWIW, I started there when I was keen about saving energy.