There are lots of different models out there, but our Ecommerce Writer Molly Cleary used one, £19.75 at Amazon).
She says the instructions aren't incredibly useful, and that you need
to find out what your unit rate is for electricity and then enter it in.
But otherwise, it was straightforward to use.
Amy Lockwood
Amy
Lockwood is Decor Editor at Ideal Home, offering advice on creating
your dream interior, whether that's choosing the perfect shade of paint,
investing in a new sofa, or sourcing on-trend and sustainable products
for the home.
As part of her work on the Ideal Home team, Amy has tested everything
from electric blankets and heated clothes airers to sofas and Christmas
trees.
Amy and Molly spent about a week putting their energy monitoring plugs to the test to see if it helped them save energy at home. They tested them at the end of September, just before the October rise in the energy price cap. Here's what they found out.
What used the most energy?
The kettle – 5-6p a go, £100+ a year
Amy: 'It takes my 2500-3000W kettle 2.45 mins to boil 4 cups of
water at a cost of 6p. That means if I boil the kettle 6 x per day,
every day, that's around £130 a year.' Molly: 'My kettle
has 2200W of power and cost 5p to boil at full capacity (1.6L). After
one day of testing, I found that we had spent 28p boiling the kettle. So
I think that's just over £100 a year, meaning my kettle is more
efficient than Amy's.'
The toaster – 2p per crumpet Amy's 950W toaster cost 2p to toast a crumpet for 3 minutes, so
if we're making a lot of toast every morning this could soon add up
more than we might have expected.
What used the least?
Electric blanket Amy's 70W electric blanket cost 3p an hour at the maximum temperature.
Lamp
Amy's lamp didn't nudge into 1p after an hour of it being turned on.
Heated drying rack Molly's heated drying rackcost 6p an hour to run. 'It has this written all over the box so was nice to discover that it was true,' she says.
Were there any surprises?
It
turns out that charging our phones isn't as expensive as we might have
thought. 'My phone doesn't last a day without charging anymore so I
thought that would be a big cost,' says Amy. 'But at only 4W it didn't
even nudge into 00.01 after 4 hours of charging.'
Molly also found that charging her phone and laptop brought up really really small numbers on the energy monitoring plug.
Molly also used the energy monitoring plug on her air fryer. This model has 1800W of power and cost 3p to run for 5 minutes, meaning that it's only £0.36p to run for an hour.
'This
might be steeper than expected because my air fryer is quite big (7L),'
she says. But it goes to show that it's worth using your air fryer
instead of the oven where possible, as an oven costs roughly 34p every
20 minutes, so three times more than an air fryer.
If you feel in
the dark about how much your appliances are costing you, an energy
monitoring plug could be a great money-saver. Will you be picking one
up?
A very informative report, I have times in which I use my most expensive items, like the washing machine and oven, weekends is the time when everyone uses these things! We try to avoid 10am-2pm and 6pm - 10pm very expensive!
Portable Solar Energy Systems for Home & On the Go
BySarah Lozanova
Aug 25, 2022
Solar panels aren’t just
found on rooftops and solar farms anymore — there are now numerous
portable solar modules on the market for camping,
RVs, and emergency preparedness. You can buy solar chargers with a
small solar panel and battery to charge devices, larger DIY kits that
can power an RV, and solar generators for backup power during outages.
Portable solar systems are ideal when it is difficult or impossible
to access the power grid. They can fulfill a similar purpose to a backup
generator, but without consuming fossil fuels or making noise. Let’s
examine the different categories of portable solar systems and how they
compare to rooftop arrays.
This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase an item
through one of these links, we receive a small commission that helps
fund our Recycling Directory.
Types of Portable Solar Systems
You have several different kinds of portable solar systems to choose from; each serves a different purpose.
Solar-Powered Portable Battery Charger
These units contain solar cells and a battery.
They often have a flashlight and perhaps a compass and can also charge
using a power cable. There are USB ports on these solar chargers for
powering cell phones and other electronic devices. Some solar power
banks are capable of just charging a cell phone a couple of times and
start at around $30, while others have a larger capacity and are more
costly.
Blavor Portable solar charger. Image: Amazon
Portable Solar Panel Kits
These setups contain one or more portable solar panels,
a battery bank, and a charge controller that regulates how the
batteries charge. In addition, many portable solar panels include a
kickstand or frame to prop up the PV panel at an ideal angle. Typically,
the solar panels have high-efficiency monocrystalline solar cells to generate more electricity in a limited space when compared to polycrystalline solar panels.
Renogy portable, foldable solar panel. Image: Amazon
Solar-Powered Generators
Like fossil fuel-powered generators, solar panel generators
supply emergency power during grid outages. In recent years, many
different models have hit the market, giving shoppers more options for
having some power during blackouts. Sometimes, solar generators are sold
in kits that include the solar panels, and other times the panels are
sold separately.
It’s a good idea to figure out what loads you will want to power so
you can size the solar generator accordingly. For example, you might
want to be able to plug in the refrigerator sometimes to prevent food
from spoiling. Unfortunately, the batteries start to degrade a bit over
time and cannot hold as much of their original capacity, so plan
accordingly. Some solar generators are relatively light, making them
more portable.
Here’s a helpful video guide to help you find the right solar-powered generator for you.
Advantages of Portable Solar Systems
Let’s explore the positive aspects of solar panels for mobile applications.
Smaller Upfront Cost
Numerous DIY solar kits and camping solar panels are available on the
market. Although they range in price from under $30 to thousands, they
usually cost significantly less than a rooftop solar system. Therefore,
it’s an excellent way for people to start using solar energy without investing $15,000 or more for
solar panels, an inverter, and labor. In addition, because the solar
panels aren’t attached to the roof or connected to the electric panel,
you will not need professional solar installers.
In some cases, financing is available through the retailer. This
helps make these products available to more people, including people
that don’t own their homes, but there are likely interest charges.
Portable Solar Power
These solar products often contain batteries that can charge with
solar or sometimes a wall outlet as well. This means you would have
electricity while on a boat, camping trip, or even during power outages.
Portable solar products are also excellent for disaster preparedness
because they do not rely on the electrical grid.
In other cases, grid power is available but might be very expensive.
For example, some campgrounds charge a lot for electricity, and RVers
might be able to save money by using a portable solar setup instead, or
they might have greater flexibility on where to park if they don’t need
to be parked near electrical outlets.
Disadvantages of Portable Solar Systems
Although they are great for power on the go, these systems do not provide all the benefits of a rooftop solar system.
Solar System Durability
Rooftop solar systems are designed to last 25 or more years, and they commonly include long-lasting warranties.
The solar panels usually have frames and a mounting system that
securely attaches them to the roof. By contrast, portable solar panels
are commonly propped up using a kickstand and are often water resistant
but can run into problems in heavy rains. Likewise, because they aren’t
attached, heavy winds can damage the system.
Because they are less durable, portable solar modules usually have
shorter warranties than roof-mounted solar systems. For example, the Bluetti PV350 Solar Panel includes a 2-year warranty, but the Renogy 100W Foldable Solar Suitcase with Voyager has a 10-year warranty.
May Not Qualify for Solar Tax Credit
There is a federal solar tax credit
available for residential and commercial solar energy systems. However,
portable solar systems qualify for the solar tax credit only
occasionally. So, if you have an RV that is a primary or secondary
residence and purchase a portable solar system for it, there’s a good
chance you can apply the tax credit.
Even though there are many portable solar power options available,
they might not be the ideal approach for everyone, and they serve a
different purpose than a home solar panel system. A rooftop solar system
or community solar subscription
is a better option if you want to lower your home electric bill
significantly. If you want emergency power or solar electricity on the
go, a portable system is ideal.
Before purchasing a system, consider your energy needs and the pros
and cons of each option. Figure out what electric loads you will have
and make sure the solar battery can power them for the desired length of
time. If you will use the portable solar system for camping or hiking
trips, make sure it is light enough to be convenient.
A nice and informative piece, really interesting too! We are a little bit behind here on Menorca with regards to these things,however with all the sun that we have we are moving forward really quickly with the solar powered energy.
The blog song for today is:"Where do I begin" by Shirley Bassey
