No response so will post it here too:


I use my washing machine to make the most use of solar power. Helps but it is a minor use of electricity—all cold water.

Major user of power—my electric hot water system—how to get that to run between say 10am to 2pm in winter (in summer could set a longer window, of course.)

I have a fridge, a chest freezer and a vertical freezer. I should have bought a bigger vertical freezer. The fridge is efficient—doesn’t have a freezer compartment. Could they be set to only run during the day?

When we had our office in Hutt St, the deli owner below let his fridges run at night–cheaper tariff I suppose—and switched them off in the morning. Dunno if I could do similar? My fridge isn’t filled with just drinks, of course, litre of milk, sometimes some fruit juice or flavored milk as well. Don’t want to ruin motors or have food go bad.

Anybody have any idea. Must be others with panels that would find discussion interesting?

Chest freezers and fridges are more efficient than vertical which lose all the cold air when you open the door.

If you're burning wood for a fire that is a source for hot water.

Second suggestion of this nature but no good due nature of the woodburner.

My friends outside Bathurst did this. Woodburning stove for cooking heating the hot water tank—with a digital thermometer giving the temp of the water, neat mix of old and new tech  ;D ;D

This really the best OzPol can do now, has it sunk so far?

Jovial Monk wrote on May 3^rd, 2025 at 8:14am:

Second suggestion of this nature but no good due nature of the woodburner. My friends outside Bathurst did this. Woodburning stove for cooking heating the hot water tank—with a digital thermometer giving the temp of the water, neat mix of old and new tech  ;D ;D This really the best OzPol can do now, has it sunk so far?

Look I'm sure Karnal, Chimeria and Greg all will have some really good advice regarding solar panels.

I have an electric Heat Pump these days.

I have the timer window set from between 9:30 am and 18:30 pm.

The "issue" is that my son takes very long showers. I guess that is a common thing experienced by many families :)

The heat pump fires up once or twice a day depending on hot water usage and usually runs for about 2 hours at a time.

The maximum temperature it gets to is 60C. I would of course prefer that it runs only during sunlight hours so that the battery would cover us longer overnight, but since it is always powered either by direct solar or solar battery, it runs for "free".

I used to have a gas storage heater prior to this, so the saving in cost is very good. We now have "free" hot water rather than paying exorbitant gas bills. :)

You can see where the heat pump is doing its thing from the battery in the graph below:

https://imgur.com/0AnsDg7

Yeah, know heat pumps the way to go, $$$ upfront tho. Was hoping some simpler tricks might be possible.

Is it possible to bung a timer on your current hot water heater?

My electrician wasn’t keen. Dunno why.

I want the kitchen light switch to be moved into the lounge—where it is is eventually going to be knocked down.

I will ask again, specifically.

Jovial Monk wrote on May 3^rd, 2025 at 3:01pm:

My electrician wasn’t keen. Dunno why. I want the kitchen light switch to be moved into the lounge—where it is is eventually going to be knocked down. I will ask again, specifically.

I live in Qld and have a timer on my hot water if my Grandchildren visit I can switch it off. Installing a 20KW battery in the next six weeks so will be able to live off grid even with A/C on. Happy Days.

Jovial Monk wrote on May 3^rd, 2025 at 3:01pm:

My electrician wasn’t keen. Dunno why

find a new electrician.

I had a timer on my place on the GC. I hadn't paid for hot water in years.
My new place has solar hot water with a pot belly stove hooked up to it to help heat up hot water when it's cold and not much sun.

I live semi-rural.

ATM, i have no mains power hassles.

I actually use, very little mains power......in winter i run a slow/c wood stove [....which is useful for minimalist cooking, and for heating water].

Ideally, i'd like to migrate, to an off grid system, but i don't understand [not electrically savvy enough, to know] how to ensure that all of the different off grid components will/would work harmoniously with each other.

No urgency yet.

.......but if i live long enough it could 'all' catch up with me !!    ;D

Jovial Monk wrote on May 3^rd, 2025 at 3:01pm:

My electrician wasn’t keen. Dunno why. I want the kitchen light switch to be moved into the lounge—where it is is eventually going to be knocked down. I will ask again, specifically.

Maybe you owed him $60?