Tips and Tricks for Your Solar PV System eKiss-Box

In order to get the perfect dimensions for your eKiss-Box, here are some helpful tipps and tricks to help you…
First and most important rule when dimensioning your eKiss-Box of course is:
The less energy you use, the better!

Tips and Tricks for Your Solar PV System By using highly efficient appliances, you can easily save up on expensive batteries and solar panels and thus save a lot of money.

Here are some things to consider:

Only use appliances you definitely need. Instead of an automatic coffee machine, why not get a manually operated? Saves energy and money!
If you are planning to use a washing machine cut down on the temperature you use. 10° of increase mean a doubling of the necessary energy.
Reduce the running time of your appliances and try to avoid energy consuming stand-by time. Small Tipp: Mobile phone chargers consume energy when not being removed after the charging process. So always remember to unplug!
A 230V system is not always necessary. If you are only planning to use
small equipment, eKiss-Box I could be sufficient with its 12V plug,
which can power most camping equipment.

Another point is energy efficiency

If you use smaller devices with lower maximum power demand, a smaller eKiss box could be enough to power your appliances.

Beware of high power consuming devices. Especially fridges surprise with a very high starting current!
If possible, use Energy saving devices such as energy-saving lamps. Some appliances can easily be replaced by smaller, less consuming camping equipment for instance.
Try and avoid using more appliances parallel. This can lead to an overload of your eKiss-Box.

When using autonomic energy power plants, ...

... an adjustment of your consuming habits is a big advantage:

Get work done during times of high solar radiation. This spares out your batteries and thus enables them a longer lifetime.
Use your system in months with long hours of sunshine. When using it in winter, you need many modules and batteries to keep up with the energy demand. Also, by dimensioning like this, you produce a massive overcapacity of electricity in summer!

Last but not least ...

of course, the installation is of importance:

Adjust the solar panels with the help of a mounting system or by laying it down on a hill in a way that it is directed towards the peak sun position. This differs from the place of installation and can be found on the internet. In doing so the modules reach a higher light gain and are cooled down by the wind which also causes a higher efficiency.
Avoid any form of shadow on the solar modules! This leads to high losses in the production!
In case you live in a place with high solar radiation, choose fewer days of autonomy. This way you can save on batteries.

Air conditioner

1. Use a window unit
There are different types of airconditioning units that you can buy. Central heating units are too powerful to be run on the eKiss box. Depending on the window unit you might be able to power it. Very important: Always check that the maximum power the air conditioning unit uses isn’t above the maximum out of your eKiss Box!!!

2. Raise the temperature
Raise the temperature of your thermostat a couple of degrees. This saves a lot of energy and money and can be compensated by taking other measurements.

3. Install ceiling fans if you don't have them
Fans can make you feel 3 to 8 degrees cooler, allowing you to dial your AC to a higher temperature and still feel just as cool but only uses a fragment of the power an aircondition uses.

4. Make sure your ceiling fan is spinning the right way
Check whether your fan is blowing the wind in the right direction. In order to use the wind-chill factor, the wind the fan produces must be blowing down on you.

5. Rinse off in the shower
A quick, cool shower can keep you cool for quite a while afterward. And the water cost is trivial compared to the electric cost.

6. Use an AC timer
For window unit AC's, many modern units have a timer built in. If not, you can use a simple plug-in timer if your AC has a mechanical On/Off switch (i.e., you physically move it into a different position when you turn the AC on). But plug-in timers usually don't work if the On/Off switch is electronic (i.e., you push a soft button on a panel to turn the AC on or off).