Hey everyone! I'm new to solar power and living in Florida, where hurricane season is getting tougher each year. I'm looking to get started with some solar equipment that can help me during power outages. Ideally, I want to charge my cell phone and a couple of portable fans, and if possible, I'd love to keep my refrigerator and freezer running as well. The fridge is a compact model typical for small apartments. Last year, I lost a lot of food due to long power outages after a hurricane, so I'm hoping to avoid that this time. My budget is around $500, but I'm not sure if that will be enough for everything I want. What would you recommend?
4 Answers
With your budget, you can definitely keep your phone and fans running, but keeping your fridge going might be tough. You might be able to save a few items if you can run it during the day with some solar power, but it won't last long without a good battery setup. Just keep in mind, the sun might not be shining when you need it most! So, think about how to set this up so you can generate power during the day to last into the night.
I have a portable solar setup, an Anker C300 with a small 60-watt solar panel I got for around $250. It powers a couple of LED lamps and a fan for a while, which helps a lot during outages. The panel recharges it every morning. Just a heads up, keeping a fridge running would stretch your budget. I've found that my C300 can only run my small fridge for a few hours. Do look for discounted packages though; you can save a lot if you keep an eye out!
Just to give you an idea, a fridge typically uses between 1-2 kW per day. Start with a Kill-A-Watt meter to measure your fridge's actual usage. Once you know that, it’ll be much easier to figure out what you need to keep it running for a couple of days during an outage.
Could you share the model number of your fridge? Knowing its power usage will help us figure out how to plan your setup. Is it energy-efficient with an inverter compressor? That's important to know for a solid recommendation!
Definitely check refurbished sales on vendor sites and eBay. You can sometimes find deeper discounts than on Amazon!