So we’re preparing Xmas eve, with Jolan printing the labels as we just finished wrapping gifts.
Wife has been baking cookies - almost entirely on our meager solar harvest of the day (6kWh in spite of the 20kWp solar array - grey, grey skies these days).
We’re inviting only the close family this year as the last months have been a little harsh, so we’re happy to keep it simple.
Our newest energy saving tip is about the laundry.
- We’ve been using an electric drier for years.
- Summer is never an issue given the massive solar harvest allowed by June, July and August.
- We installed an air-air heatpump and already enjoy the warmer rooms at much lower cost (-50% cost in spite of the +15% heat increase)
- In the light of this, it’s simply become hard to accept the internals of a drier considering the diminishing solar yields since October.
What it does:
- Heats the humid laundry.
- Expells the hot humid air out of the house.
- Only some excess heat stays in the room, most of the energy is gone.
Our laundry room is usually cold and damp 6 months a year. Given the episode of mold-fighting that we encountered among other things in Q3/Q4, we needed to make a few adjustments - one of them revealed to be a wonderful energy saver: A simple, small 200W dehumidifer connected to our AC500 operates for a few hours right under the drying line where most of our laundry now rests after being washed.
Benefits:
- Every watt consumed by the dehumidifier turn into heat, and that heat stays in the room (vs leaving the house).
- Hygrometry is kept under control, and combined with AC500’s being on 24/7, the room is now 3°C warmer, and humidity quickly returns to about 55%.
This is a small investment, but we enjoy its huge impact and recommend it warmly (pun intended!)
Last but not least, this week it’s AC180’s turn to power the house after charging slowly but surely in spite of our grey sky and short days:
This 75% humidity rate will quickly drop…
A little more than a liter of water extracted in a matter of hours, and ready for the indoor plants!
While AC500 recharges its 4 batteries at 7Amps (to reduce the pressure on the grid / peak shaving), we can observe 212W of output - that’s how much our dehumidifer consumes, and that’s how much heat we obtain as byproduct of drying the laundry.
…
…
Next up, Dad’s not going to bed immediately - the elves aren’t working tonight I’m affraid!
Thankfully, our 7yo (soon 8) will bring a nespresso capsule tomorrow morning to help me wake up 
We already wish you all a Merry Xmas, and share our our best wishes for health, happy family ties, safety and positive energy (from the sky AND from the heart) to beautifully wrap this eventful year!
