Test of AC200L with B230 with both batteries charged to 100% (4096Wh combined). The test was 12 hours long. A Kill-A-Watt meter was used to measure kWh used of the computer equipment plugged in to the AC200L.
630Wh used over 12 hours by Plugged in Computer Equipment. AC200L Dropped from 100% to 42%. B230 Dropped from 100% to 44%. Both at 43%. 4096Wh*0.57=2335Wh Consumed.
I expect power consumption to be more than the plugged in devices because the AC200L uses power too, but this means for every W consumed by connected computer equipment almost 3 W are used by the AC200L/B230 combo. This is far more than I expected.
Other Data: Both batteries charged to 100%. AC Out On. DC Out Off. AC Grid connected but not used to charge batteries during the test. PV not connected. Default Connection Mode Cloud. Homepage Display Off. Charging Mode Off. AC ECO Mode Off. DC ECO Mode On 5W. Auto Sleep 1 minute. iPhone app opened and closed four times during test to check battery % charge.
Is there anything that can be done to decrease the AC200L’s electric use?
Have you done a calibration with the pair? It could simply be that the BMS on each of the devices is misjudging the current battery state (very easy to do with LiFePO batteries since they have such a flat discharge voltage curve).
If your battery´s are new, like less then 4 complete dis- en re- charge cycles. I advise you to put your battery´s through at least 4 complete cycles Discharge to auto shut off and recharge to 100% 4 times then do the test again…
Hi @electricadventure, In my opinion, this is the normal condition.
When the machine is on, especially when the AC output is turned on, there is a self-consumption of power. This will consume some energy to maintain its operation. @Selfmadestrom’s correct, we suggest you calibrate every 3 months.
I calibrated the AC200L with B230 attached by cycling four times to 100% and then to 0% when it shuts off.
I then repeated my test but gathered six data points during the discharge until only 3% on the AC200L and 2% on B230 were left after 18 hours 46 minutes elapsed. These data points were % remaining on AC200L and B230 as per Bluetti app, kWh consumed by the computer equipment as per Kill-A-Watt, and time elapsed in minutes as per Kill-A-Watt. This data showed that approximately 120W were used to operate the AC200L/B230 pair. In other words, over the almost 19 hour period, more than half of the 4096Wh of battery capacity was used by the AC200L/B230. The W used by the AC200L/B230 calculated from the data ranged from 113 to 125 W, perhaps due to slight inaccuracies of the % battery remaining.
Hi @electricadventure, We would like to confirm if the BMS version of your AC200L is up to date. If it isn’t, we recommend disconnecting the B230 and updating the BMS.
Additionally, when recalibrating the battery, could you try disconnecting the B230, and then discharging and charging both the AC200L and B230 separately?
Have you checked if the Kill-a-watt has the correct power factor set in its settings? What was the reported AC output power on the AC200L’s screen when it was powering your equipment?
That seems like a lot to me too (Read the forum below and the table given by M.Briney).
In addition to recalibrating the two units AC200L and B230 to be done separately, you can also do the following test, with the B230 plugged into the AC200L, turn on AC without plugging any devices into the AC sockets and see after 3 to 4 hours how much you lost.
The BMS version of my AC200L is up to date. I can do another calibration but I don’t believe that is an issue. The W used was pretty consistent with the % decline.
Hi @electricadventure, The issue seems to be related to the self-discharge of the AC200L. When the AC output is active, the AC200L consumes 18W per hour. If you want to monitor the load time of the AC200L, we recommend using a higher-power device so that the impact of self-discharge on the AC200L is negligible.
The best solution is to use solar panels in conjunction with the AC200L, as this provides a continuous and free source of energy, eliminating concerns about power loss.
I recognize there is consumption when it is idle with just the units turned on and AC turned on without a load. However, I was interested in the consumption with a load. I haven’t tested without a load. Perhaps the Wh used by the load could make a difference too.
I understand the time period makes a difference. However, the consumption with a load is substantially higher than without a load with just the unit on and AC on. I expected that a 4kWh battery would be able to run this equipment without solar for a longer period.
BTW, I have installed solar panels on my standing seam metal roof to be the main source of electricity for the AC200L and perhaps an AC500.
My reasoning is as follows:
1 - Either your ac200l and b230 have no problem, but simply the calibration is no longer good (for example when the Soc indicates 3% in fact you have much more energy than 3%): a recalibration of each unit separately should correct the problem.
2 - either your wattmeter/energy meter does not correctly measure the energy consumed… (It measures less than reality)…then a test without load (but with “ac” on) could allow you to better evaluate the self-consumption.
3- if after having done the recalibration in 1) and the test in 2), you still find a self-consumption of more than 100W… Maybe you have a hardware problem with your Bluetti.
1 - I just recalibrated 4 times.
2- Watt meter isn’t an issue
3- The self consumption is far greater when there is a load on the AC than when there isn’t. This is clear. Is it a hardware issue with my AC200L? Maybe, but I’m inclined to think this isn’t unique. It makes sense to me that the W consumption would be greater with a load. I was quite surprised by how much it is though.
“Is it a hardware issue with my AC200L?”
To be honest, I don’t know.
If you are sure that your wattmeter is not a problem, then it can only be the ac200l.
But can I ask you how you can be sure that your wattmeter is not under-measuring the consumption of your appliances (fridge) ?
When you measured the consumption in idle (with ac “on” but no appliance connected… Did you find a figure of the order of magnitude of what Bluetti gave you? About 20W?
