I was awaiting this solar video and I am glad you both took your time to gather the necessary information before implementation. Thanks for another informative video on navigating life, necessities & wants in the Philippines. You may not know to what extent you are contributing, but you are helping to make many of your viewers lives that much easier when it comes to their transition to life there. Myself included, stay blessed!
Greg I must say you are one smart guy, keep taking Wilma’s advice!! No seriously this looks like a great backup for power. I always take your input on everything because you really do a lot of homework before. Then very nice for you to share, greatly appreciated.
We are a good team. We balance one another. I always try to understand what I'm buying or getting myself into, so it lessens the risk. Lots of risk here. Thanks for watching.
Nice to see your build video's in the Phils. You are correct on inverter priority settings, solar, battery, utility (SBU). Don't sweat the LiPo battery life. They are like solar panels, in that the lose about 20-30% capacity after 6000 cycles, with 70-80% capacity remaining. After that point, degredation is not linear either, so they will likely outlast you before they even hit 50% capacity. By the time you want new batteries they will be much cheaper and/or a new battery chemistry will exist. Thanks for the video's!
It was nice and smart to have made provision for this installation when you built your house. Now you´ve the benefit of a clean fit and you´ve saved those extra hours on paid labor. Besides the convenience and comfort, I think you made a very wise decision in becoming more self reliant and less dependent on others. In the end, your ROI made be quicker than you anticipate, particularly if/when the prices for grid electricity increases.
Hi guys. Nice update on the solar project. It looked to me like the front set of panels was casting shade on the middle set. Not by much, but if they were separated a bit more would not do that at all. Congrats
The point is...any shade at all will drastically reduce the output of every other panel in the series. So unless all panels have individual runs the loss is something like 40% of output for
Thanks for this video. I literally just subscribed today eventhough i have been watching some of your videos on and off for but this video is my favorite because of the information you provided in details about the solar system you just got and it gives me an insight to how many watts I should get for what I need in my home.
It's an individual choice as its a lot of money up front. However, if it continues to produce and operate as it does now it's a no brainer due to the amount of brown outs here.
Thanks for sharing, I like the fact that you pre-plan for the conduit. I will make sure to tell my husband to keep that in mind when we build for retirement. Have a blessed day 😊
Another great video Greg and Wilma.. we had been following your journey building your dream home in the Philippines. Thank you for sharing your experience. You guys put a lot of thoughts before you make the decision. My husband and I will be in Dumaguete by December and will build our own dream home up in Valencia. Hope to meet you there.
Great Information as always guys! Gia and I have solar at our Texas home and are very pleased with the $18 a month electricity bill. We look forward to "bending" your ear when we build our Dauin home. Thanks again and keep that content coming!
I'm in Annandale VA USA my electric bills $6.75 a month. 33 solar panels a 370 watts each panels installed on August 2021, enphase micro inverter, no backup battery, net metering. Before I paid $150 a month on electricity. SREC credit sold around $40 amount.
@@buildingthephilippines I bought two Bluetti ac200p to plug my refrigerator on one and the freezer on the other. Seldom blackout or power outage where I live, if it happens lasted only for 1 to 2 hours.
Fantastic video. we have not even started our build yet but this was great info. we are building in Ilocus Norte but would love to meet you two one day. Larry and Belen, Gold Coast, Australia, :)
I’m a roofer and love your videos . Your roof is not screwed down enough to withstand typhoons. Please do research on cyclone roof screws . Also every single rib must be screwed down , not every second rib . Thanks for the fantastic videos 😊
The lithium batteries are designed to have a draw and charge cycle. Meaning, they perform better when power is drawn from the battery. In your scenario you are drawing on the power generated by the solar most times and rarely drawing from the battery. Although, maybe that's during the day and then at night you draw from the battery. You want to make sure there is some draw and then a recharge as this allows the battery life to be extended. If you are only pumping power in to the battery to charge it then when it is 100% where does the excess go? Presumably its going back to the main grid, right? But still, that means the battery is charged 100% and never discharging. However, I do suspect you are using the battery at night for the fan in your bedroom, still, that's not drawing much during the night. IT will be interesting to see your updates to see how the system is performing to see if your setup makes any difference or not. And I would like to know the lithium battery health with a minimal charge/draw cycle. Love having solar in the Philippines and having to never worry about brown outs or load shares. Also, was that a Starlink Internet Dish I saw on the roof? If so, I wonder how much power it draws from your system? Also, that 20W draw for the meter, cant you send back that amount to the grid from your solar system so you dont have to pay any bill?
We use the pool pump during the day, did not have it on during the video. No starlink here, we have fiber. The dish is satellite TV. We had it installed during construction to hide all the wires in the attic and in the concrete walls. We don't use it. If the internet goes out for a long period of time, we could simply load the satellite TV and have 150 channels so at least we have something to watch. It's just a back up. Thanks for all the technical information. Interested in watching how it continues to perform over time and its real easy to make adjustments to the inverter if needed
great job guys.. To help reduce the life of your battery install a fan there to keep the battery cooler .especially between 11 am to 5 pm, under load. And Greg close to the batteries ABC fire extinguisher please thank you !. Seems great selection., very smart.
Hi U2👋. Wise investment for sure 👍. Brownouts be gone! Big expense upfront but well worth the investment. Thanks for sharing. Wilma? What’s the next meal 🥘 your cooking?? Blessings 👍🌼🌸🌺
Sounds like a nice system for what you wanted . Sometimes people need to know it takes time for the pay back of the system . But the benefits of having it is nice . 😊
Thanks David, didn't want to put out all that money up front but can't get past these brownouts. The payoff will come in due time. Thanks for watching.
In some areas like those serviced by Meralco at the NCR and Veco in Metro Cebu where grid connected system can pay for itself right away. I think its called net metering arragement.
Thanks for sharing. I also just started my solar, but only 1500W panels, 3200W Inverter and 4800Wh Battery. My electric bill was 2500p and shall drop under 500p. Here on Bukidnon we have more clouds and less sunshine, so I need to see how much it will save me. My system is DIY as I been electrician before and enjoy to tinker with my setup. My cost was under 100k, but I will upgrade Panels and Batteries, if the Results are as expected.
Perfect decision on your solar system. You can tweek the the system even more. You can probably go without the electric company also. It is a choice to be free from the nickel and dimeing companies impose on us. Proud of you guys. Keep doing your thing. Take care.
@@buildingthephilippines I was wondering two water heaters at the same time, so what? Then it hit me, those killer heaters hanging a few centimetres away from the shower head. In Europe we use 100 to 150 litre tank with thick heat isolation at 60°C so they don't switch on right away. AND you can use a heat pump on it. Collect heat from the roof with collector and drive the pump with solar electricity. The sun heat warms your hot water and you only use power to pump the heat into the tank. A friend in Cagayan d'Oro has a solar system, runs his air-co, cooks electric (induction because gas costs money), just everything you think of, has every month a negative bill (lately they don't anymore for injected power) and had his investment back in 4 years. A new idea is: salt water batteries. They don't have a problem with 100% discharge, don't burn, no chemical waste. They are a bit bigger. For your size around 500 litre. Also cheap to make: only some metal for the anodes and cathodes, a tank divided in cells, demineralized water and kitchen salt. I read about 10% the cost of a lithium battery. Things can cost money, time and effort but to save,you always need to spend. That why one can't save money when poor. Hence the paradox: it's just too expensive to be poor.
We have a similar system here in Leyte. Our panels are 500 watt Trina panels. The installer said since we have more severe typhoons than Manila area they used 3 support rails instead of 2. Our inverter is like yours, 8kw Deye . We could add 3kw more of panels. I figured we are saving about 150 dollars a month. When the battery is full, usually just afternoon , turn on the ac in a bedroom. If we had net metering, we could sell the power back to the electric company when the battery is full. The inverter is programmed to disperse the power from battery after sundown until 20 percent is left, then it switches to rhe grid.
great information we hope to find land and start to build in the new year,i am interested if when i have solar installed that i can also introduce a small wind turbine for evenings when sun has gone
Often ROI is calculated based on the current costs of electricity, not factoring in inflation. Having backup power is convenient, but batteries add considerable costs. It is advisable to buy more panels than the KwH you need. Adding panels later can be a problem due to differences in output. Our hybrid system (in Thailand) is actually two 5.5 kWh systems, with one 10 kWh battery. The installed cost was ~625,000 THB or $17,250 USD. At current and projected power prices, the system will pay for itself in ~7.5 years.
Yes, I based ROI on current kilowatt costs. We use very little electricity, so our return is 8 years, but could go down if costs continue to rise. Brown outs or as I call them power failures are our main driver to purchase system.
We do also have solar system 8Kw in Leyte , but we did apply for net metering , so you sell all of ur excess power til the power company , you will be credited the raw power cost rate for every kw you sell , so even cost of running aircon and water heater will be almost free. on a sunny day it can produce 35-42 kw of power .
Great video! Thank You. Our ROI in Manila would probably be years sooner since we are spending 10,000 to 15,000 pesos per month due to high A/C usage. Since we will be building in Tagaytay I'm not sure if it even makes sense. A generator for occasional brownouts might suffice.
He is not talking about brownouts but blackouts. Brownouts are voltage problems that you don't even realize you have and that will kill your elektronics. There is no generator helping you. You might have UPS or AVR systems for your stuff to protect them but they also cost a lot. Everyone benefits from solar. You just might not need so large battery. 5kwh should be enough for anyone.
Thanks for the video. The solar panel system looks great and I’m sure it’s perfect for your needs. Excellent verbal description of the system and how it works. As always, take care.🤙
I've had an offer for a very similar system. Same brand inverter. I am going for half the battery size, because for me it's really backup for when there are brownouts. And then I will just make do with a single fan. We already have solar lights. I do not consider my refrigerator to be critical, I can still plug it in at the critical loads when there is sunshine with a full battery. I don't have a pool pump or water heaters, so the inverter can handle everything I have. I also have a generator which I may have to use during long brownouts (e.g. after a typhoon). It's good to see that it is working at your place.
Nice and informative video as always! 👍 My only comments listening to your reasons to go for the system would be that I think you could have spent less money by just installing the battery system and not the solar. It would mean that the system would not be paying back, but purely give the convenience that you seem to be aiming for. Solar water heating would have been an idea as well, as you will still be paying for your water heating. Sounds like you did your research as usual, so I am sure you made the choices that’s right for you.
I actually got a quote for just that. 50% of the total cost is just the battery. You need an inverter either way. The panels are the cheapest part of the set up. Might as well go that bit farther and get an eventual payback. Solar water heater I looked into as well. 45,000 pesos, but they are made out of glass tubes, exposed on your roof. Definitely not Typhoon proof. They make so much hot water you need to mix in cold water before it enters the house. It's too complicated for this simple guy. Thanks for commenting.
@@buildingthephilippines I am sure at some time the Philippines will get to “net metering” which means that you will be able to export surplus power to the network and get paid for it, or discounted on your usage. Then the solar panels will be paying more of your bill.
They have that now. 45,000 peso application fee, 6 to 9 months for approval. When you purchase is 13 pesos per kilowatt, when you sell they only give you 4 to 7 pesos back (can't get any commitment on the actual number).
I would like to see labeling added to everything breakers automatic transfer switch breaker box and any and all disconnects. When you experience any fault condition that is not the time to figure out how to safely disconnect all of the supply current from all sources. Installation looks clean and professional otherwise. Get it labeled for your safety!
Hi Wilma and Greg. I have a question for you guys. Just trying to figure out a ball park figure.....did you guys build your home with a budget of 3m pesos? I'm getting ready for the big move and shipping costs, so I have to plan early. Thanks for your time and awesome educational videos.
Did you by chance watch our video named, we built this house for 60k usd? It goes over our plan. Overall, we wanted to stay under 150k usd. We used 50 pesos to the dollar. As we negotiated with everyone, especially contractor, we were quoted pesos and did the math not to go over 150k usd. Hope this helps.
Your 6,000 battery cycles is to 100% charged, and after that most batteries new 100% will then be more around 80-ish% of actual, and still be very usable for more years. They will just appear to drain faster than when new, but still be viable.
Very well explained. I really like your videos. I have some concerns, if there is a strong typhoon, will it blow away the solar panels? Also what is the longevity of the solar panels, inverter and battery? Thanks.
looks really good! a neighbor has solar panels here in Ohio , You have the Laser Beam working for you, is there Home owner insurance policy for Typhoon coverage there ? Good Planning Greg "You Conduit ! " the Gasoline generator will be a last resort? , is the stored gas have stabilizer . ? will there be a need to keep the generator stored ?
Sun is so direct and overhead so close to the equator it really does make sense to take advantage of it. Yes, we have one quote for homeowners insurance. Need to read through it, understand it and look to purchase.
The information in your videos is very organized and clear. Thank you. I watched your follow-up video on adding the 2 Aircons. I am in a very similar situation like yourself with a new build home, and this video answered all my questions. Can you share the solar company you used?
Informative thank you Greg & Wilma. i Notice your auto control switch panel, wondering is it locally available or you bought it abroad? Want o have one too, planning to install solar, thank you.
I saw the "sell" button on your inverter.... is that an option with Norinco? Can you sell back your excess energy produced when your battery is topped off and you have a surplus beyond what you are consiming? Also, how does your generator work with this system? Does it just collect dust since the hybrid covers everything except ACs and water heaters?
Yes, you can do net metering. We won't though. 45,000 peso application fee, 6 to 9 months to get approved, sell is 8 to 12 cents a kilowatt (depending on who you talk to) buy is 26 cents. Not a favorable deal. Generator is hooked to charge the battery in a Typhoon scenario if grid is out for a long period of time and too cloudy to produce electric. Still an important part of the entire system. Generator would keep us going, during lack of sun, during a major multi-day storm by charging our battery to 100% in about 3 hours of use. We are as ready as possible.
Well here I am dreamin again-you don’t mind do you?😎 I’m in Arizona and as I’m typing this a commercial for free solar here from our govt. I’d laugh but there’s an agenda here I’m not delving into. When younger, I worked for construction companies, historical restorers, etc., so I learned a lot in all fields. I would install access to plumbing, access and conduits electricians use, etc. wherever a repair or replacement is needed. Two reasons: I care about workers, easier access less time working less labor costs. I am curious why you chose a water HEATER vs those continuous ones no elements no storage of water.? I forget what they’re called. Either cost prohibitive or unavailable there is what I figured. But errbody here is vying for them and installing them. It’s a journey after all, and I think we stress over the silliest things which at the time make sense lol. At any rate, you two are in this together and make a great team! It’s awesome to watch. Aww-no more cooking shows-I LOVED it! Dang, I was hoping she would demonstrate authentic dishes from there. Take care and thanks again for posting! Enjoy!🙏🏻❤️
Most water heaters here are on demand with no storage. Cheaper and much more efficient to make hot water only when you need it. Definitely enjoying each other during our retirement. Thanks for commenting.
$7,200 is absolutely dirt cheap, our electricity costs in UK have gone through the roof due to Russia war, using your costs we would get back our money in under four years 👍
Don't really know. If one aircon uses 500 watts times 24 hours would use 12000 watts, where battery is only 10000 watts. Would not be able to handle it.
@@buildingthephilippines More importantly based on your information if the pay back is 8 years, do the battery and inverter and solar panels inventory last that long or do they need replacing at a more frequent interval? If they do need replacing more frequently than 8 years, then you will never get pay back! Solar Philippines (a company in the RPI) suggests the average household usage in RPI is 2 kw per hour and the average panel can produce between 0.25 and 0.4 kw per hour therefore minimum number of panels required is 10. They also suggest that it is more efficient to link straight to the grid obviating the need for battery storage. That would mean doubling up on the minimum number of panels so that your contribution to the system is always more than your consumption. Thereby, reducing the cost of household solar energy production and usage. It's quite a convoluted google search to obtain all the information required to establish a truthful cost benefit analysis, but, probably worth looking into. The part that I've not been able to easily ascertain is how long does the equipment last before needing to be replaced?
HELLO BEAUTIFUL COUPLE!!! We really love this video and decided that we also want to have solar panels in our home. Please give the name of the company that install your solar system as we want to have the same battery and setup you have, we are from Pulilan Bulacan. Thank you and we are looking forward to your reply.
Thank you Greg And Wilma. I will be retiring and moving to Cebu by Jan 2025 and will be looking to get a system myself, maybe I missed it, but what Solar company did you settle for? I will get quotes from companies in Cebu but It wouldn't hurt to know yours. thank you again
I don't think the price is that high and getting solar is a huge piece of mind. I would've gotten a bit more to handle ac, etc, but you had a plan and stuck to it. Nice job!
We don't use the ac here. Always cool at this elevation. Really about the power failures and keeping our 2 refrigerators going. With this system we are making more then using.
Hi Wilma and Greg. Very informative vidio. Just wondering if you looked in to a seperate solar water heater system. I have seen them on my last visit to the Philippines at Citihardware in Panabo Mindanao for around 30,000 pesos.
I looked into. They actually male too much hot water. Believe it or not. You need to run water pipes, usually on the roof, and actually have a cool water mixer to lower the temperature. We decided not to do that.
Hi it’s me again. I have a waterless water heater. I like it that it’s not a large bulky item and has a lot of positive features. Maybe you’d like it too? Aloha from Hawaii 🌺
@@buildingthephilippines so sorry I meant “Tankless water heater”. I’m horrible in explaining mechanical things maybe you can google. Aloha from Hawaii 🌺
Did you ever consider a solar water system? (Uses sun to heat a black panel that water passes through and is then stored in a super insulated water tank.) Only electric consumption is for a small water circulator pump.
I've only seen one type here in the Philippines. Glass tubes and about 45,000 pesos to buy. The main issue is glass tubes in a Typhoon. Also, the water gets so hot here you have to pipe in cold water to dilute. Not cost effective. Cold water here is like pool water, no big deal to shower with cool water during a brown out. I definitely looked into, but decided to pass. Great question and thanks for commenting.
@@buildingthephilippines I am surprised that they do not have a "typhoon-certified" equipment...hell you can make your own by black piping on the lawn or roof that you can store away before the winds get heavy! Look forward to meeting with you and Wilma in late 2024 if your schedules allow. Stay safe!
Man a 11Kwph system for 15K-ish?!?!?....We had 11Kwph system in Vegas, the previous owner put it in. System cost was about 35K-ish in 2015....it was a Solar city/Tesla system. It was a good system...I knew that solar in the US was expensive....but didn't realize how much more affordable it is elsewhere.
Im sure you may realize this but for those that dont. If your 10kw batt pack is lithium ion then your life cycle expectations are somewhat closer to manufacturers specs than other forms, sort of! Remember those #'s are based on laboratory conditions of perfect temps, with no heat changes, short wire runs, max charge rates (3 step) minimal discharge rates ie < 3-5% meaning power outages dont exceed a few hours at night and/or non-optimal sun and little draw from appliances etc. So expect much less if you go about business as usual when the grid power is out. Best thing is to turn off everything you are not using during outages to advoid deep discharges which is the number 1 battery killer followed by poor charging practices. Which is why I'm baffled by the "charge the battery secondary approach". This is less critical with lithium ion. Any other battery will have its life cycle cut in half with too many discharges beyond 5-10%...12v battery is actually 12.6 resting voltage so a 6% draw down gives you 11.844V...11.8V is considered dead, (for efficiency purposes) therefore any lower than that will exponentially reduce life cycles. So for a 10kw batt pack unless its lithium ion, more than 600-1000kw is a big draw down and that aint much. So either go with the more expensive lithium ion or drastically increase your banks' KW to save battery life and $ over the long run. Also remember, for every year you use solar panels their efficiency goes down .5-.8% which affect their ability to charge your now much less efficient batteries, which have a shorter life span than the panels. This is just a guide or food for thought and to help stimulate questions to an installer/designer that has a vested interest in painting as rosy a picture as possible. Disclaimer: Im not and elec engineer, however until moving to the PH last year Ive lived partially off-grid and at anchor for 20+ yrs on multiple sail and powerboats so I have done tons of research and installations and replaced MANY batteries before I educated myself. Oh and the 2k+ hrs of Army, Navy and Coast Guard Maritime mechanical and electrical training didn't hurt!😅😅😅
As a side note, those of you with deeper pockets could also look at what they are doing with wind generators these days. Quiet and efficient at low wind speed and since it's usually (esp in the PH) windy when the sun isn't shining it will pick up the slack. Also unlike panels it works at night when there's no sun!
Real good insight, definitely need to understand how solar works and attempt to use your peak time for electric during sunlight hours. Thanks for the information.
One more question, if the power goes out ( brown out ) will the solar system transfer over and run everything automatically? Like if your gone on vacation the freezers keep working?
Yes, it has an ATS switch. Switches back and forth as needed in less than a second. We tested it and the TV did not even shut off. It switched over and it keep working.
Hey Greg. With having solar you will save more than you think. Your appliances don't like brown outs. it will damage them and Just the cost of replacing your REF?, your TV ? If you didn't have a back up Generator you should have at least a 20KW battery. but with a back up for the back up its not needed. and the Generator is not clean power. The Generator charges the battery and you still get the Clean power from the 5Kw inverter.. and Just having the power on with the power out with no noise ? PRICELESS.
Great video and appreciate the video. I was wondering if you had to get a separate pony panel to feed the circuits that the solar is powering? On a separate note, have you looked into the cost for a roof mount solar hot water heater?
they cost 50 -60k peso and are fed by pressurized water and have a reservoir tank with a float to keep full of water but the storage tank,tubes and output are noit under pressure and gravity does the rest ..( would be poor pressure in my opinion
We built the house with 2 panels knowing we would probably get solar. I looked into a solar water heater but decided against it. One type here, glass tubes, 45,000 pesos and it creates so much hot water you need to install a cold water mixer to cool water down. Too complicated for our simple home.
Most household water systems are gravity fed and the pressure is adequate usually. As long as your storage unit on the roof of your house is below the municipal storage tank height then there should not be a problem.!
We have a gravity fed tank in our Leyte house. The pressure is not that good at all. The storage tank on the ground, with pressure tank/water pump is much better. The pressure in this house is probably 3 times the flow of the gravity method.
I looked into it, but decided against it. 45,000 pesos for the unit, it's made out of glass tubes, so not Typhoon proof, it also makes so much hot water you need to install a cold water mixer to cool down water. Too complicated for us. Thanks for watching.
the system looks great and i like the sexy wiremolds too to run all the wires hidden from view . workmanship looks good and i am glad you got a great deal on top of that .. not to sound argumentative but i bet a few centavos that you would be able to run your water heater also and at the rate your battery is charging it wouldn't be too deep a discharge ...( i think you have the panel separate and would have to cross connect somehow ) a question for the installation company i would have is warranty related ... would they be capable of repairs should something go bad ,or just swap out new components and charge for labor ? on a side note i have seen a lot of videos in which peoples electronics have been fried due to geckos or roaches and other critters getting into the unit and getting cooked on the circuit board.. did they seal the boxes well? ( yes i know no roach would be brave enough to invade wilma's bahay)
All good questions. I have 2 open 30 Amp breakers sitting empty in the main panel (call it the solar array panel). I have the option in the future to move any device over to be added to the panel that's run by solar. See I really do think to the future. I'm thinking about adding the main room and master bedroom aircons. Hot water is really not an issue for us as the cold water is not really cold. Would be a 15 minute job for my electrician. Roaches on the property, never. Little lizards yes. I would have to check on how well the inverter is sealed.
We have screens in all windows. We keep windows shut anyway, only large glass panels in the front where we use the screens. Maybe it's the elevation? Haven't seen any.
One last question|. Does your electrical company do net metering where you sell back any excess power that your solar system produces to roll back your meter?
Yes, they do. 45,000 peso application fee up front, 6 to 9 months to get approved. Buy back is anywhere from 4 to 8 pesos per kilowatt (can't get a straight answer) and buy from grid is 13 pesos per kilowatt. Not favorable at all and would need a larger system to make it worthwhile. It's not for us.
The hybrid system keeps you hooked to the grid, but not using it. It uses the sun during the day and battery at night. If you use up the battery at night it automatically switches over to the grid. If you don't use all the battery you stay on solar indefinitely.
Hi guys Just got back home from securing a rental property we take over on the 25th nov hope im back there back for xmas ,work depended. We have already start get prelim plans underway and getting prelim costings ,so many variables ,was wondering if you could give me the contact details of you solar guys so i can get them to look at our plans, understand if you donf want to give out on here so a pm would be fine ,thanks in advance .
I considered installing solar roof panels on my south-facing house in southern, Shikoku Japan. I got a quote from a long-time English student who owns a solar company, so I thought I could trust him to be fair with the price. His quote was $30K! The ROI was going to take something like 20+ years or longer, so I figured it wasn’t worth it at all, considering my typical electric bill is only $15~$16/month.
@@buildingthephilippines Yes, I completely agree. I recall that was your motivation. Here in the Japan countryside, I’ve never lost electricity once in 12 years! It never, ever goes out. As far as your brownouts, I don’t understand why they seem so frequent. Electrical systems are not that complicated. Also, I don’t understand how your electricity bill is so high. $80/month without even using A/C, is more than 4x what I pay here - unless you figure your pool pump uses most of it! It seems electricity is super expensive in the PHs.
@@buildingthephilippines Hey Greg, please forgive my question, but I suddenly became confused. Since you installed your solar system, doesn’t it generate ALL your electrical needs plus extra?? So, I just realized, shouldn’t your electricity be FREE once the cost of your solar system is paid for? Plus, I would expect you can sell any unused electricity providing some revenue. So, my confusion is why you had to pay $80 in July? (Unless your electrical demands far exceed the capability of your solar system).
Big surge Protector... just to keep all the electronics from getting Lightning Fried... Fridge, etc... have so much electronics. Too much Spiking on the Power Grid... from every lightning strike... good luck.
@@buildingthephilippines yeah, I saw your other video about this. It's not practical... I gotta say though, this is a very nice video. I'm researching about this myself. Thanks for all the info...
From which company did you get your solar set? And how long is the warranty, especially for the Inverter, and what brand is it? Panels have longer warranties, though I'm not sure the Inverter would perform well that long.
It certainly is but it's loud, I don't/won't run it at night and uses alot of fuel. The solar system automatically switches seamlessly and will pay for itself in 8 years. The generator is now set up to charge the battery in a Typhoon event where power is out for a long time and sun is not sufficient to charge the batteries, major clouds for several days, basically ready for a larger type disaster.
For the water heater you should install solarthermal not photovoltatics. I got a 200l system for 46000 pesos on the roof. Enough to fill the bathtub and shower.
Greg and Wilma I just saw a vlog from Roger & Ismi about " Too Not Flush Tissue Down the Toilet" you put it in the trash . I am shocked. My question is y'all built a house with the Septic system and are y'all able to Flush tissue down the toilet. Also good vlog about Solar installation and Cost.
Isn't that amazing not to flush tissue down the toilet. Such backwards thinking for a house or business with a proper septic. How unsanitary. I have experienced it here and make it clear to wipe, flush. Can't believe we are even discussing this. How about washing your hands after you use the toilet. Small % does and if people do they use no soap, just water that had many people dip their hands after wiping with that same hand. They later you use that same water. That's why so many people have fevers here. I think you got me started. Lol
The chemicals used in the tissue processing impacts the sceptic biome therefore it is recommended not to flush tissue into the sceptic tank as its efficiency is reduced. I installed shitafss (the Arabic word for the little handheld nozzles that they use to wash after using the CR) so use very little tissue with my system.
@davidbarker6660 not flushing tissue to the septic is unheard of in the civilized world. Wipe your ass then place in the garbage? I never heard of such a thing. The smell, bugs, germs etc. Who is going to clean the tissue from the garbage, how often. I thought I heard of everything. Maybe in homes in 3rd world country's with improper septic systems where the toilet just runs on top of the ground or open gutter, stream, ocean. We didn't even install the spray nozzles that you see often.
Understood. I am just unfamiliar with how everything is connected. I didn't know if you had the flexibility to decide where to route your solar power based on your needs when the brownout occurs and just not go beyond your total capacity. I appreciate your response and your great videos. You and your wife are a wonderful couple.@@buildingthephilippines
Many reasons, they are made of glass, need their own pressure pump as eventually will merge with your cold water which is at a much higher psi. Most people put on roof and let gravity create pressure. Here they are actually too efficient, water gets too hot, need to install a mixer to dilute water. For all that I decided just to pay a small bill. 45k cost as well, just for unit.
Electric tankless water heater. They are a few hundred bucks each. For optimum efficiency, I recommend one in each bathroom and one in the kitchen, or have the kitchen feed the spare bathroom. So you can have short runs for quick hot water, (without waiting for hot water when you turn it on, and so it’s not wasted going cold in the line when you turn it off). They are easy to install. You can do it yourself. I recommend you just buy a set of Pex crimpers and run all Pex lines. Probably $1,000 for the whole project with local Home Depot prices, (I have no idea about local prices or shipping for you).
Hi Greg. I am building my own house here in Philippines now. I am in the prosess of maybe bying a transformer. I remember you had a video about that but I can not find it. Do you have any ide on witch video you are talking about bying a transformer.?? Regards kjell
Who installed your solar ? Live in Dumaguete am having a hard time even getting a paper estimate. Have had 2 estimates so far but yours is exactly what I got an estimate on.
Is that a legit business ? I have had 3 estimates now. One was for a 5kw hybrid system, the other for an 8kw system and the last one today for a 12 kw system. When I mentioned to the guy today that suggested the 12KW system, about the 5kw system, he laughed. He is a white guy from Hawaii living here for 10 years. How do I know what size of system I need ? 3 different estimates, 3 different sizes of systems, 12, 8 and 5.
@rickcarper2619 yes, of course legit business. He is up to 6 installs just from my channel. A good engineer would discuss with you what type of appliances you have. They should design system to meet your individual needs. Pool, no pool. How many air cons etc
what about the electricty you produce and dont use after the battery is charged? You should try and sell that back to the grid. So on bad days no sun, you can get that power back from the grid at no charge.
45,000 peso application fee, 6 to 9 months waiting period, once approved you buy for 13 pesos per kilowatt and sell back for 4. Very unbalanced and hard to recover the $900 application fee. We just installed just big enough system to handle our needs. Thanks for commenting.
My installer told me net metering my battery won't work only had my system for 3 months just got net metering now my battery doesn't work he said that is normal i think he messed the battery up and doesn't want to replace it any advice on what you know
I will ask my guy. Net metering does work with a hybrid inverter and battery set up. Make sure in settings on your inverter your battery is checked on.
@@buildingthephilippines yes the battery is checked on he has been to my house 3 times and still hasn't got it to work now he is telling me that its normal for it not to work
My guy said a hybrid inverter will certainly work with net metering and a battery. He asked me to find out what type and size of the inverter and battery. Brand and sizes. He said it needs a new setting after net metering is activated. Let me know. Maybe send a photo or two as well to Facebook messenger building the philippines
@@buildingthephilippines he finally figured it out the circuit from the inverter to the battery was fried and still blamed me for it he covered the cost to replace it but I reimbursed him the 20 bucks come on what we get out here compared to American prices and get someone to show up 100 buck just for someone to knock on your door thanks for the help brother
You can at 4 to 6 pesos a kilowatt. Electric company won't give me an exact number. 45,000 pesos application fee, so not worth it to us. Our system only produces about 3k extra a day on average.
I was awaiting this solar video and I am glad you both took your time to gather the necessary information before implementation. Thanks for another informative video on navigating life, necessities & wants in the Philippines. You may not know to what extent you are contributing, but you are helping to make many of your viewers lives that much easier when it comes to their transition to life there. Myself included, stay blessed!
Thank you for commenting appreciate it. Glad you liked the video.
Greg I must say you are one smart guy, keep taking Wilma’s advice!! No seriously this looks like a great backup for power. I always take your input on everything because you really do a lot of homework before. Then very nice for you to share, greatly appreciated.
We are a good team. We balance one another. I always try to understand what I'm buying or getting myself into, so it lessens the risk. Lots of risk here. Thanks for watching.
Nice to see your build video's in the Phils. You are correct on inverter priority settings, solar, battery, utility (SBU). Don't sweat the LiPo battery life. They are like solar panels, in that the lose about 20-30% capacity after 6000 cycles, with 70-80% capacity remaining. After that point, degredation is not linear either, so they will likely outlast you before they even hit 50% capacity. By the time you want new batteries they will be much cheaper and/or a new battery chemistry will exist. Thanks for the video's!
That's good to know, thanks for that information.
Batteries now down to just 10,000 pesos for 1kwh.
It was nice and smart to have made provision for this installation when you built your house. Now you´ve the benefit of a clean fit and you´ve saved those extra hours on paid labor. Besides the convenience and comfort, I think you made a very wise decision in becoming more self reliant and less dependent on others. In the end, your ROI made be quicker than you anticipate, particularly if/when the prices for grid electricity increases.
Good point on the rising electrical costs. As the costs go up each year the return will decrease. Thanks for commenting.
Locking super and make your dream more complete ! Happy for both of you ! ! !
Sincealy regards,
Erwin Zado
Thanks Erwin, appreciate the comment. So far so good.
Hi guys. Nice update on the solar project. It looked to me like the front set of panels was casting shade on the middle set. Not by much, but if they were separated a bit more would not do that at all. Congrats
Could be a certain time of the day, but as the sun moves it changes. Appreciate you watching our videos.
The point is...any shade at all will drastically reduce the output of every other panel in the series. So unless all panels have individual runs the loss is something like 40% of output for
Yes! The video I've been waiting for 😁
Thanks Kevin, glad you liked it. Hopefully a bit information.
Thanks for this video. I literally just subscribed today eventhough i have been watching some of your videos on and off for but this video is my favorite because of the information you provided in details about the solar system you just got and it gives me an insight to how many watts I should get for what I need in my home.
Thank you for subscribing, appreciate it. I will be doing another video on the solar as I have received many questions.
great info. always appreciate you for sharing useful information.
Thank you appreciate it.
Thank you for the information!
You bet, glad you liked the video.
Thanks for the info and update. Hope it works well for you.
Thank you appreciate it.
Thanks I need this information
Much appreciated
Your welcome, glad we could assist.
Thanks- it’s interesting!
Your welcome, thanks for watching.
That’s really awesome Thankyou for this video as you know we are building in panglao & yes learnt loads Thankyou
It's an individual choice as its a lot of money up front. However, if it continues to produce and operate as it does now it's a no brainer due to the amount of brown outs here.
Thanks for sharing, I like the fact that you pre-plan for the conduit. I will make sure to tell my husband to keep that in mind when we build for retirement. Have a blessed day 😊
Yes, it will make the install go easier and cleaning looking inside your home. Thanks for watching.
Awesome video
Thank you
I do like the way you set this system up..thanks for explaining your thoughts as to why you did it this way....................
Your welcome, appreciate the comment.
Nice👌👌👌, love your Solar system Greg and Wilma.
Thank you, appreciate it.
Another great video Greg and Wilma.. we had been following your journey building your dream home in the Philippines. Thank you for sharing your experience. You guys put a lot of thoughts before you make the decision. My husband and I will be in Dumaguete by December and will build our own dream home up in Valencia. Hope to meet you there.
Good luck to you guys with your building project. Valencia is a nice area. Hopefully our paths will cross someday.
Great Information as always guys! Gia and I have solar at our Texas home and are very pleased with the $18 a month electricity bill. We look forward to "bending" your ear when we build our Dauin home. Thanks again and keep that content coming!
Sounds good. Solar is the way to go. You will like Dauin.
I'm in Annandale VA USA my electric bills $6.75 a month. 33 solar panels a 370 watts each panels installed on August 2021, enphase micro inverter, no backup battery, net metering. Before I paid $150 a month on electricity. SREC credit sold around $40 amount.
If you have a power outage, does your system still supply you power to your home?
@@buildingthephilippines I bought two Bluetti ac200p to plug my refrigerator on one and the freezer on the other. Seldom blackout or power outage where I live, if it happens lasted only for 1 to 2 hours.
OK got it, thanks.
Fantastic video. we have not even started our build yet but this was great info. we are building in Ilocus Norte but would love to meet you two one day. Larry and Belen, Gold Coast, Australia, :)
Hi guys, good luck to you guys with your building project. Always good to watch many ideas to assist with your build. That's exactly what we did.
Nice video
Thank you
Thanks for this we were waiting! Valencia we almost never get them anymore
Good to hear, brown outs come and go. Especially, during the rainy season/winds. We are ready when they come.
I’m a roofer and love your videos . Your roof is not screwed down enough to withstand typhoons. Please do research on cyclone roof screws . Also every single rib must be screwed down , not every second rib . Thanks for the fantastic videos 😊
Thanks for commenting and watching our videos.
The lithium batteries are designed to have a draw and charge cycle. Meaning, they perform better when power is drawn from the battery. In your scenario you are drawing on the power generated by the solar most times and rarely drawing from the battery. Although, maybe that's during the day and then at night you draw from the battery. You want to make sure there is some draw and then a recharge as this allows the battery life to be extended.
If you are only pumping power in to the battery to charge it then when it is 100% where does the excess go? Presumably its going back to the main grid, right? But still, that means the battery is charged 100% and never discharging. However, I do suspect you are using the battery at night for the fan in your bedroom, still, that's not drawing much during the night. IT will be interesting to see your updates to see how the system is performing to see if your setup makes any difference or not. And I would like to know the lithium battery health with a minimal charge/draw cycle.
Love having solar in the Philippines and having to never worry about brown outs or load shares. Also, was that a Starlink Internet Dish I saw on the roof? If so, I wonder how much power it draws from your system? Also, that 20W draw for the meter, cant you send back that amount to the grid from your solar system so you dont have to pay any bill?
We use the pool pump during the day, did not have it on during the video. No starlink here, we have fiber. The dish is satellite TV. We had it installed during construction to hide all the wires in the attic and in the concrete walls. We don't use it. If the internet goes out for a long period of time, we could simply load the satellite TV and have 150 channels so at least we have something to watch. It's just a back up. Thanks for all the technical information. Interested in watching how it continues to perform over time and its real easy to make adjustments to the inverter if needed
Thank you for posting! When I build our home I want to have Solar.
That's a good idea to have it installed during construction. Good luck to you with that project. Thanks for watching.
great job guys.. To help reduce the life of your battery install a fan there to keep the battery cooler .especially between 11 am to 5 pm, under load. And Greg close to the batteries ABC fire extinguisher please thank you !. Seems great selection., very smart.
Good tips, we do have a fire extinguisher right there. Appreciate the suggestions.
Hi U2👋. Wise investment for sure 👍. Brownouts be gone! Big expense upfront but well worth the investment. Thanks for sharing. Wilma? What’s the next meal 🥘 your cooking?? Blessings 👍🌼🌸🌺
No more brown outs, that's huge for us. Cooking with Wilma may be retired.
Sounds like a nice system for what you wanted . Sometimes people need to know it takes time for the pay back of the system . But the benefits of having it is nice . 😊
Thanks David, didn't want to put out all that money up front but can't get past these brownouts. The payoff will come in due time. Thanks for watching.
In some areas like those serviced by Meralco at the NCR and Veco in Metro Cebu where grid connected system can pay for itself right away. I think its called net metering arragement.
Thank you for the information. Appreciate it.
Thanks for sharing. I also just started my solar, but only 1500W panels, 3200W Inverter and 4800Wh Battery. My electric bill was 2500p and shall drop under 500p. Here on Bukidnon we have more clouds and less sunshine, so I need to see how much it will save me. My system is DIY as I been electrician before and enjoy to tinker with my setup. My cost was under 100k, but I will upgrade Panels and Batteries, if the Results are as expected.
Very nice, I was surprised how fast the battery chargers. Last 3 days we have produced over 20 kilowatts per day. Good luck with your project.
Perfect decision on your solar system. You can tweek the the system even more. You can probably go without the electric company also. It is a choice to be free from the nickel and dimeing companies impose on us. Proud of you guys. Keep doing your thing. Take care.
Thanks John appreciate it and no more power outages as well.
@@buildingthephilippines I was wondering two water heaters at the same time, so what? Then it hit me, those killer heaters hanging a few centimetres away from the shower head.
In Europe we use 100 to 150 litre tank with thick heat isolation at 60°C so they don't switch on right away. AND you can use a heat pump on it. Collect heat from the roof with collector and drive the pump with solar electricity. The sun heat warms your hot water and you only use power to pump the heat into the tank.
A friend in Cagayan d'Oro has a solar system, runs his air-co, cooks electric (induction because gas costs money), just everything you think of, has every month a negative bill (lately they don't anymore for injected power) and had his investment back in 4 years.
A new idea is: salt water batteries. They don't have a problem with 100% discharge, don't burn, no chemical waste. They are a bit bigger. For your size around 500 litre. Also cheap to make: only some metal for the anodes and cathodes, a tank divided in cells, demineralized water and kitchen salt. I read about 10% the cost of a lithium battery.
Things can cost money, time and effort but to save,you always need to spend. That why one can't save money when poor. Hence the paradox: it's just too expensive to be poor.
GREAT SYSTEM
Thank you
Certainly brown outs are a big problem in the Philippines. Nice informative video.
You got that right, they are very frustrating. I just added 5 years to my life, no more,
" COME ON" when the power goes out.
Good video and info 👍. Brownout party at Wilma and Greg’s place!!
Thanks Ray, you know it.
We have a similar system here in Leyte. Our panels are 500 watt Trina panels. The installer said since we have more severe typhoons than Manila area they used 3 support rails instead of 2. Our inverter is like yours, 8kw Deye . We could add 3kw more of panels. I figured we are saving about 150 dollars a month. When the battery is full, usually just afternoon , turn on the ac in a bedroom. If we had net metering, we could sell the power back to the electric company when the battery is full. The inverter is programmed to disperse the power from battery after sundown until 20 percent is left, then it switches to rhe grid.
Yes, very similar set up. We love our system, works great.
great information
we hope to find land and start to build in the new year,i am interested if when i have solar installed that i can also introduce a small wind turbine for evenings when sun has gone
Having a way to produce electricity in a country that has challenges with its electrical grid really makes sense.
Often ROI is calculated based on the current costs of electricity, not factoring in inflation. Having backup power is convenient, but batteries add considerable costs. It is advisable to buy more panels than the KwH you need. Adding panels later can be a problem due to differences in output. Our hybrid system (in Thailand) is actually two 5.5 kWh systems, with one 10 kWh battery. The installed cost was ~625,000 THB or $17,250 USD. At current and projected power prices, the system will pay for itself in ~7.5 years.
Yes, I based ROI on current kilowatt costs. We use very little electricity, so our return is 8 years, but could go down if costs continue to rise. Brown outs or as I call them power failures are our main driver to purchase system.
Solar is constantly changing its hard to keep up with it. I think solar is the way to go in the rural Philippines. Good video.
Thanks Stan, appreciate the comment. Very true.
We do also have solar system 8Kw in Leyte , but we did apply for net metering , so you sell all of ur excess power til the power company , you will be credited the raw power cost rate for every kw you sell , so even cost of running aircon and water heater will be almost free. on a sunny day it can produce 35-42 kw of power .
Thanks John for that information. Appreciate it.
Thank you for sharing the info…I would definitely get a solar when I sittle in the Philippines
Good idea, up front cost but no brown outs. Helps the grid as well.
@buildingthephilippines,..yes thank you I always watch your video
Appreciate it.
Great video! Thank You. Our ROI in Manila would probably be years sooner since we are spending 10,000 to 15,000 pesos per month due to high A/C usage. Since we will be building in Tagaytay I'm not sure if it even makes sense. A generator for occasional brownouts might suffice.
The no brown out factor sold the system for me.
He is not talking about brownouts but blackouts. Brownouts are voltage problems that you don't even realize you have and that will kill your elektronics. There is no generator helping you. You might have UPS or AVR systems for your stuff to protect them but they also cost a lot. Everyone benefits from solar. You just might not need so large battery. 5kwh should be enough for anyone.
@@llothar68 ~ Blackouts in the Philippines are referred to as brownouts.
Thanks for the video. The solar panel system looks great and I’m sure it’s perfect for your needs. Excellent verbal description of the system and how it works. As always, take care.🤙
Thank Gary appreciate it. You must be real close to traveling to Cebu now?
@@buildingthephilippines Yes Greg! Leave Nov 3, arrive in Cebu Nov 5. Snow expected here this weekend.❄️
@@garyjohn so close, travel safe and leave the snow there.
I've had an offer for a very similar system. Same brand inverter. I am going for half the battery size, because for me it's really backup for when there are brownouts. And then I will just make do with a single fan. We already have solar lights. I do not consider my refrigerator to be critical, I can still plug it in at the critical loads when there is sunshine with a full battery. I don't have a pool pump or water heaters, so the inverter can handle everything I have. I also have a generator which I may have to use during long brownouts (e.g. after a typhoon).
It's good to see that it is working at your place.
Sounds like you have it covered. Solar is great.
Nice and informative video as always! 👍
My only comments listening to your reasons to go for the system would be that I think you could have spent less money by just installing the battery system and not the solar. It would mean that the system would not be paying back, but purely give the convenience that you seem to be aiming for.
Solar water heating would have been an idea as well, as you will still be paying for your water heating.
Sounds like you did your research as usual, so I am sure you made the choices that’s right for you.
I actually got a quote for just that. 50% of the total cost is just the battery. You need an inverter either way. The panels are the cheapest part of the set up. Might as well go that bit farther and get an eventual payback. Solar water heater I looked into as well. 45,000 pesos, but they are made out of glass tubes, exposed on your roof. Definitely not Typhoon proof. They make so much hot water you need to mix in cold water before it enters the house. It's too complicated for this simple guy. Thanks for commenting.
@@buildingthephilippines I am sure at some time the Philippines will get to “net metering” which means that you will be able to export surplus power to the network and get paid for it, or discounted on your usage. Then the solar panels will be paying more of your bill.
They have that now. 45,000 peso application fee, 6 to 9 months for approval. When you purchase is 13 pesos per kilowatt, when you sell they only give you 4 to 7 pesos back (can't get any commitment on the actual number).
I would like to see labeling added to everything breakers automatic transfer switch breaker box and any and all disconnects. When you experience any fault condition that is not the time to figure out how to safely disconnect all of the supply current from all sources. Installation looks clean and professional otherwise. Get it labeled for your safety!
Hi Wilma and Greg. I have a question for you guys. Just trying to figure out a ball park figure.....did you guys build your home with a budget of 3m pesos? I'm getting ready for the big move and shipping costs, so I have to plan early. Thanks for your time and awesome educational videos.
Did you by chance watch our video named, we built this house for 60k usd? It goes over our plan. Overall, we wanted to stay under 150k usd. We used 50 pesos to the dollar. As we negotiated with everyone, especially contractor, we were quoted pesos and did the math not to go over 150k usd. Hope this helps.
Your 6,000 battery cycles is to 100% charged, and after that most batteries new 100% will then be more around 80-ish% of actual, and still be very usable for more years. They will just appear to drain faster than when new, but still be viable.
That's good to know. Hopefully many years of trouble free usage. Thanks for the information.
I like your blog so much information. I want to ask you both if there is any land or lot for sales
In our specific subdivision no, but in the Dauin area yes lots of land for sale. Thanks for watching.
Very well explained. I really like your videos. I have some concerns, if there is a strong typhoon, will it blow away the solar panels? Also what is the longevity of the solar panels, inverter and battery? Thanks.
Strong Typhoon certainly could damage panels. Panels 25 years, everything else 10 years.
looks really good! a neighbor has solar panels here in Ohio ,
You have the Laser Beam working for you, is there Home owner insurance policy for Typhoon coverage there ?
Good Planning Greg "You Conduit ! "
the Gasoline generator will be a last resort? , is the stored gas have stabilizer . ? will there be a need to keep the generator stored ?
Sun is so direct and overhead so close to the equator it really does make sense to take advantage of it. Yes, we have one quote for homeowners insurance. Need to read through it, understand it and look to purchase.
The information in your videos is very organized and clear. Thank you. I watched your follow-up video on adding the 2 Aircons. I am in a very similar situation like yourself with a new build home, and this video answered all my questions. Can you share the solar company you used?
Alpha solar, will be doing a video with him soon. Are you in the greater Dumaguete area?
Valencia.
If you want him to come out to your house for a free quote just PM me at building the philippines.
Informative thank you Greg & Wilma. i Notice your auto control switch panel, wondering is it locally available or you bought it abroad? Want o have one too, planning to install solar, thank you.
Thanks for watching, panel locally available.
I saw the "sell" button on your inverter.... is that an option with Norinco? Can you sell back your excess energy produced when your battery is topped off and you have a surplus beyond what you are consiming? Also, how does your generator work with this system? Does it just collect dust since the hybrid covers everything except ACs and water heaters?
Yes, you can do net metering. We won't though. 45,000 peso application fee, 6 to 9 months to get approved, sell is 8 to 12 cents a kilowatt (depending on who you talk to) buy is 26 cents. Not a favorable deal. Generator is hooked to charge the battery in a Typhoon scenario if grid is out for a long period of time and too cloudy to produce electric. Still an important part of the entire system. Generator would keep us going, during lack of sun, during a major multi-day storm by charging our battery to 100% in about 3 hours of use. We are as ready as possible.
Well here I am dreamin again-you don’t mind do you?😎 I’m in Arizona and as I’m typing this a commercial for free solar here from our govt. I’d laugh but there’s an agenda here I’m not delving into. When younger, I worked for construction companies, historical restorers, etc., so I learned a lot in all fields. I would install access to plumbing, access and conduits electricians use, etc. wherever a repair or replacement is needed. Two reasons: I care about workers, easier access less time working less labor costs. I am curious why you chose a water HEATER vs those continuous ones no elements no storage of water.? I forget what they’re called. Either cost prohibitive or unavailable there is what I figured. But errbody here is vying for them and installing them. It’s a journey after all, and I think we stress over the silliest things which at the time make sense lol. At any rate, you two are in this together and make a great team! It’s awesome to watch. Aww-no more cooking shows-I LOVED it! Dang, I was hoping she would demonstrate authentic dishes from there. Take care and thanks again for posting! Enjoy!🙏🏻❤️
Most water heaters here are on demand with no storage. Cheaper and much more efficient to make hot water only when you need it. Definitely enjoying each other during our retirement. Thanks for commenting.
$7,200 is absolutely dirt cheap, our electricity costs in UK have gone through the roof due to Russia war, using your costs we would get back our money in under four years 👍
Thanks David for the comment, appreciate it.
Great video Greg and Wilma! If you’re more interested in using the aircon, will you be able to use it when there’s brownout? And for how many hours?
No, during a brown out we would have no hot water or aircons.
But if you do you use the aircon. How long will the battery last for that day (or night)?
Don't really know. If one aircon uses 500 watts times 24 hours would use 12000 watts, where battery is only 10000 watts. Would not be able to handle it.
Thank you again👍
@@buildingthephilippines More importantly based on your information if the pay back is 8 years, do the battery and inverter and solar panels inventory last that long or do they need replacing at a more frequent interval? If they do need replacing more frequently than 8 years, then you will never get pay back!
Solar Philippines (a company in the RPI) suggests the average household usage in RPI is 2 kw per hour and the average panel can produce between 0.25 and 0.4 kw per hour therefore minimum number of panels required is 10. They also suggest that it is more efficient to link straight to the grid obviating the need for battery storage. That would mean doubling up on the minimum number of panels so that your contribution to the system is always more than your consumption. Thereby, reducing the cost of household solar energy production and usage. It's quite a convoluted google search to obtain all the information required to establish a truthful cost benefit analysis, but, probably worth looking into. The part that I've not been able to easily ascertain is how long does the equipment last before needing to be replaced?
HELLO BEAUTIFUL COUPLE!!! We really love this video and decided that we also want to have solar panels in our home. Please give the name of the company that install your solar system as we want to have the same battery and setup you have, we are from Pulilan Bulacan. Thank you and we are looking forward to your reply.
Thanks for watching our videos. PM me on Facebook at building the philippines regarding solar contact info.
Thank you Greg And Wilma. I will be retiring and moving to Cebu by Jan 2025 and will be looking to get a system myself, maybe I missed it, but what Solar company did you settle for? I will get quotes from companies in Cebu but It wouldn't hurt to know yours. thank you again
He only works in the greater Dumaguete area. Good luck eoth your retirement.
I don't think the price is that high and getting solar is a huge piece of mind. I would've gotten a bit more to handle ac, etc, but you had a plan and stuck to it. Nice job!
We don't use the ac here. Always cool at this elevation. Really about the power failures and keeping our 2 refrigerators going. With this system we are making more then using.
@@buildingthephilippines oh ok, nice. Now I'm officially jealous. 😅
Lol, it's all about the elevation. Not takedown about enough by foreigners. Best kept secret. Thanks for commenting.
Hi Wilma and Greg. Very informative vidio. Just wondering if you looked in to a seperate solar water heater system. I have seen them on my last visit to the Philippines at Citihardware in Panabo Mindanao for around 30,000 pesos.
I looked into. They actually male too much hot water. Believe it or not. You need to run water pipes, usually on the roof, and actually have a cool water mixer to lower the temperature. We decided not to do that.
Hi it’s me again. I have a waterless water heater. I like it that it’s not a large bulky item and has a lot of positive features. Maybe you’d like it too? Aloha from Hawaii 🌺
What is a waterless water heater?
@@buildingthephilippines so sorry I meant “Tankless water heater”. I’m horrible in explaining mechanical things maybe you can google. Aloha from Hawaii 🌺
Ahhh, yes. That's what we use in both bathrooms.
Did you ever consider a solar water system? (Uses sun to heat a black panel that water passes through and is then stored in a super insulated water tank.) Only electric consumption is for a small water circulator pump.
I've only seen one type here in the Philippines. Glass tubes and about 45,000 pesos to buy. The main issue is glass tubes in a Typhoon. Also, the water gets so hot here you have to pipe in cold water to dilute. Not cost effective. Cold water here is like pool water, no big deal to shower with cool water during a brown out. I definitely looked into, but decided to pass. Great question and thanks for commenting.
@@buildingthephilippines I am surprised that they do not have a "typhoon-certified" equipment...hell you can make your own by black piping on the lawn or roof that you can store away before the winds get heavy! Look forward to meeting with you and Wilma in late 2024 if your schedules allow. Stay safe!
Man a 11Kwph system for 15K-ish?!?!?....We had 11Kwph system in Vegas, the previous owner put it in. System cost was about 35K-ish in 2015....it was a Solar city/Tesla system. It was a good system...I knew that solar in the US was expensive....but didn't realize how much more affordable it is elsewhere.
Seems like most things are more affordable here. Thanks for watching.
Im sure you may realize this but for those that dont.
If your 10kw batt pack is lithium ion then your life cycle expectations are somewhat closer to manufacturers specs than other forms, sort of!
Remember those #'s are based on laboratory conditions of perfect temps, with no heat changes, short wire runs, max charge rates (3 step) minimal discharge rates ie < 3-5% meaning power outages dont exceed a few hours at night and/or non-optimal sun and little draw from appliances etc. So expect much less if you go about business as usual when the grid power is out. Best thing is to turn off everything you are not using during outages to advoid deep discharges which is the number 1 battery killer followed by poor charging practices. Which is why I'm baffled by the "charge the battery secondary approach". This is less critical with lithium ion. Any other battery will have its life cycle cut in half with too many discharges beyond 5-10%...12v battery is actually 12.6 resting voltage so a 6% draw down gives you 11.844V...11.8V is considered dead, (for efficiency purposes) therefore any lower than that will exponentially reduce life cycles.
So for a 10kw batt pack unless its lithium ion, more than 600-1000kw is a big draw down and that aint much. So either go with the more expensive lithium ion or drastically increase your banks' KW to save battery life and $ over the long run. Also remember, for every year you use solar panels their efficiency goes down .5-.8% which affect their ability to charge your now much less efficient batteries, which have a shorter life span than the panels.
This is just a guide or food for thought and to help stimulate questions to an installer/designer that has a vested interest in painting as rosy a picture as possible.
Disclaimer: Im not and elec engineer, however until moving to the PH last year Ive lived partially off-grid and at anchor for 20+ yrs on multiple sail and powerboats so I have done tons of research and installations and replaced MANY batteries before I educated myself. Oh and the 2k+ hrs of Army, Navy and Coast Guard Maritime mechanical and electrical training didn't hurt!😅😅😅
As a side note, those of you with deeper pockets could also look at what they are doing with wind generators these days. Quiet and efficient at low wind speed and since it's usually (esp in the PH) windy when the sun isn't shining it will pick up the slack. Also unlike panels it works at night when there's no sun!
Real good insight, definitely need to understand how solar works and attempt to use your peak time for electric during sunlight hours. Thanks for the information.
Wind is another great way to supplement your system. Worth looking into.
Thank you for this valuable information. Could you please share the name of the company who installed your solar power system. Thank you.
Email me at buildingthephilippines@gmail.com
One more question, if the power goes out ( brown out ) will the solar system transfer over and run everything automatically? Like if your gone on vacation the freezers keep working?
Yes, it has an ATS switch. Switches back and forth as needed in less than a second. We tested it and the TV did not even shut off. It switched over and it keep working.
Just installed a 6.8 system in Australia at cost $6300 Australian no battery .i think you got a great deal 👍
Congrats on your system. The battery is almost 50% of the entire cost. The battery is expensive. Thanks for commenting.
Yes not cheap . 2 we have land in siquijor so will be doing a build in the next 5 years .lots of brown out but got time to work it out
@nigelconnor5490 yes, worth thinking through and do what's best for you guys. Thanks for watching.
Hey Greg. With having solar you will save more than you think. Your appliances don't like brown outs. it will damage them and Just the cost of replacing your REF?, your TV ? If you didn't have a back up Generator you should have at least a 20KW battery. but with a back up for the back up its not needed. and the Generator is not clean power. The Generator charges the battery and you still get the Clean power from the 5Kw inverter.. and Just having the power on with the power out with no noise ? PRICELESS.
Yes, agree with everything you say. Pure sine power I think they call it. Better for appliances. Big deal for us no brown outs.
Great video and appreciate the video. I was wondering if you had to get a separate pony panel to feed the circuits that the solar is powering?
On a separate note, have you looked into the cost for a roof mount solar hot water heater?
they cost 50 -60k peso and are fed by pressurized water and have a reservoir tank with a float to keep full of water but the storage tank,tubes and output are noit under pressure and gravity does the rest ..( would be poor pressure in my opinion
We built the house with 2 panels knowing we would probably get solar. I looked into a solar water heater but decided against it. One type here, glass tubes, 45,000 pesos and it creates so much hot water you need to install a cold water mixer to cool water down. Too complicated for our simple home.
I didn't know about the hot water would be just gravity fed. I agree poor pressure. Another reason not to pursue.
Most household water systems are gravity fed and the pressure is adequate usually. As long as your storage unit on the roof of your house is below the municipal storage tank height then there should not be a problem.!
We have a gravity fed tank in our Leyte house. The pressure is not that good at all. The storage tank on the ground, with pressure tank/water pump is much better. The pressure in this house is probably 3 times the flow of the gravity method.
Very neat set up. Have you considered adding solar water heater, they work very well? cheers.
I looked into it, but decided against it. 45,000 pesos for the unit, it's made out of glass tubes, so not Typhoon proof, it also makes so much hot water you need to install a cold water mixer to cool down water. Too complicated for us. Thanks for watching.
thanks fo the reply.@@buildingthephilippines
@@buildingthephilippines if you are located in Valencia, Negros, why are you concerned with typhoons. They are very rare in the Visayas?
We don't live in Valencia. Typhoons can hit anywhere. Odette in December of 21 hit this area pretty hard. I remember the videos of the Dumaguete area.
the system looks great and i like the sexy wiremolds too to run all the wires hidden from view . workmanship looks good and i am glad you got a great deal on top of that .. not to sound argumentative but i bet a few centavos that you would be able to run your water heater also and at the rate your battery is charging it wouldn't be too deep a discharge ...( i think you have the panel separate and would have to cross connect somehow )
a question for the installation company i would have is warranty related ... would they be capable of repairs should something go bad ,or just swap out new components and charge for labor ?
on a side note i have seen a lot of videos in which peoples electronics have been fried due to geckos or roaches and other critters getting into the unit and getting cooked on the circuit board.. did they seal the boxes well? ( yes i know no roach would be brave enough to invade wilma's bahay)
All good questions. I have 2 open 30 Amp breakers sitting empty in the main panel (call it the solar array panel). I have the option in the future to move any device over to be added to the panel that's run by solar. See I really do think to the future. I'm thinking about adding the main room and master bedroom aircons. Hot water is really not an issue for us as the cold water is not really cold. Would be a 15 minute job for my electrician. Roaches on the property, never. Little lizards yes. I would have to check on how well the inverter is sealed.
@@buildingthephilippines how do you avoid roaches in a rural setting, they just fly in through the open windows
We have screens in all windows. We keep windows shut anyway, only large glass panels in the front where we use the screens. Maybe it's the elevation? Haven't seen any.
One last question|. Does your electrical company do net metering where you sell back any excess power that your solar system produces to roll back your meter?
Yes, they do. 45,000 peso application fee up front, 6 to 9 months to get approved. Buy back is anywhere from 4 to 8 pesos per kilowatt (can't get a straight answer) and buy from grid is 13 pesos per kilowatt. Not favorable at all and would need a larger system to make it worthwhile. It's not for us.
What happens if you turn off the electric company would you be able to do this whenever you don't need the grid?
The hybrid system keeps you hooked to the grid, but not using it. It uses the sun during the day and battery at night. If you use up the battery at night it automatically switches over to the grid. If you don't use all the battery you stay on solar indefinitely.
Hi guys Just got back home from securing a rental property we take over on the 25th nov hope im back there back for xmas ,work depended. We have already start get prelim plans underway and getting prelim costings ,so many variables ,was wondering if you could give me the contact details of you solar guys so i can get them to look at our plans, understand if you donf want to give out on here so a pm would be fine ,thanks in advance .
Shoot me a pm at buildingthephilippines on Facebook.
I considered installing solar roof panels on my south-facing house in southern, Shikoku Japan. I got a quote from a long-time English student who owns a solar company, so I thought I could trust him to be fair with the price. His quote was $30K! The ROI was going to take something like 20+ years or longer, so I figured it wasn’t worth it at all, considering my typical electric bill is only $15~$16/month.
With a bill that low doesn't make sense to install solar, unless you want to avoid brown outs.
@@buildingthephilippines Yes, I completely agree. I recall that was your motivation. Here in the Japan countryside, I’ve never lost electricity once in 12 years! It never, ever goes out. As far as your brownouts, I don’t understand why they seem so frequent. Electrical systems are not that complicated. Also, I don’t understand how your electricity bill is so high. $80/month without even using A/C, is more than 4x what I pay here - unless you figure your pool pump uses most of it! It seems electricity is super expensive in the PHs.
It's about 25 cents a kilowatt as compared to 10 cents in the US. Pool pump is majority of bill.
@@buildingthephilippines Hey Greg, please forgive my question, but I suddenly became confused. Since you installed your solar system, doesn’t it generate ALL your electrical needs plus extra?? So, I just realized, shouldn’t your electricity be FREE once the cost of your solar system is paid for? Plus, I would expect you can sell any unused electricity providing some revenue. So, my confusion is why you had to pay $80 in July? (Unless your electrical demands far exceed the capability of your solar system).
Solar was not installed at that time. We are still waiting for our last bill to come on.
Big surge Protector... just to keep all the electronics from getting Lightning Fried... Fridge, etc... have so much electronics. Too much Spiking on the Power Grid... from every lightning strike... good luck.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Have you inquired about "Net Metering"? If it's available in your area, this will give you true 0.00 bill (or even a negative bill)...
The application fee is 45k, we decided not to do.
@@buildingthephilippines yeah, I saw your other video about this. It's not practical... I gotta say though, this is a very nice video. I'm researching about this myself. Thanks for all the info...
You bet, good luck to you.
From which company did you get your solar set? And how long is the warranty, especially for the Inverter, and what brand is it? Panels have longer warranties, though I'm not sure the Inverter would perform well that long.
I used a local independent installer. Warranty is 3 years. Brand is LV top sun, except panels which is Canadian solar.
@@buildingthephilippines care to share which installer? Asking as there's a few local I've seen.
He's independent just trying to get a business started. His name is Rob. He orders directly from a supplier in Cebu and has a crew of 3 to install.
is your generator not enough to cover your needs for brown outs?
It certainly is but it's loud, I don't/won't run it at night and uses alot of fuel. The solar system automatically switches seamlessly and will pay for itself in 8 years. The generator is now set up to charge the battery in a Typhoon event where power is out for a long time and sun is not sufficient to charge the batteries, major clouds for several days, basically ready for a larger type disaster.
For the water heater you should install solarthermal not photovoltatics. I got a 200l system for 46000 pesos on the roof. Enough to fill the bathtub and shower.
Thanks for the suggestion, appreciate it.
How much was the battery? I would imagine the majority of the cost
170k I believe.
I read that you should not charge the batteries more then 80 to 90% to prolong the life.
I have not heard that. I was just told not to discharge below 20%
20% to 80% is the sweet spot, but he should have no problems
It looks like that not below 20% is the most important. If charging to 100% there are 1000 meanings on the net.
Greg and Wilma I just saw a vlog from Roger & Ismi about " Too Not Flush Tissue Down the Toilet" you put it in the trash . I am shocked. My question is y'all built a house with the Septic system and are y'all able to Flush tissue down the toilet. Also good vlog about Solar installation and Cost.
Isn't that amazing not to flush tissue down the toilet. Such backwards thinking for a house or business with a proper septic. How unsanitary. I have experienced it here and make it clear to wipe, flush. Can't believe we are even discussing this. How about washing your hands after you use the toilet. Small % does and if people do they use no soap, just water that had many people dip their hands after wiping with that same hand. They later you use that same water. That's why so many people have fevers here. I think you got me started. Lol
Thanks Greg for the Quick response 🤠🤠🤠 much appreciated from this Texan
The chemicals used in the tissue processing impacts the sceptic biome therefore it is recommended not to flush tissue into the sceptic tank as its efficiency is reduced. I installed shitafss (the Arabic word for the little handheld nozzles that they use to wash after using the CR) so use very little tissue with my system.
@davidbarker6660 not flushing tissue to the septic is unheard of in the civilized world. Wipe your ass then place in the garbage? I never heard of such a thing. The smell, bugs, germs etc. Who is going to clean the tissue from the garbage, how often. I thought I heard of everything. Maybe in homes in 3rd world country's with improper septic systems where the toilet just runs on top of the ground or open gutter, stream, ocean. We didn't even install the spray nozzles that you see often.
Does that mean that you won't be able to use the air conditioners in a brownout, since they are connected directly to the grid? Thanks.
Correct, during brown outs no hot water for showers and no aircons. Keep in mind we don't use them now. Our home is at 640 meters above sea level.
Understood. I am just unfamiliar with how everything is connected. I didn't know if you had the flexibility to decide where to route your solar power based on your needs when the brownout occurs and just not go beyond your total capacity. I appreciate your response and your great videos. You and your wife are a wonderful couple.@@buildingthephilippines
Thanks, I could and might add 2 aircons to our solar array panel. I will do another video on that topic.
What about going with tankless hot water heaters?
Many reasons, they are made of glass, need their own pressure pump as eventually will merge with your cold water which is at a much higher psi. Most people put on roof and let gravity create pressure. Here they are actually too efficient, water gets too hot, need to install a mixer to dilute water. For all that I decided just to pay a small bill. 45k cost as well, just for unit.
Electric tankless water heater. They are a few hundred bucks each. For optimum efficiency, I recommend one in each bathroom and one in the kitchen, or have the kitchen feed the spare bathroom. So you can have short runs for quick hot water, (without waiting for hot water when you turn it on, and so it’s not wasted going cold in the line when you turn it off). They are easy to install. You can do it yourself. I recommend you just buy a set of Pex crimpers and run all Pex lines. Probably $1,000 for the whole project with local Home Depot prices, (I have no idea about local prices or shipping for you).
I may be incorrect , but my understanding is the inverter requires power which it takes from the grid . This may explain your 20W
You could be right, I need to research and see if I can find out for sure. Thanks for the information.
@@buildingthephilippines your welcome
Hi Greg. I am building my own house here in Philippines now. I am in the prosess of maybe bying a transformer. I remember you had a video about that but I can not find it. Do you have any ide on witch video you are talking about bying a transformer.?? Regards kjell
I will go back and look for it. It's a 25kva, 87k pesos installed.
@@buildingthephilippineshi Greg. Did you find the video.
Go back to our Playlist to the video on Dec 10, 2022.
Thank you
Who installed your solar ? Live in Dumaguete am having a hard time even getting a paper estimate. Have had 2 estimates so far but yours is exactly what I got an estimate on.
Facebook messager Ruben Olitres Omega Jr. He can hook you up.
Is that a legit business ? I have had 3 estimates now. One was for a 5kw hybrid system, the other for an 8kw system and the last one today for a 12 kw system. When I mentioned to the guy today that suggested the 12KW system, about the 5kw system, he laughed. He is a white guy from Hawaii living here for 10 years. How do I know what size of system I need ? 3 different estimates, 3 different sizes of systems, 12, 8 and 5.
@rickcarper2619 yes, of course legit business. He is up to 6 installs just from my channel. A good engineer would discuss with you what type of appliances you have. They should design system to meet your individual needs. Pool, no pool. How many air cons etc
keeping the panels clean helps with solar charge.....
Need to go up on the roof and check them.
what about the electricty you produce and dont use after the battery is charged? You should try and sell that back to the grid. So on bad days no sun, you can get that power back from the grid at no charge.
45,000 peso application fee, 6 to 9 months waiting period, once approved you buy for 13 pesos per kilowatt and sell back for 4. Very unbalanced and hard to recover the $900 application fee. We just installed just big enough system to handle our needs. Thanks for commenting.
What type of warranties did the solar system come with?
3 years manufacturer. Local installer 1 year which includes 2 panel cleanings. Remember it's the Philippines, so warranties is a loose term.
That's funny! Thanks for the response.@@buildingthephilippines
to put it mildly 🤣@@buildingthephilippines
Does your system got net metering?
We did not sign up for net metering. Thanks for watching.
may we ask who your installer is?
Send me a Facebook message at buildingthephilippines
My installer told me net metering my battery won't work only had my system for 3 months just got net metering now my battery doesn't work he said that is normal i think he messed the battery up and doesn't want to replace it any advice on what you know
I will ask my guy. Net metering does work with a hybrid inverter and battery set up. Make sure in settings on your inverter your battery is checked on.
@@buildingthephilippines yes the battery is checked on he has been to my house 3 times and still hasn't got it to work now he is telling me that its normal for it not to work
OK I will ask my guy.
My guy said a hybrid inverter will certainly work with net metering and a battery. He asked me to find out what type and size of the inverter and battery. Brand and sizes. He said it needs a new setting after net metering is activated. Let me know. Maybe send a photo or two as well to Facebook messenger building the philippines
@@buildingthephilippines he finally figured it out the circuit from the inverter to the battery was fried and still blamed me for it he covered the cost to replace it but I reimbursed him the 20 bucks come on what we get out here compared to American prices and get someone to show up 100 buck just for someone to knock on your door thanks for the help brother
Great video. Could you share the company and phone number. My build starts on February 1. Thanks again greg for the details for is common folks
Shoot me an email at buildingthephilippines@gmail.com
I work in the medical field. Have your husband see a doctor. His right chin is swollen and very concerning. Thanks and good luck to you both!
Thanks for your concern.
Maybe I missed it. What happens to your excess energy? Say, after 10 am, when your battery is 100%. Can you sell it to the electric company?
You can at 4 to 6 pesos a kilowatt. Electric company won't give me an exact number. 45,000 pesos application fee, so not worth it to us. Our system only produces about 3k extra a day on average.
Now that you have consistent electricity get starlink
We may someday, our fiber is consistent. Our friends who have starlink says it goes in and out in this area. Rainy days especially.
@@buildingthephilippines okay I just watched the pea and she got one now.
Hearing mixed reviews.
you lose some battery life when it is charged fully every time....drawing from it while charging is a good thing...
Yes, we have been using the pool pump more and using the ACs to use more electricity. Always make more than we use.