These backyard solar panels saved me $20 a month on my electric bill – this is my setup

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With increase in daily temperatures, electricity bills also start increasing. I have been experimenting with offsetting my electricity bill with solar energy and I have found a permanent solution. Anker Solix F3800 Plus There’s an expandable battery with a 3.84kWh capacity, which works like a cross between a traditional gas generator, a permanent home battery backup system, and a portable battery.

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However, don’t let its wheels fool you. The F3800 Plus is not designed for tent camping (although you technically could can If you can easily lose all 136 pounds). It is a portable battery converted into a legitimate whole home backup system, capable of running refrigerators, portable ACs, pumps, power tools, and even some central AC systems.

I installed the Anker Solix F3800 Plus with two solar panels, which you can buy as a set from Anker. I’ve had success testing the EcoFlow and Anker Solix portable solar panels in my backyard, so I was eager to try out these two 410W rugged panels.

In total, the panels add up to 820W, although the solar panels rarely hit their rated output. Thankfully, there are several ways to set up the F3800 Plus as a home backup system, ranging from simple to advanced.

How to Install Solar Panels in the Backyard

The simplest way to use the Anker Solix F3800 Plus as a backup system is to plug devices directly into it. If you install it in a permanent location and want it to power your fridge, you can connect the solar panels to a power station, run an extension cord to the fridge and plug it in permanently.

Depending on the region, running a full-size side-by-side fridge that uses 25-67kWh monthly with solar power can save you up to $20 per month on utility costs. That’s $240 for the fridge alone.

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The most practical solution to a backyard solar panel system with the F3800 Plus is to use a generator inlet and transfer switch, especially in homes where it already exists. This sweet spot was the solution in my home, especially with an existing (albeit non-functioning) generator and an EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 3.

If you connect your F3800 Plus to the generator inlet and you have a transfer switch with a select household circuit, you can flip the switch if the power goes out. This allows the F3800 Plus to function as a backup generator, but is cleaner and safer than a traditional gas generator, producing no fumes and heat.

The third and most advanced option for using the Anker Solix F3800 Plus with your solar panels is to connect it to a smart home panel or whole-home backup system. The anchor offers his smart home power panel Which automatically detects outages and switches to battery backup without your intervention, and also manages solar charging.

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This last option is more expensive and requires professional installation. Still, it works much like the Tesla PowerWall, EcoFlow Smart Home Panel, or Generac PWRcell – all popular whole-home battery backup systems.

What does this setup produce for me

With two 410W solar panels and an F3800 Plus for a total of 820W, you can create a continuous “required load” solar power setup. On clear days with good sunlight and proper panel placement, I can get an average of 3.7kWh of energy per day from my solar panels, but with better placement this can go up to about 5kWh per day.

My husband purchased brackets, casters, and wood to make a base for the solar panels, which will make them more efficient and portable than their current setup, but it’s still on his to-do list. As you can see in the photos, the panels are currently sitting on a temporary base made from pieces of reclaimed wood left in the garage. Ultimately, a base that we can rotate around will help us harvest even more solar energy.

Solar offset vs constant load

If you keep your average daily energy consumption below your average solar production, you will be able to live off solar energy entirely. However, this is difficult with a backyard solar system, especially considering that the average American home uses about 30kWh per day.

Consuming 3.5kWh per day and producing 4kWh per day, the panels keep your battery energized. But if you constantly draw more energy from the battery reserves, it will deplete every day.

However, a scalable setup like the F3800 Plus and a few rugged solar panels can cover a large portion of your background power needs. These needs may include standby electronics and appliances that are always on, such as routers, refrigerators, TVs, chargers, and even smart devices like robot vacuums.

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That said, you shouldn’t just leave the two-panel F3800 Plus with some large loads constantly plugged in, including a central AC unit, electric dryer and oven, space heater, and electric water heater. These devices draw heavy loads and waste constantly, so the solar energy from a few panels will not be enough to sustain them permanently.

ZDNET’s shopping advice

Instead of wanting a solar system in your backyard to power the entire house from the start, aim to permanently eliminate the basic electricity you need. Anker Solix F3800 Plus and Rigid Solar Panel It’s a perfect pairing for this, especially as a scalable solution that doesn’t require large investments.

This means you may take a few years to save and gradually build your system to handle a larger portion of your energy consumption, which will translate into lower energy bills.