The financial world we live in is just as wild, if not more, than the mountains and woods we walk through. We are told that the fundamentals of our economy are strong, but we can feel that something is wrong. My unique financial background and survival passion make Financial Survivalist and excellent place to learn and share.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

How Many Watts Do I Need?

Have you ever wondered how many watts you need? You might be considering solar panels, or you might just be shopping for an emergency generator. Either way it is important you know how many watts you need. An accurate way to see your usage is by looking at your power bill. But what if you don't want or need to replace ALL the energy you use. For example, your usage would likely be less during an emergency or power outage. I'm sure you could go without the microwave and clothes dryer for a day or two.

These were the questions I had, and I couldn't find a place to answer my questions easily. I did find some resources including Generac.com. This gave me a general idea how many watts I might need, but required I wrote everything down and changes would require... AN ERASER! So I decided to create my own worksheet to share with you guys.

The file is an Excel file, so you will need some way to open it. I have protected cells to keep you from destroying it. However, you can edit it if you know what you are doing. All blue text can be edited. Make sure to keep an eye out for hidden notes to give you pointers on how to use the worksheet. It should give you a decent idea of what size generator you need to buy. I am open to ideas to make it better, so feel free to leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

Watt Worksheet

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15 comments:

  1. An excellent starting point. I would consider adding LED light bulbs (6.5 watts for a 40W equiv.). LED televisions also use 50-150 watts. I use 18v battery powered tools when ever possible. This helps reduce the huge starting surges associated with electric motors.

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    1. Thanks for the comment. I added LED lights using data found on wiki for comparisons. I would also use the 18v charger instead of power tools. I don't really watch tv.

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  2. Purchase a Kill-A-Watt meter. I found a good one at a discount store for less than $20.00. That will tell you all you need to know.

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    1. A Kilowatt meeter for each individual appliance? That would work I guess. Most appliances actually have a sticker that tells you how much energy they use. Then you would have to run around the house and you would still have to put the data in a spreadsheet to add it up. The purpose of this spreadsheet is to help make an educated guess as actually wattage needed will very from min to min.

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  3. For me personally I would only need 1 fridge, 1 freezer, 18v charger, some cfl lights, furnace blower and wood burning stove blower. Everything else I could do without.

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  4. All I want is a well pump, hot water heater, refrigerator/freezer. I would add a washing machine for clothing, IF feasible. I have been considering solar power for a few years, but lacked the money for the install. However, if I could get one or two solar generators that would power these few appliances (granted they take considerable electricity), I will be very happy. I did not open the spreadsheet yet. I do want to thank you for sharing!

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  7. Thank you, you have helped me a great deal

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