[thekeithfan]

Originally Posted by George Bieniaszek

A previous poster stated approximately $700 per year to charge the batteries?? That computes out to $60 per month. Seems a little pricy to me.

My electric bill is in the $60 range in the months that I am not here and around $85 per month when I am here. The additional $25 covers the added electrical demands from AC, appliances, etc. and charging my electric cart. When I am here in TV, we drive the wheels off the golf cart averaging 20-30 miles per day.

At $900 for a solar panel to get a negligable increase in mileage, take the $900, put in the bank, in 4 years withdraw $600 for a new set of batteries and take the leftover $300 and start another battery fund.

Until the solar panels get better and transfer more energy than barely a trickle charge into the batteries on a good day, I think that they is still a novelty.

George I'm with you the solar figures are really "bull". Jimbo you're telling us it cost $60 a month to charge a golf cart and Georges electric bill is $60 a month! For everything including charging the cart! Do I have this right?

[George Bieniaszek]

Keith -- My electric bill is approx. $60-$70 per month when I am not here in TV. It goes to $85-$95 when I am here running the AC, appliances, hot tub, charging the golf cart, etc etc etc.

I questioned the $60 per month just charging the golf cart. If it cost that much to charge a golf cart, why buy electric when for $60 you could purchase 15 gallons of gas (at $4.00 per gallon) and drive 600 miles per month (15 gallons X 40 MPG) and never have range issues.

[jimbo2012]

We did the cost to charge the batteries using a kill a watt meter


$1.92 Total cost to me @ $0.10 per KWH for the daily charge

Lets call it about $2 (+ -) a day to charge your battery pack.
Or $60 a month or $720 a year.

A charger runs for 8-10 hours

another formula
A 120-volt battery charger is rated to draw 10 amps of power. The power you use in charging the batteries is measured in kilowatt-hours. The formula is “volts X amps = watts”:
Energy rating Multiplying Factor Rates
Charger 120 Volts X 10 Amps = 1.2 Kilowatts
(1200 Watts)
Hourly Energy
Consumption(KWH) 1.2 Killowatts X 1 Hour = 1.2 Kilowatt Hour
Utility Rate($0.10) 1.2 Kilowatts X $0.10 = $0.12 per hour of Charging

more about batteries & solar

Prolong Battery Life

Sulfation is the primary reason that batteries need to be replaced. Solar panels provide a constant charge to the battery bank preventing the crystallization of lead sulfate and can double battery life.

Batteries cost $600 per golf cart.
By installing a solar top, battery life is extended to five-seven years.

So if this project works anyone interested?



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[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by thekeithfan

George I'm with you the solar figures are really "bull". Jimbo you're telling us it cost $60 a month to charge a golf cart and Georges electric bill is $60 a month! For everything including charging the cart! Do I have this right?

No he said it's higher, but since most folks leave their AC on albeit at a higher temp when not here his figure may include some AC at $60.

Also to go from 60-95 is a 50% increase!

The other factor is he's using the cart/charge for only 5,000 miles which is low, in fact if that's all you use the cart solar may not be needed.

Keith you really need not say my figures are "bull" without doing the research your comments if anything are "bull"

You would have told two guys way back a plane couldn't fly.

This whole idea is only a project to test a toy, chill.


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[jimbo2012]

Alan just to stay on point of solar, I think you raised a great question.

So rather than go off on that question herein I started a new thread

How far do you drive.

[thekeithfan]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

No he said it's higher, but since most folks leave their AC on albeit at a higher temp when not here his figure may include some AC at $60.

Also to go from 60-95 is a 50% increase!

The other factor is he's using the cart/charge for only 5,000 miles which is low, in fact if that's all you use the cart solar may not be needed.

Keith you really need not say my figures are "bull" without doing the research your comments if anything are "bull"

You would have told two guys way back a plane couldn't fly.

This whole idea is only a project to test a toy, chill.


.

I stand by my comment if someone is paying a total electric bill of $85 and you are telling us $60 of it is charging the cart and my electric bill (and I have a gas cart) is $85. Then I'm telling you your figures are bull they don't add up.
I told you exactly what I paid on maintenance for a gas cart and that was real figures on a gas cart I've had for 13 years (not figures from a company trying to sell you solar) and the figures you provided for gas cart maintenance were 4 to 10 times the real cost!!! I'm not against solar I think its great I'm just telling you you can't substantiate it on cost! And your gas comparision figures are unbelievably high.

[jimbo2012]

Keith, I see your point perhaps the electric use stated George when occupied is on the low side for his home.

Originally Posted by George Bieniaszek

Keith -- My electric bill is approx. $60-$70 per month when I am not here in TV. It goes to $85-$95 when I am here running the AC, appliances, hot tub, charging the golf cart, etc

The average I see on the forums is $125 a month and $50-60 off season.
His use to charge is dependent on how many hours the charger runs to recharge it can be 1-10 hours.

From searching posts here the average ($130) is much higher than Georges reported billing.

Originally Posted by laryb

an At Ease, we keep the temp. at 75f, and we have a refrigerator in the garage. 33 days the bill was $165. Since this is our first "full time" bill, but other posts I have read seem to say that $130 is average.

Originally Posted by 784caroline

WE have approx 2400 sf under Heat/AC and keep the AC set at 78 degree. For 31 days ending 6/9 our bill was $121 for the previous bill ending 5/9 for 31 days it was $122.

Originally Posted by skip0358

I have a Jasmine Whole house is electric just paid the latest bill was $132. A/C set at 78.

Originally Posted by chuckinca

Our bill is around $120/mo.

Originally Posted by pooh

We've got a Lantana $177.08 was the actual electric charge,

The cost of charging your cart at $60 a month or $30 a month is only to exemplify the return time on the investment of installing a solar panel.

So to argue about it is a moot point!