Saving Money: Installing Solar Panels on your RV
Saving Money: Installing Solar Panels on your RV
Posted on October 9, 2022
RV solar panels are great for the environment. You may have been thinking about installing solar panels (or solar cell panels) on your RV, but you’re not quite sure if it will be worth the investment. Also, you may be wondering how many panels you’ll need or how to install them.
Cost effective RV energy saves you a lot of money in the long run (depending on your lifestyle). Plus, you’ll also get solar energy credits from the government.
Do You Need RV Solar Energy
First, you need to determine whether you need panels and if they’ll save you money in the long run. This is easy to figure out. If you and your family go on regular weekend getaways, you live in an RV, or your family takes regular trips in your RV, then it’ll be an excellent investment to get solar cell panels. If you camp and travel in your RV only once or twice a year, then investing in solar cell energy won’t benefit you much.
How Do RV Solar Panels Work and How Many You’ll Need
These types of panels work precisely the same as solar cell energy for your home. Panels convert sunlight and act as a power source for lights and electrical devices. Solar cell energy removes the need for other external power sources like generators and camp power outlets.
It would be best to consider your average electricity consumption habits to establish how many panels you’ll need. Calculate this by listing all the appliances in the recreational vehicle. Then determine the energy consumption of each appliance, and then work out the average amount of hours you use these.
On average, a 4,000-watt-hours cost-effective RV energy can’t power heavy-duty appliances, but it’s enough to run the lights and small appliances. Keep in mind that solar cell panels for RVs are less potent than solar panels used for homes and businesses. We don’t recommend installing solar panels designed to power buildings on your RV as they’re much too heavy and oversized for an RV.
What Type Will Be Best
There are three types of solar cell panels that you can install on your recreational vehicle: monocrystalline (most efficient and expensive), polycrystalline (durable and less efficient than monocrystalline), and amorphous (easy to install, pliable, and less efficient than polycrystalline inefficient). For solar energy to work, you’ll also need additional components. You’ll require a solar panel converter (converts solar energy as AC and DC), a solar battery (acting as a storage unit for energy), and a charge controller (protects the battery from overcharging).
Contact Us!
Contact us at The Hitch House for more information regarding saving energy on RVs. All our consultants will answer any additional questions you may have and help you establish which solar panels will suit your budget and lifestyle.