I like Pat's answer; less typing!
However, I will note one thing that is different about our use, and finally say something that's been bugging me for a while now. A respected member on one of the sister boards, made a comment, with disdain, likening people who are off the grid to hippies, and people who want to, "stick it to the man."
After being bugged all this time, I would like to say that I don't know what hippies or "sticking it to the man" have to do with anything, but we are not on the grid, and have not been for 20 years this summer.
We use a hybrid system which includes generators, battery banks, and solar panels. We have got a small hydro system set-up for a little extra juice in the winter when a seasonal creek goes by the house.
With that off my chest, I can cont. on and explain how it works for us.
There is a line of when draw increases gas use from the generator. At one point, you might as well use it because it will take X amount of gas to run things/charge the battery banks anyway.
Then, at another point, you reach the point where you are using more because of your usage. If that's a washing machine, then you've chosen to do so, but if it's something in the house that is just being used in the wrong grouping, we'd be wrong, and would turn it off.
For example, let's say that we can use 4,000 watts before changing the fuel use significantly. Well, you might as well cook. And perhaps have someone blow dry their hair. And then put a cheese sandwich in the little oven.
The gen can handle that easily, but you also have a couple of lights on, the ice box, deep freeze, and radio.
So handle it though it can, you've now crossed into heavier fuel use, so you don't do one of the above large things until the other is done, and therefore aren't wasting fuel.
Some people find this very complicated, but we don't have to think about the wattage of anything in our house. We know what any given item uses by heart, how hard it draws when it first cycles/goes on, and our power availability. Some people navigate boats in the ocean without thinking 2ce about it, we know what we can have on, or not have on, at the same time, and when. It becomes 2nd nature.
