Here are important points about selection of appliances and some wiring tips for solar electric homes. This is a little different than you might expect for utility connected homes, and the difference is essential. Be sure you understand these points before shopping for appliances. Your electrician should understand these when planning the wiring.

LIGHTING uses less power if you have several local area "task" lights rather than a big central multi-bulbed light. Use 15-29 watt fluorescent lights under cabinets close to the kitchen counter; use separate wall switches for each wall/ceiling light so you can turn on lighting precisely where needed.

"Screw-in" light bulbs should be mostly compact fluorescent light using about one quarter the power of regular bulbs while giving the same brightness and color. Get only electronic ballast models; they do NOT flicker. Light dimmers should not be used unless you have a sine-wave inverter and the bulb specifically states dimming is OK.

Timer light switches are great for lights turned on and often forgotten, as in children's rooms, closets, stairwells, and particularly basement and outdoor lights. Timers keep the peace when lights are frequently forgotten. The tap of an electronic timer button or a windup light switch timer starts the light and sets the run time you choose from a few seconds to an hour, after which the light goes out.

WALL CLOCKS & TIMERS. Clocks should be quartz type, battery powered, not plug-in AC powered. Timers for automation or wake-up radio should be DC powered, not AC.

DESKTOP COMPUTERS. Windows-type computers run on any inverter. A few Apple/MacIntosh computers may require a "true sine-wave" inverter, but most do not.

LAPTOP/NOTEBOOK COMPUTERS use internal batteries, and recharge from any small inverter using just 20-50 watts AC power. Most manufacturers offer an optional car-cord to operate directly from a 12 volt battery at very low power. Laptops are preferable to desktops because of these features and the fact that they use a fraction of the electricity a desktop does.

PRINTERS. Laser printers (and most photo copy machines) can be damaged by modified wave (not true sine-wave) inverters. Inkjet and dot matrix printers are no problem and use very little power. HP laser jet printers automatically idle to just 7 watts between printing, or a switch can be used to shut your printer off.

An outlet switch or an outlet strip should be used to switch off all computer equipment after shutdown to prevent phantom load leakage.

For true sine-wave, the whole home/office may be powered by a large true sine-wave inverter. Alternatively, one of the smaller true sine-wave inverters may be added for just the computer, and a separate circuit run from it in the battery room to an outlet or two by the computer.

REFRIGERATOR/FREEZER. As we covered before, standard refrigerators and freezers use so much power that the battery charge is depleted quickly. It is not practical to use most standard electric refrigerators or freezers with independent power unless you have a powerful water turbine generator. Super efficient refrigerators designed and tested for solar power, such as "Sun Frost" refrigerators, operate on less than half the usual power. Some carefully selected Energy Star rated conventional refrigerators using under 450 kilowatt hours a year may be acceptable. (Go to www.energystar.gov to find more efficient appliances. They are getting better and better.)

CLOTHES WASHERS. Most clothes washers work fine with a minimum 1500 watt inverter. They consume 800 watts while running. A starting surge of about 3000 watts is required. A motor start capacitor can be added to any washer that has a start winding wire on the motor to lower the starting surge (order from www.backwoodssolar.com ).

New electronic washers by Staber, Whirlpool, Frigidaire and Maytag use much less power, water, and soap. Some of them require a sine-wave inverter, will not run on a generator, and void their warranty when used with generator or inverter power. Staber washing machines use only 165 watts, do not need sin-wave power, and the factory is happy to sell to renewable energy users. Staber can really save energy if you do a lot of laundry.

For more details, see "Clothes Washers and Alternative Energy"

CLOTHES DRYERS. Propane heat clothes dryers can be used, not electric dryers. New condensing type dryers use a great deal of electrical energy.

KITCHEN STOVE. Electric stoves are out . Propane gas stoves with gas pilot lights need no power at all. Optional spark ignition burners use very little power and work fine with inverters. DO NOT BUY a gas range with glow-bar in the over, an electric red-hot pilot bar that consumes 400 watts while the oven is used! Instead, look for one of two types of pilot light ovens. An oven with a regular gas flame pilot light is simplest. (Amana makes a good one.) Or an oven that lights a pilot by electric spark only when the oven is started; the pilot goes off when the oven is finished. (Both types are available on the Peerless Premier propane ranges.) Also, the AC clocks in some ranges are phantom loads, keeping the inverter running full time. If so, disconnect wires to the clock so you can plug in the stove to use the oven light and spark igniters. Range hoods with light and vent fan work fine with inverters. Be sure to put a compact fluorescent bulb in it.

DISHWASHERS work fine, with one caution. There might be two high power heaters, one to dry the dishes faster and sometimes one to superheat incoming water. You should be able to disconnect or switch off these heaters to save a lot of power.

WATER PUMPS. DC pumps use very little power and can pump to well depths of 200 to 600 feet. 120 volt AC pumps, 1/3 to ½ horsepower can operate from inverter power to 300 foot depths. Avoid 220 volt models or higher horsepower than you actually need. (See Water Systems Section for detailed info on independent water systems)

STEREO, TV, VCR. A 19 or 20 inch TV uses about 85 watts and works with any inverter. Some larger screens use the same, others double. VCR and some satellite units use only 20 watts. STEREO of good quality usually works with any inverter. TVs, VCRs, and stereos with remote control are phantom loads, and still consume power when switched off. It is important to use a wall switch, or a switched outlet strip to cut all power from this equipment when not in use. A few large screen TVs require true sine-wave power.

TELEPHONE BEYOND THE LINES. If in a rare situation phone lines cannot reach your site, a radio relay phone link up to 15 miles line-of-sight can connect you to the nearest phone line. The radio link brings in phone, modem, answering machine or fax. Or a cell phone with a boosting antenna or amplifier may be the answer. One source for this equipment according to Backwoods Solar Electric Systems is This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

INTERNET. Direcway (now HughesNet) and Wild Blue are two-way satellite high speed internet services, with no phone line required. They bring excellent performance in most remote areas. Wild Blue is relatively new, is less expensive up front ($300 vs. $600 for Direcway currently), monthly charges are less (currently $50/month vs. $60/month for Direcway), and is proported to have better service. If one intends to travel, though, Wild Blue currently allows no provisions for that as they break the US into many different "cells" and if one moves out of the cell they are commisioned in, internet service is no longer available. One of the main advantages of Direcway (HughesNet) is that one is able to travel to another area. Must have a clear line of sight to the south (somewhere between due south and southeast in the northwestern US, somewhere between due south and southwest in the northeastern US, with somewhere around the center of the US being due south). Using a simple compass will show you how your location fares. How low in the horizon the dish will need to point is based upon how far north your location is. The further north you are, the lower in the horizon your dish will need to point. Just for example, with one particular satellite, a person in southern Vermont would need approx. 36 degrees elevation; northern Washington needs approx. 27 degrees elevation. All these figures are based on one satellite (which may or may not be the one you end up using) so this is just an approximation to help determine if a mountain, etc might be in the way. If you are seriously considering an area, and are dependent upon having a good internet connection for work, you would be very wise to contact a local installer of the brand you choose to go with and get more detailed information before you look at land. While we recommend this as a tremendous tool to allow one to work from home in a remote area, it may also be a snare if not rigidly controlled. It is a burden on our hearts to encourage others against bringing the city with them. Internet and all media, while a blessing if allowing one to work from home, is quite a bit like fire: it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.

AIR CONDITIONING. So much power is consumed with so many running hours that air conditioning is usually considered impractical on solar power. EVAPORATIVE COOLING (swamp coolers) works, except where humidity is high.

SHOP AND POWER TOOLS. Most hand-held power tools operate on 800 to 1500 watt inverters. Large power equipment like table and radial saws usually work with 2500 watt inverters, though sometimes the motor belt needs to be slipped for easier starting on the largest equipment.

Sine-wave inverters like Outback FX and VFX or Xantrex SW Plus work best for really large equipment. Wire feed welders and air compressors usually require 3500 watt or larger 4000 inverter. Select small wattage tool motors or use a generator to power larger ones. Cordless tool rechargers without a wall cube transformer plug must have true sine-wave inverter power, and may be ruined on modified sine-wave inverters.

WATER HEATING. Electric water heaters are out . Use a propane tank heater from plumbing and hardware stores. Get one with a pilot light, not glow-bar ignition. Vent all gas appliances straight out through the roof. Avoid power wall vents that seem easy to install but use substantial power ever after. Or use an instant tankless (on-demand) water heater. The tankless instant water heater saves gas.

HEATER - FURNACE. Use propane, natural gas, oil, or wood heaters and furnaces, never electric heat. Electric heat pumps also use substantial amounts of energy, less than resistance heat, but way too much for independent power. They are reversible air conditioners.

Propane direct-vent (through the wall) heaters save fuel because each area of the house can have its own heater and wall thermostat. No circulation blowers are needed so they work with no electric power. This is the easiest and lowest cost heating installation.

Wood or gas furnaces located on bottom floor or basement in a multistory home allow heated air to rise by convection from lower to higher floors without powered fans or ducted blowers. Larger ducts for natural convection circulation can work with no power blower needed, or a very low power quiet DC fan to boost output. Low power fans can also increase efficiency of gas heaters or wood stoves by moving air over the surface. Each stairway should have a door to control rise of heated air.

PHANTOM LOADS. Appliances that steal your power--even when they are turned off . Some appliances need to be disconnected from power as completely as pulling the plug when not in use. Remote control TV, VCR, Stereo, microwave oven and office equipment (computer, fax, etc.) may use a little power 24 hours a day even when switched off! These are called "phantom loads", and taken together, keep an inverter turned on and waste a lot of power if not remedied.