Here's simple explanation of what numbers to enter in the Load Calculator.
Most appliances will be simple - you just need to find the Wattage Rating, which will be a number that ends with W, usually on the back or bottom of an item, like this toaster: 
To enter this in the Load Calculator, simply type in the Appliance name (or choose the most appropriate number in the dropdown), the Quantity of this appliance you will have, the Wattage Rating, and the Hours it will be running, ignoring the remaining columns. We expect to run the toaster for about 10 minutes, so we divide this by 60 to convert to hours, which is 0.16. If we have 1 Toaster that is 1800W running for 0.16 hours, we enter it like so:
The Watthours per day (aka Wh, Watts multiplied by hours, a unit of measurement for power usage), and kWh per year (thousands of Watthours) will automatically calculate for you.
If you have an Appliance with an Energy Star sticker, like a fridge or washing machine, we can use the Energy Consumption number on here instead:
Once again, we enter the name, but now we can skip the rest of the columns and enter this number directly in the kWh/year column, like so:
You can then add your remaining appliances, adding lines as you need with the Add Appliances button, or removing lines with the X on the right.
Your results will automatically calculate below the form. They will show your total power usage in Wh per day and kWh per month, as well as the minimum Watts of solar power you'll need to support this on a day with 3 or more hours of sun (which you can expect for at least 80% of the year).
Below this, you will see the minimum amount of our solar panels you will need, and which kit we recommend for you. You can click the buttons to see the kit, or download a copy of your list and results.
If you'd like to chat to us about it, you can fill out the form below, adding any other info or questions you have, and send it to us. We'll be in touch soon, or feel free to ring us!
You can use your results to compare your intended usage against our examples, so you can feel confident in our kit choice. You may see that the kit need to power your intended usage is out of your budget, so you can play around with what compromises you might make to be able to use a smaller kit. We can also get you started with a smaller kit that you can expand as your budget allows.
We're always happy to help in your decision if you need us!
