How does it work?

We've had a bunch of customers who have been asking for more details about how the off-grid AC unit works. So here is a little explainer about power consumption with a couple of charts and graphs. 

The A/C unit is powered by DC electricity which has an advantage of not requiring an inverter ($) and avoiding the ~10% losses from the conversion process. The units can run on either 12V or 24V. The advantage of using 24V is that you can use smaller gauge wires. 

The A/C unit very efficient partially due to the variable speed inverter. This means that instead of turning on/off over and over like a traditional RV A/C unit this unit is always running and will increase it's power consumption meet the cooling needs. 

We've been running the unit in "Eco Mode" and maintaining the temperature at ~78 degrees 24 hours a day. In this mode, the unit draws up to ~360 watts, which is about 15 amps at 24V. 

The unit is paired with 200amp hrs of 24V LiFePO4 batteries and 740 Watts of solar panels. As you can see in the chart below this sized solar system is well matched to the power draws of the A/C unit. In the earlier mornings, (when temps are cooler) the solar will recharge the battery. 

The chart below is from mid-may in Austin Texas where outdoor temperatures were in the mid 80s.