 Balcony Power Plant 3
Pragmatists or hotheads might now get the idea to plug everything except the stove into a single circuit. It would actually work if the total power consumption of the devices that are turned on remained below
230 V × 16 A, which is approximately 3.6 kW.
In the worst-case scenario, a specific fuse would blow. So it’s a fantastic option, because every time you use an electrical appliance, except for parts of the electric stove, 800 W would be deducted, and it
would all happen automatically.
Besides, you wouldn't run two power-hungry devices at the same time. You’ll find elements of this idea reflected in our work later on, but by no means the entire concept, because that’s simply not allowed.
No electrician would do that, partly because it would cause problems for the utility company if many people would do the same. This phenomenon is called 'uneven load' and needs to be balanced out
somewhere.
In addition to the three phases L1, L2, and L3, there is also a connection labeled N. It is responsible, so to speak, for returning the electricity, and it does so in perfect synchronization with
each of the three phases; it would then have to complete the entire process in one-third of the time.
You can probably tell that it's not designed for that. Yes, why are we telling you all this if it’s not possible or if it’s forbidden? Because the question remains: which outlet should a balcony power plant be
plugged into?
It is easy to determine what the distribution is. In most cases, the fuses for a single phase are arranged in a row inside the electric meter cabinet. In a properly installed system, the fuses are also
labeled. If you still don't know, you can find out by turning off a fuse.
So if you have a specific selection of frequently used, high-powered devices, a socket in this circle would be the right choice. No one can tell you which outlet to use for which electrical appliance.
This way, we won't just be focusing on the phase with the highest energy consumption. There are also plans to take the hot water supply away from the gas heating system, at least during the
summer. Here, the possibility of completely turning off the gas heating is a major advantage.
| The gas boiler runs up to 70°C and heats the water. It is pumped through a pipe to the
boiler. There, it circulates within a separate pipe, heating it. This heats the surrounding water, but only up to about 55°C. |
Our big advantage is that we shower in the evening. Then this heating system would turn on. We would like to limit it to 800 W. Let's see if there's enough hot water in the morning. We think that would be more
than enough; we'll keep you posted.
To take things to the extreme, we would even start heating the water two or three hours later at night using a timer so that we could run the 3D printer in the meantime. Finally, you can enjoy model building
without feeling guilty.
Do you see now why we bought a 12.66 kWh storage unit at the same time? Yes, the extra cost is a bit of a burden right now, and even the special offer doesn't make it much more bearable. Good for people
with moderate, long-term power demand, including potential nighttime use.
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