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Schedule heavy loads and plan by season

Run power-hungry jobs while the panels are producing, and change your habits with the seasons. This avoids draining the battery at night and cuts generator hours.

How

1. List your heavy loads: washing machine, water pump, dehydrator, power tools, electric oven, pressure canner on an electric hob, vacuum.
2. On sunny days, run them in the middle of the day when the array is producing most, one at a time, so you do not exceed the inverter rating.
3. Use load shedding on poor days: delay laundry, switch off electric water heating for a few hours, skip the dehydrator. Clean Energy Reviews notes load shedding can reduce the solar, battery or generator capacity you need.
4. Plan for winter as your limiting season, since shorter days and higher loads make it the hardest time for a solar system.
5. In summer, schedule surplus-hungry jobs such as preserving the harvest, pumping water to a header tank or charging tool batteries.
6. If you have a generator, run it at a steady load and combine its run time with heavy jobs, so it charges the battery and does useful work at once. Follow the power module for generator safety.

Safety: Never run a generator indoors or in an enclosed space. Carbon monoxide can kill. See the safety module.

Do these first

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Sources

1. Grid-Connected or Stand-Alone Renewable Energy Systems. US Department of Energy, Energy Saver, accessed 2026-11
2. Guide to designing off-grid and hybrid solar systems. Clean Energy Reviews, accessed 2026-11

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