1. SOLAR ELECTRICS
YOUR LIFE, SOLAR POWERED
4060 Trapp Road Tel- (703) 425-9712
Fairfax, VA 22032-1137 USA Fax- (703) 425-9308
www.SolarElectricsVA.com solarelectrics@msn.com
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
HOME EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS is gaining wide acceptance after “unprecedented” record breaking weather in 2010,
2011, and 2012 swept across the nation: Snow storms, tornadoes, record flooding, record heat, hurricanes and wildfires that
left many without a home and many more in the dark for days. It has become clear that everyone needs to have a plan;
the common recommendations are: Make sure there are enough supplies to meet the family’s needs for at least three days,
stock up on foods that don’t require refrigeration or cooking, such as canned goods, as well as bottled water (1
gallon/person/day), flashlights with extra batteries, a first-aid kit, prescription medicines and a battery-powered radio. Keep the
car filled with gas and have an extra set of car keys, a credit card and cash on hand (ATMs may be out of service). If officials
call for an evacuation, decide NOW where you would go before you have to evacuate.
Home back-up power is an important part of such planning and is now becoming a necessity in many homes due to our heavy
reliance on electricity for everyday life necessities (and the proliferation of home offices), without power, a home can become
uninhabitable and who wants to leave the comfort and security of home for a gymnasium floor?...
"There is great benefit to have some kind of backup so that people can function normally, to meet the basic demands
of life in an extended outage", said Pepco Holdings Inc. vice president William M. Gausman in a Washington Post article,
(Sunday, December 11, 2005). Back-up power ensures that important electric circuits in the home are operational, such as: lights,
refrigerators and freezers, well and sump pumps, security systems, garage doors (to get the car out), entertainment systems
and computers enables the family to stay tuned to the latest news and keeps the little ones occupied.
Battery based back-up power with solar assist is maintenance-free, automatic, and silent. There are no dangerous exhaust
fumes to worry about. The back-up system supplies the steady, non-fluctuating power demanded by computers and modern
home electronics and entertainment systems. The solar option provides the battery charging (fuel) needed for prolonged power
outages. When utility power returns, the solar generated electricity is then fed into the home, helping to reduce electricity bills,
this back-up system pays for itself, unlike conventional generators. Think of it as an appliance that reduces the electric bill and
keeps the lights on and TV, computer and refrigerator humming when the power goes out.
COMPARISON OF BATTERY BASED BACK-UP POWER WITH CONVENTIONAL GENERATOR BACK-UP POWER
Automatic Maintenance Instant on Silent Requires Emissions Stable, Computer and
operation free fuel free Surge free electronics
power friendly
Solar Electrics Free
Back-Up power solar
power
Conventional
Some Some
generator Some models
models models
back-up power
Solar powered Refrigerators and Freezers
Refrigerators are an essential part of modern life.
Emergency preparedness recommendations call for stocking up on foods that do not need refrigeration or cooking.
A solar powered refrigerator would be unaffected by power outages since it is powered by the sun, not utility power.
Solar powered refrigerators are best suited as a second refrigerator or freezer in most homes since they are generally smaller.
A new Energy Star rated conventional refrigerator or freezer will work quite well in both back-up situations and as an everyday
refrigerator. Homes with gas cooking are usually unaffected by a power outage and homes with electric cooking can use the gas
BBQ grill (outdoors for safety) for cooking during a power outage.