Getting closer. Love the cabinets. Stay warm.

I often wonder if electricians dread coming home to a spaghetti dinner??

about 1500' of 12-2

Why not 14/2?

Why not 14/2?

The breakers cost the same, 15A or 20A

None of my lighting is high voltage, that is all done with 18/5 and 18/2 @ 51 VDC.

I am buying my wire at Costco at $0.50 a foot, which is about the same price as 14/2.

As we leisurely stroll to completion...final and occupancy permit inspection in two days.

Then...July 2024

Today

The "bar" alcove: three LED under-lit shelves over quartz counter, Brizo taps, Kraus undermount sink and mini-fridge. It wasn't in the plan, but fits the space nicely. (Really a re-sale thing as no one here drinks alcohol.)

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Now: Lower-level electric fireplace surrounded by Artika sound-absorbing slatted panels. TV is to be mounted above.

And then...March 2024 (Note spf insulation and non-structural steel framing.)

It'sbeen a busy 12 days since that first spaghetti wiring post.

I hung the inverter up.

Started laying the wiring in

Today it is all down, but for two conduit pulls from outside.

The power goes from the main on the left over to the inverter on the right, and then to the critical loads panel in the middle. That gutter makes it neat and easy.

I backed up several important circuits, things like the lighting, the fridge, the platform lift, the sewer pump, our bedroom outlets, a few kitchen outlets, the hydronic heat pump, and the circulation pumps for that.

The solar panels and battery can power all that, and it switches over in 10 milliseconds! after a power outage.

When trying to look at the cost of the solar and the benefit, a critical loads backup and a hybrid inverter like this one really clouds up the math.

I don't have a whole home backup generator, just the critical loads.

A whole home backup generator install is 12~15K

I also don't have a $500 a year maintenance agreement for said generator.

The lighting would not be so easy to back up, but for the low voltage lighting system. The whole house, including 5 ceiling and 5 bathroom ventilation fans, runs on a single 20 Amp circuit to this cabinet.

The actual full load of 127 fixtures and the 10 fans is 1092 watts, all on.

We have lots of low-voltage wiring for security and WiFi. But I keep meaning to check with our electrician the possibilities of using it for lighting and fans.

We didn't bother with an n.g. generator--despite losing power in the 2013 ice storm for two weeks in our previous home on the same lot. (Fortunately, I had just rehabilitated a condo apt. and we camped out there.)

Since then, Hydro has been diligently tree trimming in our area. Still, power failed for a day last year. But one neighbour's generator failed to start. So much for backup!

That was all inspected today and we pulled wire to the PV panels on the two roofs. It is high voltage DC and must be contained in metallic conduit.

This little box is located in that entry alcove where you take off your shoes, and will be behind/under the bench. it was necessary because the runs exceeded the 360 degree bend rules. It just passes through with no connections. They were a bit of a bugger to pull.

Obligatory image of the panels

Isn't it grat to have panels done? It makes a huge difference in your feeling of readiness, in mt expeerience. What's the production capacity of the panels, Kelly? You seem to have a ton! and does the invert allow you to use the power in the event of an outage? We just had an ice storm and the whole house generator isn't installed yet - so I thought - oh - at least we'll have some power during the sunny days if we lose it and then rmembered solar disconnects when power fails for safety / backfeeding prevention. (We don't have a battery... because.... GENERATOR! LOL)

Power stayed on - dodged a crisis. But generator install gets moved up hubby's retirement to do list!

That is 14.76 KW of panels on an 11.4KW hybrid inverter with a single 16KWh battery. I can add another.

It will back up the critical loads and keep the heat on, but no room for the water heater.

I am spitballing things and may get a triangle tube tank, that will preheat the hot water from the hydronic heat pump.

It has coils inside it to transfer some heat from the service water, which runs between 80 and 105 in heating season. I could also do a little heat exchanger.

Thanks - I am rethinking the battery now that the tax advantage has expired (haha - I am GREAT at timing) but feel like the generator is the better answer for us because 1 - it's paid for and 2 - we don't have to shed any loads at all - it will power "everything"... and 3 - feel like if we lose power it will be potentially lengthy.

Love your project - you are really doing things right. It's nice to know that where you will live, corners were not cut.

We did solar in FL with 6 Tesla wall batteries and SPAN panel circuit boxes to be able to manage the system on the app, having the ability to turn on/off individual breakers and see how much power individual appliances/systems are consuming. All paid for and we did get it all in before the tax break went away!

We also have a buried propane tank so we can run the outdoor grill and burners, and propane water heaters (with solar/battery to power the electronics).

If we had gone with a generator we definitely would have had to increase the size of the propane tank. Not sure why our builder recommended such a "small" tank knowing we were probably going to do a generator. The tank is fine for outdoor kitchen and water heaters and lasts close to a year between refills, but would barely last 2 days if we tried to run the whole house in the summer after a hurricane. The tank also powers the spa heater, but we rarely use that, otherwise we would have to fill the tank much more often.

We did all of this after moving in. It was too much to try to plan and coordinate during the build, specially as we built in 2021.

FWIW, we never considered solar. Reason is simple: A minimum ten-year period to recover costs for an average Ontario home, longer than any home I've ever lived in. We're signing a listing for this one before even moving in.

Plus, in the community we're in, trees are sacred and cannot be removed just because you want to go solar green!

As a DIY mostly installation, I am into it about a buck a watt.

See Feb. 2026 here.