100A service suplement

Quick Background: Purchasing a late 1960's home with a 100amp underground service cable and box. It has two double taps and a pigtail (pigtail I believe is for AC). Hot water, stove/oven, clothes dryer and heat is currently powered by gas.

Goals:
Final goal is to be off-grid.
Current goals, to upgrade electrical power available to be able to convert stove/oven and clothes dryer to electric. (Possibly to not use clothes dryer exists.) I also need to remove the two double taps.

How to:
I've come up with the following options;
1. Go off grid now, using the money needed to upgrade the service to 150 or 200amps to help offset the cost.
2. Do a dual system where I use partial grid power (the current 100A service) and the upgrades I need will be provided by solar and wind power with a battery bank. Then in the future, expand my system to be off grid.

I would like suggestions on how to do number 2. I don't know how to use two power systems. I guess the real problem lies in trying to figure out how to have 150-200amp service using two systems, where one will never provide the full potential needs of the house.

Looking for help.....

Mr. Diedel

One way to do it would be to buy a shore power box for a yacht. They are a battery charger and inverter made to take grid power as an unreliable input. They use what they can from it and synch the inverter to combine the power output. They are not cheap, but cheaper than the battery bank needed for 200amp off grid service.

Hi Dustin,

I have installed a couple of similar systems for clients that are already grid connected, but want to operate off grid as much as possible. We either install a manual or automatic transfer switch in line with the sub panel. So power goes; utility meter and mains to transfer switch to subs.

100 amps at 240 volts gives 24 kw; I don't think you'll need more than that, but you could upgrade the wiring when you install the transfer switch.

This also allows for upgrades to the solar over time so you don't have to invest everything at once.

All Blessings,
Bill