Can you save money by using the Bluetti AC200p during on-peak rates and charging during off-peak?

I wanted to see if I could use my Bluetti AC200p to save money. I charged it during off peak rates and used it for the rest of the day on battery... which includes 5 hours of on-peak rates which are almost 4x more per KWH!

Items used in this video:
BLUETTI AC200P Portable Power Station, 2000Wh LiFePO4 Battery Backup w/ 6 2000W AC Outlets (4800W Peak), Solar Generator for Outdoor Camping, RV Travel, Home Use

AC WiFi Watt Meter, Plug-in US Socket Power Meter, Electricity bill statistics,temperature control,Backlit Large Color Display, Overload Protection,Voltage AMP Tester, Electrical Energy Monitor Timer
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#Bluetti #AC200p #OffGrid

[dollylaning]

That was truly an eye opener. Who would have thought youd pay twice as much in the end by using the Bluetti? Luckily your thermostat device turned it off and on at the times you wanted. Thank you for the informative video!

[jdbond]

Enjoyed the video. Ok, maybe not the results - but the video itself! 😏 Keep up the good work.

[woodknack]

I have a Pecron e2000lfp hooked to 600w of solar panels. I run my home office of it 24/7. I hardly ever have to plug it in ac to charge. Only on really cloudy rainy snow days. saving a ton just using it for that. And if we lose power I unplug it and run other things in the house with it. Big key here is you need solar to get that free electricity!

[cricketcorner]

It’s like you read my mind! I was recently informed our electricity will be billed this way starting next year, and I had exactly this idea. A thought experiment suggested I would only save pennies, which wouldn’t make the cost of the battery and the hassle of a more complex setup worth it. I failed to understand the AC/DC conversions would eat up kwh and end up costing me more, however. So thank you for doing the real experiment and saving me some time and money. If I do anything, it will be to set up storage batteries that I charge up with solar, then use those to charge a Bluetti. That will be worth it, regardless, to help me get through the increasing frequency of power outages that I worry are in my future. Thanks so much for the analysis you provide!

[chronobot]

Counter intuitive but good to know.

You also have to consider the cycles you are putting the batteries through.

Great video.

A++

[jeffsec]

Great video. I was considering doing this to be able to shift big loads like clothes dryer off-peak. But even though my electrical rates are a lot higher than yours, my delta between on and off peak is quite a bit less. So the math would work even worse for me after factoring in both batter loss and AC inverter loss.

[ArcanePath]

Thanks for this. Had this idea myself. Didn't consider the efficiency loss of DC. 80% is way worse than I assumed

[Heythre]

Thanks for talking about this topic. Peak hours are the killer. In our case (SRP - AZ) we just don't have a different tier, but we get penalized with on-peak hrs and even having solar is hard to play the system...
I think you open a good topic, I would love to see if you find a way to plug the power station directly to the grid instead of a couple of appliances, that way the wattage provided by the station would be widely distributed. I remember you did an interesting experiment with a grid tie inverter and your conclusions came out with actually saving some money. Hopefully we can do something similar with these midsize power stations. Thanks again for your videos

[istsoft]

yea best use will be as you said with solar panels, and what also could be good is using time relay to switch battery/station use on peak hours

[galen__]

If you get one of the newer Bluetti AC200L please repeat this test, as it seems to have a more efficient design 👍

[TinkerbatTech]

I've been thinking somewhat the same, but more towards only using my battery system during the high rate period, which, due to my work schedule, is also when I use the most electricity. so the battery system would run the house from 4pm-9pm, and recharge, probably, from 9PM to whenever.. (4p-9p every day is my peak rate. I'll have to dig a bit deeper to find the actual rates and if there're any more 'steps' in the rates. (after midnight or some such.) Haven't really dug into it.

First major power outage since I commissioned this system in January ended up being 52-56hrs long. Running everything but the minisplit, (freezer, refer, microwave, all house electronics and lighting, 50" tv and older computer. Oh, and Satlink, that's a bit of a power pig...) Ended up at 37% remaining. (20KWh pack, 24V 840AH LiFeP04, 3000w sungold inverter/charger)

It''s not set up to easily switch grid/battery manually, tho that'd be pretty easy to do, even on a timer setup. (Just drop the incoming 120V/30A grid to the unit, it transfers like a big UPS.) And another mini transfer switch to tie the minisplit into the Sungold during peak time. (It pulls max about 1300-1400W at 120, but, like it's running now, only pulls 200-500W when maintaining temp. Just don't want it on battery during power outages, to save juice, but it runs fine.) I think that in my situation, where most of my load is normally during 'peak' time, that the numbers would be much better. (Again, I'll pick apart a bill and see what the #s really are. I don't use much, so haven't really sweated it.)

Still adjusting the charging/float parameters for best usage, but I'm getting to the point that I could give this idea a try. My kill-a-watt isn't up to the total measurement needs, but I do have a couple other, beefier units I can hook up.

Even with the minisplit going heavy, I'd likely pull maybe 3-5KWh max during peak, more likely 2KWh. So that's replaceable in 3-5 hrs once the Sungold's back on the grid, only a 15-25% capacity pull on the battery pack, so pretty light. (So, even if power went out, I'd only be down to 75% at worst, and I'd drop the minisplit off line during a full outage.)

I'll dig into that some more. I'm thinking PG&E is about the same peak/off-peak ratio you have, so likely worthwhile. (Means I'll have to finally hook up that whole-house power monitor system, focusing, mainly, on the backup power panel ins and outs. (And the minisplit. Think the gadget has 4 or 8 channels, tho.)

The battery's rated for decades at that kind of charge/discharge levels.. Scary, these LiFes!

Anyway, Thanks for the goose to give this a try, and see how it works out. I have quite a different use case than you were testing, so I think it'll make up for the conversion losses. We'll have to see!

Take care, blessings, Stu the crazed battery junkie!

[Moes_Prep_and_Tech]

I have this Model and there is one other thing to factor Overhead. It has this Vampire power drain when your not using it

[grindychum]

The problem with the AC200P is that it has a high idle draw. A 2000w inverter is over kill for that mini fridge, yes you need a larger inverter for the coffee maker but that barely runs compared to the fridge. A small inverter would be more efficient for an intermittent low wattage draw like a small fridge.
I never charge my power stations off the grid unless there is a storm coming. So 99% of the time it's all solar charging.

[teaernuk]

I have Bluetti AC200p and I know it uses too much power when just switched on. Pointless even charging with solar if the input is less than 25 watts. I would not buy one again, I would go with separate battery, charger and inverter. I do use it in my house sometimes for short periods to boost the maximum watt output of my house inverter instead of using grid power. Bluetti AC200p up to 2000 Watts plus up to 3000 Watts from my house inverter gives me up to 5000 watts output. I will normally recharge it from the house solar or from the grid if the price is very low, free or minus pricing which we get sometimes in the uk, at night when the wind is blowing a lot. I use a switch bot to turn on and off the Bluetti AC200p if charging at night so not to waste power.

[jjames]

Can you Help me . What is The BEST 12 VOLT BATTERY CHARGER AND MAINTAINER .. I WAS CONSIDERING
" THE BATTERY TENDER " .. BUT I VALUE YOUR OPINION IN WHAT YIU WOULD RECOMMEND .. Thank You 👍

[practicaltactical]

Excellent! Solar saves but again you have to factor in the cost of the system! You only save in the long run? Also, the AC200P cost about $1500 when new but holds only 36 cents of your peak electricity cost! Thanks

[davemay]

I’d be interested to see results with dc charging from solar and dc usage device only. Thanks!!! Does that eliminate conversion issue?

[chadwolfeschledgelsteinhau]

That would make sence but it takes twice as much energy to take in then it puts out right?

[jamesfalvey]

Energy companies inflate usage/price in winter months.

[slydog]

It costs an extra 6 cents a day to use the Bluetti. The next question is how much would the setup cost to install enough solar panels to charge the Bluetti reliably throughout the year? That would include sufficient panels to charge even in the winter and on cloudy days, as well as wiring, circuit breakers and the charge controller. If it all lasts 20 years those 6 cents a day will add up to $438. Is that enough to buy all the equipment? But that just gets you to break-even. You are still not saving anything. Furthermore, take that $438 and invest it in 20-year CD at 4% and you end up with $964. So there is an opportunity cost to installing that solar-generation equipment, not to mention the inevitable maintenance costs. The Bluetti likely won't last 20 years when cycling once a day. The cost of even the Bluetti can only be justified in terms of risk management or simple convenience when going off-grid mobile. The expense of a Bluetti can be justified for saving the contents of your freezer and frig if there are frequent power disruptions of sufficient duration to spoil cold food. If such a power outage occurs once in 15 years, then it is cheaper to just buy replacement food. If it happens every year and if the Bluetti can fill the gap and save your food, then having the Bluetti is worth it. Adding panels will always be a losing proposition unless the system is cheap and local weather conditions support high production year-round. Likely the most cost-effective system would be a 100 Ah battery, a small no-frills inverter big enough for needs and an inexpensive charger. That should be doable for $400 to $500 and would cover almost all power disruptions. But even that only makes economic sense if there are frequent power outages lasting long enough for a freezer or fridge to warm up. Where I live, there has only been one such episode in the last 30 years.