Recommended Appliances

REFRIGERATOR / FREEZER
The use of an electric refrigerator or freezer significantly impacts the size of a solar electric system. However, most customers prefer this rather than dealing with the drawbacks of a propane refrigerator — namely open flame, flue cleaning, small size, and high cost.

REFRIGERATORS Approx.
Cost		 Watt Hr/
Day
    Hi efficient 22 cu. ft. $950 1500
    Hi efficient 18 cu. ft. $750 1300
FREEZERS

    Sunfrost 10 $1800 660
    New high efficient chest type
<14 cf that uses <360 KwH/Yr		 $400 1000

DISHWASHERS

Most are acceptable as long as you can turn off the auxiliary heater on incoming water and turn off the heated drying cycle.

RANGES

Propane only, but stay away from the type that uses a glow bar for oven ignition.
Most people don’t like standing pilots, but that is one type.
Peerless Premier utilizes peizo ignition for the oven as well as the cooktop.

WASHING MACHINES

Front loaders are the way to go – less water & electric usage.

Maytag Neptune 10% >capacity $1000 110 Whr/load
Frigidaire $750 140 Whr/load

DRYERS

Propane only–Most are acceptable just make sure that the glow bar for ignition is not on all the time the dryer is on.

WATER HEATERS

Tankless on demand propane water heaters.
Aquastar-Bosch saves 30% over tank type.

DEEP WELL PUMPS

These can run on AC, if they are the capacitor start type. One horsepower and less are the easiest candidates to run off solar.