There are a lot of people who “discover” the value of sustainability when discovering Australia. Most sustainable solutions are light weight, become easy to use (once you know how) and most importantly, have less waste.

At Kimberley, we want to inform customers of sustainable energy solutions and have many practical solutions available. There is great pleasure camping in a remote part of Australia on a still and starry night with only the sound of the night fire. There is great satisfaction to be able to do this for as long as you like without having to start-up a generator.

Caravan & camper trailer manufacturers have not made it easy to achieve this goal in the past as there are very few energy efficient caravans and camper trailers. However, after working over the last 3 years, researching, trialling and using energy efficient products, we are confident of having a range of practical sustainable energy solutions.

One thing we have learnt is that sustainability is no “single silver bullet”. It is chipping away at every aspect of accommodation and living to maximise efficiency and minimise waste.

Kimberley is committed to maximising sustainability. The major benefits to you in addition to the environment are:

• longer period of time between charging batteries – whatever way this is done!
• reduced weight – less fuel or LPG to carry
• reduced running costs – less LPG
• reduced noise – if you run a generator, then run the generator for less time saving fuel and hassle.

The Specification on Sustainability for your Kimberley:

• LED lights (low power, long life)
  • All camping lights are now LED which typically use 94% less power than a halogen equivalent and 40% less power than a compact fluorescent. In addition, fluorescent lights contain mercury. LED lights have a life expectancy of 10,000 hours+.
  • Secondly, we have designed high colour temperature LED lights to minimise the attraction of insects and bugs. As a result, we fit the LED lights around the kitchen sink and outside areas..
• Dual Skin and hooded universal BBQ’s when using LPG.
  • In choosing a non-diesel cooker, the requirement was high efficiency and ease of cleaning. The result: a dual skin, hooded BBQ with a wire trivet over the burning fuel tube. This allows for boil, bake, and grill and of course BBQ on the separate BBQ stainless plate. It is the cool to touch dual skin and hood that makes a significant difference in efficiency.
  • The burner is 11.5Mj consumption on “high”. Turned down and lid on, consumption drops to less than 5Mj.
• Low pressure cookers when using LPG (low energy)
  • The standard LPG cooker we use is a low pressure unit. This reduces LPG consumption as well as virtually no blocking of the jets from dust and rubbish.
• Eutectic refrigerators
  • We recommend & use the ultimate energy efficient Eutectic refrigeration system. In a class of it’s own, eutectic refrigeration is suitable for extreme or high ambient temperatures with excellent cooling performance with the lowest energy consumption.
  • The 'eutectics' act as a cold storage compound for the refrigeration contents. The eutectic fluid surrounds the outside of the four walls of the interior cabinet acting as an 'ice bank', which smooths out temperature rise changes to make it virtually foolproof to use.
  • As a CYCLIC refrigeration system - set on a refrigeration setting (e.g. '2') on the thermostat and left to cycle 'on' and 'off' throughout the day. Average daily power consumption is less than 24Ah/day.
  • As a CYCLIC freezer - set on one of its sub-zero settings ('5', '6' or '7') on the thermostat - the higher the setting, the colder the cycle. Average daily power consumption is less than 40Ah/day.
• Fan Forced Ventilation of front storage
  • Front storage areas are sealed for water and dust. The problem with tight sealing is that it won’t let the heat out of the storage area. The heat can be generated by refrigerators or simply because of solar radiant heat. Food stored in here can be easily spoiled at high temperature and refrigerators will “cut out”.
  • Our patented ventilation system exhausts the hot air from the storage area through a filter. Air enters the storage area at a lower point through a separate filter.
  • The fan used is an extremely low power 12V fan that normally operates when connected to the vehicle.
• Di-electric membrane heater under the mattress
  • The Membrane Heater is a self-regulating, flexible 12V sheet heater that provides even heat without hot spots. Being self-regulating, the element will vary the heat it generates relative to the surrounding temperature to provide even, gentle heating. The heat generated radiates up through the mattress, drying it of any moisture in high humidity and heating the bed for cold nights. There are 2 heaters and 2 associated timers which individually control each side of the bed.
• Diesel hot water (highly efficient- major reduction in carbon)
  • The Diesel Hot Water System is a diesel heater that heats “coolant” which in turn passes through a heat exchanger to heat the water. This means that the water can be of virtually any quality/ condition and it is heated by the coolant which has its own buffer tank. The temperature transfer is more even. The water tanks and water heat exchanger can be completely flushed out at the end of a trip! Starting the diesel system is a simple push of the button. The water temperature rise time in the Karavan is a matter of minutes as it is a 4.5kW hot water heater. The water source can be either the large on board tank, or, with a turn of a valve, water can be pumped form a billabong or stream for endless hot water!
• Low power water pump when needed
  • Where fitted, the water pump for the small water tank is a low power, low pressure pump. The water pump for the hot water system is a high pressure high suction 12V pump which takes more power.
• Solar Panels (renewable power)
  • The solar panels are typically 2 x 65W. They are free standing with a simple collapsible leg (at 38 degrees to the sun for optimum efficiency). Together with maximum battery capacity, this is sufficient solar capacity to operate independently for a reasonable period of time in typical Australian outback conditions.
• Lower power diesel air heaters (highly efficient)
  • The Diesel air heater is about the size of a box of Kleenex. It directly heats the air which is fan forced over a heated furnace. The startup time is less than a few minutes and it is controlled by a remote controller with variable control. It uses very little diesel.
• Quality sealing and insulation throughout the Kamper.
  • The Kamper has a one piece polyethylene liner that is water and dust sealed. It insulates the floor of the Kamper and creates a dual skin on the sides. The result is reduced heat transfer. The canvas tent is sealed between the poly liner and the metal sides.
• Tropical roofs
  • The tropical roof is a top layer of breathable canvas that is elevated above the canvas roof of the Kamper. This reduces the Kamper tent temperature by up to 20 percent. In winter, it minimises condensation. The airflow through the layers helps the canvas to breathe and avoid a second build-up of temperature.

What type of batteries are used? 

We use Exide (or equivalent) AGM (Absorbed Glass Matt) Deep Cycle batteries. There are several capacities of batteries supplied. From 70Ah to 305 Ah.

Deep Cycle Batteries are very different from starting batteries. They have much thicker lead plates and are measured in Amphour capacity. Vehicle Starting batteries are measured and rated in cold cranking amps (CCA ).

The Battery we use has a 3mm positive and 2mm negative plate. This is one of the reasons why we chose them over other types.

How do I know the Capacity Level of the batteries?

Installed in some of the Kamper models and all Karavan models is a Battery Monitor that measures battery voltage and amps flowing into and out of a battery. The Battery Monitor displays the percentage of battery life remaining and the amp-hours remaining. You don’t need to understand all the calculation process, just read the percentage capacity remaining after you press the “c” button.In addition, you will know how much capacity is coming from your solar panels and engine alternator.

What happens at low capacity levels?

Continuing to run the batteries at low voltage may damage them. To protect you against this, there is a master power switch to all outlets (except the fridge which has a separate outlet so the master doesn’t accidentally turn the fridge off). The voltage meter is installed so you can easily see the voltage level of the batteries.

How long will the batteries last?

The manufacturer quotes a typical service life of 600-1200 cycles. It can be longer and it can be shorter depending on how well the batteries are looked after. The deep the discharge of the batteries on each use the less the cycle life. However, 600 cycles is typical if 3-4 years use for most people, probably longer.

How do the batteries charge?

4 ways

1. From the vehicle whilst drivingFrom 240V at a powered siteFrom a generator
2. From a solar panel(s)

 

What type of battery charger is installed?

All the standard chargers are intelligent Multi-stage chargers. The capacity depends on the model purchased but is typically 10A to 40A. The higher Amp rating reduces the time to charge on 240V. They are all true “connect and forget” chargers. Once the charger has completed its charging cycle, it drops to a safe “Float” voltage to maintain the batteries charge. It monitors charging voltage, current and time to make a truly smart decision about when to stop charging. The output of the charger is also perfect for all sensitive DC applications like computers and mobile phone chargers. 

Do you install the solar panels on the roof?

We install solar panels on the roof of the Karavan.  

How easy is it then to set up the solar panels?

The solar panels for the Kamper are stored on the Gullwing Box upper centre section. You simply remove the cover and unclip (lockable) the units, lift them down and set them up on the folding leg we install inside the rear of the panel. If you use 2 of them, point them in different directions as the sun moves around and leave them. 

Where does the generator store?A Generator of the Honda EU20i size and smaller will store on the front section of the Gullwing Box or the Multi box of the Karavan. 

Is there an Inverter? How does the Inverter Work?

There are 2 types of Inverters and we supply both of them.  An inverter converts 12V power from the battery into 240V AC power. We supply a high power (1500 to 1800W) pure sine wave unit. As a guide, this is nearly the AC power from a Honda EU20i generator.At high loads, an inverter will drain the batteries quickly. However, they are perfect for running certain devices in the bush. For example, the Panasonic SD251 Breadmaker will use only 53Ah and take less then 2 hours to make a 1 kg loaf of bread. The microwave can be used to reheat those stews and other tasty leftovers very easily.  The second type of inverter is a Modified Square Wave 500W unit. It will run the laptop computer, phone charger etc. All these devices convert the power back to DC again (though generally not 12V DC) It won’t run devices that use an AC motor directly or use an AC “clock”. 

What happens when you are at a powered site and plug in to 240V?

You simply plug in and turn on the power switch and check the earth leakage switch for any faults with the power source. You don’t need to touch anything. 

How energy efficient are the LEDs?

When all the interior lights are on inside the Kamper and the Gullwing Box, the power consumption is about 0.75A. This is 9W and the equivalent to three quarters of the power consumption of just one of those see-easy fluorescent lights. 

How much power does the diesel hot water system take?

To heat up and run the diesel hot water for say 15 minutes will consume 1-2 Ah of power. Virtually nothing in terms of power consumption.

 So how long can I stay?

 

Note this is based on conservative use in ideal conditions.

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