what's your electricity usage?
- Thread starter damage
- Start date
I used 25 kwh a day last month. I have electric wall heaters in each room, but use a pellet stove most of the time. The local electric company has low interest loans available if I switch to a heat pump. If I did that I would get a three stage thermostat that would call for the heat pump first, the pellet stove second (it’s an automatic model that is controlled by a thermostat), and the electric resistance heat last. I had considered switching to one of those tankless electric hot water heaters, but the water that comes out of my well in the winter is about 44 degrees, and it would require a huge circuit to be run to the hot water heater.
Kenny
Kenny
For December, I am using 23.6 kwh per day for residential electric plus
39.09 kwh per day for the electricity for the hyrdro heat (heat pump) heating system. I typically also burn one tank (500 gallons) of propane per year when the secondary heat kicks in (and stove, fireplace, generator).
I have a whole bunch of PCs / server / wallwarts / TabletPCs / Ipaq / etc plugged in 24x7.
The house is built very energy efficient and air tight which helps offset the high ceiling height (37 ft across most of the 1st floor), 38 argon filled windows 2 doorwalls and skylight, and 6500 sq ft.
Hydroheating w/ propane secondary controlled by RCS TR40 and MainLobby Elk Plugin
Foam form basement 9" walls (including all sides of theater room for sound proofing) with 2 inch foam below slab in basement and garage
Cellulose insulation in all 2x6 exteriour walls, foam filled in all 2x4 walls (around window banks).
All blocking and headers foam filled.
Windows foam sealed (mistake - doesn't allow for shrinkage which traps windows
Tyvek wrapped
100% filled ceiling joists with cellulose (12 inch thick) w/ wood tongue and groove ceiling.
Garage is on propane furnace - 2x6 walls w/ fiberglass insulation plus 2 inch thick foam under slab. foam filled overhead doors. Fiberglass insulation above garage ceiling.
If I didn't build so energy efficient for Michigan winters, I would be broke!
39.09 kwh per day for the electricity for the hyrdro heat (heat pump) heating system. I typically also burn one tank (500 gallons) of propane per year when the secondary heat kicks in (and stove, fireplace, generator).
I have a whole bunch of PCs / server / wallwarts / TabletPCs / Ipaq / etc plugged in 24x7.
The house is built very energy efficient and air tight which helps offset the high ceiling height (37 ft across most of the 1st floor), 38 argon filled windows 2 doorwalls and skylight, and 6500 sq ft.
Hydroheating w/ propane secondary controlled by RCS TR40 and MainLobby Elk Plugin
Foam form basement 9" walls (including all sides of theater room for sound proofing) with 2 inch foam below slab in basement and garage
Cellulose insulation in all 2x6 exteriour walls, foam filled in all 2x4 walls (around window banks).
All blocking and headers foam filled.
Windows foam sealed (mistake - doesn't allow for shrinkage which traps windows
Tyvek wrapped
100% filled ceiling joists with cellulose (12 inch thick) w/ wood tongue and groove ceiling.
Garage is on propane furnace - 2x6 walls w/ fiberglass insulation plus 2 inch thick foam under slab. foam filled overhead doors. Fiberglass insulation above garage ceiling.
If I didn't build so energy efficient for Michigan winters, I would be broke!
damage
Senior Member
i thought i'd post an update on our electricity usage. we finally dropped below the 200% of baseline threshold and that makes a big difference in the cost/kwh. i think the big thing was consolidating from 3 servers to 2. the 3rd server was an athlon xp 2800 w/ a radeon 9800 & 3 hds, so it's power hungry. we will probably be springing for a core2 duo laptop to use in place of our desktop and in the future getting a core2 duo desktop to replace a server.
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mkensinger
Member
After reading all of this, I felt compelled to offer this...
Because I'm in SoCal and have medically necessary power hog equipment running 7/24 (840 watt oxygen concentrator for my daughter), I will try ANYTHING to save a buck or two.
I can only tell you that I was paying about $130.00 a month consistently for power, because I remember writing the checks (bills are at home...I'm at work). I do not run ANY A/C (which is rough in triple digit heat!). I do have a freezer, but it is energy star compliant.
One of the electricians that I contract with for work told me that he was able to drop his power bill simply by balancing the load across the two phases coming into the house.
Using a clamp on ammeter, he measured the "average" draw across the two phases, then moved circuits around to minimize the load difference. According to him balancing the load difference will lessen the "metered" power consumption.
Sounds crazy I know...but...
In part of the remodel I am currently doing, I had to add three 20 Amp circuits. Because I was in the panel anyway, I decided to try his technique. I could not gain access to the individual phases without ripping out the panel, so I setteled for balancing just the "rated load" (meaning totalling up the breaker ratings on each phase and moving the breakers around to make them as close to equal as possible).
No other changes were made, and because of these new rooms and the lighting they require (one of the added circuits was for an air tub...20 amps for pumps and heaters), my power costs SHOULD have increased.
I now am paying right around $120.00 per month...this is during the summer when the rates are the highest and consumption is higher (I run the devil out of a whole house fan), but I am paying AT LEAST $10.00 a month less (this is over several months) for power and all I did was "balance the load".
Food for thought anyway....
Best Wishes Always
Michael
Because I'm in SoCal and have medically necessary power hog equipment running 7/24 (840 watt oxygen concentrator for my daughter), I will try ANYTHING to save a buck or two.
I can only tell you that I was paying about $130.00 a month consistently for power, because I remember writing the checks (bills are at home...I'm at work). I do not run ANY A/C (which is rough in triple digit heat!). I do have a freezer, but it is energy star compliant.
One of the electricians that I contract with for work told me that he was able to drop his power bill simply by balancing the load across the two phases coming into the house.
Using a clamp on ammeter, he measured the "average" draw across the two phases, then moved circuits around to minimize the load difference. According to him balancing the load difference will lessen the "metered" power consumption.
Sounds crazy I know...but...
In part of the remodel I am currently doing, I had to add three 20 Amp circuits. Because I was in the panel anyway, I decided to try his technique. I could not gain access to the individual phases without ripping out the panel, so I setteled for balancing just the "rated load" (meaning totalling up the breaker ratings on each phase and moving the breakers around to make them as close to equal as possible).
No other changes were made, and because of these new rooms and the lighting they require (one of the added circuits was for an air tub...20 amps for pumps and heaters), my power costs SHOULD have increased.
I now am paying right around $120.00 per month...this is during the summer when the rates are the highest and consumption is higher (I run the devil out of a whole house fan), but I am paying AT LEAST $10.00 a month less (this is over several months) for power and all I did was "balance the load".
Food for thought anyway....
Best Wishes Always
Michael
Michael,
What you stated make perfect sense depending on how your electricity is metered. here on Long Island we have very old electric meters that are not "Smart" meters. With a "Smart" meter you are billed based on a peak rate and time of day I beleive. So if you lower your peak you lower the rate. Thats basically what you have done by balancing your load. Utilities do this since the higher the demand the more it costs them for the electric. So they pass that on to customers.
If you ever put a backup generator in (I would recommend one for your situation) it will appreciate a balanced load as well.
What you stated make perfect sense depending on how your electricity is metered. here on Long Island we have very old electric meters that are not "Smart" meters. With a "Smart" meter you are billed based on a peak rate and time of day I beleive. So if you lower your peak you lower the rate. Thats basically what you have done by balancing your load. Utilities do this since the higher the demand the more it costs them for the electric. So they pass that on to customers.
If you ever put a backup generator in (I would recommend one for your situation) it will appreciate a balanced load as well.
upstatemike
Senior Member
Back in the days when Radio Shack actually sold parts and test equipment you could usually get a clamp-on ammeter pretty cheap during a sale. Now I would probably look first to ebay.
I have to invest some time in trying to reduce my electricity usage. My bill is $348 a month on balanced billing. I cant afford for it to go any higher. I reduced my natural gas bill by about 50% over the past few years so now its time to go after the electric.
Balancing my load wont work since we have "dumb" meters hre.
If I had the money I would go solar.
Balancing my load wont work since we have "dumb" meters hre.
If I had the money I would go solar.
WayneW
Senior Member
That is a "dumb" meter. I think that all peak reading or time of day billing meters need more than a single row of dials...i.e., one for "on peak", one for "off peak".Steve said:
I once knew about a restaurant that had its peak usage in the evening when all the lights are on. One of the duties of the opening manager was to go tap on the electric meter in a certain way to "knock down" the peak usage dial. This dial was a multiplier for your whole bill, so this effectively lowered your whole bill.
If it is any consolation I saw mine go up greatly since I put in central air. Made me look a lot more at electric usage. Of course all the insteon dimmers are in which make it harder for me to user more efficient lights in many cases (although I never did look at the dimmable cfl's).Digger said:
Pretty bad when the surcharge is more than the electric bill...
I have all CFL's and Insteon relay switches where I use Insteon. Lighting is about as minimal electric usage as I can get. Everything else needs to be looked at. I dont have Central Air but I do have 5 wall units.
I dont think I can save much unless I get rid of the second refrigirator.
I thjnk I will need to add solar somehow if I can find the money. I guess the the HDTV is out
I dont think I can save much unless I get rid of the second refrigirator.
I thjnk I will need to add solar somehow if I can find the money. I guess the the HDTV is out
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