huggy59
Active Member
I can see how a very neglected place might save 18% even with florescents (and we're talking the typical 3-bulb 4' fixtures used in most commercial buildings) IF the lights were being left on all night or all day and no one needed them on (i.e. a significant majority of the time they were on when they didn't need to be), and perhaps if the electricity cost was tiered and automation cut back enough usage to bring them into a lower tier. I don't know if this is the case here.
The big energy eaters in most homes are heating elements - hot water heaters, clothes dryers, stoves - and motors - water/pool pumps, AC compressors and blowers, etc. If you can cut those back, you'll save some bucks. Most electric utilities now have energy usage and analysis capabilities or services, some have online tools, too. FPL in Florida has a nice little utility called their Online Home Energy Survey that shows what your biggest users are - www.fpl.com (requires registration).
I really think that, with some attention and concerted effort, the HA industry can become "greener", and we can do more with mechanical automation to manage energy and our homes and workplaces. Every little bit helps. A simple example is use of solar water heating panels. Heating water with solar panels is more efficient than making electricity with panels. The issues are typically cost, location, and ROI. In Quebec, the panels might not be cost effective because of sun angle, winter climate, and cost of electricity at 6 cents/kwH. However, in parts of California where electricity is $1/kwH and climate is warmer, it may make a lot of sense to go solar. And in either place, it reduces electricity usage.
I think geothermal is a good answer for a lot of places, and has largely gone undeveloped by most housing contractors due to somewhat high initial cost. But it pays for itself fairly quickly. You don't need a hot spring to do geothermal - just a deep well with a source of lots of water and contact with the earth. It's simple, clean, reusable, and only needs power (mechanical or electrical) to pump water, for the most part. You can even extract heat from the electric water pump to heat the water for domestic use.
K, I'll shut up now... ;-)
The big energy eaters in most homes are heating elements - hot water heaters, clothes dryers, stoves - and motors - water/pool pumps, AC compressors and blowers, etc. If you can cut those back, you'll save some bucks. Most electric utilities now have energy usage and analysis capabilities or services, some have online tools, too. FPL in Florida has a nice little utility called their Online Home Energy Survey that shows what your biggest users are - www.fpl.com (requires registration).
I really think that, with some attention and concerted effort, the HA industry can become "greener", and we can do more with mechanical automation to manage energy and our homes and workplaces. Every little bit helps. A simple example is use of solar water heating panels. Heating water with solar panels is more efficient than making electricity with panels. The issues are typically cost, location, and ROI. In Quebec, the panels might not be cost effective because of sun angle, winter climate, and cost of electricity at 6 cents/kwH. However, in parts of California where electricity is $1/kwH and climate is warmer, it may make a lot of sense to go solar. And in either place, it reduces electricity usage.
I think geothermal is a good answer for a lot of places, and has largely gone undeveloped by most housing contractors due to somewhat high initial cost. But it pays for itself fairly quickly. You don't need a hot spring to do geothermal - just a deep well with a source of lots of water and contact with the earth. It's simple, clean, reusable, and only needs power (mechanical or electrical) to pump water, for the most part. You can even extract heat from the electric water pump to heat the water for domestic use.
K, I'll shut up now... ;-)
