Do you try and save energy at home?

[Major Tom]

I live on my own in less than 300 sq feet of space and utilities are already included in the rent. My main motivation to watch my consumption is that it's an old house with old wiring, and if there is too much electricity usage between my neighbors and I, the circuit breaker trips. If it's late at night and a bit chilly, then we all sit in our rooms hoping that someone else will volunteer to go outside and reset the breaker!

However, there's only so much damage a single person in a room can do. In my last apartment, which was 500 sq feet, my gas and electric bill was always under $30/month combined. My main extravagance is leaving a desktop computer with 5 hard drives on most of the day.

 

[Beryl]

A $72/month average electric bill is not high for a 1600 square foot air conditioned house in the New Orleans summer heat, but the point (at least MY point) was not to boast. Sorry that you misunderstood!

I understood completely.

$72/mo for one person in a 1600 sq ft house in cooler CO is good also per Xcel Energy averages. I average a little under $90/mo for my 3000 sq ft house but I close off 1000 sq ft of unused areas year 'round. I also follow many other common energy savings tips (adjust thermostat, turn off lights, unplug unused appliances, etc) and some of those listed in the OP. It adds up after a while.

I'd love to go off the grid with solar.

 

[GregLee]

- I switched to all CFL bulbs a few years back when the electric company offered rebates to cover the cost

I switched to mostly 5500K CFLs because the color is much more pleasant. (But my wife is stuck on those sickly yellow incandescents, which is why it's only "mostly".)

 

[packrat44]

DW likes it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer than I do. After many years I realized I was expending more energy (mine) trying to save energy by getting her to change her ways. So now I am doing my part in conserving energy by letting her have her way.

 

[Ally]

We do most of those things not necessarily thinking of energy savings. We do try and watch the watering and the thermostat.

 

[rescueme]

So now I am doing my part in conserving energy by letting her have her way.

Same here ..

I guess if DW was responsible for any expenses related to the house (or anything else, for that matter), she would be more inclined to worry about the cost.

Oh well, assuming I die first, she will find out quickly how much it actually costs to live "in the manner that she has become accustomed" ...

 

[ERD50]

I'd love to go off the grid with solar.

Why?

-ERD50

 

[Khan]

9 Unexpected Energy (and Money) Savers


Here are a few surprising and simple ways to cut your energy bill this season.

Put lamps in the corners: Did you know you can switch to a lower wattage bulb in a lamp or lower its dimmer switch and not lose a noticeable amount of light? It’s all about placement. When a lamp is placed in a corner, the light reflects off the adjoining walls, which makes the room lighter and brighter.

Rarely turn lights on.

Switch to a laptop: If you’re reading this article on a laptop, you’re using 1/3 less energy than if you’re reading this on a desktop.

Done.

Choose an LCD TV: If you’re among those considering a flat-screen upgrade from your conventional, CRT TV, choose an LCD screen for the biggest energy save.

Unplugged TV & cable a/o Nov '10

Give your water heater a blanket: Just like you pile on extra layers in the winter, your hot water heater can use some extra insulation too. A fiberglass insulation blanket is a simple addition that can cut heat loss and save 4% to 9% on the average water-heating bill.

Water heater says doesn't need blanket (why would anyone want to heat hot water?)

Turn off the burner before you’re done cooking: When you turn off an electric burner, it doesn’t cool off immediately. Use that to your advantage by turning it off early and using the residual heat to finish up your dish.

Have gas stove.

Add motion sensors: You might be diligent about shutting off unnecessary lights, but your kids? Not so much. Adding motion sensors to playrooms and bedrooms cost only $15 to $50 per light, and ensures you don’t pay for energy that you’re not using.

Don't have kids.

Spin laundry faster: The faster your washing machine can spin excess water out of your laundry, the less you’ll need to use your dryer. Many newer washers spin clothes so effectively, they cut drying time and energy consumption in half—which results in an equal drop in your dryer’s energy bill.
*Dryers- To help clothes dry quicker, place a clean dry towel in with wet clothes; Also, when done unplug or turn off breaker to dryer. It will continue to draw power even when it's not in use.

Don't have dryer.

Use an ice tray: Stop using your automatic icemaker. It increases your fridge’s energy consumption by 14% to 20%. Ice trays, on the other hand, don’t increase your energy costs one iota. Or what I did recently was when the container was full I just turned it to off so it will stop coming on.

Don't have ice maker.

Use the dishwasher: If you think doing your dishes by hand is greener than powering up the dishwasher, you’re wrong. Dishwashers use about 1/3 as much hot water and relieve that much strain from your energy-taxing water heater. Added bonus: you don’t have to wash any dishes.

I love the dishwasher, because I hate washing dishes.

 

[TromboneAl]

Here's our monthly electric bill. The annual spike is due to DD visiting over Christmas, and running a space heater in her bedroom. You can also see our vacations (e.g. 5/2009). $10 per month of the bill is due to the dehumidifier in our bathroom. We pay about $.14 per KWH.

 

[meekie]

I'd love to go off the grid with solar.

We did in 2009 and are very happy with it. I'd much rather pay for solar panels for 10 years instead of paying the electric company for 30 years. They actually calculated our payback to be 6-8 years depending on the price of electricity.

In San Diego it makes a lot of sense, and hopefully soon I'll have an all-electric Nissan Leaf to plug into it - and not have to buy gasoline either!

We bought a system that should have taken care of 80% of our needs, but then we started shutting off lights more often, replaced a few more bulbs with CFLs and LEDs, and now range between positive and negative depending on use and the weather.

 

[ERD50]

Originally Posted by Beryl
I'd love to go off the grid with solar.

We did in 2009 and are very happy with it. I'd much rather pay for solar panels for 10 years instead of paying the electric company for 30 years. They actually calculated our payback to be 6-8 years depending on the price of electricity.

You went off the grid with solar? Doesn't that take a lot of batteries? What's the payback and environmental impact of all those batteries and replacements?

In San Diego it makes a lot of sense, and hopefully soon I'll have an all-electric Nissan Leaf to plug into it - and not have to buy gasoline either!

You're going to have to explain to me what 'makes sense' about having other people pay your bills? IOW, do you think it would 'make sense' w/o the subsidies? If not, then does it really 'make sense'?

-ERD50

 

[Bestwifeever]

I don't do any of those things to save energy, either.

I use a laptop because it is convenient, not for energy reasons. I use my dishwasher because it is easier, not for energy reasons. I don't do the rest.

Oddly, the electric bill for my 1600 square foot home has averaged only $72/month over the past two years despite my wasteful ways.

W2R, do you only have electric or do you also use natural gas? Our electric bill runs about $50/month but like many people up here in cold country, we also use natural gas for heating water, drying clothes, and heating our home (and cooking! whatever that is). That runs about $60 a month so we're paying $110 electric and natural gas average for two people in a house not much bigger than yours.

 

[Alan]

W2R, do you only have electric or do you also use natural gas? Our electric bill runs about $50/month but like many people up here in cold country, we also use natural gas for heating water, drying clothes, and heating our home. That runs about $60 a year so we're paying $110 electric and natural gas average for two people in a house not much bigger than yours.

$60 /year on heating. Have you tapped into your neighbor's gas pipe?

 

[Bestwifeever]

$60 /year on heating. Have you tapped into your neighbor's gas pipe?

Smarty pants--maybe we have it billed to a certain retiree living in Houston who is summering across the pond . I corrected it above!

 

[Alan]

Smarty pants--maybe we have it billed to a certain retiree living in Houston who is summering across the pond . I corrected it above!

Sorry, I couldn't resist

Shortly after we got here mid-March I went outside at 7:10pm to see a well publicized extremely large moon - very impressive, much like a "harvest moon".

6 weeks later it was still daylight at 9pm. I'd quite forgotten how quickly the nights get longer in these latitudes, even allowing for the clocks springing forward.

 

[Dimsumkid]

Just came back from Lowes. They're selling Utilitech brand 40w LED bulbs for $9.98 until 4/25. Replaced 1 of 2 directional spotlights (other one is a 40w cfl). You can really see a big difference in brightness. DW really likes the LED too.

 

[Texas Proud]

I know people praise the virtues of the CFLs.... but I am still disappointed in them overall...

Bought 'instant on' because I did not like them taking so long to warm up... well, all it means is a PART of the light is instant on... it still takes time to warm up... in closets they are worthless....


As to the OP... my house is pretty efficient... we do some of the suggestions such as the stove and TV... I might turn off the ice maker since we do not use the ice much.. and it freezes into a big blob that we have to dump out every now and then...

We do have a motion detector light in our laundry room, which is also where we come in the house most of the time.... the problem is that the light gets turn on when we eat... all I have to do is lean back and the light goes on... it happens a few time every time we eat... unless we turn the light off... which defeats the purpose of having the switch....

My electricity is a lot higher than I want.... we have yard lights in front and back and I can NOT get my wife to allow me to not have them on... or turn them off sooner.. I got 8 lights in front and 5 or so in back.... 35 watts each... 4 or 5 hours each and every night.... where are the low watt bulbs (with enough light) low voltage light that work outdoors

 

[rescueme]

"Do you try and save energy at home?"

Yes; I get up late and go to bed early ....

Oh, if you are talking about home utility costs, not really. We could freeze in the winter, get overheated in the summer, downsize to a much smaller home, and walk around in the dark.

That's not how we need or more importantly want to live, for the remainder of our time on earth.

Not to say that we have not done certain things, such as building our retirement home with more than what was considered "energy efficient" at the time nor taking action since that time (upgraded HP).

However, we looked at alternatives such as solar and ground source HP. For us (and at our age and expected life in this home) it did not make sense. Maybe for a young or middle-age family who gets this home next it will make sense to convert, if they wish. However, we're not willing to spend the money on it, at this time of our lives.

 

[Dimsumkid]

Bought 'instant on' because I did not like them taking so long to warm up... well, all it means is a PART of the light is instant on...
My electricity is a lot higher than I want.... we have yard lights in front and back and I can NOT get my wife to allow me to not have them on... or turn them off sooner.. I got 8 lights in front and 5 or so in back.... 35 watts each... 4 or 5 hours each and every night.... where are the low watt bulbs (with enough light) low voltage light that work outdoors

Sounds like you're an ideal candidate for switching over to LEDs, they instantly go to full brightness when they turn on. As for outdoors, you need to have covered lights to use LEDs, but I think they have outdoor flood LEDs, but they're still very pricey ($30-40). You can also switch to those dual type motion detectors, they leave a low light on at dusk (maybe 30-50%), but go full brightness when motion is detected.

 

[ERD50]

Just came back from Lowes. They're selling Utilitech brand 40w LED bulbs for $9.98 until 4/25. Replaced 1 of 2 directional spotlights (other one is a 40w cfl). You can really see a big difference in brightness. DW really likes the LED too.

At that price, I may buy one just to experiment with. I like the idea of LEDS over CFLs (which I mostly do not like, but I still use some), but LED costs have been too high to justify unless you need them on 24/7 or in an air cooled space most of the year (make sense for retail fridges/freezers or chilled warehouses/lockers that need light). Lowes are not so close to me, so it might be a special trip - I'll need to count that energy use against the energy savings - heh-heh.

I know people praise the virtues of the CFLs.... but I am still disappointed in them overall...

....

My electricity is a lot higher than I want.... we have yard lights in front and back and I can NOT get my wife to allow me to not have them on... or turn them off sooner.. I got 8 lights in front and 5 or so in back.... 35 watts each... 4 or 5 hours each and every night.... where are the low watt bulbs (with enough light) low voltage light that work outdoors

Are all these 35W bulbs low voltage? I wouldn't think so, I thought the low volt stuff was really low watt, like 5-10W?

If they are standard 120V, why not use CFLs for these? That's what I put for our six front lights. They work OK for me even in the coldest weather, just take a minute to get bright. I did put small 25W (15W?) in two of the lights - the timer I use needs some trickle current to keep it active when it is 'off' (it gets put in the hot line and works in a three-way circuit), so the filament from one of those bulbs does the trick.

edit/add: Had to do the math. 13 bulbs x 35W x 4.5hrs/day x 365 days ~ 747 KwHr/year, ~ $74/year or ~ $6/month at $0.10/KwHr. Might save $50-$60/year with hi eff, but 13 LED bulbs are going to cost you. CFLs are pretty cheap now.

-ERD50

 

[Texas Proud]

At that price, I may buy one just to experiment with. I like the idea of LEDS over CFLs (which I mostly do not like, but I still use some), but LED costs have been too high to justify unless you need them on 24/7 or in an air cooled space most of the year (make sense for retail fridges/freezers or chilled warehouses/lockers that need light). Lowes are not so close to me, so it might be a special trip - I'll need to count that energy use against the energy savings - heh-heh.



Are all these 35W bulbs low voltage? I wouldn't think so, I thought the low volt stuff was really low watt, like 5-10W?

If they are standard 120V, why not use CFLs for these? That's what I put for our six front lights. They work OK for me even in the coldest weather, just take a minute to get bright. I did put small 25W (15W?) in two of the lights - the timer I use needs some trickle current to keep it active when it is 'off' (it gets put in the hot line and works in a three-way circuit), so the filament from one of those bulbs does the trick.

edit/add: Had to do the math. 13 bulbs x 35W x 4.5hrs/day x 365 days ~ 747 KwHr/year, ~ $74/year or ~ $6/month at $0.10/KwHr. Might save $50-$60/year with hi eff, but 13 LED bulbs are going to cost you. CFLs are pretty cheap now.

-ERD50

Yes they are the low voltage light... they do have the lower wattage, but like any light they produce less light.... my wife wants the house lite up.. and the backyard also... not 'bright' in any sense of the word, but the light do put out enough for you to see...


Once LEDs come down in price... I will probably be over to them quicker than not... on the CFL thread I have said no CFL has lasted me longer than 3 or so years.... they are not living up to the advertising

Heck, one of the instant on lights I just bought lasted ONE day... the second day it would not turn on.... expensive to say the least....

 

[Dimsumkid]

At that price, I may buy one just to experiment with. I like the idea of LEDS over CFLs (which I mostly do not like, but I still use some), but LED costs have been too high to justify unless you need them on 24/7 or in an air cooled space most of the year (make sense for retail fridges/freezers or chilled warehouses/lockers that need light). Lowes are not so close to me, so it might be a special trip - I'll need to count that energy use against the energy savings - heh-heh.
-ERD50

I can tell you I didn't really want to pay $9.98 a bulb, so I used a competitor coupon, Ace Hardware $5 off $20 to get the price down to $7.50 each (added some .50 cent tomato plants to push the price over $20). That made it a little easier to justify the purchase. Keep in mind that Lowe's needs people to spend money, since their last earnings report was disappointing. I've noticed the easy acceptance of any competitor coupons lately and found they will accept their own Lowe's coupons even after they've expired. My local store said they don't care how old, they'll take them, just like Bed Bath and Beyond does with their own coupons. I just made use of a few Lowes $10 off $50 coupons that expired on 4/4 yesterday, saving the other 2 for later visits.

 

[ERD50]

Yes they are the low voltage light... they do have the lower wattage, but like any light they produce less light.... my wife wants the house lite up.. and the backyard also... not 'bright' in any sense of the word, but the light do put out enough for you to see...


Once LEDs come down in price... I will probably be over to them quicker than not... on the CFL thread I have said no CFL has lasted me longer than 3 or so years.... they are not living up to the advertising

Heck, one of the instant on lights I just bought lasted ONE day... the second day it would not turn on.... expensive to say the least....

Too bad they are low voltage. I think the popular thought is that "low voltage means low electricity usage" or something. But low voltage incandescents are less efficient than standard 120V ones. You lose more due to current losses, and the thicker/shorter filaments needed for low voltage bulbs end up losing more heat to the standoffs - heat that isn't hot enough to emit light. Losers all th way around (except for installation/safety).

OTOH, you might be able to find RV style LEDS that adapt to these?

Oh, I did the math on the $10 40W replacement LED. Assuming it uses 10W, the payback would be ~ 2 years at 4.5 hrs/day, 365 days/yr and 10 cent/KwHr. Now, the LEDS should last a long time, but there are still electronics in there, I don't know if they are much simpler/durable than the CFL electronics or not. Or if the CFL failures are all electronics, or the bulb itself?

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

Here you go:

Amazon.com: Maxxima 5 Watt MR16 Warm White Flood Bulb - 250 Lumens: Home Improvement

more at:
LED for low voltage outdoor lights - Google Search

But even @ $15, about a 4 year payback. But if they last and do the job, that would double your money (with flat electric rates) in 8 years.

-ERD50

 

[meekie]

You went off the grid with solar? Doesn't that take a lot of batteries? What's the payback and environmental impact of all those batteries and replacements?

-ERD50

Sorry, not off the grid, so no batteries, but put solar in.