I ran some numbers today and found that over 80% of my home energy usage goes toward heating water during the summer months. In the summer my total home energy usage is 1040 kwh/month. During the winter over 96% of the house hold energy is used to heat air/water. Seems to me like there is some massive opportunities to save there. I haven't got the gas bill yet, but I suspect that my household energy usage will go up to ~3000kwh/month (since we turned the gas furnace on).
I guess what I am wondering is, does anyone else track this number, or have an idea of what it is?
Home Energy Usage
Yes.
In the dead middle of winter my home energy usage is ~1400 kwh/month (last bill it was 1356 kwh). I don't have any gas lines or anything - everything is electric. It's around 1000 kwh in the summer, and around 700 kwh in the spring/fall (A lot of my electricity goes toward heating/cooling). This is for a family of four.
My brother has a much larger house and a family of 6, but his energy usage is much lower than mine. He has a very efficient geothermal system supplies the heating/cooling needs of his house AND heats his hot water. I'm planning on getting geothermal with my next house (my current house is so small that I'm not sure the expense would be justified).
In the dead middle of winter my home energy usage is ~1400 kwh/month (last bill it was 1356 kwh). I don't have any gas lines or anything - everything is electric. It's around 1000 kwh in the summer, and around 700 kwh in the spring/fall (A lot of my electricity goes toward heating/cooling). This is for a family of four.
My brother has a much larger house and a family of 6, but his energy usage is much lower than mine. He has a very efficient geothermal system supplies the heating/cooling needs of his house AND heats his hot water. I'm planning on getting geothermal with my next house (my current house is so small that I'm not sure the expense would be justified).
@Vangogh:
Dead winter here is -10C +- 10C. House is ~800 square feet, built in the 50s.
The most amount of energy in a house is almost always used for heating and cooling purposes. A typical space heater is 1500 watts for example, compared to a 13 watt light bulb. Ovens, water heater, dryer, also use a significant amount of energy. With this in mind, these are the modifications that I've done to my house since I've bought it.
1) Installed large amounts of insulation in the attic, walls, and crawl space.
2) Put plastic + heavy curtains over all large windows.
3) Installed very low flow shower head to reduce hot water usage (0.7 gpm)
4) Installed very energy efficient appliances throughout - the washer and dryer (clothes line) are especially energy efficient.
5) Installed all fluorescent light bulbs.
When it was just me and the wife living here our monthly energy usage was around 400-500 kwh /month for the spring/summer/fall time (we didn't have air conditioning then).
I usually advise everyone to make similar modifications to their home - and usually no one listens.
Dead winter here is -10C +- 10C. House is ~800 square feet, built in the 50s.
The most amount of energy in a house is almost always used for heating and cooling purposes. A typical space heater is 1500 watts for example, compared to a 13 watt light bulb. Ovens, water heater, dryer, also use a significant amount of energy. With this in mind, these are the modifications that I've done to my house since I've bought it.
1) Installed large amounts of insulation in the attic, walls, and crawl space.
2) Put plastic + heavy curtains over all large windows.
3) Installed very low flow shower head to reduce hot water usage (0.7 gpm)
4) Installed very energy efficient appliances throughout - the washer and dryer (clothes line) are especially energy efficient.
5) Installed all fluorescent light bulbs.
When it was just me and the wife living here our monthly energy usage was around 400-500 kwh /month for the spring/summer/fall time (we didn't have air conditioning then).
I usually advise everyone to make similar modifications to their home - and usually no one listens.
Were I living in my own house i would make similar modifications, assuming that the economics made sense. Since energy is only $0.05/kwh many of the energy savings techniques pushed by the green mafia are barely breakeven. However, the things you mention all seem like sensible additions.
What is your opinion of the lowflow shower heads? I have heard they can be a pain for rinsing yourself.
What is your opinion of the lowflow shower heads? I have heard they can be a pain for rinsing yourself.
@Vangogh - $.05/kwh? Wow - may I ask around where you live, and who's your electricity provider? I pay $.11/kwh (when all fees,etc are added in) - and I thought this rate was cheap.
The low flow shower head I have is awesome, IMO. I actually like it a lot better than my old one. It adds air to the water so that when it hits you it feels more like a high pressure steam - it actually washes better than my old shower head also, despite using hardly any water. The only downside is that it makes the bathroom really really steamy. The bathroom feels more like a steam room after I'm done with my shower.
I only made modifications that I deemed to have a higher return than my investment portfolio (which is why I don't have solar panels, etc). With such a low electric rate, if I were you I would probably just make sure the house is well insulated and be done with it. Most energy modifications that make economical sense for other people just aren't going to make sense in your situation, IMO.
The low flow shower head I have is awesome, IMO. I actually like it a lot better than my old one. It adds air to the water so that when it hits you it feels more like a high pressure steam - it actually washes better than my old shower head also, despite using hardly any water. The only downside is that it makes the bathroom really really steamy. The bathroom feels more like a steam room after I'm done with my shower.
I only made modifications that I deemed to have a higher return than my investment portfolio (which is why I don't have solar panels, etc). With such a low electric rate, if I were you I would probably just make sure the house is well insulated and be done with it. Most energy modifications that make economical sense for other people just aren't going to make sense in your situation, IMO.
-
George the original one
- Posts: 5406
- Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 3:28 am
- Location: Wettest corner of Orygun
Basic equation is:
(cost) divided by (kwh used) = cost/kwh
What you'll quickly note is that if you use considerably more electricity, then the cost/kwh decreases because the base fees are a substantial part of the average bill. This is true even in a tiered billing system that attempts to reward low useage with low rates.
(cost) divided by (kwh used) = cost/kwh
What you'll quickly note is that if you use considerably more electricity, then the cost/kwh decreases because the base fees are a substantial part of the average bill. This is true even in a tiered billing system that attempts to reward low useage with low rates.
I just used my utilities bills. Since I pay for all the energy that comes to my house I just looked at the bill for the breakdown of fees. Often the bills also have a energy usage total for the month. My gas came in Gigajoules and my electricity came in kwh/day so I converted both to kwh for the month to compare.
I would agree with what M mentioned with the following modifications:
For Item #4 I would not go out to buy energy efficient washer / dryer unless they are ready to kick the bucket (unless you have a large family that uses them alot, in which case it may make sense to upgrade these proactively).
For Item #2, the plastic over windows will work. However, given you're in a townhome built in the 70's... I would see just how efficient your windows are. Its very possible they are junk (in my first town home they sure were), and if so I would spend for the upgrade to new windows (if you're staying in the house). Unless the windows are very large, they are not hard to install yourself. Over half the cost of windows is installation, if you can do it yourself the payback period can shrink dramatically. I redid all my windows the first year I bought my current house and I estimate the payback was in the range of 5-7 years (I don't have hard figures to back that up, but my house had original 1960 junk windows and they were bad.)
Other ideas: Check to see if you have an adjustable thermostat for the water heater. If so, turn it down to a point where you can wash with only hot water and not be scalded, but still be plenty hot. That is usually hot enough, and most water heaters are installed with much higher settings by default. This will cut down on water heating bills.
If your water pipes aren't insulated, go get some and do it. Even if you can't reach everywhere, do what is accessable. It won't save a ton of money, but it costs almost nothing to do and the payback is quick.
If you can feel any cold air blowing in around your doorways get stick on foam insulation and install it. It helped dramatically with my 50 year old door. Again, the payback is fast depending on how much air leaks.
I live in moderate DC area (think less heating but more cooling than you do), and my electric & gas bill totals around $1,000 (for a whole year) for a 4 bedroom single family home. And I'm sure your utilities cost less than mine do (your electric sure does), and you have the insulating benefits of neighboring townhomes, so you can get it down without too much effort also.
For Item #4 I would not go out to buy energy efficient washer / dryer unless they are ready to kick the bucket (unless you have a large family that uses them alot, in which case it may make sense to upgrade these proactively).
For Item #2, the plastic over windows will work. However, given you're in a townhome built in the 70's... I would see just how efficient your windows are. Its very possible they are junk (in my first town home they sure were), and if so I would spend for the upgrade to new windows (if you're staying in the house). Unless the windows are very large, they are not hard to install yourself. Over half the cost of windows is installation, if you can do it yourself the payback period can shrink dramatically. I redid all my windows the first year I bought my current house and I estimate the payback was in the range of 5-7 years (I don't have hard figures to back that up, but my house had original 1960 junk windows and they were bad.)
Other ideas: Check to see if you have an adjustable thermostat for the water heater. If so, turn it down to a point where you can wash with only hot water and not be scalded, but still be plenty hot. That is usually hot enough, and most water heaters are installed with much higher settings by default. This will cut down on water heating bills.
If your water pipes aren't insulated, go get some and do it. Even if you can't reach everywhere, do what is accessable. It won't save a ton of money, but it costs almost nothing to do and the payback is quick.
If you can feel any cold air blowing in around your doorways get stick on foam insulation and install it. It helped dramatically with my 50 year old door. Again, the payback is fast depending on how much air leaks.
I live in moderate DC area (think less heating but more cooling than you do), and my electric & gas bill totals around $1,000 (for a whole year) for a 4 bedroom single family home. And I'm sure your utilities cost less than mine do (your electric sure does), and you have the insulating benefits of neighboring townhomes, so you can get it down without too much effort also.
"Other ideas: Check to see if you have an adjustable thermostat for the water heater. If so, turn it down to a point where you can wash with only hot water"
That one always seems to get overlooked!
For some reason we all find it normal to make the water too hot, and then mix hot and cold to cool it down again!
Why not heat it up only as much as you actually want it in the first place?
If you look at #4, 'M's efficient dryer is a clothes line. It is free so the pay back time is instant, and uses zero energy so the savings are infinity percent.
In rainy weather, it works in doors (I did so for the first time last storm).
A lot of savings can be found, both upfront and in the long run, by giving up things that don't provide that much real happiness altogether, instead of replacing with the "energy efficient" model. Going to bed early and waking up with the sun instead of buying energy efficient bulbs and staying up until 1am is another example. Or a bike instead of a car. Layered clothing indoors instead of heat. Etc.
That one always seems to get overlooked!
For some reason we all find it normal to make the water too hot, and then mix hot and cold to cool it down again!
Why not heat it up only as much as you actually want it in the first place?
If you look at #4, 'M's efficient dryer is a clothes line. It is free so the pay back time is instant, and uses zero energy so the savings are infinity percent.
In rainy weather, it works in doors (I did so for the first time last storm).
A lot of savings can be found, both upfront and in the long run, by giving up things that don't provide that much real happiness altogether, instead of replacing with the "energy efficient" model. Going to bed early and waking up with the sun instead of buying energy efficient bulbs and staying up until 1am is another example. Or a bike instead of a car. Layered clothing indoors instead of heat. Etc.
-
retirebyforty
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2010 8:22 pm
- Contact:
Our January bill is 550 kw. We live in a high rise - concrete condo and the temperature is usually around 62 to 65 F in the winter.
Here is a tip for saving on the heating bill. It might not work for everyone though. See my guest post on how to build a kotatsu table below.
http://www.budgetinginthefunstuff.com/h ... stay-warm/
Here is a tip for saving on the heating bill. It might not work for everyone though. See my guest post on how to build a kotatsu table below.
http://www.budgetinginthefunstuff.com/h ... stay-warm/
-
veganprimate
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Tue Nov 16, 2010 9:25 pm
- Contact:
"Other ideas: Check to see if you have an adjustable thermostat for the water heater. If so, turn it down to a point where you can wash with only hot water and not be scalded, but still be plenty hot."
Also, look into getting a timer for the water heater. My folks had one. If the house in empty during the day, why heat the water?
One of my apartments had the water heater in a closet, and I had a breaker box, so I would just turn off the juice to the water heater when I didn't need it.
Also, look into getting a timer for the water heater. My folks had one. If the house in empty during the day, why heat the water?
One of my apartments had the water heater in a closet, and I had a breaker box, so I would just turn off the juice to the water heater when I didn't need it.