Average daily kWh?

[ticks]

wow thats expensive.

I'm having a ahrd time following this.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Wow you guys have some crazy amounts of usage.

July 7.16
June 8.43 (Took care of all standby power sources)
May 8.88 (We got rid of our TV's)
April 9.31
March 10.67 (Another cold month)
February 14.93 (It was very cold and it's cheaper to use electricity than gas)
January 5.9 (We were at our property in So Cal)

I think the biggest areas to save is not only replacing with CFL's but ensuring that you're using the lowest wattage you can when choosing the CFL's. Taking out the TV's in the house was a big step too as well as controlling the standby power (which can make up 5% of your energy bill) from laptops, computers, stereo's, microwaves, etc. We also took out the lightbulb from our fridge, we really don't need it. We don't leave any lights on the property we don't need. We hand our clothes to dry. Keep the shades drawn when sun is hitting them to help keep stuff cool and open them on cold mornings to help warm things up. Ceiling fans have been installed throughout the house and we removed the AC system so we wouldn't be tempted to use it, this was no easy task with summers in the 90-105 range but it was necessary.

There's a lot of stuff we've done to help keep our usage down and we're continuing to look for more.

 

[FarmerChick]

July 7.16
June 8.43 (Took care of all standby power sources)
May 8.88 (We got rid of our TV's)
April 9.31
March 10.67 (Another cold month)
February 14.93 (It was very cold and it's cheaper to use electricity than gas)
January 5.9 (We were at our property in So Cal)


***OaklandCityFarmer

what are the above numbers?
are those $ cost for usage or are those kwh per month?

lol--just not sure

 

[ticks]

Good for you OCF.
Well, it sounds like you are trying to cut down on Electricity.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

That's the average kWh per day.

We think it's pretty good but our goal is to get it under 5 kWh per day. That would be a $16 electricity bill!

 

[FarmerChick]

OCF
that is amazing.....you use so little power that is just wonderful it works so well for you!!



I know my weakness is my AC---something I am not willing to give up

I checked online with the power company and did a history bar graph...and the months without AC are so low compared to the heat and winter cycles...ugh...to live in a temperate climate would be easier..HA HA

 

[ticks]

I totally agree with you FC, I am not happy camper and I don't sleep well when I'm hot. We are bad about turning it off in the day. In the winter we go through a ton of propane to heat the house.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

OCF
that is amazing.....you use so little power that is just wonderful it works so well for you!!



I know my weakness is my AC---something I am not willing to give up

I checked online with the power company and did a history bar graph...and the months without AC are so low compared to the heat and winter cycles...ugh...to live in a temperate climate would be easier..HA HA

Have you considered using a whole house fan over an AC?

They don't cool as quickly or as on demand as an AC but when used correctly can be very efficient. Many energy companies will give you a rebate offer if you buy one as well. Solar attic fans, which are relatively inexpensive, can also save you a bundle when using an AC. They help keep the attic cool which puts less strain on your AC which in turn saves you money.

If you can't live without your AC make sure all of your doors and windows are well sealed, you're not cooling unnecessary parts of your house, you're using blinds and shades when the sun is hitting those windows and you have an energy star appliance. You can even plant trees and shrubs to help shade your AC unit and your house. Make sure they lose their leaves in the winter so they can let the sun in to help heat your house.

 

[ticks]

The energy saveer on those energy suckers don't really work. It shuts them off for about 5 minutes then turns right back on.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Hello!

I'm on a kick to try and get my electric usage way down. Right now we're at 23.8 kWh/day, and I'd like to get us under 20 by the next electric bill.

The only thing that's getting me is all this canning I'm doing- I feel like the stove's on forever. Maybe I should just make freezer jam instead

What's your kWh/day?

Any one trying to 'power down', or try one of those kill-a-watt gadgets? Any surprises or big electricity hogs you didn't expect?

Cheers!,
-meg

I checked my KWH on my bills. We only get read every three months. Last month was an actual read, and it was average 26 KWH. We are estimated this month at 32KWH. It will be less than that, b/c we too have had a cool summer(not that far from you) I think our AC was on for may a week totalled all summer, and don't expect it on anymore this year.

I know in towns, they are installing smart meters on homes, which will encourage ppl to use more electricity during off peak hours. I don't know when we will be getting them out here in the country, but I certainly don't have any problem running washing machines,dishwashers, etc during off peak hours. I already have delayed start options on my washer and dishwasher.
There are other ways we could probably lower our usage. We have two computers on all the time, a dusk to dawn light outside, two fridges, two TVs, a freezer (soon to be two freezers --1/2 a beef coming) pool, although we don't run the pump alot, and lotsa phantom loads which I will probably get around to installing power bars for them this winter.


there are some things that we could tweek, but somewill have to stay as they are. I cannot get my dh to turn off the dusk to dawn light. It's a safety thing.