Insane Electric Rate Increase $508.68/1522 kWh

[PimTac]

Yeah they need to be punted right on out of there. Turn off the hot water valve and they will be out shortly.

Let them join the Navy. Ninety seconds and you’re done.

 

[Cujet]

Let them join the Navy. Ninety seconds and you’re done.

I'm a bald, old guy. I can't even wash my hair in 90 seconds...

Now a 20+ minute shower in a 5x9 foot shower, with 6 showerheads, yeah, that's nice. Like God intended.

 

[PimTac]

I'm a bald, old guy. I can't even wash my hair in 90 seconds...

Now a 20+ minute shower in a 5x9 foot shower, with 6 showerheads, yeah, that's nice. Like God intended.

My service habits stuck with me. 3-4 minutes is enough. I don’t have any hair either.

 

[gathermewool]

If you are using dryer sheets those can affect the sensor.

I hadn’t thought of that. My wife uses them every time, but I don’t.

I did just test the sensor on max dry and the lowest heat setting and the clothes were very slightly damp when it ended. Another 20 min and the large load of various clothes were dry. I then ran a load on manual 1:20 lowest setting and the clothes were dry.

 

[gathermewool]

I designed oil heated chemical reactors and oil heated vacuum distillation columns for 40 years for a living. I tried to keep it simple here so a non-engineer and others here could benefit from the discussion and could grasp the basic concept. In this reply you sound like an engineer of some sort which makes me wonder why the confusion about the simultaneous thermodynamic mass transfer and energy balance equations required to do the calculation correctly. I could, but won’t, do the calculations because they are frankly not required to make a correct decision.

We started off trying to save energy and now it’s about basement mold remediation. You seem to want all the i’s dotted and t’ees crossed so you can move forward. “Analysis paralysis” we used to call it. My opinion is you are overthinking it. But the “it“ seems to be a moving target…

Do the glass of ice water test I suggested and let us know if a big puddle of water forms under the glass after a few hours.

I am an engineer. You seem to make it out to be some sort of slur. The calculation is not simple and your glass challenge is kind of ridiculous. If it were easy you would have made a rough estimate to prove your point.

The thread is a simple rant about high energy costs. I simply provided some data and my logic. I don’t plan to apply the scientific method to my basement RH concerns. I mean, I’m the one overthinking this?

As a point of reference: my basement has been <50% RH for the last couple of days without heat nor dehumidifier. What would heating that unoccupied space have cost me for no actual benefit? It’s more than zero dollar bucks.

 

[gathermewool]

I live in the Green Mountains of Vermont at over 2200 feet above sea level. Winter air is cold and dry, with low dew points. We have to humidify in winter. If we did not, the relative humidity in the house would fall to under 10 percent, drying out ourselves and our woodwork.

I am not sure why some people need to dehumidify in winter. Water intrusion to the basement? We have a Canadian made air exchange system which we use to draw stale air from bathrooms. It provides some air exchange to the entire house. As the house foundation is carved out of the granite rock the house is built on, (we had to blast to make a cellar hole) I wanted air exchange to eliminate any possible radon gas from the earth.

I think some people are assuming way more energy being consumed by the dehumidifiers than is actually true. I had a relatively warm, damp January. Over the last two days, however, the basement dehumidifier had been off. The moistest part of the basement is <50% RH.

Also, most people need to humidify because they like higher temps. Even on the wettest cold day, raising the temp way above outside ambient drastically lowers RH.

Finally, I don’t mind a bit of added heat in the basement, no matter how little it actually is. Until I can prove otherwise, a dehumidifier lowering the actual moisture content seems more efficient than only raising the temp of the space.

 

[gathermewool]

Let them join the Navy. Ninety seconds and you’re done.

You guys would be proud. My son showered today and I heard the water turn off as he lathered up. My brain couldn’t comprehend what was going on.

Well, my wife said he got out of the shower the other day with soap in his hair. He was trying to conserve water.

 

[gathermewool]

I'm a bald, old guy. I can't even wash my hair in 90 seconds...

Now a 20+ minute shower in a 5x9 foot shower, with 6 showerheads, yeah, that's nice. Like God intended.

After a long day out in the cold, I like to stand in the shower and turn up the heat until my skin burns. Man, nothing better.

Every other day: < 5 min of water. 2 min is probably my average. I rinse, turn off the water, lather, turn on and rinse, turn off and get out.

Now, life is made better by doing the things we enjoy. I rarely enjoy a long shower. I enjoy other things that cost money. moral of the story: spend as efficiently as you can on the things you like, spend as little on the things that don’t.

 

[John Galt]

Gathermewool,

As you just said, it’s a rant and you are not really looking for serious science based solutions. The discussion has been educational in its own way. All is good! I’m at the 🤷‍♂️ stage of interest so I’ll leave it to others…

 

[PimTac]

I hadn’t thought of that. My wife uses them every time, but I don’t.

I did just test the sensor on max dry and the lowest heat setting and the clothes were very slightly damp when it ended. Another 20 min and the large load of various clothes were dry. I then ran a load on manual 1:20 lowest setting and the clothes were dry.

I read that you can clean the sensor with rubbing alcohol to get rid of the dryer sheet buildup. Now where that sensor is will be the big question.

 

[ZeeOSix]

I read that you can clean the sensor with rubbing alcohol to get rid of the dryer sheet buildup. Now where that sensor is will be the big question.

It should be visible if you stick your head inside the drum. Usually on the front panel. Use a mirror to make it easier. 👀

 

[UncleDave]

After a long day out in the cold, I like to stand in the shower and turn up the heat until my skin burns. Man, nothing better.

Every other day: < 5 min of water. 2 min is probably my average. I rinse, turn off the water, lather, turn on and rinse, turn off and get out.

Now, life is made better by doing the things we enjoy. I rarely enjoy a long shower. I enjoy other things that cost money. moral of the story: spend as efficiently as you can on the things you like, spend as little on the things that don’t.

Being Rvers, campers, and boaters - wife and I can be really frugal. Like 5 gallons for two for a weekend doing " sink/ washcloth" clean ups.

At home we mostly stick to 7-10 min showers with a 1.85 head - We have a shutoff valve on eth head for lathering and both use it.

It's not free, I pay for 2 pumps, 2 filters, softening, and calcite filtration - but it's cheap relaxation for a bit of time.

She likes showers on max hot, but cant stand a 101 degree jacuzzi... ?

 

[Ed in Tx]

Wow, those are high rates indeed! In Texas we a deregulated environment in which you choose your electric utility provider. Currently I'm paying about 16 cents per kWh, including the delivery fee. My current contract expires this month, but it looks like I can sign up for a new contract at about the same price.

Just shopped for a new 3 year electric deal here in D-FW, 11.3¢ kWh. Before you commit to anything, be sure to check on the "Power To Choose" web site, enter in your Zip code, then check the option "Plans without a minimum usage fee/credit and plans without tiered pricing". All prices include the energy and the Oncor delivery fee. If you're willing to go 3 months at a time you can get it for 9¢ kWh. This replaces my old 9.5¢ kWh contract that expires this month. BTW the "big guys" like TXU and Reliant are some of the most expensive.

 

[pantygnome]

Recently went through this here in CT.

The 2 providers (i.e. its their lines the electricity comes over) warned that the cost they pay for generation is going to double, and they will pass it directly onto their customers. They claim they make no profit on generation cost, but not sure how much I really believe that.

I hopped onto the "energy marketplace" and was somewhat able to head it off at the pass. My generation cost went from 10.something to 12.something cents per kwh, far better than the 10.something to 24.something that the providers were expecting. Locked in for 3 years, but there is no termination fee allowed in CT if I decide to change earlier than that, so Im good for a while if need be.

There are a few cities that are still price "regulated" by the state, and their costs are FAR lower than everyone else's. Just further proof that the push to de-regulate (which happened almost 20 years ago, IIRC) made everything worse for people that still live in this crappy state.

It almost has me thinking about solar, but that still seems to be a losing proposition, especially if I dont plan on staying here for 8+ years.