Now much electricity do you consume each month?

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lomez

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I've got it down to a science; and only consume about 8-10 kWh per day.

My $$ saving strategies:

* CFLs (obviously)
* newer LCD televisions (plasmas EAT power).
* turn backlight down to 60% unless I'm watching the Superbowl. This reduced my energy consumption from about 120w to 60w. Looks just about as good.
* Fans- some people think they are free and leave them on at all times. They are not free. A big overhead fan uses about 110w on high. Also, they actually heat the air, not cool it. They cool YOU (assuming the temp inside your house is less than 98 degrees anyway)...but not the air. Never leave them on when not home.
* A/C- obviously...they consume massive energy. No magic there.
* Desktop computers- they consume about 175w at all times. You really shouldn't have one. If you do, make sure it's fully hibernates. A desktop computer, when on, will use about as much energy as a refrigerator. Laptops use almost nothing.

How about you?
 
This winter running over 300 kW-- even my 95% gas furnace uses electricity. In the summer I use a bit more for July and August but not more than maybe twice that. The spring and fall seasons are the lowest use.

I think the national average household uses around 1000 kW per month.
 
We have averaged 37 kWh/day since moving into our new house 7 years ago. 3600 ft2 of conditioned space. We have 2 kids. This also includes a few instances of the HVAC system taking a dump.

No CFLs except for the garage overhead lighting.
 
Originally Posted By: lomez
I've got it down to a science; and only consume about 8-10 kWh per day.



Impressive if you live in a 4000 square foot home in a cold climate, not so much if you're in a 900 square foot bungalow in California.

In February we averaged about 20 kWh per day. That's in a 4200 square foot home along with 1500+ square feet of shop building (heated when in use and lots of lighting) and 900 square feet of attached garage (unheated), and February was quite cold.

I recently switched most of our lighting over to LED bulbs (I don't care for the putrid light and performance of CFL's). Our home is high efficiency and very well insulated.

Originally Posted By: lomez

* newer LCD televisions (plasmas EAT power).
* turn backlight down to 60% unless I'm watching the Superbowl. This reduced my energy consumption from about 120w to 60w. Looks just about as good.


We don't watch the idiot box much. We have much better ways to spend our time. We do have an older television and it runs perhaps an hour or two a week just for the local news and weather.

I'll bet my zero per month television bill is far less than your cable bill, and I'll bet we spent a lot less for our one television than you spent for your LCD televisions. Our monthly savings with no cable bill keeps well over $1,000 per year in our pocket.

Originally Posted By: lomez

* A/C- obviously...they consume massive energy. No magic there.


We only use AC during the summer months, but we also have humidity along with the heat. Our HVAC system is a high efficiency system and we're quite pleased with the performance and reliability. There's also the comfort factor-I won't have a system that doesn't control the humidity on a sweltering 95 degree day. There's also the protection of the house and hardwood floors to consider, as well as mold issues with moist humid, stale air in a house (just ask someone who has humidifiers blasting away in the basement trying to keep it dry during the summer). So I'll keep on running my AC during the summer.

Originally Posted By: lomez
* Desktop computers- they consume about 175w at all times. You really shouldn't have one. If you do, make sure it's fully hibernates. A desktop computer, when on, will use about as much energy as a refrigerator. Laptops use almost nothing.


I'll stick with my desktop computer. Using a laptop or tablet with their little screens isn't something I care to do.

My computer is only on an hour or two each day-my wife's computer is on about the same amount of time, so between the two we use minimal electricity and have the convenience of real monitors, and real keyboards.
 
My highest usage ever was 4,026 kW this past January when it was so cold. For reference, we're all electric (no gas). That total included our geothermal heat (basement, main level, 2nd floor, attic), lighting (including LED Christmas lights) and hot water. My house was built around 1900, so it does leak some air too.
 
In the summer, with the A/C running, we consume in the 600-700 kW range. About 400 or so in the winter. For the odd spring and fall months when there's no A/C, as low as 200 kW.

Remember too, if you have any type of forced air heat, that blower fan is about 500 W. Any time you run your heat, you're also running the equivalent of half a hair dryer in electricity.

Over the past year, 7.3 kW/day is the best I've done and 21.4 kW/day is the worst.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit


Impressive if you live in a 4000 square foot home in a cold climate, not so much if you're in a 900 square foot bungalow in California.

We don't watch the idiot box much. We have much better ways to spend our time. We do have an older television and it runs perhaps an hour or two a week just for the local news and weather.



2,000 sq ft.
I don't have a cable bill. $0/month
 
My family of 4 live in a house of 2800 sq-ft in mild climate. We use between 300-360 kWh per month. Occasionally it drops to 270kWh and another month it spikes to 400 kWh.

Most light bulbs are CFL's (I paid 25 cents each and had some free) except the 2 chandeliers, LED bulbs may be better but the price are too high.

No we don't have desktop only 2 laptops.

We use less electricity in summer months from July till September than winter months from December till February.
 
700sqft house, built in the 40's, lousy insulation, oil heat&hot water, propane stove and dryer, central NH. 25 year old fridge, mostly CFL's for lighting; TV is usually on but it's some sort of LCD. one laptop going most of the time too.

9-10kWhr per day for 3 seasons, spiking up to 25kWhr/day in summer with cheapo window ac units. Want to say we do 450gallons of heating oil per year too, 50 gallons of propane, but I don't pay the bills (well not directly) and don't keep track.
 
I have no Idea.

I use Mac Pro desktop at home
I cook on a gas range but have an electric 900 com vent hood used about 30-40 minutes a day.
I have a large hot tub outside on 220 and it gets cold outside.
I have 2 refrigerators and a deep freezer.
I use electric heat in my garage since I converted it to a home gym(rest of the house is gas heated with electric forced air.
Don't forget the electric treadmill.
My wife hates twirly bulbs we have stockpiles of respectable light bulbs.
We have two 42 inch plasma TVA , can't beat the warmth. Plus smaller LCD TV.
My wife dislikes overhead lights .. Se uses lamps for ambience.
During Christmas we use c7 lincadecents at Xmas over the entire house...doubles as a snow melt.
During summer I use refrigerated air to cool my home and keep allergens out.

So on average I spend 2-300 a month on house juice. Less than we spend on wine.
 
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i rent a SMALL apartment i use elect for heat on a free standing heater. kind of like spot heating with a movable fan. same fan to kick cooling into the room. the room temp in winter for nite slipping goes to 65 F, i have a very good elect blanket. i averaged my elect bill last year. was between $100.- $120 a mo. useing between 37-31 KWH a day current and last year.
 
Mar 13 1975
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2 story home built in 2000. 2 Heat pump/ac units (14 years old now). A 14 year old daughter that thinks electricity grows on trees. We keep the house at 67 in the winter and 75 in the summer. Our upstairs AC is massively underpowered and it usually reaches 84 in the afternoon. Many days it does not turn off at all in July/August. Everything in the home is electric except for gas fireplace which we sometimes use to help heat the home. I pay about $300/year for the LP.
 
My baseline is about 300-400 kWh/month (what I have full control of). The time of year will affect how much additional HVAC load gets added to that. That is for the most part out of my control.

If interested in $, my average monthly electric bill including all taxes, connection fees and other 1 off costs not associated with usage is about $80/month.
 
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