I reduced my electric bill by $ 120.00
wjswecampbell
17 years ago
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western_pa_luann
17 years agobigtexan99
17 years agoRelated Discussions
Trying to reduce grow light electric bill
Comments (9)keepitlow; I don't think 6/7 hours of florescent would cut it. I tried ten hours and had almost no growth at all. I am on 18 hours per day and growth is great. Buttercrunch Lettuce,Swiss Chard,Blomesdale Spinach,Pock Choy and Tatsoi. I have 262 watts tube and cfl's in just over 8 square foot. As far as cost the garden is in my kitchen witch has an east facing double window as the only natural light source. So part of the cost of lighting is what I would use to light the kitchen with out the garden. That cost was 60 watts of cfl for 10 hours a day. Now the rest of the power Goes into heat witch while more costly than the fuel for the furnace.Is none the less not a waste of power at all, and is circulated by fan. Maybe you should rethink your garden location and place it in a more advantages setting? Curt :-) 50% of my power bill goes to renewable energy most of it wind power....See MoreReducing electric bill by increasing power factor?
Comments (40)Brickeyee, I do know how much power I consumed on the days the testing occurred. I am one of those anal folk who keep a daily log (generally at 6:30 a.m. give or take 15 minutes) of power consumption. The first day of testing was Saturday October 11. 24 hours later the meter showed I consumed 46 KWH of power. The second day of testing was Sunday October 12. 24 hours later the meter showed I once again consumed 46 KWH of power. Similar temps. My results, therefore, are not meaningless. The unit works. That was the second tme I had done the test as recorded on the Tree Hugger forums, but only the first time I had published them. The first time I simply took the readings. The second time (published) I was carefult to record everything that was on/off, temps, times, etc. Short of taking the house into a laboratory, it doesn't get any better for real world testing. For those who utilize inductive motors such as found on heat pumps, hot tubs, freezers, refrigerators (no, they don't have to be old, either), this unit works well. If you don't have these types of units, don't buy one. You won't really get the benefit. The results are what they are. Sorry if you are one of those people who refuse to accept results that may run counter to your theory....See Moreideas on reducing heating bills...
Comments (47)Every home is different, but I think the basic strategy for insulating a home should go in this order: 1) Attic: seal all air leaks and then insulate to R-value for your area. Include in attic sealing any and all ventilators, flues, recessed lighting, etc. 2) Floor: seal all air leaks and insulate to about 1/4 to 1/2 R value of attic. 3) Walls: Seal any leaks and insulate to recommended R-value. 4) Windows: Seal any air leaks and replace with low-E insulated windows. I address the heating system separately but this may be a priority if it's in real bad shape. Often ducted systems in older homes can have major leaks, so a complete inspection is in order. After I sealed my 64 year old home's attic air leaks and insulated to between R-13 and R-25, I saw a 30% drop in winter heating gas consumption. The home had been remodeled in the 60's, and there were some very major air leaks going on. Mainly, a centrally located cooktop hood with no damper, defective damper in fireplace in adjoining family room, and various gaps around ceiling light and fan fixtures. The following year I insulated under the floor of the master bed/bath, and sealed some pretty major heating duct leaks (some gaps were big enough to stick a hand into!) and insulated the outside of the ductwork to R-5. I also boosted the attic insulation to between R-38 and R-50. After this I saw another approx. 15% drop in heating gas consumption. Plus the home is much more comfortable without all those drafts going on. My next project is to finish insulating under the rest of the rooms, and finish wrapping insulation around a few more feet of heating duct down there. At some point, it would be nice to replace the windows, but it's not a priority. Note: before insulating an uninsulated attic, make sure the attic eaves/soffits are properly ventilated. Insulating an inadequately vented attic can result in condensation and moisture damage....See MoreI Just Won My Reduce My Water Bill Challenge
Comments (22)It's up to each person to find their level of "frugal" due to their circumstances. It's not a one-size-fits-all situation. The old "walk a mile in my shoes" kind of thing..... Read Brandy's story at theprudenthomemaker.com and you might change your words of condemnation to being thankful you've never had to live on so little, and be amazed at her resourcefulness. Since this is a Money Saving Tips board, and saving water is just one aspect of where we can save, here are more "A penny saved......" ideas. -Eat less-expensive food, or eat smaller portions of it. -Use disposable items less frequently, or not at all. -If you can't afford to pay cash for something, it really doesn't matter "how good of a deal" it is, especially if you purchase it with a credit card and end up paying interest on it. -Eat soup once a day as a main course. Eat vegetarian meals a few times a week. -Learn how to glean free-for-the-picking food, and how to garden (even a small container garden can yield a lot of food). -Don't ever run to the store for one item. Learn how to adapt with a substitute. -Will half as much do? Use less than you think you need, or can you get more than one use out of something (two to three cups of tea from one tea bag). -Look for less-expensive options. Frugality is a vehicle for ingenuity and creativity. -Embrace a DIY lifestyle. -Find new uses for old items. -Use passive cooking methods (solar, thermal cooker and other thermal cooking methods like a homemade Wonder Oven or Haybox) and save on utilities. -If you don't particularly care for an inexpensive food, like oatmeal as a cooked cereal, find ways to fix it that you do like - make oatmeal into granola, bars, cookies, scones, pancakes..... As someone once said, "Frugal activity should ideally be: EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT, and ENJOYABLE."...See MoreMiss EFF
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