Rural Ways is supposed to be in the field in southern Idaho today for a little forestry clinic. Unfortunately, we got snowed out. Since winter is not over yet, let me take this opportunity to post some electricity usage data that I collected recently. I promised my brother-in-law that I would do this so that he could win a debate with my sister.Rural Ways purchased a "Kill-a-Watt" over the winter in an attempt to find out why our electric bills were the largest in history. The conclusion: heat. It costs more to make heat than to do anything else. It's not the office equipment; it's not the lights; it's not the fridge and freezer. I'm not saying that the electricity for these items is free; I'm just saying that each of them makes a relatively small contribution to our overall electric bill. The big culprit is heat. We have an electric hot water heater, an electric clothes dryer, and an electric oven/range. I was not able to test any of these directly (the Kill-a-Watt is for 110 plugs only), but by testing everything else, I am able to say with confidence that those three things make up the bulk of our electrical usage every month. Our average MINIMUM electric bill is $75 per month. When I add up the fridge, lights, stereo, and office equipment costs, I only reach about $15 per month. As a result, I'm guessing that we have a base cost of $50 to $60 per month simply to run the oven, the dryer, and the hot water heater.
The real story, though, is the cost of using a space heater. In the winter, our electric bill jumps from $75 to $150. Yikes. That hurts. A lot. And, this big price spike is what prompted me to purchase the Kill-a-Watt. I wanted to know what was causing it. Well, now I know. We run two baseboard space heaters periodically over the winter. One of them is for the bathroom downstairs, and runs only during shower/bath times. The other one is for Ellen's room, upstairs, and sometimes runs round the clock during very cold weather. This is the smoking gun. Ellen's space heater alone costs $45 per month to operate. The one in the bathroom contributes an additional $15 per month. Those two baseboard heaters make up 80% of our surplus winter electrical costs. Of course, while I hate paying hefty bills, I also hate making the family shower in a 40 degree bathroom, so I'm not going to stop . . . at least not until we can afford some energy efficiency renovations.
Makes sense, in an efficiency sense, right? Mine coal, burn it for heat, then....
ReplyDeleteboil water with the heat, use the steam to turn a turbine, use the momentum of the turbine to generate electricity, push the electricity long distances with losses to the house, run it through a resistor generating heat. Maybe a coal stove in Ellen's room?
We have a couple of electric heaters too, for spaces that we don't use often. I hate turning them on.
Dog,
ReplyDeleteWhat's the insulation situation in your house? (Just curious.)
I'm sure our space heaters (in the kids' rooms in the winter) raise our bill significantly also.
Yeah, Hutch, we want to use less electricity, and we are already burning wood, so we could put a wood stove in the bedroom. Better yet, what we'd like to do is burn wood in the kitchen . . . which is below the bedroom, and then let the heat go up the stairs. But, first, the kitchen needs some basic renovation work . . . including the installation of insulation . . . which, Big Daddy, it currently does not have: No insulation, single pain windows, winter night-time temps in the low- to mid-40s. Who is going to do the cooking in those conditions?
ReplyDeleteOops. I mean, single "pane" windows, although they are a pain.
ReplyDeleteI just sat through some great energy efficiency presentations in Jordan (given by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission). Does your utility offer rebates on energy improvements? CO doesn't offer much ($40 a year if you sign up for remote shut off - used during summer peak demand to cycle on/off central a/c). They did talk alot about residential solar panels tied to 'net meters' - positive kwhrs when you consume, negative kwhrs when you contribute. $14k after rebates, pays off in 7-8 years on the Front Range. Doesn't help much with your consumption (no real way around the spot heat I can think of). We are using one of the ceramic heaters - can't speak to the energy efficiency of it off the top of my head.
ReplyDeleteDrew Dog,
ReplyDeleteGood grief - you might as well open your windows! Insulation is a must. It's one of the first things my dad does when he buys a house to rent or resale -- that and a high efficiency furnace. Both pay for themselves in fewer years than most think.
Just sayin...
DD -
ReplyDeleteI have a very simple way for you to save $45/month - actually more, when you factor in food/clothing, etc. Let Ellen stay with us in the winter. You can have her back for the summer. The money you save on heating her room can be put toward the renovation of your house.
Big Daddy says we should insulate; Wayfinder6 knows energy efficiency; and Ms. Sandy provides a funding mechanism. How about this: The entire staff at Rural Ways will move in with Ms. Sandy while Rob and Wayfinder6 retrofit The Homestead? Oh, and we'll take some of that net metering while you're at it.
ReplyDelete