Went solar

[Larry Caldwell]

Clemsonfor: We pay 10 cents per KWH for what we use, we make 16 cents per KWH on what we produce.

Which means your neighbors are paying your power bill. All those tax rebates came out of somebody else's pocket too. I don't blame you for slurping up the gravy train, but I think it's really bad public policy. For local installations, the money would be better spent on improved efficiency.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

i use a 13W incandesant on the range hood and has been the same light for 2-3 years stays on all night and sometimes all the next day

Very low power incandescents have extended life. One of Thomas Edison's original light bulbs still works. It's about a 2 watt.

Very low power CFLs also seem to run for a long time. I have three outside lights that I converted to 7 watt CFLs over a decade ago. I just this year had to replace one of them.

 

[clemsonfor]

Very low power incandescents have extended life. One of Thomas Edison's original light bulbs still works. It's about a 2 watt.

Very low power CFLs also seem to run for a long time. I have three outside lights that I converted to 7 watt CFLs over a decade ago. I just this year had to replace one of them.

I actually said it wrong 13 w if for 60 watt replacement bulbs and this is a 40 watt replacement cfp so i guess its more like 7-9 watts.

 

[eepete]

Which means your neighbors are paying your power bill. All those tax rebates came out of somebody else's pocket too. I don't blame you for slurping up the gravy train, but I think it's really bad public policy. For local installations, the money would be better spent on improved efficiency.

Earlier on in this thread the topic of tax rebates and energy subsidies came up, so I won't repeat here again.

As for the money I get, the utility "pays" me at the burden rate which is around 5 cents a kilowatt hour or they can credit (a form of net metering) me at that rate, I chose the credit/net metering. Another company (NC GreenPower) pays me 15 cents per KWH, which is taxable income to me. They turn around and sell that power to people who want to buy green power. For example, if someone had a meeting or concert and wanted to advertise that it was a carbon neutral event, they buy the power. Others just buy blocks of green power because they want to. So the net metering and the after-tax sale value is about 16 cents per KWH.

So I don't consider that I'm slurping up the gravy train. I don't like that idea, and (for example) I don't take payments I could get for not growing crops on my land from the USDA. Can't complain about the state of things and then turn around and be part of the problem.

Whether you believe in green power or climate change here I claim is not the top of discussion. What is going on here is classic free market capitalism where some is selling something and someone is buying it. Someone is wanting to pay above market rates for green electricity, I am producing it and selling it. And with regard to the money I get for the power, this is not my neighbors paying my bill but rather a simple capitalistic transaction which is taxed and produces revenue for the government.

Larry, I hope this better explains the arrangement. Regarding the CFLs, I too have found that the 13W and smaller have longer life than the higher power ones, it goes back to the heating problems discussed already. Another option for incandescence is the "long life" bulbs, which is really a bulb that either has a higher voltage rating (like 130 Volts) or just trades off efficiency (lumens per watt) in exchange for longer life. Simply put, when you don't burn as bright you burn longer, be it bulbs or life .

Pete

 

[MossRoad]

About half that cost is domestic hot water. Solar hot water is a lot cheaper than PV solar. Add coils in or behind your wood burner with a decent sized solar storage tank and you will be nearly 100% solar on your hot water - trees are just big, cheap solar panels. You will have to install an active rather than passive solar system, with circulation pumps to the solar panels and the wood burner. The control systems are simple: when the solar panels are hotter than the tank, circulate to the solar panels. When the wood burner is hotter than the tank, circulate to the wood burner. When neither one is hotter, shut down and switch to gas fired hot water as a backup.

Be sure to install a tempering valve on the outflow from the solar tank, or you might burn yourself, or melt some plumbing fixtures. If you feed into a conventional water heater for backup,they have high temperature limits on water inflow, typically around 140 degrees. You may also need to install an extra radiator to cool the tank if it gets too hot. I can shut down the solar panels in the summer, but haven't figured out how to shut down the coils to the wood stove without boiling the heat exchange fluid, so I just switch that loop to an outside radiator. The cats love it! Standard water heater pressure-temperature relief valves don't seat right after they pop off, and will drip forever. Be sure to plumb it to an outside location that will accept some water.

I spent a few thousand on energy upgrades of this 1971 ranch style house, including new windows, new doors, and upgraded insulation. Wood heat with a heat pump backup, so we have central air conditioning all summer. Electricity is our only utility, and we heat/cool/pump water/light/cook for about $700 a year. That doesn't count wood, because I cut my own.

Thanks. Those are good suggestions. Yes, most of my gas bill is for taking hot showers! I will consider your suggestions and the costs. Thanks again. :thumbsup:

 

[frogfish]

As much as I do not like the light that is given off by compact florescent bulbs, they sure do use a lot less energy. But they sure do cost a lot more to replace. Do you use CFLs?

You need to shop around, but you can get CFLs for $0.25 per bulb. I found some in a four pack for $0.99. I bought a bunch since I wanted to replace ALL the incandescent bulbs in two houses.

 

[clemsonfor]

You need to shop around, but you can get CFLs for $0.25 per bulb. I found some in a four pack for $0.99. I bought a bunch since I wanted to replace ALL the incandescent bulbs in two houses.

I got some that cheap at lowes i got the little candelabra bases at lowes in 4pks acuse they were on close out, i either paid like $1 or 1.50 a box maybe $2. (i bought like 7-10 boxes, all my celing fans have 4 of them each, they are instant on kind and before we used 40 wats incandesants in them to try and save) The next time we looked they were out of them but had a very similar box for full price???

Where did you find yours at? Regular price or slose out deal? Thats about the price of GE incandesants. I have looked on ebay but i did not see where i could beat a lowes sale after the shipping.

 

[Travelover]

Here in Michigan, I've seen bulbs for 50 cents each at Costco (subsidized by electric power company) and at $1 at Meijer grocery stores.

 

[Phils]

Thanks. Do you have any links to the LED bulbs? I am interested in testing in my home. Also, are they dimmable? I have to have dimmable!!! :laughing:

Nope, no links. I bought it at our local Ace Hdwr. I'd guess "not dimmable" but I threw the pkg away so I don't really know.

Sorry for the late response.... just returned from vacation.

Phil

 

[Phils]

A house paying an average electric bill of $200/ month since Jan. 1977 would've paid a total of ~$79,000 over that ~33-year period.

Curious how you've fared against that, if you've kept track or even a guesstimate?

I apologize for the delayed response, just got back from a great vacation (like, what vacation isn't?).

For the amount of electricity we use, our bill over the years would've been WAY below average. There's only two of us, all lights are turned off when not needed, all "entertainment" is off when not in use (the phantom load on electronics is significant). We've only had an electric refrigerator for two years now (nice to have an icemaker again! AND frost-free!).

I don't have even a guesstimate for you. Our system has changed over the years... early on, it was generator only and hauling gasoline. The last three generators have been propane powered. Our system has evolved rather than being planned.

Because of the generator during dark days, and because the water heater and dryer both use propane in addition to the oven and stove, our propane averages about $100/month. During summer we use an average of 1 1/2 gallons per day. Last winter (more rain than ever and lots of dark days) we averaged 3 1/2 gallons per day over two months.

It was worse: we have had propane refrigerators for decades but combining the efficiency of new fridges with the rising cost of propane, we paid for the fridge with propane savings in less than a year and a half. Our two propane fridges had gotten to over $60/month by themselves.

Phil