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Posted by on January 29, 2007, 9:49 am
> On 26 Jan 2007 10:31:02 -0800, snappydra...@gmail.com wrote:
> >Some background:
> >I rent a 50yr old small house that has natural gas for heat and water,
> >electric everything else. We have had high electric bills for a few
> >years now (avg 60kwh/day usage) which we attributed to a bunch of old
> >appliances.For 2006 I averaged 43 a monthly low of 36 & a high of 72.
[2005
> was 53- monthly low 38, high 83] Family of 4, 3 BR; appliances all
> within 5 yrs; frost free frig with icemaker; manual frost freezer; gas
> stove, water heater, dryer.
> I'm in upstate NY- 2 months of summer- usually 5 of winter [last 2
> winters never really showed up]
> But our big electric thieves are; dehumidifier in basement year round;
> humidifiers upstairs during heating season; ionizers on 2 floors;
> liberal use of hair dryers by 2 ladies; coffee maker runs 9-10 hrs a
> day; Instant Hot water at kitchen sink;
Curious about the Instant Hot Water. What leads you to think that
this is a big user of electricity? It's only a small insulated tank
that holds a few quarts of water. And in most homes, the actual usage
of water out of it is very small and only occasional. I would think
the amount of electricity actually used is small and certainly not on
the order of magnitude of your 24/7 pool pump, A/C's, etc. Did you
actually measure the usage of all these things or how did you
calculate?
pool pump 24/7 in summer;
> liberal use of 4 window-shaker a/c's; oil furnace gun and fan in
> winter; electric space heater in teen girls bedroom; 2 desktop
> computers & monitors on 24/7; I used to have a sump pump that ran
> frequently-- last year I got the drainage corrected and now save
> 10kwh/day. [may not be all that sump pump, as I didn't notice that
> huge drop until just now when I looked at my past usage. But 2005 I
> was using 53 & 2006 I used 42. I did use a different pool pump this
> year- but that is all that changed other than the sump.]
> Our lighting usage might be high, too- as we have people in the house
> getting ready for work as early as 6AM - and others returning from
> work at midnight. And there is rarely a time when someone isn't
> home. So the 'lights are off' for only about 4-5 hrs a day.
> For reference- my records go back to 1998 & these are my daily
> averages for those years;
> 38, 34,40, 39, 41, 50, 50, 53, 43.
> >We recently replaced the fridge and freezer with new high energy ones,
> >had a broken stove for two months, and do, as a high average, 8 loads
> >of laundry a month with older appliances.My washer is 10+ years old- dryer is
gas & about 4. We do at least 3
> times that much laundry.
> > However, we still see a 50
> >kwh/day average, which is high according to neighbours and the electric
> >company. We have had the meter checked and replaced, with no help in
> >solving this problem. I've had an electrician come in and he can't
> >find anything out of the ordinary.Someone else mentioned a Kill-o-watt meter-
Here's the one I
usehttp://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=%22kill+a+watt%22&btnG=Search
> The P3 - starts at $21 now- I paid $39 for mine 4-5 yrs ago. I
> haven't found an electricity thief in my house-- but have eliminated a
> bunch of suspects.
> >The electric company claims that having old windows and doors can cause
> >this problem. However, since we are heated by natural gas, I don't
> >understand this logic (Can someone explain please?)Heating season - your
furnace uses *some* electricity. Do you use AC
> in summer? [In my experience the guys who do the surveys for the
> electric company are pretty clueless- and with little common sense.
> I actually got a handout from the electric company once that said
> *radios* were major electricity users. Might have been true in the
> 40s when they were tubed, but not likely since the 70's.]
> >I have run out of ideas, can anyone help point me in another direction
> >with suggestions as to what to look for next? Thanks.First thing to do is try
the 'shutting off all power' and see if the
> meter still runs. Then turn the circuits back on one at a time and
> make a thorough assessment of the electricity you use. [good time to
> make a list of what goes to what circuit breaker.]
> Things like pool pumps, sump pumps, dehumidifiers, etc often get
> forgotten but if your neighbors are using much less than you- they
> could be the variable. Also look at your kitchen counter--- we get
> high usage from our toaster, coffee maker, George Foreman grill and an
> electric deep-fryer. [and the Hot H2O is an extravagant convenience]
> The vegetarian next door blends some veggies once in a while. [he's
> also only home a couple hrs a day- and rarely on the weekends. I'll
> bet he uses 1/10th the electricity we do]
> I've done the assessment and have decided that the $6.40 a day it cost
> us last year was worth the convenience & comfort. YMMV.
> Jim
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