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[Ridgekid]

Since the purpose of all of us here is to save energy, I thought it was appropriate to post this link for additional Tips.

http://www.togetherwesave.com/index.php

Thanks to some of these tips I have cut 1/3 off my electric bill. Once winter starts I'll cut another third not using my Heat pump or DHW.

Come on Winter!

[Bull]

Thanks for the link Ridgekid

[Scott7m]

Since the purpose of all of us here is to save energy, I thought it was appropriate to post this link for additional Tips.

http://www.togetherwesave.com/index.php

Thanks to some of these tips I have cut 1/3 off my electric bill. Once winter starts I'll cut another third not using my Heat pump or DHW.

Come on Winter!

1/3?  shew weee...   My electric bills in the winter used to run over 600 dollars, and that was before the 17% hike last year.  The electrick co is asking for an other 39% this year as well.   

However, after installing my OWB, my elecric bills run usually around 80-100 dollars!  1/5 - 1/6 of what I was paying.

[Bill G]

Thanks, Ridgekid

Ordering in a 70 plate w/w heat exchanger, Monday.  Hook er up phase beginning shortly!

Bill G.

PS,  fairly good fishing up Canada.  5 lb LM won the prize!  Fast week, as you could have guessed!!  Home now and work will cont.....

[Ridgekid]

Hey BillG!! Nice to hear from you. Glad to hear you had a great fishing trip. As you can tell the weather cooled off significantly. My son and I just commented yesterday that it won't be long now before the OWB's get fired up. You better hurry!

As far as energy savings go-More CFL's! Our 2 1/2 bathrooms all have light bars supporting 40W globe lightbulbs. For a total of 640W if all three were turned on at the same time. We replaced them all with 13W CFL bulbs reducing our total to 208W, again if all were turned on at the same time. Talk about bright! Each 13W CFL throws out 60W of light! Each package of 8 cost $4.63 at Sams club.

We also picked up some motion activated LED night lights for the hallway. ($14.96 for two, also at Sams club)

If your in the market for a new TV, check out the LED brands, We saw a sticker that claimed a 32" uses $8 (yes eight dollars) a year in operating costs. Got me thinking.

History-
Before installing  the OWB in April, we were burning 76kWh/day in electric. Really got me thinking-How much can I reduce my electric bill? I must of been making some good choices. In the last 90 days I have used 46 KwH/day.

Here's some of the changes I made=
1. It been pretty hot this summer. We used to run the thermostat at 72F. Raised it to 75F.
2. Nov 2010 (before even thinking OWB) added 16" of blown in insulation to attic. It was a DIY project with the local building center loaning me the blowing machine. And I got a energy saving tax credit on my taxes.
3. Got rid of a second fridge that was 25 years old.
4. Got rid of a 16 cu ft chest freezer (20 years old) and replaced with a 7 cu ft.
5. Lowered the HWH timer from 10 hours/day to 6 hrs/day.
6. Bought a umbrella style clothes line to dry clothes on nice days.
7. Replaced lightbulbs to CFL's. Now up to 90% complete.
8. Don't use the heat cycle on Dishwasher.
9. Replaced the single pane aluminum hopper windows in basement to double pane sliders.

When winter arrives we expect our daily useage to drop to 26 Kwh/day. How? DHW and heat will be provided by OWB. Heatpump will be in standby mode, and the electric will be turned off to the HWH.

If I did the math right, I'll be saving $1200/yr in electric costs. ($420 for the AC months/ $780 for the heating months).

Footnote: Our home (2700 sq ft) is total electric with a well, septic system, stove, dryer, heatpump, HWH and streetlight.

[willieG]

i too use these new cfl lights..but a thing to consider is this , these bulbs have mercury in them so how do you safley dispose of them. also they are a good thing in the summer but in the winter the extra wattage they use is given off in heat and that heat is not wasted but used to help warm your home. im not saying they are not a good thing and can conserve electric usage but i wonder  in the winter months if you live in a cold climate, is it really saving you to use these cost efficient bulbs  and then how so you dispose of them safely if you are a tree hugger and worry about the environment? just a thought i am putting out there for some possable discussion.

[Ridgekid]

Well I'm no tree hugger so I'll leave that out. CFL's last a long time. I'm sure someone will come up with a recycle program for them in the future.

Not sure I understand your statement about the heat generated. If they are installled in my home and my home is around 75F most of the time. Does it matter? (That almost came out as "if a tree falls in the woods story") 

[RSI]

Well I'm no tree hugger so I'll leave that out. CFL's last a long time. I'm sure someone will come up with a recycle program for them in the future.

Not sure I understand your statement about the heat generated. If they are installled in my home and my home is around 75F most of the time. Does it matter? (That almost came out as "if a tree falls in the woods story") 

If you are heating your house with electricity then it does matter. It will make the heater run less. If you are heating with an OWB then it is costing more.

I personally hate CFL's and only use them in a few places. There is more than just disposal. They cause health problems in some people. LED's are much better and will probably be cheaper in a couple years.

[Ridgekid]

Oh, I think I understand now. These lights really are not on that long a period of time (Bathroom lights), so I don't think they will have any effect.

[Ridgekid]

If you do a search on CFL disposal there are numerous ways to get rid of them. (Home Depot being one)

The only danger I saw with CFL's is if you break one. They recommend leaving the area immediately opening a window and airing out the room for 15 minutes. Here's more info:

http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/157/1/CFL-disposal-and-recycling.html

[westcanadian01]

 

[Ridgekid]

We really love the GE LED motion activation night lights we installed. We are going to get more of those.

Another tip I read, that made sense, is on furnace filters. Those high quality ones you buy may be causing your furnace fan to run longer because they restrict air flow. I use the Flanders pleated, which are not as heavy, so I will have some restriction. It's rated a MERV 8 which removes 70-85% of particles while providing a low pressure drop. I change mine monthly whether it needs it or not.

You might want to look at these links before you go shopping for your next furnace filter. Remember Heating and cooling your home is 46% of your total electric. Every little bit helps!

MERV ratings:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_Efficiency_Reporting_Value


Understanding MERV ratings: (Note anything above a MERV 9 causes air flow issues)
http://www.furnacefiltercare.com/merv-ratings.php

[Scott7m]

cooling and heating my home is way over 46% and I really dont understand where "they" come up with some of these numbers. 

I tell most of my customers that I can cut there electric billy by 70-80%.  Most folks  here have electric bills in the winter in the 500-600 dollar range and once Install a stove they are generally in the 80-120 range.

[Ridgekid]

Looks like my investment is paying off! At least all the changes I made this year. This chart starts in Feb 2010.

http://outdoorwoodfurnaceinfo.com/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=136

[Bull]

Great job Ridge