Wood or natural gas?

[ToltingColtAcres]

Yeah, sounds like a pain in my balls. Like those stupid friggin squiggly lights which allegedly had a 7-year lifespan and were supposed to be "as bright" as a regular bulb. Except I never had one last over a year, and I had to use 3 times the number of bulbs to be able to see anything.

Nah, I'm just going to turn on every 300 watt halogen spotlight in the house so I can see. Who cares what the electric bills is, small price to pay for comfort.

 

[bholler]

I know for me if i had access to ng i would have a ng boiler in the basement and would be burning allot less wood. I would still use wood for sure but not as much

 

[EatenByLimestone]

That would be pretty efficient during the winter. Lots of heat AND light in the house!

 

[bholler]

Yeah, sounds like a pain in my balls. Like those stupid friggin squiggly lights which allegedly had a 7-year lifespan and were supposed to be "as bright" as a regular bulb. Except I never had one last over a year, and I had to use 3 times the number of bulbs to be able to see anything.

Buy better cfls or go with led. Cheap cfls give of crap light and dont last long but i have some that are over 5 years old now. I don't have a single incandescent bulb left in my house. Leds have come down allot and they give off great light.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I think I'll be working on the basement this winter. It's damp, but not wet down there. I'm thinking of closed cell foam to keep more heat from the wood stove (inefficiently heating from down there) and to keep moisture in check.

 

[Wisneaky]

Something doesnt sound right at all have you asked you electric supplier to check your meter to see if it is working properly? Those numbers are extremely high especially considering most of your major power consumers are ng. When are those numbers from are they summer or winter? Do you run air all the time in the summer? And what heat do you have other than wood?

My major appliances including other heat is LP. My meter is not even two years old because we had a complete remodel with all new wiring including electric panel and outside disconnect. We use 900 khw winter and up to 1400 summer when using central air.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Buy better cfls or go with led. Cheap cfls give of crap light and dont last long but i have some that are over 5 years old now. I don't have a single incandescent bulb left in my house. Leds have come down allot and they give off great light.

I never had good luck with the CFLs in anything other than drop lights. Incandescents break when you look at the drop light funny. I think there's a big future for LEDs.

 

[bholler]

My meter is not even two years old because we had a complete remodel with all new wiring including electric panel and outside disconnect.

Did your usage jump after that remodel or has it always been high?

 

[bholler]

Incandescents break when you look at the drop light funny.

We use Tough service incandescent in our drop lights still. We haven't found anything that holds up as well yet and still gives off decent light

 

[EatenByLimestone]

When you remodeled, did you air seal? How cold do you keep your house with the ac? I think most people have higher bills in the winter.

 

[Wisneaky]

Did your usage jump after that remodel or has it always been high?

it actually went down a little not much though. Something just doesn't seem right though. I often wonder how accurate those electric meters are. We use almost as much electricity now vs when we has all electric appliances. How is that even possible?

 

[bholler]

it actually went down a little not much though. Something just doesn't seem right though. I often wonder how accurate those electric meters are. We use almost as much electricity now vs when we has all electric appliances. How is that even possible?

don't know it really doesn't sound right

 

[Wisneaky]

When you remodeled, did you air seal? How cold do you keep your house with the ac? I think most people have higher bills in the winter.

House is really old. Went from no insulation to r13 walls, r 38 ceiling, spray foam at 2" in crawl space. Vapor barrier on outside walls. Ac is kept at 71

 

[EatenByLimestone]

it actually went down a little not much though. Something just doesn't seem right though. I often wonder how accurate those electric meters are. We use almost as much electricity now vs when we has all electric appliances. How is that even possible?

http://www.staples.com/P3-P4400-Kil...MvbMegOmTAqqjVpU5s4smkRoCG1Dw_wcB&kpid=208748



I think one of these will have you hooked on cutting electron usage.


I wonder, I think I read you have a house of 6 somewhere, I bet appliances like washing machines and dishwashers are going constantly. Your fridge hinges probably wear out too... That could explain a good part of it.

 

[Wisneaky]

don't know it really doesn't sound right

I did a heat loss calculator myself and if I did it right it came out to 26k btu an hour at zero outside temp.

 

[Wisneaky]

http://www.staples.com/P3-P4400-Kil...MvbMegOmTAqqjVpU5s4smkRoCG1Dw_wcB&kpid=208748



I think one of these will have you hooked on cutting electron usage.


I wonder, I think I read you have a house of 6 somewhere, I bet appliances like washing machines and dishwashers are going constantly. Your fridge hinges probably wear out too... That could explain a good part of it.

Yes family of 6. We wash dishes by hand. Clothes washing is almost nonstop though.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

The r38 ceiling, how was that done?

 

[begreen]

I've always been puzzled by folks that keep the house at 70F in the summer and then want wood heat to keep it at 75-80F in the winter. My SIL likes it this way.

71F is chilly for the summer. Try running the AC at 75F and you will see a dramatic drop in power consumption. It will still dehumidify well which will keep comfort up.

 

[Wisneaky]

The r38 ceiling, how was that done?

Blown insulation in new roof.

 

[begreen]

900kW in winter is where you are seeing your home improvement savings. We used 1.2mW from mid Jan to mid Feb.2015. It was a warm winter and we were using the heat pump on milder days during that period. Turn up that tsat in summer and I bet you will see a notable drop.

 

[Wisneaky]

900kW in winter is where you are seeing your home improvement savings. We used 1.2mW from mid Jan to mid Feb.2015. It was a warm winter and we were using the heat pump on milder days during that period. Turn up that tsat in summer and I bet you will see a notable drop.

Thanks begreen. I'll try that.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

what does your electric bill look like in sept, October, November when the ac doesn't run and the heater isn't on?

I think air sealing will help you. Warm air is traveling in convection currents out your ceilings and sucking warm outside air in at ground level. This is making the ac work harder. Stop the leakage on top and the leakage on the bottom won't be an issue.

This time of the year, and a good part of the summer, I open the windows at night to fill the house with cool air. Then close them in the morning. It keeps the temp of the house down so I don't need as much ac.

 

[Oldman47]

My local utility sends me a summary report every month that compares my use to average, above average and below average homes nearby. In spring and fall I am among the worst but in summer or winter I am among the best.
I do have an electric stove here but I think why my bill is less seasonal than most is that I run 26 aquariums and each one has plant lights, a motor powered filter and a water heater in it. That means about 300W for around half of the day on each tank. Heaters cycle on and off to hold temperatures and the plant lights are all on timers but it really adds up. If I removed the aquariums I might be able to cut my electric bill in half. It all comes down to what you are willing to pay for.

 

[fespo]

As I said before on here, I don't burn to save $$$ I burn because I like the heat and feel of a fire in my family room.

 

[fire_man]

="ToltingColtAcres, post: 1971801, member: 27871"]Yeah, sounds like a pain in my balls. Like those stupid friggin squiggly lights which allegedly had a 7-year lifespan and were supposed to be "as bright" as a regular bulb. Except I never had one last over a year, and I had to use 3 times the number of bulbs to be able to see anything.

This is hard to believe but I have two CFL's from the early 90's that are still working great. They were first generation CFL's and Made in the USA. But I agree, the newer ones don't last very long . Hopefully the expensive LED's last as long as claimed!