Earth Hour March 28th
DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ Pics |
2009-04-01 161598
Did anyone particpate in this ? I know my wife mentioned it to me, and little out of character she gave it the thumbs down as silly. She was a real tree hugger when I met her 21 years ago :) I guess hanging around me changed her!
Hmmmm on Saturday did I notice anything different at the anointed time? Nope nada!
Link: Earth Hour
 
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Earth Hour March 28th
Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada Pics |
2009-04-01 161605
Well, considering the little lady and I aren't exactly party animals anyways it was pretty easy to do.
We were having an after dinner game of cribbage over a glass of wine with her parents.
The only difference was instead of playing by electric light and listening to the stereo, we played by candle light and listened to nothing more than the dogs barking at something.
Best of luck. ....
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Earth Hour March 28th
DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada Pics |
2009-04-01 161608
Does earth hour relate in some way to a New York minute? ....
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Earth Hour March 28th
kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon Pics |
2009-04-01 161619
I celebrated by wandering around the woods, selecting a tree, and, um, watering it. ....
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Earth Hour March 28th
kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5275 South Carolina Pics |
2009-04-01 161628
Not sure if it was Monday or Tuesday they reported it took more electricty to crank back up what was shut down than was saved by what was turned off that hour. ....
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Earth Hour March 28th
Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada Pics |
2009-04-01 161631
I want to know what the rest of the people are doing with their electrical appliances?
I Googled something like "average household electrical consumption" and got several answers, all pretty much the same, that said the 'average' household uses 938 kw/h a month!
Good grief, my bills, averaged out on a yearly basis are more in the order of 85 kw/h a month, and that includes A/C, clothes dryer a pool pump and several permanently wired electric heaters!!!
So for the 'average' to work out there has to a bunch of folks arc welding on the dining room table 3 days a week or something!!
Best of luck. ....
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Earth Hour March 28th
kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon Pics |
2009-04-01 161632
Murf, methinks your meter is broken. We used 4011 kWh last month with LP hot water, dryer and cooking. And we live in a pretty tight and energy efficient house that has above average insulation and has passed all Energy Smart tests (blower door and duct blaster tests). We turn off all lights when not in use, many of them are automatically controlled. The only appliances on all the time are two refrigerators (relatively new ones). We do have a well and septic pump but they are checked every couple of months and seem to cycle normally. Of course there are a couple luxuries like in-floor heat in the master bath (~100 watts) and the occasional use of a space heater or electric blanket by the wife.
BTW, I don't know how they get those numbers. If they are a "per-meter" value instead of a "per residence" value it will be misleading since lots of rentals are not independently metered.
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Earth Hour March 28th
DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ Pics |
2009-04-01 161633
My Annual low is 800 KWH for May and June and the high is 1400 KWH for August and January. We have oil heat but running the lights and blowers in the furnaces uses lots of juice. So our average is a bit over 1000KWH per month.
We have a deep well also, no pool, just kids that leave the lights on (converted the known "leave it on spots" to mercury bulbs) ....
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Earth Hour March 28th
kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon Pics |
2009-04-01 161634
Our annual low is somewhere around 1500 kWh. Last month is about worst case, very cold weather at the end of a long, cold winter when the stupid geothermal heat pump condenser loop field heat has been largely depleted. It's also a fairly big house at ~3600 sf.
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Earth Hour March 28th
cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York Pics |
2009-04-01 161638
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Having worked for a utility for some time, I would suggest you don't complain about anything that might cause a test or changeout of that meter :) My uncle, years ago had the same load as you describe Murf, with that 80 KWH per month. Yep, until he was caught in a meter change, then it went to 6000.
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Earth Hour March 28th
kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon Pics |
2009-04-01 161641
Murf, I was thinking about your electric bill. You mentioned a pool. If the pool has a half horsepower motor that would use somewhere around 1kwh. On our pool we had to run the circulating pump about 8 hours/day IIRC. If you do the same that's 8 kwh/day, or 240 kwh/month just for the pool pump.
So at 85kwh/month total billing it seems you're getting quite a deal. Maybe you know somebody at the electric company? :)
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Earth Hour March 28th
Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada Pics |
2009-04-02 161646
Lack of coffee? Not wearing my glasses on a cloudy day? Senility?
I was misreading the wrong line of the bill.
It is 8.5kw/h per DAY average, ~260kw/h month. Oops.
The pool filter is one of those new high efficiency jobs on a cycling controller. It only runs an hour or so every 4 - 6 hours. The pool is also covered, so unless we're in it it's covered and not collecting any debris or dust.
The meter was changed in the early fall to one of those new "smart meters" that not only logs the usage, but whether it is during peak, or off peak times. It also has a radio transmitter in it so they can 'read the meter' as they drive down the street.
Best of luck. ....
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Earth Hour March 28th
cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York Pics |
2009-04-02 161649
260 KWH is still not much usage, generally speaking, appliances will use more than that. I have an in-ground pool on a timer and a time of use meter that reduces the rate in the evening and weekends but the KWH in the summer still stands around 1500.
http://www.bgenergy.com/documents/Energy%20Consumption%20Guide.pdf ....
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Earth Hour March 28th
DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ Pics |
2009-04-02 161651
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Still sounds like you must be reading the bill wrong or we all have to start asking more questions about how you achieve such low usage :)
My last bill from March for February usage was $199 for 1165 kwh. Let's tackle this from the $ side what was your bill in Canukistan dollars for any of the winter months!
Dennis ....
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Earth Hour March 28th
Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada Pics |
2009-04-02 161653
It does seem strange, I'll have to look into it.
Best of luck. ....
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Earth Hour March 28th
cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York Pics |
2009-04-02 161657
He just clammed up Dennis!!! That is a politician's answer if I ever heard one!! ....
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Earth Hour March 28th
hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3583 iowa |
2009-04-02 161658
Another mystery. we have two homes in separate communitys both served by the same power company. Power cost in one home is .109 per KW, other house is .154 per KW. I tried calling them onece to ask why but after five munitues of mechanical voices telling me to press something for something else, you know the rest of that BS, I just gave up. ....
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Earth Hour March 28th
cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York Pics |
2009-04-02 161659
Some costs are passthroughs so you may have taxes in one that are not in the other. Taxing big business only hurts those nasty CEOs! ....
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Earth Hour March 28th
DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ Pics |
2009-04-02 161660
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Hmmmmmm! Cutter, if I had such a small bill I think I would be wise enough to be quiet about the good thing I had going. Murf maybe you should edit out your comments so "big mother utility company" does not hunt you down! LOL ....
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Earth Hour March 28th
Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada Pics |
2009-04-02 161661
Ok, somebody needs to let Jeffy know about this thread now....
I had what I can only describe as "multiplicitous seniors moments". LOL
I did have the numbers right, the second time, buuuuuttttt....
I get two bills from the same "big mother utility company", the one I was looking at was for my summer place..... (Where's the embarrassed smiley face?)
The house uses an average of 1,200 kw/h a month....
He he he, ooops. Mea Culpa.
The adult beverage of you choice is on me, but I don't deliver. ;)
Best of luck. ....
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Earth Hour March 28th
cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York Pics |
2009-04-02 161664
We'll drink it at the summer place :) ....
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Earth Hour March 28th
kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5275 South Carolina Pics |
2009-04-03 161680
Well Murf you may be read your bills wrong or just tying to offer a solution.
But in looking at your pictures it seems you use snow for refrigator and probably freezes also. Now Air Conditioning, probably nothing like it is here. Office air is running today, global warming I guess. But your country is sending us freezing temps with frost next week so guess we have GW under control.
Ole EW, afraid his eye sight and senior moments are showing on him more and more. Guess years or running in circles or almost cirles shows up. ....
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