Electricity usage

[ultrarunner]

Whoa! This year, thanks to some LED conversion and using wood and oil for primary heating, we have our electric usage down to 1800 to 3700 kWh per month. We used to be regularly over 4000 kWh, back in the days of all incandescent and CRT monitors and TV's.

Our biggest months are July and August, thanks to air conditioning. But our rate is much lower than yours, so cost is only $340 to $750/month.

I couldn't imagine running this house on $.50/kWh electric!

Much of the modest use is attributed to our mild climate…

This home is 2500 square feet with 2.5 bath…

Installed blown in insulation to ceiling and 2x4 walls about 40 years ago but no floor insulation and still single pane aluminum frame windows.

Gas Heat and Gas Hot water with 1960’s electric appliances… even a 1950’s GE dishwasher…

Going LED made a huge difference… the old bedroom 3 bulb ceiling fixtures always had 3 100W light bulbs and kitchen table 2 150W bulbs and shop 14 40W circa 1960 Florescents.

LED Lighting was a small change with a huge impact…. a great innovation!

 

[WinterDeere]

I still haven’t found LED’s that I’m happy with, so I’m still running mostly incandescent and halogen. Of course they’re getting more expensive and harder to find, so I’ve been switching a few things less glaring to LED’s.

So far, it seems most of the warm (< 3000K) bulbs still have relatively low CRI, and the lower wattage variants just make skin tones look terrible. Almost as depressing as old CFL’s, albeit much warmer.

The > 3000 K LED’s have better CRI, but I hate the blue hue. I also dislike like the way LED’s don’t red-shift when dimmed. Our whole house is high density of low-wattage bulbs on dimmers, more than 200 bulbs before even counting landscape lighting, and most 40 watt equivalent, or less.

 

[ultrarunner]

When I made the Edison Base to LED the CREE were the best I could find and still pricey at the time.

Only one went bad and replaced no question asked.

Now LED cost less to way less but the design has changed/cheapened…

My original CREE were heavy compared to what’s sold now…

Im mostly 3500 on the light spectrum but also a few 3000 in patient waiting lounge.

The LED garage Fiet from Florescent were Costco plug and play and wonderful… instant on so much better than the old starters required on OEM… and 2 bulbs now leaving the center bay empty.

 

[orezok]

I have a 2500 SF house with a 7.5 kW ground mount solar. Last year I produced 15.2 kW and consumed 17.4 kW or 89.5% of my power.

My annual settle up was about $1,300 or $110 per month.

Now, if I didn’t have solar and had to pay the piper the full cost using simple math it would be about $900 per month.

Now this cost is distorted because SCE’s Net metering, my solar is being is paying for the low daytime energy cost and I’m paying for the high 4 PM to 9 PM high cost.

My house is 100% electric and uses mini splits for HVAC. Even though our winter temps are mild, due to significantly lower winter production my winter energy costs are significantly higher than summer.

I’m glad I got the solar.