Lone Snark. essentially, you are correct. If you has that discipline, then you could do well. But I use this plan because it saves me $600+ a year in energy. I wouldnt go through the aggrivation for a few bucks a month. How much energy have you used for the last 4 months.

10/2/2008 8:59:28 AM

I switched to time of use with demand because of this thread a few months ago - have been saving about 10% or about $10 monthly.

The only things we really changed were never using the washer, dryer, or dishwasher on-peak, so our saving are certainly not maximized.

That said, I think we are going to change to the pure time of use without demand - as that would be saving us about 20% a month just with what we are doing now.

Plus it is a little easier to figure out - you just know its super expensive on-peak and super cheap off-peak, and you don't have to worry as much about forgetting and having one 15 minute interval mess you up for the month.

10/2/2008 8:59:33 AM

when i started unplugging everything i dont ever use, unplugging things after i use them (toaster oven, microwave, PS3, chargers hell, even some lights) and cutting my PC off before i go to bed i noticed a significant drop in my power bill.

10/2/2008 9:00:09 AM

wall warts continuously draw power, lights and what-not shouldn't

10/2/2008 11:38:19 AM

http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/appliances/small_appl.html

SMALL APPLIANCES

Your aquarium may be costing you more to run each month than your refrigerator!

If you've already read about other topics mentioned in the Appliances section of the Energy Center, you know that refrigerators and other appliances built today are more energy efficient than ever before. That doesn't necessarily hold true for small appliances, however.

According to a 1998 study done at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, electricity consumption in American homes is growing faster in the category of small appliances than in any other category. Items such as computers, ceiling fans, halogen torchiere lamps, vacuum cleaners, electric skillets, dehumidifiers, waterbed heaters, electric toothbrushes, hot tubs, video tape recorders, microwave ovens and stereos now account for about one-fifth of the energy used in your home, and the percentage is growing quickly. Increasing nearly 5 percent a year, the power needed to run small appliances more than doubled from 1976 to 1995.

Large appliances have been improved through energy standards to the point where refrigerators use one-third as much electricity today as they did 20 years ago. Miscellaneous appliances, however, must meet no such standards. That's why a waterbed heater used for half a year can consume more electricity than your computer does all year long. That's also why a 180-gallon coral reef aquarium running 24 hours a day can use more energy than an energy efficient refrigerator.

How Much Energy Does It Use?

Here are typical yearly consumption figures for some common small household appliances. To estimate your annual cost, multiply the kilowatt/hours listed per year by your utility's electricity rate.

Keep in mind these estimates will vary with your family's use of appliances, and some products continue to draw power even when turned off. (More about that in a minute.) This "leakage" will increase the appliance's energy consumption by a few watts an hour.

The Problem Of Leaking Electricity - ENERGY VAMPIRES

Many small appliances made today continue to draw power, even when they are switched off. Nearly 20 percent of the electricity used by appliances is lost while they are sitting in the standby mode, waiting to be used. Think of your television, ostensibly turned off, but really in a standby mode so that it can respond to your remote control. Think of your telephone answering machine, always drawing power as it waits for a call. Then there is your portable toothbrush or perhaps your portable vacuum cleaner; both are constantly plugged in to keep the batteries in their hand-held units recharged. How about that microwave oven in the kitchen, constantly pulling power to keep its digital clock running?

Of course, the biggest standby loss of energy - sometimes referred to as "leaking electricity" - occurs in modern consumer electronics. Video equipment - TVs, VCRs, cable boxes and satellite dishes - account for the largest share of a home's leaking electricity, roughly 35 percent. Audio equipment makes up another 25 percent of standby losses; a small compact audio unit can draw 9 watts while it's ostensibly turned off. Since most listeners only use their stereos an hour a day, 93 percent of a stereo's energy use occurs when the unit is switched off!

Communications equipment such as answering machines, cordless phones and fax machines are responsible for an additional 10 percent of home electricity losses. All told, the Lawrence Berkeley study estimates that today the average American household constantly leaks about 50 watts of electricity. The study claims that U.S. consumers would save more than $1 billion each year if manufacturers used proven technologies to reducing the 'leaking' component of many small appliances.

Right now, the only way a consumer can prevent some appliances from leaking electricity is to unplug them. There are several ways, however, for manufacturers can address the problem and reduce standby losses to a single watt per appliance. Circuits can be redesigned to reduce leakage by 90 percent. Energy-saving circuits can be added, and a real, "hard-off" switch can be installed. Transformers - those small black boxes that plug into the wall outlet for appliances such as telephone answering machines - can be replaced by more efficient switched-mode power supplies. As these wall packs are built today, however, each transformer costs a homeowner about $1.50 a year in wasted electricity as it steps down a home's high-voltage alternate current to a lower voltage direct current. When you realize that the typical home has three to 10 of these units plugged in at all times, the cost of electricity leakage adds up quickly.

The problem of leaking energy is a worldwide one. Unfortunately, most consumers don't realize that flipping the "off" switch on many small appliances doesn't do what they think it does. Consumers need to call for an end to leaking appliances, and international standards need to be set to limit the waste of standby electricity.

ENERGY STAR® now rates home electronic equipment. Televisions approved by EnergyStar can save 75 percent of standby electricity losses. It pays to be a wise shopper and consider energy savings!

For the leaking appliances you already have, consider turning them off manually - unplug them when they are not in use, or plug them into a power strip that can be turned off - really turned off - with a separate switch.


[Edited on October 2, 2008 at 11:49 AM. Reason : damn table]

10/2/2008 11:46:48 AM

Appliance	Time in use	kilowatt/hours used per year
Aquarium	24 hours/day	700
Central air conditioning	12 hours day, 120 days/yr	2700-3780
Clock	24 hours/day	36
Clock radio	24 hours/day	44
Clothes washer (does not include hot water)	2 hours/Week	31
Coffee maker	30 minute/day	128
Computer	4 hours/day	520
Dehumidifier	12 hours/day	700
Dishwasher (does not include hot water)	1 hour/day	432
Electric blanket	8 hrs/day, 120 days/yr	175
Fan (furnace)	12 hrs/day, 120 days/yr	432
Fan (whole house)	4hrs/day, 120 days/yr	270
Fan (window)	4 hrs/day, 180 days/yr	144
Hair dryer	15 minutes/day	100
Heater (portable)	3 hours/day, 120 days/yr	540
Iron	1 hour/week	52
Microwave oven	2 hours/week	89
Radio (stereo)	2 hours/day	73
Refrigerator (frostfree 16 cubic feet)	24 hours/day	642
Refrigerator (frostfree 18 cubic feet)	24 hours/day	683
Television (color)	3 hours/day	264
Toaster oven	1 hour/day	73
Vacuum cleaner	1 hour/week	38
VCR	4 hours/day	30
Water bed (no cover)	12 hrs/day, 180 days/yr	620
Water heater (40 gallon electric)	2 hrs/day	2190
Water pump (deep well)	2 hrs/day	730

sorry for the double post

[Edited on October 2, 2008 at 11:50 AM. Reason : damn you formatting]

10/2/2008 11:49:28 AM

I think I've stated this before, but you have to be a pretty good energy user to make TOU-D worth while. I'll post my energy usage history. Since I installed my new HVAC, I have decreased my summer use by 30+%, but I will be using more energy in the winter time as I will not be using natural gas (under most circumstances) to heat the house. It will save me a lot compared to natural gas, and my TOU-D plan will become even better....

The dollar figure you see if the savings per month with TOU-D
(I cant remember what tag I can use to preserve tabs... if anyone knows, let me know and I'll repost in more readable format)

Date Mailed kWh Usage kWh Usage On Peak kWh Usage Off Peak kW Demand On Peak kW Demand Off Peak Read Date # Of Days TOU Svngs/(Loss) Rate Schedule
9/25/2008 1,865 704 1161 7.92 8.88 9/24/2008 30 $43.51 R-TOUD
8/26/2008 2,439 900 1539 7.59 9.09 8/25/2008 31 $72.04 R-TOUD
7/28/2008 2,438 935 1503 6.64 8.91 7/25/2008 31 $76.28 R-TOUD
6/25/2008 3,968 1357 2611 10.54 12.72 6/24/2008 32 $93.67 R-TOUD
5/27/2008 2,196 916 1280 9.92 11.16 5/23/2008 28 $38.45 R-TOUD
4/28/2008 1,570 639 931 8 9.76 4/25/2008 31 $23.43 R-TOUD
3/26/2008 1,269 370 899 5.89 10.8 3/25/2008 29 $22.51 R-TOUD
2/26/2008 1,091 336 755 5.33 7.05 2/25/2008 33 $17.68 R-TOUD
1/24/2008 1,075 329 746 5.65 6.65 1/23/2008 28 $15.92 R-TOUD
12/27/2007 1,434 419 1015 6.46 8.75 12/26/2007 35 $26.56 R-TOUD
11/26/2007 1,156 368 788 6.53 9.07 11/21/2007 29 $15.46 R-TOUD
10/24/2007 2,394 1000 1394 8.22 10.95 10/23/2007 29 $73.91 R-TOUD
9/25/2007 3,287 1141 2146 8.93 11.46 9/24/2007 32 $105.67 R-TOUD
8/24/2007 3,360 1249 2111 9.05 12.66 8/23/2007 28 $107.34 R-TOUD
7/27/2007 3,070 1157 1913 7.44 10.92 7/26/2007 30 $101.76 R-TOUD
6/27/2007 2,895 1057 1838 8.41 10.8 6/26/2007 32 $64.13 R-TOUD
5/29/2007 1,937 921 1016 7.32 9.75 5/25/2007 30 $37.32 R-TOUD
4/26/2007 1,164 472 692 6.09 9.27 4/25/2007 29 $16.01 R-TOUD
3/29/2007 1,022 311 711 6.92 9.46 3/27/2007 32 $9.23 R-TOUD
2/26/2007 909 276 633 4.95 7.01 2/23/2007 30 $12.37 R-TOUD
1/25/2007 969 273 696 5.57 9.82 1/24/2007 33 $12.59 R-TOUD
12/27/2006 880 262 618 5.54 6.81 12/22/2006 30 $9.15 R-TOUD
11/27/2006 822 255 567 5.94 10.02 11/22/2006 28 $5.35 R-TOUD
10/26/2006 1,556 630 926 7.91 10.74 10/25/2006 29 $37.08 R-TOUD


[Edited on October 2, 2008 at 12:41 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on October 2, 2008 at 12:42 PM. Reason : ,]

10/2/2008 12:39:31 PM

I live in a 1800 sq. foot house with old single pane windows and a back door that has no weather stripping. I ran the AC at 68 pretty much all summer, and my electric bill never went higher than $125. But I will say that I am very diligent about turning off lights and electrical equipment when not in use, and the A/C unit is only a year old so is probably more efficient than what you guys are using. Even so, $400 is pretty rediculous for an electric bill, especially when it happens on more than one occasion.

10/2/2008 2:48:48 PM

Yeah, mine is a year old as well and I think that make a huge difference based on the comments I've seen in the thread.

10/2/2008 2:51:55 PM

http://www.duke-energy.com/north-carolina/billing/equal-payment.asp

that's what i use. don't know if the place in raleigh has it. but mine's about 150 in the summer and 10 in the winter... haha

do the same with gas

10/2/2008 2:53:28 PM

^ I did that at my last appartment and I hated it. It was awesome on the months when my equal payment was only $30 a month, but it sucked ass when the equal payment balooned to like $175 for the next 3 months.

10/2/2008 3:31:00 PM

I didnt like EPP either. I saw that I was going to have so much of a deficit, I paid extra for 3 months in a row to get the account to a 0 balance, then stopped it.

10/2/2008 4:02:42 PM

it's just a lot easier to keep track of my usage when i pay for it every month. If I get a higher bill one month, then I know to be more careful the next month. That EPP just gave me a false sense of security. I'd have a $30 bill in the summer so I'd run the AC wide the fuck open. Then in the fall I'd have like $175 electric bills to make up for the defecit

10/2/2008 4:25:25 PM

how the hell was this thread bttt'd from may to october?

10/2/2008 4:48:22 PM

Ghost mod?

10/2/2008 4:50:46 PM

Quote :

"how can you keep it at 79-80 and be annoyed that they leave their fans on? :/"

Seriously.

I do not want to visit one of my friends any more because the landlord (that they live with) won't turn the AC on.

Supposedly power/AC is included in rent, but I guess they didn't know that someone would continue to turn the AC off.

10/2/2008 5:52:32 PM

one of my roommates was like that.. he "liked to be hot enough to barely be sweating"

fucking idiot.. i just wanted to get my room under 80 and he'd have a fit about it--i even offered to pay the entire bill 2/3 of the year if he'd shut up about it

instead i ended up buying an AC unit just for my room and making the electric bill ridiculous

[Edited on October 2, 2008 at 5:55 PM. Reason : asdf]

10/2/2008 5:54:59 PM

seriously

10/2/2008 6:37:25 PM

^^I'd find a different roommate.

10/2/2008 11:47:49 PM

I did.

10/2/2008 11:49:16 PM

Our electric bill in our aparment is usually in the $70s. The highest it ever went was $111.

10/3/2008 12:37:54 PM

Summer between 70/72
Winter 65

Make up for the money I spend in the summer by not spending much in the winter on heat (unless it is bitterly cold outside)

I refuse to be hot in my own home.

I'd fucking kill a roommate over that.

My potluck roomie was hot natured and my husband is hot natured.

Been nothing but easy breezy for me.

However, $400 is crazy. Even at 70 ... I've never had a power bill in the 4 places I've lived that was more than $200

10/3/2008 10:46:32 PM

One of my roommates decided it would be a great idea to turn the heat on 73 when it was 61 outside. What the fuck? Not only do I not want to pay the utility costs for turning the heat pump on and off every fucking night IT'S GOD DAMN HOT IN HERE AND IT'S THE MIDDLE OF AUTUMN.

10/25/2008 2:34:44 AM

Ah, I remember those days. Except it was 80 degrees, not 73. It's so nice owning a place now. :-)

10/25/2008 10:55:26 AM

yall would hate my apt in the summer...gets pretty warm...maybe not 80 degrees, but at least like 76 prolly....trying to see how long i can go without turning my heat on...said it was 65 in here last night but it still felt like it was 72 or so...havent turned it on yet, just been opening my blinds and letting all the sun i can in, have a big ass sliding glass door too that i leave uncovered

10/25/2008 12:18:52 PM

ok yeah, so it was set on cool, not heat.

still, someone was using the A/C instead of opening a window! I'm about to tape a piece of paper with our 3 names on it and have everyone write their preferred comfort level for winter temperature. Then average them, make that the temperature and then put tape over the controls so no one can move it up or down during the winter. Is that the best way to approach?

10/25/2008 12:20:13 PM

I'd prefer to run the ac vs opening my window and waking up to my bedroom being 50 degrees.

10/25/2008 12:22:55 PM

thats probably the dumbest thing you've ever posted...only an idiot has that problem

10/25/2008 12:27:16 PM

rrrright

10/25/2008 12:38:00 PM

^^utilize carets.

[Edited on October 25, 2008 at 12:38 PM. Reason : .]

10/25/2008 12:38:27 PM

bttt

6/29/2009 11:02:46 AM

Ok so this month was 2000 kWh in one side of a fucking duplex. 3 people, but we all have full time jobs so I couldn't fathom how we were using so much. Our A/C unit seems to be the culprit. I don't see how a unit this small can drain so much power. Is this normal? CarZin plz2help!

AC- OFF http://tinypic.com/r/2n8wqy8/5
AC- ON http://tinypic.com/r/ofpks1/5

6/30/2009 4:57:33 PM

damn

6/30/2009 5:01:26 PM

holy crap

[Edited on June 30, 2009 at 5:32 PM. Reason : but it is a 12 y/o air conditioner..]

6/30/2009 5:30:37 PM

this thread has made me very nervous as to how expensive my electric bill is going to become now that i have central air.

i guess i'll find out in a few days.

6/30/2009 5:59:31 PM

I keep it at 78. You people are making me feel like a freak.

6/30/2009 6:31:28 PM

Haha, spinnin like a record player w/ that AC on. I'd try to get that shit replaced with a quickness.

My 3 roommates and I at U House could not fathom how our electric bill in the summer was $460 at its peak (we were very conservative w/ the AC and heat esp.), while the guys above us never paid more than $200 at their worst. Never did figure it out, but we sure as hell called and bitched to as many people as we could.

6/30/2009 6:58:34 PM

I am bitching because my electric bill this month was $67. That's a 100% increase from a few months ago.

Two months ago it was ~$30, then $40, now $67. Stupid air conditioning...

7/1/2009 12:44:25 PM

my thermostat stays between 70 and 75 year round.

7/1/2009 12:51:06 PM

So we can all agree something is seriously fucked with my AC unit?

7/1/2009 1:44:45 PM

for some reason john kruk loves to leave his TV on in our house 24/7...even when he's away for 5 fucking days

7/1/2009 4:11:56 PM

bttt halp!

7/6/2009 2:04:19 PM

I too just got a $370 power bill and almost shit myself.

7/6/2009 3:28:30 PM

so glad i am getting ready to move and just pay a flat rate for rent and all utilities. tired of worrying about stuff like this!

7/6/2009 3:37:21 PM

what are you people doing wrong?

for starters, the power bill should never be that much. my bill never tops 100 dollars and I own a house .

He is a trick, don't leave a ceiling fan running all the time if you have one . They use marginally less power than the AC.

You don't need to have your house at anything lower than 74. There was a time when AC wasn't an option and people survived with much hotter temperatures inside. If you're pushing it below 74 you're just a wuss.

for the record i keep mine at 77 and live in a poorly insulated place and my bill is ~35 in the winter (i have gas heat) and ~100 the peak of summer.

7/6/2009 3:39:26 PM

I have a pool which accounts for some of the bill (not a ton, but still), but having my wife home all day with two kids doesnt really help the matter.

Our A/C is set at 75.

7/6/2009 3:49:02 PM

Grandmaster, 2000 KwH isnt took much, depending on the size of your place. From the model number of your HVAC, I think you have a 3 ton unit. How large is your place? I have a new high efficiency trane unit, and last month I used 2284 KwH to cool a 2000 square foot house to an average of 73 degrees. In the previous year, with my POS Carrier unit, I used 3,968 (and it was pretty much the same weather).

My total bill was $178.

Oh, I missed this:

Quote :

"He is a trick, don't leave a ceiling fan running all the time if you have one . They use marginally less power than the AC."

Bull shit. Maybe if you use a 8000 BTU unit to cool an entire house, and you leave 5 ceiling fans running 24x7.

[Edited on July 6, 2009 at 3:53 PM. Reason : .]

7/6/2009 3:49:37 PM

Quote :

"You don't need to have your house at anything lower than 74. There was a time when AC wasn't an option and people survived with much hotter temperatures inside. If you're pushing it below 74 you're just a wuss."

It's been proven you sleep best around ~67 degrees. That's what I keep mine on at night.

7/6/2009 4:07:22 PM

It's a small 3BR/2BA duplex that might be 1200sqft. I've tried 77, it's tough. In the winter it's at 68/69. It was at 72 this past month and it would never shut off.

Slickdeals had a kill-a-watt for 18.99 shipped and I took it as a sign. We'll see what's up soon I guess.

7/6/2009 4:16:35 PM

Sounds like your unit is fried. 3 tons is a big unit for 1200 square feet. I would think that if this thing were working properly, your house would be cooled too quickly, and there would be a lot of humidity in the air.

This is a relatively simply test to see how well your unit is functioning (and can force the landlord to service). Record the temperature going into the returns. It should match or be slightly higher than your ambient temperature. Next measure the temperature at the ducts. It should be 15-20 degrees (really should be more) cooler than the return temp. If it is not, then it isnt transferring enough heat. If the temp is cool, then it could be a problem with the fan, or the returns not being sized correctly. Best to have a pro look at that. Could also be poor insulation...

I hate to ask the obvious, but have you checked your air filter? If previous tenants took air filters out, the low pressure coils could be covered in dust/hair which can be easily cleaned off.

[Edited on July 6, 2009 at 4:32 PM. Reason : .]

7/6/2009 4:31:18 PM