First, I didn't do anything with heating and air conditioning except install a programmable thermostat. More on that later.
I have a device called a TED (The Energy Detective). This device was installed by TXU for my two tier rate program. (It's no longer offered.) This device is connected into your electrical panel and sends out a signal to a little display box. You can then turn stuff off and on to see the power use.
I asked my wife to help on this one. She sat at the computer with TED while I switched stuff all over the house. She recorded the electricity use in a spreadsheet. We did about 50 items.
Bottom Line #1 - Information is power. I found some interesting things (see my coffee maker and dryer posts), and some areas of minor concern.
I know this may come as a shock to you but 50 items isn't a lot. Everything has a plug, a switch or a battery. We love electricity! In fact, I am now at 94. And there are many more things that use electricity that I could measure and record, but as I went, I learned what I need to worry about, and what I don't.
- If it's on all the time you need to worry. It adds up quick into real money, even if it's small.
- If it's on a lot you need to worry, for the same reason.
- If it makes heat from electricity, you need to worry.
- If it pumps water, you need to worry.
- If its big, with a plug, you need to worry.
So, for example, your pool pump is big with a plug, pumps water, and on a lot. Your electric hot water heater is on a lot, and big, and makes heat from electricity! If you have one of those, your electric meter is probably water cooled.
Bottom Line #2 - You can just use those rules of thumb above to know what to work on to reduce your energy use.
My spreadsheet takes the power used and multiplies it by the amount it's on, then by the days its used, then by the days in the month, and finally by the price for electricity at my house (.119 KWH off peak). I then sorted the sheet by worst offenders and went to work.
I purchased another gizmo called the Kill-a-watt. This device measures in smaller increments and its made for plugged stuff. So, I went hunting for those Vampires we hear so much about. I was suspicious this was a waste of time. (This is partially how my spreadsheet got to 94 items.)
First, my Vampire definition. If the device is using power soley to make or keep it "ready" for use. I.e. anything that uses a remote and my PC speakers, treadmill, etc.
If it has a clock, or its charging a battery, I call that a zombie. Its not sucking power secretivly, it's doing it in plain sight. It in theory has some value but a lot of what its doing is wasted energy.
So I calculated I was using $6.56 of Vampire power per month (17 items). After remediation (more on that later) I got it down to $2.26. I saved $4.30. a month. Hardly likely to stop global warming.
On my zombies (18 items), coffee maker clock, phone chargers, answering machines, hand vacuum, tivo's etc, I got a more satisfying result. I was using $20.31 and reduced it to $9.88 or $10.43 a month in savings.
I went through 35 items to get that result! $14.73 a month savings, I spent $145.32 to do it. It will pay back in less than a year if my time is free.
My coffee maker was costing me $15.14 a month and I reduced that to $.76 by buying a $35 carafe. Saved $14.39 a month with one item! Pay back, 3 months. (I told you, if it's on a lot and you're turning electricity into heat...)
I put a timer on the hand vacuum so it only charges once a day for an hour. It was costing me $.43 a month. now it costs $.02. $5.00 timer, one year payback.
I put timers on my two water feature pumps. $15.42 to start, $9.46 now, $5.96 a month savings for two $10 timers. That's a four month return!
Bottom Line #3 - Over all, I am now saving $89.44 a month in electricity that was wasted energy. That' 654 watt hours or about 4 kilowatt hours a year. I spent a total of $366 doing it. A four month payback, let's see how that compares to my other investments...ok, maybe not.
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