Monday, January 11, 2010

More Reading

November Picture

I spent most of the day at work looking through web sites trying to teach myself about electricity. It seams once I start figuring it all out, another web site adds more confusion. One of these days I will get it and that little imaginary light bulb above my head will shine, I hope.

Saturday my first electric bill came in the mail. Keep in mind, this is the first time I ever lived in a all electric house. Due to all the efficient light bulbs, oil lamps, the fire place running all day and the constant reminding the family about short showers and the lights being on I was expecting a average bill. $404.00, here let me spell it, four hundred and four dollars. I went straight out and read the meter, yup it was right.
Doing some calculations, that comes to about 130 kwh a day. I averaged 40 to 45 kwh a day in the old house and it was bigger. I guess my carbon foot print is larger than I thought. I am currently in the process of figuring out what the heck is going on here. I have a theory about the return air location and the pantry door that has been open and possibly blocking it causing the heater to run all the time, but we will see. The heater should not be coming on at all. I set the thermostat to 62 degrees and heat with the fireplace. To many more months of that kind of bill and I will be living in a van down by the river.

2 comments:

  1. I'm betting you have a heat pump...or all - electric heating. (the most expensive to run).

    Maybe you could get a couple of propane heaters. They have some "blue-flame" wall hung propane heaters at Northern Tool (or online) to set up in the LR and master bedroom. Run copper lines to a tank outside the house. These heaters are super efficient, and have built-in carbon D sensors. Big screen TVs use a good bit of juice too.

    Just a suggestion...

    Bill & Caren...west of FTW

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  2. That is what my dad did. He could not handle not being able to back up to a heater, so he put a propane heater on the wall in the kitchen. We have thought about it and just might put some in along with a propane water heater if the bill continues to be that high.

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