Electrical costs - Are you doing anything different?

@gmacy wrote:
hmm said:
They work fine in our region, we get plenty of sunlight, the problem is with hail and such. Its not impossible to get insurance on them, but it is difficult and expensive, which cuts into their cost savings.

Panels are expensive on the front end as well as the manufacturing costs are still up there.
Click to expand...
 
these nano panel things appear to be non-fragile, might not be susceptible to issues from hail as bad...looks interesting, but no costs or anything available as they are sold out for the next "12 months"

i thought about the solar screens like dave did, but my bills arent outrageous. if i did anything it would be this.
 
@Wes wrote:
these nano panel things appear to be non-fragile said:
They would still dent, though they may not break. A car is pretty sturdy until you drop a golf ball several hundred times all over it ;)

Don't get me wrong, solar would be a good thing, but you have more than possible hail damage to consider. City regulations, HOA issues etc... they would be better for someone on a rural area, but probably not for someone in a sub-division.
Click to expand...
 
I'm living in a suburb neighborhood...but we don't have an HOA, this is one of many reasons why I wouldn't live with one ever again.

I think the thin layer solar is much more robust than traditional panels because it can be painted on as I understand it. Hail shouldn't pose nearly the problem. It is also about 1/10th the cost of normal solar panels so price feasibility is no longer an excuse or barrier.

I'm already on the waiting list for them and will purchase them as soon as they are available.

As far as city regulations, you actually get credits in many cases for going green and there are a few subsidies if I'm not mistaken.

For me cost isn't an issue...I just want the independence. When energy costs soar beyond what people can afford I intend to be keeping cool in the AC watching my fish.
 
I'd consider solar panels, but I live in a heavily forested area and my house is always heavily shaded. I'm not sure they would perform well at all on my property.

Overall the trees save money on cooling costs, but there are always the leaves to deal with every fall. :x
 
Solar panels absorb light, it doesn't have to be direct sunlight. This is proven by the fact that solar panels produce energy even on cloudy days.


All the best!
Bill
 
All great ideas. I have lots of trees for shade. we also have water on top of the house.

We have double pane windows. We are on a coop and we can't change our electric company.

How do I know what I'm paying a KW we used 5348 KWH and my bill is $636.92
 
@DaveJ wrote:
Solar screens on the front of the house (afternoon/evening sunshine) said:
Dave, can you give me a ballpark idea how much solar screens ran you per window, and how much savings you got from them? My largest windows all face south, and I'm thinking this might be worth my while if it doesn't run an arm and a leg...

Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
@Cheryl wrote:
All great ideas. I have lots of trees for shade. we also have water on top of the house. We have double pane windows. We are on a coop and we can't change our electric company. How do I know what I'm paying a KW we used 5348 KWH and my bill is $636.92 said:
11.9 cents per kw

$/kw = cost

[.:edit:. estimate btw, doesnt account for taxes or other fees...do what marc says to find true cost]
Click to expand...
 
@Cheryl wrote:
All great ideas. I have lots of trees for shade. we also have water on top of the house. We have double pane windows. We are on a coop and we can't change our electric company. How do I know what I'm paying a KW we used 5348 KWH and my bill is $636.92 said:
5348KWH :shock: Is this your house or a business :shock: Wow! Just wow!
Click to expand...
 
@Cheryl wrote:
All great ideas. I have lots of trees for shade. we also have water on top of the house. We have double pane windows. We are on a coop and we can't change our electric company. How do I know what I'm paying a KW we used 5348 KWH and my bill is $636.92 said:
You are using a ton of power, Cheryl. The KWH rate is on the bill, somewhere. With Reliant, it is on Page 2. You can always call your provider and ask them over the phone what your current rate is.

As of the latest bill I've gotten, I used 2993 KWH. UGH. That was a jump from the previous month of 1856 KWH. I hope my new A/C uses less power as promised.
Click to expand...
 
Wow some of your bills are crazy. I have a cow if my bill is much over $200. I have an all electric house, no gas, and run my tank on the normal ac jr lighting scheme. I think a big thing that cut my costs down was the switch to florescent screw in bulbs to replace all incandescent bulbs around the house.
 
@Cheryl wrote:
All great ideas. I have lots of trees for shade. we also have water on top of the house. said:
Can you describe a bit how you implemented this? I understand the principle (evaporating water = cooler roof), but want to consider doing something similar myself.

Peter...
Click to expand...
 
One of the biggest things I did is change my tank lights to come on starting a 2am so they are off before the house gets hot. That alone made a big difference to keep the house cooler. I do miss seeing the fish during the day but would rather try all options other than downgrading tanks :D . I also have moon lights so we still get to watch them sleep during the day :D
I just ordered a mag 18 to replace my external pump to reduce the heat in the living room. You can't keep you hand on the external pump because it runs so hot and that heat is as bad in the cabinet as the metal halides are in teh canopy. I also looked it up and the mag 18 runs about 122 dollars a year to run. If this works out I might be upgrading my pond pump to a mag drive too...
 
That Nanosolar stuff is pretty cool. I too have considered solar panels on the back of my home. The way my house and roof line are situated I would have sunlight from sun up to sun down. No trees in the back due to pool.

I have seen on a discovery program there is a company that make Solar shingles. They attached to the roof just like regular shingles. You just drill through for each one put in place. I will see if I can find the site. If I recall they alternated regular shingle then solar.

I am also on a co-op so have no choice and can not change providers. So the best option for me is to get off their grid.
 
I have a huge tree that shades the entire house the 1st half of the day. About 15yrs. ago when the house belonged to my parents' still (it's the house I was born and raised in), dad had vinyl siding put on. Before they came out and installed it, he actually pulled part of the wood siding off and put Owens Corning pink in all of the exterior walls then replaced the wood. When the siding installers came out they put the foam sheets on before the siding. That and double pane windows alone cut elect. bills in half. I've also been using all CF bulbs around the house for several years now and I keep the house temp around 77*. I can't believe some of y'all keep your house at 72*. I would have to use a blanket watching TV. 77* and ceiling fans is plenty cool enough for me. Curious, do y'all keep the house at 72* during the winter too or do you raise it up?
 
my brother used to say when he was in college that he would keep the house at 72 during the summer and 60 in the winter to balance out - now that he is married, that doesn't work anymore :)
 
one thing i am doing is getting those turbo spiral style attic vents...they will dramatically cool down the attic space making your house cooler and making your a/c more efficient.

also i am going to do a staggered mh schedule with each reflector like marc aka melev has on his current lighting schedule
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top