How to SUBSTANTIALLY reduce electricity use?

[SailinAway]

I just got my Eversource bill. Compared to September last year, I've reduced my electricity usage by 67%! The bill was $76 for 199 kWh. The August bill was $134 for 454 kWh. This is before I switched to Direct Energy as my cheaper supplier, which should be reflected in my next bill.

In August I (like many Americans and especially here in New Hampshire) suddenly became aware of the full meaning of inflation and I brainstormed and studied all the ways I could find to reduce expenses with electricity, telephone, internet, gasoline, heat, water, and home maintenance. I calculated the kWh of each electrical appliance in my home. I tracked my money-saving actions each day, which added up to 48 actions in one month. A sample:

1. Turned off the 53-gallon family-sized water heater
2. Lowered phone and internet bill from $1500 a year to $627 by dropping the Consolidated Communications landline, signing up for two years of unlimited Tracfone for $199 a year, and talking Consolidated into giving me their new-customer rate of $36 a month including fees for internet-only service
3. Reduced use of air conditioning and dehumidifier sunstantially
4. Changed lightbulbs to LED
5. Recycled water from the dehumidifier
6. Collected rainwater from the roof
7. Negotiated a discount of about $300 for car tires
8. Obtained wood from my property
9. Used Gas Buddy to find cheapest gas in the area
10. Eliminated some trickle charges
11. Bought a new electric lawnmower, snowblower, and other yard gadgets (brush blade for the string trimmer) so I am no longer dependent on expensive and unreliable workers
12. Dry the laundry outdoors and put in it the dryer for 10 minutes to get the wrinkles out

I still have quite a few things left to do, like finding the best way to get hot water for the shower, changing my Medicare advantage plan, and finding someone to split a recalcitrant maple tree.

I realized that I was living as if I had unlimited cheap resources, with no real mindfulness about how much I was using, even though I'm normally frugal. That's not wise environmentally or financially. Simply becoming more aware of what I'm using and how much it costs has made a big difference in my expenses.

Utility companies make if so difficult to reduce costs that probably most of us can't face the amount of time it takes to do the research and negotiate with the companies. By the way, thanks a million to Thinkxingu for doing the research on energy suppliers and sending me to Direct Energy. It sure feels good to be depriving Eversource and Consolidated of their exorbitant increases.

[Seaplane Pilot]

Originally Posted by SailinAway

I just got my Eversource bill. Compared to September last year, I've reduced my electricity usage by 67%! The bill was $76 for 199 kWh. The August bill was $134 for 454 kWh. This is before I switched to Direct Energy as my cheaper supplier, which should be reflected in my next bill.

In August I (like many Americans and especially here in New Hampshire) suddenly became aware of the full meaning of inflation and I brainstormed and studied all the ways I could find to reduce expenses with electricity, telephone, internet, gasoline, heat, water, and home maintenance. I calculated the kWh of each electrical appliance in my home. I tracked my money-saving actions each day, which added up to 48 actions in one month. A sample:

1. Turned off the 53-gallon family-sized water heater
2. Lowered phone and internet bill from $1500 a year to $627 by dropping the Consolidated Communications landline, signing up for two years of unlimited Tracfone for $199 a year, and talking Consolidated into giving me their new-customer rate of $36 a month including fees for internet-only service
3. Reduced use of air conditioning and dehumidifier sunstantially
4. Changed lightbulbs to LED
5. Recycled water from the dehumidifier
6. Collected rainwater from the roof
7. Negotiated a discount of about $300 for car tires
8. Obtained wood from my property
9. Used Gas Buddy to find cheapest gas in the area
10. Eliminated some trickle charges
11. Bought a new electric lawnmower, snowblower, and other yard gadgets (brush blade for the string trimmer) so I am no longer dependent on expensive and unreliable workers
12. Dry the laundry outdoors and put in it the dryer for 10 minutes to get the wrinkles out

I still have quite a few things left to do, like finding the best way to get hot water for the shower, changing my Medicare advantage plan, and finding someone to split a recalcitrant maple tree.

I realized that I was living as if I had unlimited cheap resources, with no real mindfulness about how much I was using, even though I'm normally frugal. That's not wise environmentally or financially. Simply becoming more aware of what I'm using and how much it costs has made a big difference in my expenses.

Utility companies make if so difficult to reduce costs that probably most of us can't face the amount of time it takes to do the research and negotiate with the companies. By the way, thanks a million to Thinkxingu for doing the research on energy suppliers and sending me to Direct Energy. It sure feels good to be depriving Eversource and Consolidated of their exorbitant increases.

One more thing....Think very carefully about how you vote in November.

[WinnisquamZ]

Originally Posted by Seaplane Pilot

One more thing....Think very carefully about how you vote in November.

Well said


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

[John Mercier]

Why?
Are certain candidates in a position of authority going to go to price caps?

If not, CAPITALISM rules supreme.
We make more money in Europe on Natural Gas... so it isn't going to get cheaper here.

[DEJ]

Why? Are you serious?

[Sue Doe-Nym]

I was just thinking the same thing……we must be on different planets! Why, indeed.

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by DEJ

Why? Are you serious?

Quite serious.

We are sending more LNG to Europe from a 2018 EO... so natural gas prices are up for electricity... not to mention the local infrastructure was not designed for the higher level of demand from all the new building in the State.

We went from 13M b/d of refining capacity to 12M b/d between 2016 and 2020... that isn't coming back and more refiners are scheduled to close because investors consider prices to be too low.

So all that leaves is coal, that has to be brought in by rail... not a federal issue... and I haven't seen a lot of interest at the local level to redevelop the rail lines for year round freight use.

The secret... learn to be an actual conservative and conserve.

Those of us that do... we don't even feel any of the present pain that the rest of you seem to be moaning about.

[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by Seaplane Pilot

One more thing....Think very carefully about how you vote in November.

This is a serious thread for people who are struggling to afford the basics. Please don't hijack it to make a political statement.

[DEJ]

Originally Posted by SailinAway

This is a serious thread for people who are struggling to afford the basics. Please don't hijack it to make a political statement.

Unfortunately elections have a direct influence on the price of basics.

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by DEJ

Unfortunately elections have a direct influence on the price of basics.

No. They don't
Demand has a direct influence on the basics.

The 2018 EO allowing more LNG to be sent to Europe was capitalism as it normally works.

The shutdown of the 1M b/d of crude refining is capitalism as it normally works.

The scheduled shutdown of the Houston refinery at the end of 2023 will also be capitalism as it normally works.

A price cap... or a price support... that would not be capitalism as it normally works.

Releasing the SPOR was an attempt to avert capitalism... it might be working... but it will only be for a short period of time before it can no longer do so.

The industry has stated we need demand destruction to bring the balance back into line... so far... people have just been working on substitution.
Can't get gasoline... go to electricity... but then the grid can't handle the demand.

Europe is only going to reduce demand so much... and as long as they are willing to pay more for the energy than Americans, we will ship it there until we run out of ships.

I would hate to see this generation to have to deal with the war rationing that our Greatest Generation did.

[DEJ]

John, I am talking in general not specifically regarding fuel. Hope that helps.

[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by DEJ

John, I am talking in general not specifically regarding fuel. Hope that helps.

This would also be incorrect. As most economists would tell you, the Chairman of the Fed, the war in Ukraine, and worldwide supply chain issues have more impact on inflation than any potential results this November.

Back to the topic at hand--as Sailin and John have pointed out--it's easy to reduce your utility bill without too much pain, and the implications of doing so are great all around.

I'll also add that investments in insulation, solar, heat pumps, etc are a whole lot cheaper with the recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. Check details with your installer if you're considering these things

[DEJ]

Originally Posted by FlyingScot

This would also be incorrect. As most economists would tell you, the Chairman of the Fed, the war in Ukraine, and worldwide supply chain issues have more impact on inflation than any potential results this November.

I am not talking about this November? Please do not bring politics into this discussion.

[LikeLakes]

Sailin, what you listed is quite an accomplishment! It took not only a lot of research but also a willingness to alter habits and environment to achieve the goals you were looking for. Nicely done!

I think one of the problems is that the savings of energy and dollars that you are achieving took a lot of work on your part. This shouldn't be so hard. I worry about families that are already overwhelmed with the daily struggles of work and kids and finances that maybe don't have the bandwidth to find these kind of savings. I'd like to see families understanding that it is within reach to save on energy expense.

[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by LikeLakes

I think one of the problems is that the savings of energy and dollars that you are achieving took a lot of work on your part. This shouldn't be so hard. I worry about families that are already overwhelmed with the daily struggles of work and kids and finances that maybe don't have the bandwidth to find these kind of savings. I'd like to see families understanding that it is within reach to save on energy expense.

I entirely agree with you! The utility companies go out of their way to obfuscate how much you're paying, for what, and what another plan or company would charge. It used to be the case that Fairpoint would outright lie about plan charges to get you to sign up. That appears to have improved. Not everyone has the ability to research all of this and to be assertive with these companies to get better rates. The phone industry has become impossibly complicated.

There should also be more support for helping people reduce their energy usage and downscale their needs for other things. When recycling was still possible (before China rejected our garbage), my town provided recycling bins. That shows that strategies can be implemented town-wide to reduce waste. If a town can buy and deliver recycling bins, it could also buy and deliver rain barrels. If Eversource wants to double its supply charge, the logical response is to teach people to cut their electric usage in half, as I've done. People's smartphone addiction has led to wasteful consumerism for both the phone itself and phone service. We need to move in the opposite direction, toward basic phones and basic phone service. We're aware of severe environmental problems around things like water and we're acutely aware of inflation right now, but we lack imagination in how we counter these problems. Solutions need to be enacted at the national, state, and local level so that everyone, regardless of their education or access to technology, can take simple steps to reduce their usage.

[pondguy]

I buy a tracfone card every three months for my phone service works out to about $7.48 per month but I don't talk on the phone I just text.

[LikeLakes]

Originally Posted by SailinAway

I entirely agree with you! The utility companies go out of their way to obfuscate how much you're paying, for what, and what another plan or company would charge. It used to be the case that Fairpoint would outright lie about plan charges to get you to sign up. That appears to have improved. Not everyone has the ability to research all of this and to be assertive with these companies to get better rates. The phone industry has become impossibly complicated.

There should also be more support for helping people reduce their energy usage and downscale their needs for other things. When recycling was still possible (before China rejected our garbage), my town provided recycling bins. That shows that strategies can be implemented town-wide to reduce waste. If a town can buy and deliver recycling bins, it could also buy and deliver rain barrels. If Eversource wants to double its supply charge, the logical response is to teach people to cut their electric usage in half, as I've done. People's smartphone addiction has led to wasteful consumerism for both the phone itself and phone service. We need to move in the opposite direction, toward basic phones and basic phone service. We're aware of severe environmental problems around things like water and we're acutely aware of inflation right now, but we lack imagination in how we counter these problems. Solutions need to be enacted at the national, state, and local level so that everyone, regardless of their education or access to technology, can take simple steps to reduce their usage.

Smart phones are here to stay, only to increase in use, that one is a complete dead end for most people, myself included. From an energy use standpoint it's not a huge user, I think the larger problem is the huge expense to a family to keep say 5 phones and the cell plan, that expense didn't exist 30 years ago.

Imagine if we could say "gee, my expense for eggs and milk and beef and rice have gone way up, so hey Eversource, I'm going to pay you less for energy this month, just deal with it". To me that's what they do to us in reverse, there is no scenario where Eversource can lose money, they just ask for rate hikes and NH PUC rubber stamps them. They were allowed to shut down and write off losses on plants that ratepayers paid hundreds of millions to upgrade just a few years ago, then they tell us that rates have to rise due to demand. It's madness. I agree totally with you that we need to, in return, reduce their revenue by conserving where we can.

[John Mercier]

The Eversource rate hikes are mostly to upgrade the lines.
Can't build all these new homes and not upgrade the lines that supply the electricity.

The actual power hike is due to the increase in natural gas prices.
We used to have to sell to the US... because pipelines don't extend to Europe from here. But with the LNG option, and federal changes to open those markets, we have been building facilities to export.

Eversource gave us plenty of options to curtail this... we just didn't avail ourselves of them.

[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by LikeLakes

Imagine if we could say "gee, my expense for eggs and milk and beef and rice have gone way up, so hey Eversource, I'm going to pay you less for energy this month, just deal with it". To me that's what they do to us in reverse, there is no scenario where Eversource can lose money, they just ask for rate hikes and NH PUC rubber stamps them. They were allowed to shut down and write off losses on plants that ratepayers paid hundreds of millions to upgrade just a few years ago, then they tell us that rates have to rise due to demand. It's madness. I agree totally with you that we need to, in return, reduce their revenue by conserving where we can.

That's a really important point, LikeLakes. I think it's the same with Consolidated---replacing their aging infrastructure and raising rates to pay for it, with no loss of revenue for them.

I think the most important long-term change that needs to happen is to make environmentally sound energy, water, etc. affordable for everyone. We would all jump at that opportunity. For me personally, the new federal subsidies won't bring solar electric within my financial reach,much as I would love to go solar.

[TiltonBB]

Helpful hint: I knew someone years ago who would take his electric meter out, turn it upside down, and plug it back in. The four prongs on the back make that easy to do.

His claim was that he would let his meter run backwards for a week and doing that would take two weeks off of his electric bill. Interesting theory.

My uncle happened to manage the General Electric Meter Division in Dover, NH. Several years later I told him the story. He was very excited to tell me that they had fixed that flaw and if you inverted your meter now it would run twice as fast forward.

A large restaurant owner in Saugus, MA paid someone to take his meter apart and change the internal gears so that it ran at about 1/3 the correct speed. That went on for many years until he was caught and convicted.

Posted for informational purposes only. Don't try this at home!

[ITD]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

Helpful hint: I knew someone years ago who would take his electric meter out, turn it upside down, and plug it back in. The four prongs on the back make that easy to do.

His claim was that he would let his meter run backwards for a week and doing that would take two weeks off of his electric bill. Interesting theory.

My uncle happened to manage the General Electric Meter Division in Dover, NH. Several years later I told him the story. He was very excited to tell me that they had fixed that flaw and if you inverted your meter now it would run twice as fast forward.

A large restaurant owner in Saugus, MA paid someone to take his meter apart and change the internal gears so that it ran at about 1/3 the correct speed. That went on for many years until he was caught and convicted.

Posted for informational purposes only. Don't try this at home!

A long time ago I had a neighbor who was an electrician and decided it was a good idea to bypass his electric meter. He got caught, had to go to court, paid thousands in fines and all the electricity he stole plus interest. He was a nice guy, but a crook is still a crook at the end of the day.

[jbolty]

Originally Posted by ITD

A long time ago I had a neighbor who was an electrician and decided it was a good idea to bypass his electric meter. He got caught, had to go to court, paid thousands in fines and all the electricity he stole plus interest. He was a nice guy, but a crook is still a crook at the end of the day.

Meters are locked and sealed with a lead disk which has a code pressed into to reveal tampering but in the world of today many places have smart meters that no humans read so tampering might not be discovered but I would guess for those, unplugging it would be detected by the system.

My dad worked for NH co-op for many years and caught a few meter shenanigans

[tis]

We have an empty house and I saw the electric dept there one day so walked over. She said we haven't used any electricity and was wondering why. So I think after a while if you don't use any power they check. Of course you still pay the customer fee and service fee and all that but no KW charge.

[TheProfessor]

The tank type electric heater has 2 elements.
Which should be changed on a scheduled basis.

[jbolty]

Originally Posted by TheProfessor

The tank type electric heater has 2 elements.
Which should be changed on a scheduled basis.

This is much overlooked, along with draining tank sediment. I helped a friend change his water heater a while ago and we were shocked how heavy it was. cut it open and it was 1/3 or more full of basically cement in the bottom.

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by jbolty

Meters are locked and sealed with a lead disk which has a code pressed into to reveal tampering but in the world of today many places have smart meters that no humans read so tampering might not be discovered but I would guess for those, unplugging it would be detected by the system.

My dad worked for NH co-op for many years and caught a few meter shenanigans

The system would quickly detect no load and trigger a response as if your power had gone out.

[LikeLakes]

John, you are very knowledgeable in this area and I very much respect that. Maybe I'm wrong about some of what I'm saying, but in my opinion, defending Eversource is not a great position to be in.

The NH PUC, hardworking and trying their best to do what is right for NH residents, have been steamrolled over the years by PSNH/Eversource. Northern pass, thank goodness it was stopped at least for now, was a blatant attempt at a money grab by a public corporation, with massive spending on a PR campaign and legal wrangling.

I do understand the way a public company's finances work, including salary to upper management. It doesn't make it right for the leader to make 280 times the salary of the workers on the lower rungs.

Again in my opinion, when a company has a revenue stream that is set by the PUC in a manner that insures they can't lose money, insures they recoup all investment in infrastructure, there should be some limits to profitability at the expense of ratepayers. Don't we all wish we could run a company that can't lose money, can simply request more revenue and in nearly every case get it?

[John Mercier]

Stopping Northern Pass made you more dependent on the price of natural gas.

That would be a market line... and not a government required upgrade that could be recouped by transmission rates.

Quebec, and Eversource - since they were the only ones large enough to handle the build out of the transmission line all the way to a point in the grid that could handle that level of generation - gave you an out to at least a partial offset of the current increase in the actual cost of electricity that is based on market fundamentals. You chose no. Now you get to live with the choice you made. It was a collective choice... but one we may live to regret.
It also meant that we now have to pay more for the transmission upgrade to the Coos loop. That will allow the biomass plant in Berlin to run at full output even when other generation sources (wind/solar/smaller hydro) are seeing high output.

Everything except conservation and downsizing has offsets.
Also the arguments made by the opposition are going to have increased costs in the infrastructure going forward that will be significant. No neighborhood near an existing generator now feels that when transmission lines are to be replaced that they should be above ground in large overhead towers.
But it could go even further down... Laconia has a tower on the Eversource public launch site that runs to a tower at Opechee Point, and then to a tower on the North Main street side. What if Eversource had to place that one under the lake and charge it to all the customers... even those not next to Lake Opechee? Instances like this happen all around the State. So we could be looking at a much more costly line charge as we go forward over the next several years.

What a company pays its workers is up to a mix of the market demand/labor supply and what the investors/board are willing to forgo in return on their investment for that labor.

Whenever you invest in something, there are costs... you determine if those costs are valid in relation to your ROI.

[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by LikeLakes

I do understand the way a public company's finances work, including salary to upper management. It doesn't make it right for the leader to make 280 times the salary of the workers on the lower rungs.

Again in my opinion, when a company has a revenue stream that is set by the PUC in a manner that insures they can't lose money, insures they recoup all investment in infrastructure, there should be some limits to profitability at the expense of ratepayers. Don't we all wish we could run a company that can't lose money, can simply request more revenue and in nearly every case get it?

Exactly. Whatever the specifics, the whole thing is so obviously corrupt to enrich a few who take virtually no risk with a guaranteed revenue stream and ROI. The head of Eversource should make a few hundred grand as a "public" employee.

[John Mercier]

Why?
My bond fund manager takes a percentage of my return and isn't subject to me considering him a ''public'' employee.

I have the option to divest... so the investors at Eversource feel that the CEO is worth what is being paid... or have the option to divest.

[LikeLakes]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

Why?
My bond fund manager takes a percentage of my return and isn't subject to me considering him a ''public'' employee.

I have the option to divest... so the investors at Eversource feel that the CEO is worth what is being paid... or have the option to divest.

Does your bond fund manager go to the SEC and say "please make sure the market conditions dictate that our investment choices for our clients can't lose?"

John, you are completely missing the point. Of course a company can choose to pay people what they want to pay them, and in the case of a public company the board/shareholders can make those choices. Of course the board/shareholders of Eversource love their CEO and want to compensate him/her for pillaging the ratepayers through bullying, high powered legal methods, lobbying, and thus virtually guaranteeing profitability.

It's not that Eversource can't choose their own path, own CEO, own compensation levels, it's that Eversource isn't John Deere Tractor, making a product and competing in the marketplace. The rules should be different for these entities IMO.

[LikeLakes]

BTW John on your comments about Northern Pass, interesting take and would enjoy discussing at some point but that subject seems to need a thread of it's own. So I decided to stick with my "Eversource sucks" comments and leave NP out of it for now. But I did note your insightful take on it.

[John Mercier]

You can't lose with a bond.

And as I stated... the CEO pay is not tied to rates.
The CEO pay is directly paid from the return that the investors would get.
The more they choose to pay the employees and management, the less they get on their return.

Same as a bond fund manager.

And the rules are different... John Deere does not need to ask permission to set the price of their product.
If they were the same... Eversource would charge so much more.

[pondguy]

My bill was $91.00 dollars and I have a 30 gallon hot water heater that runs 1 hour a day. So that's 50 cents a day for a hot shower and hot water for dishes. Maybe a smaller hot water heater would work for you?

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by pondguy

My bill was $91.00 dollars and I have a 30 gallon hot water heater that runs 1 hour a day. So that's 50 cents a day for a hot shower and hot water for dishes. Maybe a smaller hot water heater would work for you?

My bill was $103, and I've got a 50-gallon water heater that runs whenever and four of us in the household.

Unless actually using a lot of hot water, I don't think the water heater is much of a draw.

Sent from my SM-G990U1 using Tapatalk

[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

My bill was $103, and I've got a 50-gallon water heater that runs whenever and four of us in the household. Unless actually using a lot of hot water, I don't think the water heater is much of a draw

It's hard to tell how much electricity the water heater is using unless you have it on a timer. Mine is 4000 watts, which is a lot. What were your August and September kWh uses?

[John Mercier]

While it is hard to determine from the bill rather than a smart meter that would give you a fairly reliable reading of the appliance usage... I think once the low hanging fruit is taken... it is all going to be about the small trickles.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by SailinAway

It's hard to tell how much electricity the water heater is using unless you have it on a timer. Mine is 4000 watts, which is a lot. What were your August and September kWh uses?

The $103 was my August/September bill (read date of 9/18). Summer months aren't a fair gauge of power for us because we're up at camp most of the time.

The biggest electric cost for me is electric baseboard heating. We haven't changed that for a myriad of reasons, but are beginning to look at options again. I haven't ever paid for wood—and I just scored 2.5 cords or so of free 3-year-seasoned hardwood, for a total of about 5 year's worth in my rack—so that helps a lot.

What I did and what I think of the outcome:
* Water heater to vacation mode when away. I think this is negligible as when we'd return home after a week, the water would still be warm enough to shower and the elements wouldn't run very long to catch up.

* Dehumidifier setting. A dehumidifier is essentially a refrigerator, so turning this up 5% certainly had it running less. I couldn't go any higher, though, as it would begin to smell musty.

* New refrigerator. We had replaced our 20+ year-old refrigerator in spring with an Energy Saver model, and it definitely runs much less than the old one. I'm sure I'm saving here.

* Increasing AC from 72 to 75 when home and to 85 when away. I think this is the absolute biggest saver. I'm actually weirded out to think we'd only raise it a couple degrees when we were away and that we'd use blankets at 72.

* Washer/Dryer: I began setting my Speed Queen washer to heavy duty. This doesn't use any more water, which we run cold anyway, but has a much more powerful spin dry to where the clothes are almost dry. This runs the dryer for a much shorter period of time, which I'm sure helps.

* Dishwasher: I noticed that my dishes tended to be dry as soon as the cycle was done, so we shut off the heating element option. I gotta think this saves a few bucks as we run it two to three times a week.

Sent from my SM-G990U1 using Tapatalk

[John Mercier]

Moving your AC up... that actually should have helped with the water heater not losing its temperature as fast.

When you cooled the house down to 72... the heat loss would be greater from the warmer water to the cooler ambient air... and the water heater would need to run to compensate for that.

It is why we must think in broader terms of usage to get those smaller, but generally less capital intensive, savings.

I know they want to upgrade the grid... but the backlash at transmission projects is pretty intense in the areas that it is going to happen.

[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

The $103 was my August/September bill (read date of 9/18). Summer months aren't a fair gauge of power for us because we're up at camp most of the time.

The biggest electric cost for me is electric baseboard heating. We haven't changed that for a myriad of reasons, but are beginning to look at options again. I haven't ever paid for wood—and I just scored 2.5 cords or so of free 3-year-seasoned hardwood, for a total of about 5 year's worth in my rack—so that helps a lot.

What I did and what I think of the outcome:
* Water heater to vacation mode when away. I think this is negligible as when we'd return home after a week, the water would still be warm enough to shower and the elements wouldn't run very long to catch up.

* Dehumidifier setting. A dehumidifier is essentially a refrigerator, so turning this up 5% certainly had it running less. I couldn't go any higher, though, as it would begin to smell musty.

* New refrigerator. We had replaced our 20+ year-old refrigerator in spring with an Energy Saver model, and it definitely runs much less than the old one. I'm sure I'm saving here.

* Increasing AC from 72 to 75 when home and to 85 when away. I think this is the absolute biggest saver. I'm actually weirded out to think we'd only raise it a couple degrees when we were away and that we'd use blankets at 72.

* Washer/Dryer: I began setting my Speed Queen washer to heavy duty. This doesn't use any more water, which we run cold anyway, but has a much more powerful spin dry to where the clothes are almost dry. This runs the dryer for a much shorter period of time, which I'm sure helps.

* Dishwasher: I noticed that my dishes tended to be dry as soon as the cycle was done, so we shut off the heating element option. I gotta think this saves a few bucks as we run it two to three times a week.

Sent from my SM-G990U1 using Tapatalk

Thanks for sharing your results, Think! Fun, eh? Some questions and comments:

Wood: How did you "score 2.5 cords of free wood"?

Dehumidifier: I have one in the basement and one upstairs. For the one upstairs I noticed that if it smells musty, turning on the dehumidifier for one hour gets rid of that, so I've been able to run it one hour a couple of times a week. Dehumidifying the basement down to 50% takes several hours. Again, it only needs to be done once or twice a week. Also, I think it was John Mercier who said that if you dehumidify the basement that will lower the humidity in the house so I've been mindful of that. The ridge vents I installed with the roof replacement last year seem to have improved the humidity problem, which was previously severe.

Washing machine: What determines the capacity to remove water from the clothes? Is it the "power" of the spin dry or the length of the spinning? I tried spinning it twice today and it did seem drier. By the way, if you hang "wetter" clothes in the house in the winter you will appreciate the increased humidity. Perhaps not something you want to do with a family.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by SailinAway

Thanks for sharing your results, Think! Fun, eh? Some questions and comments:

Wood: How did you "score 2.5 cords of free wood"?

Dehumidifier: I have one in the basement and one upstairs. For the one upstairs I noticed that if it smells musty, turning on the dehumidifier for one hour gets rid of that, so I've been able to run it one hour a couple of times a week. Dehumidifying the basement down to 50% takes several hours. Again, it only needs to be done once or twice a week. Also, I think it was John Mercier who said that if you dehumidify the basement that will lower the humidity in the house so I've been mindful of that. The ridge vents I installed with the roof replacement last year seem to have improved the humidity problem, which was previously severe.

Washing machine: What determines the capacity to remove water from the clothes? Is it the "power" of the spin dry or the length of the spinning? I tried spinning it twice today and it did seem drier. By the way, if you hang "wetter" clothes in the house in the winter you will appreciate the increased humidity. Perhaps not something you want to do with a family.

Wood: I posted on my community forum a few years ago asking if anyone had down trees I could have. Because I took pine, I got a reputation as the "go-to guy" and people now connect with me first. This most recent offer is a bunch of wood that's been in a lean-to since the people moved in—they can't burn wood because their son has allergies.

Dehumidifier: 60 was too high, 50 is good. I have it on auto to just run. I could probably save a couple bucks just running it for an hour or two a day, but there's some things that just aren't worth dealing with.

Washer: I'm not sure if it spins longer or harder, but the clothes are definitely drier and I have nowhere to hang them—with 4 people, it's a LOT of laundry and, again, some things aren't worth jumping through hoops for. That being said, my drier has a sensor that ends up with the clothes just dry—I'm fairly confident it doesn't run longer than it needs to.

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[John Mercier]

You wouldn't save much on the dehumidifier for the difference that a problem of higher humidity might cause.

Whether it spins at a higher rate for a shorter period of time or a lower rate for a longer period of time is a rather interesting question. The higher speed would mean more centrifugal action removing the water... but the longer period may allow for more water to ''migrate'' through a ''clump'' of clothes.

I believe the manufacturers are using the higher RPM option, but I wonder if anyone studied the value of the longer in relation to energy use?

[LikeLakes]

Washer/dryers are another interesting subject. Our switch to high quality front load ones maybe 10 years ago was one of my favorite appliance upgrades ever. They use significantly less water, less energy, less detergent, and clothes are dryer after the spin cycle. The only downside is they are quite a bit more expensive than top load.

In the case of front load the spin is definitely rpm-specific, meaning the spin/dry cycle you choose spins faster if you want clothes dryer, I think you can choose extra spin on ours as well. Not that I'm calculating it, but my guess is the energy used for faster spin or extra spin is way less than the 10 minutes or more of extra drying time for wetter clothes.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by LikeLakes

Not that I'm calculating it, but my guess is the energy used for faster spin or extra spin is way less than the 10 minutes or more of extra drying time for wetter clothes.

Agree, especially since the drum will already be moving and maintenance takes much less power than acceleration.

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[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

You wouldn't save much on the dehumidifier for the difference that a problem of higher humidity might cause.

Whether it spins at a higher rate for a shorter period of time or a lower rate for a longer period of time is a rather interesting question. The higher speed would mean more centrifugal action removing the water... but the longer period may allow for more water to ''migrate'' through a ''clump'' of clothes.

I believe the manufacturers are using the higher RPM option, but I wonder if anyone studied the value of the longer in relation to energy use?

John, I always enjoy how your analytical mind works. I'm watching my clothes dry outdoors right now. No perceptible drying after 4 hours on this cloudy, cool day with 60% humidity. It still feels good to be cheating Eversource.

[John Mercier]

Eversource is regulated.
They really can't be ''cheated''.

They get paid basically to make the investment to deliver the power that others generate.

If you put in solar tied to the grid... you might think you are selling to Eversource as they do the billing and transmission, but really you would be selling the excess power to your neighbor.

[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

Eversource is regulated.
They really can't be ''cheated''.

Translation of "cheat Eversource": foil Eversource's plan of increasing their profits at consumers' expense by using as little electricity as possible.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by SailinAway

John, I always enjoy how your analytical mind works. I'm watching my clothes dry outdoors right now. No perceptible drying after 4 hours on this cloudy, cool day with 60% humidity. It still feels good to be cheating Eversource.

When I use the "solar dryer", I pick a windy day.

Clothes--but especially sheets--get that nice "outdoors-clean" smell.

(Clothes will dry even if frozen).

[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by pondguy

My bill was $91.00 dollars and I have a 30 gallon hot water heater that runs 1 hour a day. So that's 50 cents a day for a hot shower and hot water for dishes. Maybe a smaller hot water heater would work for you?

Yes, this is one of the options I'm considering, as well as an on-demand heater. Just have not had time to research these thoroughly due to having to prepare wood for the winter. I would certainly pay 50 cents for a hot shower right about now . . .

[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by FlyingScot

Back to the topic at hand--as Sailin and John have pointed out--it's easy to reduce your utility bill without too much pain, and the implications of doing so are great all around.

Yes, that was my message, although there will be a period with some pain while you study different options and put changes in place. The "pain" will especially be in the fall and winter around heat and hot water. It takes time to do all this, but you can make a few changes at a time, starting with the ones that would result in the biggest savings and/or can be done immediately.

[Seaplane Pilot]

Originally Posted by SailinAway

This is a serious thread for people who are struggling to afford the basics. Please don't hijack it to make a political statement.

I made no such political statement. I simply said to think very carefully about how you vote. As a matter of fact, I’ll say it again. Think very carefully about how you vote. Perhaps if people vote a certain way (I’m not suggesting which party they should vote for), their “struggles to afford the basics” may improve. You can stick your head in the sand all you want, but facts are facts.

[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by Seaplane Pilot

I made no such political statement. I simply said to think very carefully about how you vote. As a matter of fact, I’ll say it again. Think very carefully about how you vote. Perhaps if people vote a certain way (I’m not suggesting which party they should vote for), their “struggles to afford the basics” may improve. You can stick your head in the sand all you want, but facts are facts.

Most things in life relate to politics one way or another. But not every thread is about politics. How about you open your own political thread so you can post your facts? This one is about how individuals can save money on utilities today.

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by SailinAway

I just got my Eversource bill. Compared to September last year, I've reduced my electricity usage by 67%! The bill was $76 for 199 kWh. The August bill was $134 for 454 kWh. This is before I switched to Direct Energy as my cheaper supplier, which should be reflected in my next bill.

In August I (like many Americans and especially here in New Hampshire) suddenly became aware of the full meaning of inflation and I brainstormed and studied all the ways I could find to reduce expenses with electricity, telephone, internet, gasoline, heat, water, and home maintenance. I calculated the kWh of each electrical appliance in my home. I tracked my money-saving actions each day, which added up to 48 actions in one month. A sample:

1. Turned off the 53-gallon family-sized water heater
2. Lowered phone and internet bill from $1500 a year to $627 by dropping the Consolidated Communications landline, signing up for two years of unlimited Tracfone for $199 a year, and talking Consolidated into giving me their new-customer rate of $36 a month including fees for internet-only service
3. Reduced use of air conditioning and dehumidifier sunstantially
4. Changed lightbulbs to LED
5. Recycled water from the dehumidifier
6. Collected rainwater from the roof
7. Negotiated a discount of about $300 for car tires
8. Obtained wood from my property
9. Used Gas Buddy to find cheapest gas in the area
10. Eliminated some trickle charges
11. Bought a new electric lawnmower, snowblower, and other yard gadgets (brush blade for the string trimmer) so I am no longer dependent on expensive and unreliable workers
12. Dry the laundry outdoors and put in it the dryer for 10 minutes to get the wrinkles out

I still have quite a few things left to do, like finding the best way to get hot water for the shower, changing my Medicare advantage plan, and finding someone to split a recalcitrant maple tree.

I realized that I was living as if I had unlimited cheap resources, with no real mindfulness about how much I was using, even though I'm normally frugal. That's not wise environmentally or financially. Simply becoming more aware of what I'm using and how much it costs has made a big difference in my expenses.

Utility companies make if so difficult to reduce costs that probably most of us can't face the amount of time it takes to do the research and negotiate with the companies. By the way, thanks a million to Thinkxingu for doing the research on energy suppliers and sending me to Direct Energy. It sure feels good to be depriving Eversource and Consolidated of their exorbitant increases.

Draft dogs at door and windows - also check the weather stripping for replacement. Make sure you lock the units.
Both interior and exterior storm windows... and window quilts.

4-H taught us a lot in the 70s.