A 173.00 electric bill

[adrianf]

How bout a PS3 and Plasma screen TV using more power than most current refrigerators.

http://green-blog.org/2008/06/16/res...-refrigerator/

[adamk]

2nd on the appliances. If you can get a few year old refrigerator off craigslist or somewhere
for a few hundred, it will pay for itself in the reduced electricity. I read somewhere that a 10 year old refrigerator consumes $250 in electricity. A few year old one consumes $50.

70 degrees is pretty cool for sleeping - How about 74-76 ?

Radiant barrier would help a ventilated attic. Do that before adding insulation. Otherwise you'll be compressing the insulation as you walk around to put in the barrier.

[sparksandfan]

Sidebar: the A/C runs off/on (more on) all nite to keep temp at between 69-71*. This is what sucks. Besides gaining so much heat during the day, we have to fight just to keep the house sleepable at night.

This indicates that you need a radiant barrier. You can tape a temperature probe to a small diameter dowel, drill a hole in the ceiling, and push the stick up the ceiling into the insulation. The insulation may be retaining heat from the day's sun load. If it is, the solution is a radiant barrier.

An energy star refrigerator will use about a third energy of an old refrigerator. Also, the refrigerator is dumping that excess heat out into your kitchen, to be removed by the A/C.

[RomulanSpy]

2nd on the appliances. If you can get a few year old refrigerator off craigslist or somewhere
for a few hundred, it will pay for itself in the reduced electricity. I read somewhere that a 10 year old refrigerator consumes $250 in electricity. A few year old one consumes $50.

70 degrees is pretty cool for sleeping - How about 74-76 ?

Radiant barrier would help a ventilated attic. Do that before adding insulation. Otherwise you'll be compressing the insulation as you walk around to put in the barrier.

is a 2004 Kenmore Elite Energy Star. The Lexus of frigs for the avg consumer. I we have ancient deep freeze in the hot garage. Another suspect is the dryer, but you can't buy energy star dryers.

Like I said all windows are double tinted and the west/south sides are shaded from 3:00-til sundown.

[RomulanSpy]

How old is your refrigerator. If it is more than 10 years old, the electric savings on a new one may pay for it in five or six years.

Switch out all bulbs to compact flourescents. If you have some that are on a dimmer or motion switch, make sure they are the dimmable type - I buy my dimmable ones on Ebay.

Check out the possibility of adding solar screens to any window that gets much sun in the summer. They can really cut a lot of the load on your AC.

Do NOT put an attic fan in.

use the microwave and a small convection oven to do any major summer cookin'. Rarely do we crank up the big oven

[adrianf]

Is the dryer vent clear?

[RomulanSpy]

1700 sq-ft split-foyer in Baltimore built in '86. Original Anderson windows, 12" atttic insulation, house gets beat on by the sun all day long.

All electric home. 2 refrigerators (1 just for beer and soda).

Just me and the boss.

Keep the hot water tank at 125F. Who needs 150F water to shower with when its 90F outside?

Try to tell the boss to minimize the use of the dryer.

Have ceiling fans in all rooms. Run the air handler fan when home to pull cooler air from the below-grade family room (and keep the boss away from the t-stat).

Setback t-stat: 73 wake-up, 78 when at work, 74 return from work, 73 at bed time.

Rates are now 13.77 cents per kw-hr delivered.

Replaced a fully functional, 21 year-old 7 SEER heat pump with a 14 SEER Goodman last June to combat a 72% rise in electric rates.

Used 755 kw-hr in June for a $120 electric bill.

Reduced summer kw consumption by approx 40% going from 7 SEER to 14 SEER.

Good luck.

Mine's a 10 SEER, but I still think I can significant savings by trading up-next spring

[RomulanSpy]

Is the dryer vent clear?

it vents into the already, hot garage. But thats the only vent the builder chose to bless us w/unless it vented into our bathroom

[RomulanSpy]

2nd on the appliances. If you can get a few year old refrigerator off craigslist or somewhere
for a few hundred, it will pay for itself in the reduced electricity. I read somewhere that a 10 year old refrigerator consumes $250 in electricity. A few year old one consumes $50.

70 degrees is pretty cool for sleeping - How about 74-76 ?

Radiant barrier would help a ventilated attic. Do that before adding insulation. Otherwise you'll be compressing the insulation as you walk around to put in the barrier.

I ain't budgin' on.

[gary_g]

I ain't budgin' on.

You never answered the question about ceiling fans.

This post has gotten a lot of feedback. We either must like aliens or think that you're female

[gary_g]

2nd on the appliances. If you can get a few year old refrigerator off craigslist or somewhere
for a few hundred, it will pay for itself in the reduced electricity. I read somewhere that a 10 year old refrigerator consumes $250 in electricity. A few year old one consumes $50.

My 1996 fridge has a data tag that states "6.5 amps full load". My 2001 side-by-side w/ice and water in the door also states "6.5 amps full load". Not sure of the amp draw on later models.

My dryer uses 5600 watts. 5.6 kw x 1 hr x $.13/kw-hr = 73 cents per hour to run. Run it at 1 hour/day for one month = $22 per month. Ouch.

[t527ed]

Another suspect is the dryer, but you can't buy energy star dryers.

sure you can........






its called a clothes line.


i wish my bill was what yours is.......

i'm a little less than 2x that.

[gary_g]

sure you can........

its called a clothes line.

i wish my bill was what yours is.......

i'm a little less than 2x that.

Your property taxes in NJ are absolutley killer. I believe you have one of the highest in the country, but that's a whole 'nother subject.

Take care.