Home Energy Reduction Progress

Solar energy — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:23:48 +0000

: Image by thingermejig via Flickr

Our Home Energy Reduction 2008 Progress

This week I paid my last electric utility bill for 2008. As mentioned in Monday’s post we went off our “energy diet” during the holidays, so the monthly bill was higher than usual.

Still, in spite of our holiday energy binge, we used fewer kilowatt-hours (kWh) than the previous December (2007). Almost 5% less than last December, in fact.

We have been paying closer attention to our energy consumption for six (6) months now. Only four (4) months ago we began implementing some changes.

The news is that comparing our 2007 and 2008 home kilowatt-hour (kWh) use, we reduced our energy consumption in 2008 by more than 10 percent! This may seem like peanuts to some, but to me this is nothing short of amazing!

Really, our efforts have been minimal not extreme by any stretch of the imagination. I mean, if we had made this same minimal effort the whole year, I estimate our reduction over twelve (12) months would be at least 20 percent.

I have not calculated how my 10 percent reduction translates in carbon footprint terms.

Does anyone know how to make this calculation?

If so, please leave a comment. Thanks!

Home Energy Efficiency and Major Appliances

Solar energy — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:01:11 +0000

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Home Energy Efficiency and Major Appliances

Eventually, I want a net ZEH , a house that produces as much energy as it uses.

We are taking the small steps toward that end goal. Our initial goal is to reduce our energy consumption by 25%. For us that means reducing energy use to 38 kWh/day. Reliable sources, like my energy provider, declare our major household appliances huge contributors to our energy consumption.

Using our handy new Kill-A-Watt meter, we are now testing our major household appliances—the refrigerator, freezer, and hot water heater.

Today we have our refrigerator plugged into our Kill-A-Watt meter. The refrigerator is a GE 18.2 cubic foot, frost-free, refrigerator/freezer. It was here when we moved into this house ten years ago. I estimate it to be a 1996 model. I find no energy-star rating on it anywhere.

After twenty-four hours, I will check the reading and see how many kilowatt-hours my older GE refrigerator has used. Multiplying that number by 365 days in a year will give me an estimate of the refrigerator energy requirements over a year’s time. This information will help me decide if buying a new, energy efficient refrigerator would be a wise investment.

Perhaps leaving the refrigerator plugged into the Kill-A-Watt meter for a week or thirty days would give a truer estimate. Maybe I’ll do that another day.

But just now I am anxious to find out what I am paying for my stand-alone freezer which is 28 years old! That’s next!

I’ll let you know how this turns out.

Simple Home Solar Energy » Kilowatt hour

Home Energy Reduction Progress

Our Home Energy Reduction 2008 Progress

Home Energy Efficiency and Major Appliances

Home Energy Efficiency and Major Appliances