2007 Electricity Reduction

[Paulh_Boats]

During 2006 we used about 4280 kWh over 12 months.. based upon meter readings from the utility company and myself.

If we continue the last 10 days use of electricity, buy the end of February 2008 our 12 month usage should be 75% of the 2006 figure e.g. 3200 kWh.

The reduction is due to:

Installing a 30 tube solar thermal panel (May 2007) AND replacing a 7kW electric shower with a gravity fed shower.

Buying an Electrisave and being shocked at the results!

Eliminated 2x30 Watt lights on fish tank.

Turning things off more, the whole family have done a great job!

Reduced use of dishwasher.


I expect to see a further improvement through 2008 with a new grade A freezer, 3 seasons of free showers (some days were free in Jan), turning modem/router off, easier turning off with remote standby and 560 Wp of PV panels.



The dishwasher is in my sights...but wifey will put up a battle   To be fair I did talk her into buying another 180Wp PV panel with her own money  that might just offset the electricity it uses... ....I mean wastes 

-Paul

[Ivan]

By the way, I have a plan to improve an electric shower (it's taboo, and no-one uses it at the moment). I plan to tap into it's cold water supply and fit a mixer valve, so that its cold supply is actually warmed to acceptable temperature. Then the shower will only be used on it's 'cold' setting. I guess I should also get inside it and safely isolate the element, so that even if someone turns it onto 'heated' setting, it won't get too hot. It seems a cheap and easy way to modify an existing electric shower to cope with solar-heated water, without having to replace it altogether.

Our normal dishwasher cycle uses 1.5kWh. Have you checked yours? I occasionally run the 'fast' cycle, which is 0.5kWh, but the dishes usually come out still dirty, so it doesn't actually save any power!

[Bob]

Dishwasher!!

I last had one of those in 1995.  I have two kids and quite often 4 or 5 volunteers eating with me.  No dishwasher.  Just a bowl or two of warm water heated by the sun or our wood burning range.  It really doesn't take long to wash a few plates, cups (each person in the house seems to use about 20 of those a day), pans and some cutlery.

[Paulh_Boats]

By the way, I have a plan to improve an electric shower (it's taboo, and no-one uses it at the moment). I plan to tap into it's cold water supply and fit a mixer valve, so that its cold supply is actually warmed to acceptable temperature. Then the shower will only be used on it's 'cold' setting. I guess I should also get inside it and safely isolate the element, so that even if someone turns it onto 'heated' setting, it won't get too hot. It seems a cheap and easy way to modify an existing electric shower to cope with solar-heated water, without having to replace it altogether.

Our normal dishwasher cycle uses 1.5kWh. Have you checked yours? I occasionally run the 'fast' cycle, which is 0.5kWh, but the dishes usually come out still dirty, so it doesn't actually save any power!

Ivan,

To be honest I don't think it will be worth messing around with the electric beast. By the time you have plumbed in the hot and mounted the mixer nearby you have done most of the work for a gravity shower.

Also I would remove the 6mm cable entirely, or chop it off both ends if its buried in the wall.

You can get really nice showers from Screwfix at good prices and my family like the new one better. Just look out for a model the gives 10L/min at 1m head, some are much less.

-Paul