How to reduce your electricity bill & help save the planet (and your pocket!)

[TriniXaeno]

Please vote in the poll above based on how much you pay T&TEC for electricity.

A recent spate of massive bills had me wondering what was eating up all the current at home. Was it the PS3, 360 and Wii? Maybe the gaming PCs? Or perhaps a malfunctioning fridge in the kitchen?

I began to search online for a remedy to the situation. Some technology that could help identify the power vampires that are sucking up the energy and leaving me out of pocket.

Came across these little gems

1) Kill-a-watt

A device that tells you how much electricity any given device is using. Been around for years and has built almost a cult following amongst power penny pinchers.

Only problem, this needs to be used "in line" with a 110v outlet. That means 220v appliances can't be checked. Works great for everything else though.

http://www.p3international.com/products/p4460.html


2) The Energy Detective 5000 (TED for short) and Current Cost Envi

These two monitors connect to your breaker panel and read power usage for the entire home via electromagnetism. Great for seeing when the AC kicks in or the water heater ramps up to full load.
There have been studies that show once a household is aware of their electricity usage in real-time, they cut costs by about 10 - 20%. The reduction is due primarily to increased vigilance (taking off lights, unplugging devices not in active use, taking shorter showers, etc...).

From reviews, the TED is pricier but more accurate and comes with native ethernet support while the Envi, though cheaper is easier to setup and uses wireless but requires an add on "web bridge" component for ethernet.

http://www.theenergydetective.com/

http://www.currentcost.com/index.html

3) BlueLine Power Cost Monitor and Black & Decker Power Monitor

BlueLine has taken a different approach with their Power Cost Monitor. This device keeps an eye on your power meter, literally. It connects right on the face of the physical meter and reads the usage directly from the rotating dial or from an optical port (depending on the make and model of your meter). The data is broadcasted to a wireless display unit so you can see the energy consumption from the comfort of your living room. Assuming that your meter is located very close to the house. Being a wireless setup, it will not penetrate the many concrete walls typically found in a trini abode.

The Black & Decker Power Monitor is almost identical and functions in similar fashion. I suspect this is nothing more than a re-branding exercise. The devices are so similar that they both can use the same Wifi gateway accessory. An add-on worth mentioning (and purchasing) if you wish to transmit statistics to your computer or an online tracking tool for detailed analysis. Be warned, the gateway actually costs more than the monitor itself.

Unfortunately, this eyeball concept does not work with all power meters. You need to be very careful in ensuring yours is compatible. There are many reports of alignment issues making it difficult to setup due to the precise nature of reading the infrared signal out of optical ports on some smart meters. My T&TEC meter has the port located on the top (an Itron) and the glass is obscure (covered in dust and grime). Your mileage may vary.

http://www.bluelineinnovations.com/

http://www.blackanddecker.com/power-tools/EM100B.aspx

4) Google Power Meter & Microsoft Hohm

Google is encouraging people to track their energy usage, use less and save money by offering the power meter service for free. Their monitoring tool allows you to view your home's energy consumption from anywhere online.

If you have a supported smart meter on a smart grid, you can connect it to your google account via your service provider and away you go. If you don't (like us Trinis with T&TEC) then you can get into the power meter game using the TED 5000, Envi or Power monitors to provide those statistics to google.

http://www.google.com/powermeter/about/

Microsoft is getting into the game as well with Microsoft Hohm. Urging home owners to take steps to become more energy efficient. The service is similar to Google's, being free and allowing users to track their electricity usage online. Service maybe limited to residents of the United States only.

http://www.microsoft-hohm.com/

Pro Tip: If you plan to use Google's Power Meter or Microsoft-hohm, native ethernet support would be a big plus as you will not require having a PC on 24/7 to send statistics online. (Leaving a computer on 24/7 would sort of defeat the goal of saving money on your electric bill now wouldn't it?) If you skimped on the ethernet, consider using a laptop or netbook instead of a desktop PC to stream the data online...draws a lot less power.

[Netizen1]

cool info there, however, which did you end up choosing?

[TriniXaeno]

Well I plan to start with the Kill-a-Watt.

It's the cheapest of the three hard ware solutions. (US$20-30)

As a side note, took a look at the power usage of the consoles and a typical gaming PC:

http://www.hardcoreware.net/reviews/review-356-2.htm

Scary figures there (well except for the Wii, that just sips on current)

Definitely not gonna leave on the xbox 360 and PS3 at those consumption levels.

Gonna need to enable some heavy power saving features on our gaming PCs as well.

Based on the T&TEC bills, we are averaging about 1800 kilowatts a month or 60kilowatts a day. Thats a whopping $1500 every billing cycle (two months)

A lot of energy guzzlers lurking about the house and with that Kill-a-Watt, I'm gonna find 'em.

If that fails to do the job, then the TED 5000 or Envi will get a chance to play energy sleuth at the TriniWyatt household. They cost much more though (about US$150-250), so only gonna spend that dollars if I really need too. The idea is to save energy and money after all. lol

[Netizen1]

wda @ light bill...

we hardly ever cross $200 per bill (more like < $150)

I've of course been a great advocate of those "ice-cream" light bulbs, the energy efficient kind, that uses about 17W to the average 60W bulb...

Also, I hate to see lights on when no one's in the room, so I'm always turning off lights when no one's in the room.

That said, we'll be moving in to the new house next month, so I'll keep an eye on the bill with the additional rooms and pump etc.

[TriniXaeno]

$200 per bill? wow.

That's bloody amazing.

Do you have the old style meter? With the rotating wheel? Or the new digital ones with the RF signal?

Most of the people I have heard with such low bills are still on the old meter.

We've got the entire house kitted out with those low watt fluorescent bulbs. I think there are only two incandescents hanging around still and three decorative halogen bulbs which are pretty much never used.

What I would give to get a $200 bill like yours.

[Netizen1]

new meters, at the apartment and at the new house...

Have you also stopped to consider that someone may be tapping your electricity? Stealing current, but it's somehow being reflected on your bill?

Did the bills suddenly jump out of proportion, or was it a steady increase?

Why not have an electrician investigate... to be getting a $1500 bill every two months, that's insane!!!

[VirtueTT]

new meters, at the apartment and at the new house...

Have you also stopped to consider that someone may be tapping your electricity? Stealing current, but it's somehow being reflected on your bill?

Did the bills suddenly jump out of proportion, or was it a steady increase?

Why not have an electrician investigate... to be getting a $1500 bill every two months, that's insane!!!

$200?! You sure YOU not tapping electricity??? I live in a house with 4 other people. Literally nothing is "on" between 7 AM - 5 PM except for a water heater, a blink modem, 2 UPS and probly the cordless phones. Our bill goes between 900-1500 every 2 months. Thats with an AC or 2 on every night or so. But to me that jus seems reasonable for what we do. OH and when W1nTry decides to leave his machine folding all day long.....

[Netizen1]

Put it another way, but my in-laws, the max I ever saw their light bill was about $300...

Water heater, pump, washing machine going every other day (don't ask!), no AC, no high end rigs or gaming systems... just one average PC that is used on FB every night

So you tell me, what's normal?

[Arcmanov]

Well, for me alone, with 2 PCs, 1 on 24/7, a fridge, washing machine once a week,
consoles on 'occasionally'...my bill is usually around $430 per cycle (60 days).

I am going to get one of those Kill-a-Watt meters, because I still think my bill is too high.

[Redfish]

The light bill at home is never more than $600......

In my house is 4 A/C that hardly ever used since the place is generally cool, my rig on a 1000VA ups, a basic rig that everybody else uses that has 2 UPS as the blink modem and wireless router and too many other things are in that one area, my laptop which rarely goes on if I am at home and my sis laptop. A water heater, washing machine, dryer, two door fridge, big deep freeze to store meat, water pump on 24/7 for pops talapia, electric gate etc etc...

Wyatt you hadda have some sorta electricity monster hiding in your house or something because so much money on power in 2 months??? nah man...really hadda check that out to see if a man pipin yuh current from next door or something lol

[Redlum08]

Wyatt, perhaps its your meter thats wrong and T&TEC overcharging you...LOL

[W1nTry]

Actually 600 is pretty damn good, my gf apt was 400 last cycle (2 months) and its just 1 AC, 1 TV, 1 fridge and otherwise its just lights. No washer/dryer/etc.

[Netizen1]

how 'bout we add a lil poll to this discussion?

What's your average light bill?

• < 200
• 201 - 400
• 401 - 600
• 601 - 800
• 801++
• I don't have a clue

[TriniXaeno]

great idea, poll added.

The more feedback on electricity bills and general appliances/computers/people in the home, the better.

yeah boy redlum, it really sounding like T&TEC hitting me a six for a nine yes.

Looks like Virtue is the only person getting hit with a bill close to mine. His usage pattern sounds very similar as well, so maybe thats the reason.

[Crixx_Creww]

wda , i wasnt takin this seriously
but after seeing men with under 400 and man like wyatt with 1500
something hadda be wrong
i know my bill used to be in the 1500 + range
largely attributed to acs running alot when people home.

As part of the poll, ask people to do a serious round up of the electrical equipment that is left on / used.
Washer and dryer, electric stove, Fridge and freezer, big sound system left on "stand by"
Alarm system, acs, tvs, chargers, pcs, laptops, tvs, monitors, speakers
yadda yadda

[Jdcrys_Shinkuu]

um my rent is 1100. per month with utils included lol so yh.... i got ac n lasco fan plus my gaming rig 750w ps3 n wii o yes n a 32inch lcd...

God is Good All The Time!!!  lol

[TriniXaeno]

wth, JD you paying less in rent than I pay for electricity, lol

Nice detailed info there Hard OC. You really game by candlelight? How come the lights are only on for 10 minutes per day?

Crixx, you vote? Cause I ain't see anyone vote in the range above $1500 yet. Nice to know Virtue and I aren't the only ones paying blood money to T&TEC.

Last bill: $1478.29

Meter Type: Digital (see picture below)

Occupants in house: 5

Appliances running 24/7:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2 Fridges
1 Deep freeze
Cordless Phone
Logitech Z5500 (I need to start taking this one off, I know)
Logitech X230 (likewise)
Wireless Router
4 Security Cameras (could be vampires)
1 DVR system (for the security cameras)
Flow Cable Modem

Other Appliances/Electronics:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3 AC units (1 used often during the day, the other two only at night)
Washing Machine
Dryer
3 Ceiling fans (one used often, two seldom used)
2 Lasko fans (used often)
2 Gaming PCs (used often)
3 laptops (one used often, two seldom used)
1 52" LCD (runs pretty often)
1 27" CRT TV
Wii, 360 & PS3 (360 is used regularly for Halo by my son, the rest are seldom used)
Tankless Water Heater
Water Pump
3 cable boxes (I read where these are notorious electricity vampires)
Microwave
Toaster oven
Toaster
Clothes Iron
Rice cooker
Printer (practically never used)
Wahl shaving Machine (used every 3 days for about 5 minutes at a time)
Curling Iron
Hair Dryer

Lighting:
~~~~~
As mentioned before, 95% of the lights are low watt compact fluorescents (about 24 in total). 2 incandescent and three halogen make up the remaining 5%.

There are two dusk to dawn lights outside (maybe vampires)

Now that I've listed everything out and staring at the list, does seem like we would use a lot more electricity than Hard O/C. Not sure if its seven times more though.

Crixx, what did your list/occupants look like when you were getting hit with those $1500+ bills?

[TriniXaeno]

WTF! $105? For all that??

nah....something really wrong here.

These are the rates from T&TEC

First 400 kwh @ $0.26/kWh: (sub total $104.00)
Next 600 kWh @ $0.32/kWh: (sub total $192.00)
and $0.37/kWh for ever kWh above that.

So for her bill to be $105 she has to be using about 400 kilowatts every 2 months, that's like 200 a month or 6.66 kilowatts a day.

that house being powered by hell fire or what?

[VirtueTT]

Yeah i just checked the last bills dey.

Mine was $181.80 for 550 kwh

Hers was $100.78 for 314 kwh.

I getting rob somewhere in that system yes.

You not alone on that one =S... I cudnt find the light bill but our dad is ALWAYS complaining about it. SO either we just have too much shit in this house, or something just isnt right... I still blame it on W1nTry's computer tho. I dont think anything else in this house is that power hungry except for maybe the dryer. I'm goin to experiment with something, taking the water heater off during the when no one is home to use it. Keep suggesting it but my dad never took me on. Lets see if i can prove him wrong.

[TriniXaeno]

you telling me, if my bill could be reduced to $750 a cycle, that is $4500 in savings for the year.

Let the hunt begin!