What's your KWH daily average?

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  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Great thing about solar hot water is that it is much more forgiving of less than ideal orientation than PV, including partial shading. It also requires much less area on a comparable basis,, so I wouldn't discount the concept without a thorough site evaluation.

    Tony
  • chevenstein
    chevenstein Solar Expert Posts: 100 ✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    I average about 1.667 kWh/day, it goes down to maybe .75/day in the summer and can be has high as 2 per day in the winter if we use the backup propane heat.

    (Off grid house)
    - propane hot water heat, circulator pumps draw about 60 watts, low mass high efficiency boiler about 40 when running
    - on demand propane water heater (Takagi TK Jr. model)
    - Hard wired smoke alarms (unknown draw, large enough to keep the inverter out of seek mode)
    - ... no other always connected loads!

    Major appliances:
    - propane fridge
    - spark ignition stove
    - wood stove (primary heat source)
    - propane dryer (with glow bar ignition)
    - large deep well pump (400 foot well)

    Users:
    - 1 adult full time, additional adult part time

    When more people are here consistently the usage goes up but not substantially.
  • chevenstein
    chevenstein Solar Expert Posts: 100 ✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    As a super low user (see my previous post), I have to mention the other extreme: I once worked on and looked after for a while a very large house that idled at about a 6kW load in the winter. I never saw the usage numbers for more occupants than just me, but I would imagine it would be high as the place had 12 zones of air conditioning with cheap air to air units on them (3 to 5 tons), heated in ground pool, three kitchens, two 5 horsepower pressure pumps on domestic potable water system (can't have the shower getting wimpy now can we). The place burned about 1000 gallons of fuel oil per month in the winter (the boiler was larger than that of the elementary school I went to and technically required a license to run).

    We can all fell better knowing we're not this guy.
  • TDSolarguy
    TDSolarguy Solar Expert Posts: 31 ✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    My wife and I use on average 10.6 KWH a day throughout the summer average. Winter months is double that. Last month was 310 KWH. We have a 1200 square foot home that was built in 1942. It is a drafty old home with baseboard heaters and wood stove. I have been working on upgrades the past year. It was really bad when our two girls were growing up. One month we had a 2200 KWH month! You know what kids do. TV's left on all day, curling irons, hair dryers, stereos left on, heater on at all time, lights with 100 watt incandescent light bulbs, hour showers and so forth. Oh the joys of raising kids:D

    Regards
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    tdsolarguy,
    boy do i know what you mean about gals and how wasteful they are as i wound up marrying one like that. they don't change much in their habits as adults either. i managed an arrangement for her to pay the bills, but i give her a set amount to pay for them. (it was based on what i was paying for them before she took over so it was fair) if she were to go under in usage she would profit, but as it is she goes over every single time necessitating her to contribute to them and she complains to me how high the bills are. she wants me to keep raising the ceiling i give to her and i have even done that by about 30% over the last 4 years. her waste seems to win and she doesn't get it that the only way to reduce a bill is to use less. as we speak she is arguing with our electric company.:roll::cry:
  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?
    niel wrote: »
    tdsolarguy,
    boy do i know what you mean about gals and how wasteful they are as i wound up marrying one like that. they don't change much in their habits as adults either. i managed an arrangement for her to pay the bills, but i give her a set amount to pay for them. if she were to go under in usage she would profit, but as it is she goes over every single time necessitating her to contribute to them and she complains to me how high the bills are. she wants me to keep raising the ceiling i give to her and i have even done that by about 30% over the last 4 years. her waste seems to win and she doesn't get it that the only way to reduce a bill is to use less. as we speak she is arguing with our electric company.:roll::cry:

    LMAO! :D You need to convert her to be a greenie, worked here for sure. But there is a cost to that as well, need more solar, add solar DHW, buy LED lights everywhere (still in the pending state). Get rid of those non LED Christmas lights (the latest). Can we add more insulation? Let's do Bamboo floors, oh STRANDED is better (but more money)!

    Careful what you wish for! You may actually get it! hahahahaha :cool:

    Edit a small PS: Happy wife = Happy Life!
  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,003 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Well I'm way up, use to use <400wh, then with the new cabin and solar panels I was up to @ 1Kwh averaged, mostly in the summer time running an A/C.

    Now the first full month in an all electric modular home, I'm just shy of 5kwh a day, and I haven't run the A/C or heat much yet...
    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
  • TDSolarguy
    TDSolarguy Solar Expert Posts: 31 ✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?
    niel wrote: »
    tdsolarguy,
    boy do i know what you mean about gals and how wasteful they are as i wound up marrying one like that. they don't change much in their habits as adults either. i managed an arrangement for her to pay the bills, but i give her a set amount to pay for them. (it was based on what i was paying for them before she took over so it was fair) if she were to go under in usage she would profit, but as it is she goes over every single time necessitating her to contribute to them and she complains to me how high the bills are. she wants me to keep raising the ceiling i give to her and i have even done that by about 30% over the last 4 years. her waste seems to win and she doesn't get it that the only way to reduce a bill is to use less. as we speak she is arguing with our electric company.:roll::cry:


    Hope it works out for you Niel. My wife took a few years to change. She cooked for four people for over a year after my oldest last daughter left the nest for collage and then for three when my youngest left home. We now just cook for ourselves! Different work shifts. Hang in there;)
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    well, i never totally give up, but it is frustrating. we aren't spring chickens either and it makes me wonder how she survived before we got together 15 years ago. i do feel it is beating a dead horse as she is 61 and is not going to change much at this stage of the game. she has no concept of conservation as when she is in the mood for say a small dish of spaghetti that she'll make the whole box with a whole jar of sauce and whatever is leftover she used to just throw it away that day, but now she at least puts it into the frig for a day before doing that. there's no way i'd be able to eat all of that even if i was allowed to. (diabetes)

    our last month kwh total was 1080kwh and there wasn't any air conditioners going and my home has a gas boiler for heat that wasn't on much except to take out the chill a few days. there is only 3 incandescent lights in the house and one's in the shower with the other 2 in the frig.:roll::cry::cry:
  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?
    niel wrote: »
    our last month kwh total was 1080kwh and there wasn't any air conditioners going and my home has a gas boiler for heat that wasn't on much except to take out the chill a few days. there is only 3 incandescent lights in the house and one's in the shower with the other 2 in the frig.:roll::cry::cry:
    OMG man! That left me staggering backwards from my computer! WOW! :cry:
    And no, I'm not joking!
  • nvyseal
    nvyseal Solar Expert Posts: 108 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?
    niel wrote: »
    tdsolarguy,
    boy do i know what you mean about gals and how wasteful they are as i wound up marrying one like that. they don't change much in their habits as adults either. i managed an arrangement for her to pay the bills, but i give her a set amount to pay for them. (it was based on what i was paying for them before she took over so it was fair) if she were to go under in usage she would profit, but as it is she goes over every single time necessitating her to contribute to them and she complains to me how high the bills are. she wants me to keep raising the ceiling i give to her and i have even done that by about 30% over the last 4 years. her waste seems to win and she doesn't get it that the only way to reduce a bill is to use less. as we speak she is arguing with our electric company.:roll::cry:

    Niel,

    If you had a refrigerator waste that much electricity, what would you do with it? :confused::p
  • jagec
    jagec Solar Expert Posts: 157 ✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?
    niel wrote: »

    our last month kwh total was 1080kwh and there wasn't any air conditioners going and my home has a gas boiler for heat that wasn't on much except to take out the chill a few days. there is only 3 incandescent lights in the house and one's in the shower with the other 2 in the frig.:roll::cry::cry:

    Wow...that's bad! You sure your neighbor doesn't have a secret extension cord plugged in somewhere you never check?:p
  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?
    jagec wrote: »
    Wow...that's bad! You sure your neighbor doesn't have a secret extension cord plugged in somewhere you never check?:p

    Wondering when he was last in the basement - - - maybe the wife has a grow-op happening down there - - - :p:p:p
  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?
    niel wrote: »

    our last month kwh total was 1080kwh and there wasn't any air conditioners going and my home has a gas boiler for heat that wasn't on much except to take out the chill a few days. there is only 3 incandescent lights in the house and one's in the shower with the other 2 in the frig.:roll::cry::cry:

    Well that may seem high but guess what here is my usage, but we run a pool pump every day and did have some AC usage early in the month.

    Main house = 1377 kWh
    Office/shop = 377 kWh
    Volt charge = 198 kWh

    This is way down from 4 years ago. And is way down from Aug. at 3775 kWh. I am sure glad we are back to banking kWh this month.
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?
    nvyseal wrote: »
    Niel,

    If you had a refrigerator waste that much electricity, what would you do with it?

    haha.:D
    i can't afford to get rid of the old model with the disposal fees and the newer models are too expensive as well.:p i'm tempted to elaborate further along these lines, but.........

    no extensions that i'm aware of. my wife is just that wasteful. if i say anything she points out that i'm not perfect, but there's no way i'm anywhere near like her wastefulness. all you guys know no guy wins an argument with their wives as it's always the guy's fault and responsibility.:cry::-)
  • TheBackRoads
    TheBackRoads Solar Expert Posts: 274 ✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    I just got a TED5000 on Thursday 11/10/11. My "roomates" are out of town for another week so I get to see what just I use. 1500 square foot house, 2 floors plus basement, late 80s build, mix of new and original appliances. I have unplugged or turned off the breaker for some circuits I'd never use. So far Friday was 13Kwh, Sat 10, today so far 11.5... I'll report back in a week. :roll:
  • Lee Dodge
    Lee Dodge Solar Expert Posts: 112 ✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    This link has average monthly kWh use in each state of the U.S., as well as average electricity rates for each state:
    http://www.eia.gov/electricity/sales_revenue_price/pdf/table5_a.pdf
    Average for U.S. as a whole is 958 kWh/month or 31.5 kWh/day. Of course, if you live the south, you use a lot of electricity for A/C, while if you live in the north, you likely use some other fuel for heat.

    I live in a great area for solar PV (southern Colorado) and use an average of -7.77 kWh/ day or -2379 kWh/month, based on generating an average of 16.2 kWh/day and using an average of 8.46 kWh/day. I do not need or have A/C at 7100'. (Maybe more significantly, I do not have a wife :D)

    http://www.residentialenergylaboratory.com/rel_energy_use_pv.html
  • SolaRAC
    SolaRAC Solar Expert Posts: 52 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Lee Dodge: That is VERY interesting information :)
  • n3qik
    n3qik Solar Expert Posts: 741 ✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Ok lets see how I rate compared to my neighbors.


    Pennsylvania:
    878 Avg. Monthly KWHs
    $ 12.7 Cents per KHW
    $ 111.50 Avg. Monthly Bill

    Ken's castle:
    121 Avg. Monthly KWHs
    $ 17.2 Cents per KHW
    $ 26.97 Avg. Monthly Bill