Energy Savings

feedhorn

Just thought I would share my most effective energy saving discoveries:

1. Ivy Bridge Laptop a Samsung NP700Z7C uses only about half the power of my old laptop. Somewhat due to the

fact that I replaced the mechanical hard drive (4 watt) with an SSD (0.4 watt). Laptop and Hughes satellite

Internet stays on most all the day and night capturing valuable information. New setup saves me about 40 AH

per day.

2. LED Lighting in all fixtures. Technically LED lights are not much more efficient than CFLs but the fact

that LEDs direct their light in mostly one direction makes them considerably more efficient. All my florescent

lights drew about 12 amps. All LEDs now draw 3 amps. And I'm not constantly replacing florescent tubes.

3. Tablet Computer is Acer A500 that I have gotten used to watching downloaded videos on and it saves a lot of

energy compared to watching media on my big screen TV.

4. Passive Solar Heating. My motorhome has large windows on both sides and a huge front windshield. By parking

the rig pointing north in the summer and south in the winter I save a lot on heating costs. I have a small

catalytic heater under my computer desk at my feet to warm me up before sunrise. I have a 12 volt electric

blanket to keep me warm at night. Main furnace is almost never used.

5. Fermented Veggies. I buy 50 lbs of fruits and veggies only about once a month. Ferment them in 5 gallon

buckets so they stay fresh and nutritious without refrigeration. This saves cost of going to the grocery

store every week or so for fresh veggies. See the book: Wild Fermentation for instructions. Burning fuel for

transportation can be very expensive.

6. Excess solar power runs the fridge during hottest times. In summer I can run the fridge for up to about 6

hours on excess solar power. I turn the thermostat low so it gets as cold as it can during those hottest

hours. When excess solar goes away I switch the fridge back to running on propane. If it got cold enough it

won't need propane for a while.



Got any more good ideas to save energy?

BB.

Re: Energy Savings

feedhorn wrote: »

6. Excess solar power runs the fridge during hottest times. In summer I can run the fridge for up to about 6 hours on excess solar power. I turn the thermostat low so it gets as cold as it can during those hottest hours. When excess solar goes away I switch the fridge back to running on propane. If it got cold enough it won't need propane for a while.

Note--This does vary with type of refrigerator... Propane refrigerators are "ammonia absorption" type of cooling. They use the heat of propane or a 12 volt (or 120 volt) electric heater. Typically, on electric power, these type of refrigerators are not very efficient.

If you have excess solar power to burn--why not. But if you have a large enough solar power system to power a standard fridge, and the home/cabin/RV is occupied for something like 9+ months of the year (vs a weekend/seasonal place), then going with a very efficient electric fridge may be a good investment for the long term (savings in propane costs).

-Bill

westbranch

Re: Energy Savings

How about using a bike, no gas involved , to go shopping?

feedhorn

Re: Energy Savings

westbranch wrote: »

How about using a bike, no gas involved , to go shopping?

Actually, I do use a dirt bike to get groceries. But then some of my favorite campsites are 75 miles from a store. That is almost too far for my dirt bike.

ggunn

Re: Energy Savings

westbranch wrote: »

How about using a bike, no gas involved , to go shopping?

I used to do that many years ago when I lived alone, four blocks from the grocery in southwest Louisiana, which is flat as a pool table. I had a bicycle with twin baskets straddling the back wheel (I called it my "hippy pickup truck") and I could easily bring home a week's worth of provisions on it. Nowadays, though, with the two of us and the house a mile or so from the nearest HEB, in Austin (which isn't anywhere near flat), and me many years older, not so much.

inetdog

Re: Energy Savings

ggunn wrote: »

...I had a bicycle with twin baskets straddling the back wheel (I called it my "hippy pickup truck")

When setting up my college residence (a granny apartment on residential lot) I brought home the concrete blocks and a door (to make my desk) on my bike. 1/2 mile, blocks in the baskets and door on my head. The only problem was steering, as there was almost no weight on the front wheel when going uphill.
:-)

(And yes, it was uphill both ways.;))