What's your KWH daily average?

SolaRAC
SolaRAC Solar Expert Posts: 52 ✭✭✭✭
So.. I've seen you guys post over and over, "Your system design should start with your watt demand". I've also seen you mention that it would be in one's best interest to lower their watt demand by getting 'greener appliances'.

My goal with this post is to see where I stand so to speak when compared to you guys with regard to your daily average power consumption. This goes for both on and off grid users; whether you're big on conserving energy or a power hungry user.

According to my power company, my average daily consumption is 27.81KWH over a one year period.

Some key points to take into consideration with my situation:
  • I have no alternative power source at this time.
  • I have implemented moderate controls to prevent excessive use of power (i.e. turning on water heater only in the mornings and setting my AC thermostat to a moderate level)
  • A few months ago I replaced all of my bulbs with CFL bulbs.
  • I have a family of 3 (one toddler)
  • One 42inch (very old) plasma tv
  • A electric powered washer and dryer

You don't have to get too detail in your situation; stating your average and summing up your view on your usage would be good.
«1

Comments

  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Considering your usage, I'd say you're doing pretty good.
    We run about 15 kW hours at the town house. That includes electric hot water and dryer (two big power users) and a couple of freezers. Quite a contrast to the 2.4 - 3 kW hours at the cabin (no freezers, no dryer, propane hot water). That's just two people. It's inevitable to use more power with more people, especially kids. :p
  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    My consumption is less than 4 kwh per day. My fridge is a converted upright freezer and consumes about 0.4 kwh/hr, I also power two freezers, one very high efficiency, water pump, this computer, TV, lights etc. My hot water is solar, heating is solar and wood, with oil backup. We use what we need, but DO NOT WASTE! Most people waste far more power than we use.
  • Fullpower
    Fullpower Solar Expert Posts: 69 ✭✭
    What's your KWH daily average?

    Around 10 KW-Hr per day.
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    I try to avoid the "I am great because I am only using 8kWH per day" and then somebody else will pipe up saying they only use 0.8 kWH per day (Tony/Icarus:p).

    Keep coming back to energy usage is a very personal subject and, because most of us here are simply "cheap", we try to help the best way we can... Basically education on the tools to measure the power usage and then what to do with the information.

    For me, 8kWH per day works out to:
    • 8,000 WH per day / 24 hours per day = 333 Watt load running 24x7
    And when I look at my power meter (which does have a kW register), I see that is pretty possible. Figure ~125 watts (continuous) to run two refrigerators and a freezer (all cheap energy star units or around 3 kWH per day), that leaves the rest of lighting, cooking, cleaning, etc... No A/C, Central Heating in Winter only, and a few loads of wash and dry.

    Your ~29 kWH per day works out to:
    • 29,000 WH per day / 24 hours per day = 1,209 Watts
    The equivalent of running a plug-in space heater 24 hours a day x 365 days a year... But, with A/C--much of that will be weighted towards summer (I am guessing).

    And, do you have electric hot water?

    Me, I am a big believer is identifying the addressing the big issues first (don't get on the kids case to unplug their cell phone chargers when they are not needed--Frustrates the kids, frustrates the parents, and does not really save any useful amount of power).

    So--A/C... Easy. How much attic insulation (R39 minimum?). And how old is the A/C unit? Can you get a new air sourced (or ground sourced) unit that is 2x the efficiency of your current unit? Can you go with mini-splits and only condition spaces you need to and when you need to (zoned cooling)?

    And heating? Hot Air and Hot Water is electric or Propane/natural gas/other? The new heat pump systems are pretty easily 2x the energy efficiency of a resistance based heating system.

    Depending on your cost of power, it is possible that a heat pump based water heater will be cheaper over all than solar hot water (less maintenance, no issues of panel placement in sun, no circulating pumps, freeze protection, etc.).

    Microwave, electric stoves and ovens, etc... May not be as huge of energy hogs. For example a microwave running 1,500 watts for 20 minutes a day vs a plain old desktop computer and laser printer (network, modems, disk storage, etc.) left on running 200 watts a day:
    • 1,500 watt * 20 min / 60 min per hour = 500 Watt*Hours = 0.5 kWH per day
    • 200 watts * 24 hours = 480 Watt*Hours = 0.48 kWH per day
    So, don't get wrapped up looking at just high power equipment that is only on a fraction of the day. Starting with high power equipment first is fine...

    Then, it usually is time to look at the equipment that runs 24x7 (fridge, freezer, computers, DVR's, old stereo system, etc.). Typically a Kill-a-Watt or similar meter plugged in one day for each appliance will quickly identify candidates for energy reduction.

    There are several whole house monitors that different people have used here... Not too expensive and usually accurate enough.

    If you have, or are planning on installing Grid Tied Solar--beware that not all kWH logging units units are capable of "net metering" (keeping track of the direction of power flow). You will have to pay more for such a unit.

    I am sure some people here can give you good recommendations on what house monitoring systems have worked well for them (the Kill-a-Watt meters are limited to ~15 amp circuits at 120 VAC--in North America--and will not work with A/C and other large 120/240 VAC appliances.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • firerescue712
    firerescue712 Solar Expert Posts: 95 ✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Everything electric here except the furnace, which is propane. We average about 2 KWh here. All lights are CFL, with some being converted to LED. Added 14 inches of cellulose in the attic earlier this year. Built an addition on the north wall and used foam cell insulation on the outside walls. Caulked every window, exterior door, and any crack found in the exterior walls. Set the thermostats at a more economical, but still comfortable, level. Just 2 days living here, so no kids using excessive power. 2,000 sq foot house with a daylight basement. The basement actually helps regulate the upstairs temperature year round via a fan blowing up wards in the spiral staircase opening. We still have some improvements to make. I want to get the usage down, then get the solar up to cover all our 120v circuits and the 240v well pump. The pump will be the problem, though. We have 12v wiring in the house running our 12v vampire loads off the battery bank. You would be amazed how much power the routers, modems, phone chargers, and other small electrical items use continually!
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Throw a Kill-a-Watt meter on your AC Fan too... You may be using 300 watts just to run the fan... If on 24x7:
    • 0.3kW * 24 hours per day = 7.2 kWH per day
    Not saying that your is--But the "little things" we run 24x7 really can kill our energy budget (likewise all the little electronic stuff we have in our homes these days).

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • SolaRAC
    SolaRAC Solar Expert Posts: 52 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Bill: You make very interesting points! :D

    My Kill-a-Watt meter is enroute... I will be making an assessment of my energy usage on an appliance bases very soon (leaving out the AC and washer/dryer ofcourse :) ).

    I think what really got me on the energey conservation / solar power tip (and ultimately to this forum) is the fact that I went on vaction a month ago and turned off the breaker for all of my circuits leaving only one on; the circuit that my fridge sits on. To my surprise, my power bill went from an average of $400-$500 a month down to $42! This is my first month in 'energy conservation mode' since vacation and I'm eagerly waiting to see my next power bill. Hopefuly after this first phase (reducing watt demand) I can start to get a better picture of my solar design.

    Let's not get away from the subject now guys.. post your KWH daily average :) Like Bill said... no competition!
  • RCinFLA
    RCinFLA Solar Expert Posts: 1,484 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?
    SolaRAC wrote: »
    According to my power company, my average daily consumptiorn is 27.81KWH over a one year period.

    Everyone's situation is different. If you have NG hot water, cooking, and clothes drier it makes a significant difference.

    For me, it is mostly the central air conditioner. At 78 degs F in daytime and 75 degs F at night, in summer, my A/C eats about 35 kWH's day.

    My electric hot water is second at about 12 kWH's per day.

    Clothes dryer is about 3.5 kWH's day. Everything else is < 10-15 kWH's day.

    Total, embarrased to say, 58 kWH's per day, averaged for year.

    Summer peaks close to 70 kWH's/day, winter at 40 kWH's day.

    Maybe 10-20 days total per winter where we don't use some A/C during the day. I have 10 kW heat strips if it gets too cold. Use heat maybe 2-5 days total per winter.

    I have kept track of monthly kWH's since moved into house in '83. Shows step when first child born, second step when second child born, then gradual increase from there. There was a drop when I replaced my original A/C about ten years ago (13 SEER, from probably old one of 10).
  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Oh he!! In don't have those numbers at my finger tips, as I sit in the living room on an iPad. I do know my peak day this summer was more than some of these guys use in a month at 121+kWh. That is cooling about 25,000 CU ft with outdoor temps at 118 F. At peak mid afternoon the pair of 3 ton Tranes were running 100% duty cycle.

    The first Volt is using between 175-250kwh a month, less than I expected.

    I will look at the TED in the morning with a cvs download to excel to get a more solid estimate. I have to aggregate 3 detectors to get a total consumption.

    I was a lot like you when I started this journey, closing in on a $5000 annual electric bill.
  • TnAndy
    TnAndy Solar Expert Posts: 249 ✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Year round average is about 30kw/hrs/day....900/month.

    That varies from a low in the spring/fall of about 700/month up to 1100/month in winter.

    But we run quite a bit more than just the house off that.

    House: wood heat, propane backup, small heatpump as second backup ( plus some AC in summer ). Propane water heating, LED lighting 75%, 4 freezers ( we produce all our own meats....beef...pork....chicken....fish ) max down to 2 as they empty. 6x6' walk-in cooler will run for couple days to 2 weeks when we process a pork/beef, plus a small electric water heater in the meat cutting room/auxilary kitchen. Propane cooktop, electric wall oven. Electric dryer, but wife uses clothes line a lot.

    Then have a wood shop on that Kw figure, ( that I work in mostly in the winter ), we have to run some winter heat in the chicken house, and heater in the stock tank for the cattle.

    Considering WHAT all we run, I don't think we do too bad.

    Solar production this month: 658hrs
    Bought from the power Co: 214hrs

    Which was over our "norm" for Oct, but we did process 3 hogs the first of the month + firing up another chest freezer to hold our portion ( split with a neighbor )
  • n3qik
    n3qik Solar Expert Posts: 741 ✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    I am about 3 KWHs/day.

    Just me and 3 cats.
    Heat and DHW with propane
    Have 900 watts of off-grid solar installed.
  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Got an Enphase installation ( http://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/public/systems/tL4K292 ) And expanded from an original fifteen 170 Watt panels to twenty-one 170 Watt panels and finally added six 230Watt panels . House is 1100 sq ft in Tucson, 3 ton Trane 19 seer and gas dryer.

    Total used Total produced
    2009 7557 5526
    2010 8266 8073
    2011ytd 7127 8053

    Finally have excess production - looking for the right electric car!
  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Use 26.8, per day
    Produce 32.1 per day

    It's a give or take average from year to year. Trying to use the excess ( 2,000 kwh a year ) is a haunting issue. Space Heaters has been my cheapest attack. I have Nat Gas for heat, water and dryer. The only issue is changing them is expensive and the gas company slipped through a Monthly service fee of $12.50 that almost makes it a all or none proposition.
  • Seven
    Seven Solar Expert Posts: 292 ✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Last month was my least usage at about 36Kw per day. Right around 1100 for the month. This journey started for me a few years ago when we almost hit 5000kw during one hot month.
    This month may be the least usage in ten years. We haven't ran the A/C and the heat only kicks on once or twice a night. We are all electric living in a house built in the late 60s.
    I am still at the hobby stage with my solar, mostly just monitoring the batteries. I do kind of like having the extra lights in the garage that run off of the batteries though.
  • topper
    topper Solar Expert Posts: 113 ✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    22-28 KWhr/day.
    No solar yet, but working on it.
    1000 sq ft & family of 5. Nat Gas furnace & water heater.
  • jagec
    jagec Solar Expert Posts: 157 ✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    16 kWh a day for me.

    2 people in a ~1300 sq ft townhouse in Baltimore (hot, humid summers, cold but not too bad winters). 2 stories+basement, brick walls w/wood framing+insulation on inside.

    Electric central air (SEER 13), water heater, fridge, kegerator, dehumidifier, dishwasher, washer, dryer. Gas furnace and range. Mostly CFL lighting, save for the living room floods which are on a dimmer. Of course those get the highest use.:p

    The AC is the worst power hog, followed by the water heater.
  • tmarch
    tmarch Solar Expert Posts: 143 ✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    31 kwh per day average.
    hoping to get 23 + kwh average with my system when it gets up and running.
    don't want to sell ANY back to the utility unless they change their rate
  • techntrek
    techntrek Solar Expert Posts: 1,372 ✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    42.79 kw-h per day, averaged over the last 12 months. During that time the lowest month was 27.24, the highest was 65.45 (but this reading was estimated due to snow on the ground, the next month was too low at 37.31 so I figure that high number should have been around 50).

    I use a wood stove to get roughly 3/4 of my heat, a heat pump does most of the final 1/4 with a little from propane. 2 fridges, 1 freezer, electric hot water and well pump. Heat pump is 2 tons and provides about 3/4 of my cooling during the summer, 2 ton A/C does the other 1/4. I will soon begin installing Mitsubishi mini-splits to replace both units, one room at a time.
    4.5 kw APC UPS powered by a Prius, 12 kw Generac, Honda EU3000is
  • RandomJoe
    RandomJoe Solar Expert Posts: 472 ✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    The electric company says my average last year was 20.26 kwh/day, so far this year 22.74 kwh/day which surprises me - the AC was running a LOT this summer!

    Last spring I took daily meter readings as I adjusted what I ran in the house and tweaked some things. Before I started trying, I was using about 12-15 kwh/day. After a week of finding all the parasitic loads I could, I was down to 7-9 kwh/day. But that meant shutting off a number of things I prefer to have running! (And doesn't include AC - that runs the daily usage up considerably.)

    I use my "backup power" solar system as a daytime load-shed, it will generally supply at least 2.5-3 kwh/day (winter) up to 6 kwh/day in summer if I can find loads to use it. Mostly I have it running my home computer network, which accounts for a 24x7 base load of around 150W, going up to 250-300W when I use the desktop computer. (And always trying to creep upwards - always something else I'd like to power!)

    The power company just replaced my meter with a "smart" one. Will be interesting to see what kind of data I can get from it (they're offering it free on their website for now) and also to see how accurate the old meter was. When I did the test last spring, I couldn't account for about 4 kwh/day. Don't know if there was a load I just wasn't thinking of, or the meter was reading wrong. At least now I can do the test again and rule out the meter... (Well... Assuming the new one is reading correctly! :roll: )

    Forgot to mention: I have gas heat, dryer, water heater. So the above figures don't include those loads.
  • Thom
    Thom Solar Expert Posts: 196 ✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    We (4) use less then 1kwh daily. Around 35 gallons of water daily . Wood heat propane stove and frig . Off grid 26 years

    Thom
    Ps hope it snows soon .
    Off grid since 1984. 430w of panel, 300w suresine , 4 gc batteries 12v system, Rogue mpt3024 charge controller , air breeze windmill, Mikita 2400w generator . Added 2@ 100w panel with a midnight brat 
  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    So I just ran the TED numbers:
    Consumed 62.56 avg per day last 12 months.
    Generated 57.61 avg per day last 12 months

    Which means we probably bought less than 5 kWh a day off peak. That is about equivalent to the last 4 months (820 kWh) consumption off the Volt (2.24 kWh) avg per day for the year, so we were almost perfect before the Volt.

    My numbers were correct in the 3920 watt add then. PVwatts says 6271 kWh annually, 17.2 kWh a day, should cover both Volts for the most part.
  • Jburgess
    Jburgess Solar Expert Posts: 130 ✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Using my utilities numbers:

    I consumed 61.83 per day in the last year
    I generated 57.61 per day in the last year

    I spent $336.31 with the utility in the last year.

    I added 3.3 KW more in panels in May, so those were only active for half that time. Have only bought 470 KWh off peak since then.
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Just got a notice from my local utility (PG&E; Northern California).

    They have added to their net metering plan a line item to pay customers that generate more kWH than they use in a one year period.

    I wondered how this was going to work. Normally, everyone one on Solar RE GT rate plans has to have Time of Use billing (pay more for power in summer afternoons, pay less off-peak). So, with solar PV systems, we generally sell during peak power ($0.30 a kWH) and buy back off peak ($0.09 per kWH).

    So, for me, I actually buy more kWH than I generate because I sell during peak and buy during off peak (on average). And I end up with a $300+ dollar credit in my account but a negative kWH per year deficit.

    And they just notified me that I will not be paid for excess generation because I do not generate a net positive kWH to the grid.

    So, the change in plan does not "help" me. I still loose the credit in the account (who knows, I may get a small credit next year. This year I lost ~5 months of GT power because of problems with my GT system).

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • Jburgess
    Jburgess Solar Expert Posts: 130 ✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Mine pays $0.035 for any excess peak or off peak, every May. That's based on the average wholesale price for Palo Verde.
  • a0128958
    a0128958 Solar Expert Posts: 316 ✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Mine pays a fixed $0.075/kWh at any time for anything exported to the grid - 7x24x365. The rate has not changed for at least almost 2 years.

    Best regards,

    Bill
  • tecman
    tecman Registered Users Posts: 13
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    WOW. I feel a bit guilty. With 4 adults in the house, 3 of them do not work, I use 60 KWH/day average.

    House is 2800 ft^2, 2 refrigerators, 1 freezer, 3 heat pumps (two are geothermal), three computers that are on 24/7. and general other usage. I have done a detailed power analysis bases on Kill-O-Watt, appliance labels and estimating amount of use. I did this for both summer and winter (winter attached). My estimates closely match my actual usage.

    My PV system is relatively new, but putting out about 1 MWH/month, 33 KWH/day. I could cut usage, but my $60 bills are nice for now.

    paul
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    Yea, going after the "small stuff" (desktop PC, and even an electric water heater) kind of is swamped by your heat pumps.

    Your chart is nice because it shows how every little electrical convenience adds up to lots of power usage.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    DHW might be worth going after.
  • tecman
    tecman Registered Users Posts: 13
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?
    solar_dave wrote: »
    DHW might be worth going after.

    My DHW heater is supplemented by the geo heat pumps, which dump waste heat into a second preheat tank. In the winter we get a good percentage of the HW from the heat pumps. Also I do not have any good location for a solar HW system.

    paul
  • Lee Dodge
    Lee Dodge Solar Expert Posts: 112 ✭✭
    Re: What's your KWH daily average?

    One person in a 1600 sq ft new (2010) standard production house modified to approach net-zero source energy, for one year period from 7/1/2010 to 6/30/2011, in high-mountain valley in Colorado with no A/C:

    8.46 kWh/day elec. used (frig., dryer, CFL lights, blower motors for furnace and vents)
    16.22 kWh/day generated with 3.15 kW Sunpower PV system (14 x 225 W panels)
    7.77 kWh/day excess elec. generated
    25.94 kWh/day credit toward source energy generated (3.34 factor for elec.)
    19.02 kWh/day natural gas source energy used for heat (7000+ heating degree days), cooking, back-up to solar DHW (incl. 1.047 factor for natural gas)
    -6.92 kWh/day net source energy consumed

    Electric bills always $7.42/mo connect fee.
    Maximum natural gas bill was $36 plus connect fee of $11, so $47/mo.

    More details at http://www.ResidentialEnergyLaboratory.com