Electric costs are going up, we're seeing double digit increases, 10, 12 pct a year from Duke Energy and I don't see that stopping anytime soon with the current forced changes to electric cars, grid expansion costs, the higher cost of acquiring power from renewables vs oil, gas or coal.

We have done all of the Smart Thermostat, LED light bulbs which don't make much of a difference. Did install a variable speed pool pump which runs slower most of the day.

E-Bills are averaging $500 a month for 2800 kWh a month on average, so the goal is to reduce the amount of power to run the house, then, consider solar to hedge against the unstable power grid prices we are going to see.

So the plan is to make the home energy efficient as follows:

1) Re-insulate the Attic, the existing is 30 years old, and it's compacted over the years and the R factor is now low with new blown in insulation going to R-30 plus existing which should be in the R-38 range.

2) Add foil lining in the attic which is said to reduce the temps up to 50%, if we do this it will be in conjunction with step 1 as it would need to be done first.

See what that does to the power use in the home and then move to Phase 2 - AC.

3) Upgrade from 13 to a 17 seer air unit, ours is over 10 years old, works well, but at some point it will need replacing, and remember, in FL the AC is working most of the year this is about $10 to $12K. Expensive, yes, but, remember reduced kWh translates to a smaller Solar system which saves money.

4) Replace single pane windows with new insulated double pane, this would be done in steps, South side, West Side, East. The North side really isn't in need of this. Replace Front doors with double pane insulated unit, which the wife really wants decorative glass doors anyway.

5) then look at Solar once all the "insulation upgrades" are done.


I should add the water heater is a tankless propane unit, the stove is the evil Propane gas model, Fridges (2) are new efficient models as is the micro oven, same for dishwasher.

So thoughts? anything seem out of sync, missing anything,

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:


2800 kWh a month on average

Holy crap

My last electric bill was like 575 kWh and the highest I've ever seen was around 1200 kWh with AC and basement dehumidifier going full-time in like July-Sept

That's a Very BIG Day you have planned there...

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:
That's a Very BIG Day you have planned there...

Well, I'll hire it out so my work is limited to making payment! The big day is research, contacting contractors, getting quotes and of course information from SF Oracles!

I work in industrial energy efficiency on behalf of the large utilities in the west. As you've listed, go after the low hanging fruit - low cost, biggest savings. I like your rankings. I wouldn't replace the AC unit until it craps out on you. I may have a few years left. If you address the other items, you'll buy a little more time with your existing HVAC.

Don't be afraid to reach out to Duke to see if they offer any free home energy audits. They're usually well done and give some decent economic analysis to each energy efficiency measure (EEM).

And 2800 kwh per month is a lot, but you've got more HVAC usage (nearly year round) and you likely have decent square footage.

I'm in 2200 SF in Sacramento and average 900-1200 kwh per month.

HVAC by far is the biggest user in a house hold.

And for reference, most of my customer use millions and millions of kwh per year.

Russ, thanks,

Yes we run AC more than anything, now working from home and my daughter working from our home as I am helping her with the grand kids as well and agree it's the highest kwh user outside of the 220 pool pump.

Here's a sample daily use by hour, I can pick any number of random days and it will mirror this use pattern, peak times 8-9 per hour, non peak, 2 to 4.

Move the Window upgrades up before the AC upgrade.

Getting new AC before Windows is like buying a more fuel efficient car and THEN moving closer to work. You may as well save on the wear and tear on the new AC by giving it an easier space to cool by replacing windows first.

I upgraded windows last year, and we find that we get away with running our AC way less.

Check with your power company. The two providers around here both offer a service where they will send a technician to your house to do an energy audit, and if you qualify, they will do things like reinsulate your attic, reseal your ducts, and recaulk seams/gaps for free.

They also offer free trees, if you agree to plant them on the western side of your house.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:


2800 kWh a month on average

Holy crap

My last electric bill was like 575 kWh and the highest I've ever seen was around 1200 kWh

Yeah. Eek, indeed.

My last bill (for May 2023) was 403 kWh, and my highest of all time in my current house is 1087 kWh.

Typically, it's around 350ish in the fall, winter, and spring, and 850ish in the summer.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
2800 kWh a month on average

Holy crap

My last electric bill was like 575 kWh ...

indeed!

Our April bill was 664 kWh and we run a 1 HP, 18 GPM well pump. That pump is running at probably 80% capacity, on-average, across the eight zones. It ran for nineteen hours in April. Add to that: Furnace, air conditioner, basement dehumidifier, full-size fridge, beer mini-fridge, a large-ish freezer, ...

Our greatest usage in the last twelve months was July, last year: 1138 kWh. I imagine the A/C and irrigation system were running regularly that month.

HRK, we've already done everything your planning to do, except I didn't do foil in the attic. The other thing we did, well, had done, was they added 3/4 in. rigid insulation under the new siding, years ago.

The only remaining thing we could do is insulate the rest of the basement like I did in the Man Cave To Be. That would require ripping down all the existing paneling and the ceiling. There's no way I'm doing that.

In a 1970's home, adding about 20" of attic insulation and replacing all the windows cut our heating costs to 1/3 of what they were. If I'd known more, foil would have been included.

Looking at solar options with panels and 3 day battery backup for 500KW/month average, the ROI was about 12 years. Higher monthly use might make the ROI much shorter, but insulation and windows are likely first steps.

I've been thinking about adding attic insulation too. Wasn't aware of the foil.

The plan for the attic is probably going to do the most.... good luck.... and it all sounds like a plan as long as you don't compare how much you spent on how much you save.... but then you will be using less electricity and so it can be used for other things like the neighbors all electric car.

Sounds like you're looking to make all the correct changes. What about inside temp, where do you set it day/night? Could you adapt to a couple/few degrees warmer say 80* with ceiling fans adding a breeze in the rooms you're using?

Did some efficiency projects earlier this year. Added r38 Batts in the attic and garage attic back in January. As I saw an increase coming in April. I have 23 year old double pane windows now and can't see doing that just yet.

Have you considered solar window screens? I did those on my east and west facing windows. Made a considerable difference. I opted for kits. Will be adding more to my south facing wi dows soon.

eta- AtticFoil.com is what I installed in my previous home.
Makes a big difference, but your attic ventilation needs to be fully functional. Stapled to the joists to allow for an air gap between the foil and roof deck. Get the foil done first if you go with two different contractors. So the new insulation doesn't get smashed.
-TVz

This message has been edited. Last edited by: TVzombie,

I’ve done your whole list, and I did 35 panels in 2014. If I could do anything else to my 1979 built house, it would be to inject that foam into the brick exterior walls.

I'm a fellow Florida man.
We used 1802 KWH last month.

I've done 1-3 of your list, and almost pulled the trigger on 4 years ago, and regret not doing it - mostly for sound insulation - the teenage boys in the neighborhood seemed to have discovered lifted vehicles, subwoofers and straight pipes at the same time.

1 & 2 were done because we could not keep the upstairs cool during the summer on days it did not rain. After the Foil & Blown insulation - it was much better, but still would creep up. I've been told that contractors notoriously undersize HVAC units - so when it came time replace the unit - we upped it a half ton.

I've had the pool pump fail twice - and when it was out a few days I noticed a dramatic drop in my usage. So if you can run your pool pump less hours or at the lower speed you should see a difference. Due to having solar pool heating, I can't fully take advantage of the lower variable speed capability as the pump head is too great when the solar is on.

Dukes energy audit was okay - didn't tell us anything we didn't know and sent us foam inserts for outlets and some led bulbs. You can also get a free HVAC duct inspection I believe to see if the ducting is leaking.

HRK,

I have nothing to add. Just curious on your timeline for the work. I'm interested to see the results you start getting when the work starts.

Windows make a big difference. The good ones arent cheap, but the sound dampening and temp insulation is great. They also look much better than the 30 year old windows.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
What about inside temp, where do you set it day/night? Could you adapt to a couple/few degrees warmer say 80* with ceiling fans adding a breeze in the rooms you're using?

Bwhahahahahahahaha! In Florida, a daytime thermostat set at 80 degrees means you are sweating inside your house, even with a fan blowing on you. At 80 it cannot clear the humidity and the inside of the house gets way too sticky.

If someone can handle 80 in their house in FL they are made of tougher stuff than I am.