Who's doing what to save energy/money?

[TapME]

Just for a reference we as a family have lowered out footprint to 1247. More things are in the works to make it even lower. This years solar project is to put pv cell to power the new pellet stove and the new washer and dryer all year long. This should bring our footprint to under a 1000. Someday we will be off grid.

[Revi]

We have cut our fossil fuel use by half in the past 5 years, which I suppose drops our carbon footprint by half as well.

We also save almost $3000 a year, which helps out the budget.

[TapME]

Revi, with all the other weekly, monthly bills growing faster than our income it is a way to save money with a one time purchase. As to hot water at this time it better to install a timer on the tank which saved us more than half on water cost and 50 a month on the bill. My son in southern Maine did solar and we built all the panels and he lowered his cost in the house by 7000 this year. That was more than ever was expected. It's our money and I want to keep as much as I can thats why I do it. Leaves more for sugariing.

[Clan Delaney]

I moved the above posts from an older thread about Global Warming, since they're taking the discussion in a new an interesting direction.

We've been trying all kinds of things here to cut back on all kinds of energy consumption, since it ultimately leaves more money in our pockets. I started doing the grocery shopping last January, going to a discount store that's real close to where I work. I go after work once a week, saving an extra car trip.

Last summer I installed a timer switch on our hot water heater (wired it in next to the emergency shut off switch in the kitchen). Now, if we want hot water (just for showers or doing dishes), we crank the timer for 15-30 minutes, wait for a few and we're all set. When the timer runs out, the burner stops and so does the cash bleed.

Also, last fall we installed new energy efficient windows. They are incredible. They keep heat in in the winter, and out in the summer.

Now that the freezing temps are gone, we're hanging laundry out again. It comes out to roughly 1 buck saved for every load not put in the dryer. Saved $15 so far just this month.

For the upcoming heating season, I'm designing and building solar heaters for at least 3 of the windows in the house. They'll heat inside air to around 100 degrees and cost nothing to run - the air moves by thermal convection. I'll put one in every window if I can find the materials.

Gotta save enough for that evaporator!!!!

[KenWP]

The winter of 2007-2008 I had to stay back in Alberta both for work and to finish up a elected position I held and we did not have any wood put away for the winter so my boss had to buy oil and it cost a little more then $2500 bucks to heat this place and when I visited in Feburary I was so cold it wasn't funny. I cut 13 cords of soft wood firewood since that is all that grows here and we burnt that all winter and I was pretty comfortable and the oil furnace only came on once all winter one morning when it was the coldest day of the year. We still have a full oil tank and it cost me a lot less to heat this place. Making plans to cut wood here again if it ever dries out enough. Our power bill I can't really figure out how to get down anymore then it is as the wood heater has a fan that uses a fair amount of power running all day. I would like to find out if those heat activated fans really work as that would help out a lot on the power bill.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Installed radiant hydronic floor heat in the main level of the house and run it with a high effincy boiler that also does all the on demand hot water so I disconected the hot water heater. Whats nice is the forced air heat doesnt come on much any more.

[Russell Lampron]

I bought an RO machine to cut down on the amount of gasoline, oil and diesel fuel that was being used to harvest and process the wood needed to run my evaporator. I also bought an outdoor wood furnace which is supplying the heat and hot water for 2 houses. It will supply the heat for the RO room and kitchen when I add on to my sugarhouse.

[Hurdhaven Farm]

When we bought this house just over a year ago it had an outdoor wood boiler but it was only connected to the pool!! My son's and I moved the OWB beside the woodshed I built and tied it in to the house. It was expensive to hook up. The thermo pex is $12.50/ft and we needed 130 ft of it. The pay back is that I still have the same 3/4 tank of oil I had last fall.
In the house we have changed most every light from regular 60 watt bulbs to the 15 watt compact fluorescent light. They save 75% over the bulb they replace and last 5 times as long. The appliances we bought we looked for the energy star logo and went with that, purchased front loading washing machine for example.
I make my own bio-diesel from the waste vegetable oil the cafeteria at the hospital saves for me. Cost me about $1.20/gal to make and I can directly use it in place of petrol diesel in my PU,skid steer, and tractor.
I don't have a dollar amount on how much all this saves me but it's substantial.

[Amber Gold]

I've done a fair amount and have plans for more. The simple things I've done is installed all CFL's and bought a Bosch front load washing machine. Also heat my house completely on a woodstove. I filled up my oil tank 3 years ago and it's still half full. I laugh every time I see the oil man drive by.

December of '07 I installed a Marathon electric hot water heater and knocked $20+ off my propane bill. In May of '08 I installed a solar hot water heater which supplies most of my hot water needs for 3/4 of the year. I'm considering adding another panel to get all my hot water needs.

We joined a CSA to get all our food local. Pretty excited to try this out. I was considering a garden, but if I want to concentrate on my maple business I'm not going to have time for one so a CSA is the next best alternative.

I keep meaning to build a clothesline, but keep forgetting...maybe this weekend. I manage to have my propane tank with 85 gallons last 16 months between my gas stove and dryer. With the clothesline I think I can get years out of it.

Plans for this year are solar electric. That will depend on how much I expand my maple business.

[Revi]

We shrunk our cars, installed solar hot water, a more efficient washer, PV solar, installed a woodstove, insulated and put in cfl's.

We drive around town in an electric car we built.

We save over $3000 a year.

Green means green.

[markcasper]

I read in the newspaper the other day about these new light bulbs emitting "dirty energy" and some are now tracing these to major health problems that some people have experienced.

As far as the topic.......I bought an RO to save on woodcutting and labor, the tradeoff is an increased electric bill which consumes more coal.

I have burned wood my whole life to heat our house and hot water. I drive fuel efficient old veichles to work and try to hit errands on my way to or from work. I rarley watch TV as it cosumes energy, and it makes you depressed.
We air dry our laundry as much as possible. I think solar and wind generated electricity are great ideas.

[Fred Henderson]

I have heated my home for the last 35 years with wood, also use wood in the SH. I am going to harness the hyro power from the stream that flows thru here. I have got a start with a weir in and a penstock set up. Now I just need to select a turbine for it all.

[TapME]

well here goes. Started with a 100 year old home, new windows, doors, insulation, venting(very important for insulation), and we burned oil the first year because of bad chimneys, all 3 of them. The total was 1800 plus $'s for the first year. with all the other improvements in the last 4 years we have been able to shrink the bill to 0 in 3 years. so that's 3 years with no oil heat, just wood stoves. Last year it was decided to get a pellet stove(best thing we ever did) and stayed warmer that ever. So we went from 8 cords of wood the first year without oil to 3 cords of wood and 2 tons of pellets for the stove. total for last year 800 dollars give or take a little. This years project is for new tighter siding on the house and some solar panels to run the pellet stove and the washer( front load and very efficient to run witch is less water, soap, and faster spinning that means less drying time etc.)who are some of the biggest users of electricity. All the appliances are energy rated by the way. These are some of the things that we have done to lower our cost so we can have a little fun in the off season. Greenhouses are the next big step for saving energy and parking cars to be out of the elements. I didn't mean to go on but what ever you do to save a dollar and keep it in your pocket is a good thing.

[PerryW]

We now heat almost solely with wood and are down to about 50 gallons of fuel oil per year.

The evaporator is fired only with waste wood from my sawmill or free softwood that people don't want.

No pumps, vacuums, filter presses, R.O. electricity or Oil to buy for this Luddite Sugarmaker.

[Brent]

when we moved in here 5 years back the propane dealer averaged deliveries every 3 weeks. About $ 700 Cdn every 3 weeks. We ordered the wood stove before we moved in. First season we took only 3 tanks of propane and kept reducing a bit at a time, until, like took out the propane water heater.
Now we just cook with the propane. We topped the tank at Thanksgiving and now we're still at 65%. I think we'll use a half a tank a year now. We do let the propane central air kick in once in a while this time of year when the wood stove would be too hot.

The propane ( and natrural gas ) water heaters are aweful. The have a heat exchanger up the center of the tank to heat the water. When the unit shuts off the heat exchanger is still an open hole in the center of your heated water and convection loss out the top, and out the flue gas pipe is huge. Modern high efficiency electric heaters lose very little heat on standby. We're going to time of day electric costs around here soon and I'm going to put a time on the hot water so we only make hot water in the middle of the night. Already tested it an we can still have warm showers 48 hours after cutting power of the hot water tank.

Also run our pool with solar. Wife likes it realllllllllll warm. Like 89 - 90 and the solar does that just for the cost of running the pump. Got an inverter run pump on that too so it's draw is tiny.

[brookledge]

Brent
I don't have one but have been told that the newest style of propane water heaters are incredible especially the point of use ones. The point of use will only heat water when you turn on the water othwerwise no propane is used to keep the water warm even when not using it.
The more you open the hot water valve the more the propane opens to give you hot water so you never have cold water.
Just might want to look into that before you go electric. Electric still remains the most expensive energy wise to heat water and cook etc.
Go look at new appliances and the energy labels, propane is always cheaper than electricity.
Keith

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Keith,

As far as electric being the most expensive, that depends on where you live. Here, it is about half or less than half the cost of propane for heat and other uses.

[Brent]

Keith

I looked into the point of use or instant heaters.
- first they are awefully expensive
- I would have had to put a new larger diameter propane pipe from the tank in the yard underground and through the house.
- I would have had to increase the diameter of the exhuast pipe from the flash heater to the outside.

All in I figure it would have cost several thousand dollars, and propane is not cheap either.

If you're in an area with natural gas it's a good idea. The electrical flash heaters are neat but you better have one hell of a power supply, I think the book called for 60 amps of 220.

I wish I had found a Marathon heater around here. The electric one with our soft water has released a flock of sulphite microbes that has caused a bit of an odour. Not terrible, but the plastic lined Marathon heater would have kept them out of the picture. The propane heater did not ionize the water the way the soft water / electric did so we never new we had sulfur until we had the electric hot water tank in for about a month. The law of unintended consequences strikes again.

[Brent]

Brandon

Around here electricy at night will be 3 cents a KWH and 8 cents during the peak hours during the day. That beats propane around here.

The folks we bought this house from ran up propane bill of $ 7600 ( Cdn of coarse ) the year before we bought. This year our total propane will be about $ 300.

[brookledge]

Brent
Good to see that you did your homework. Good luck in saving $
As for spending 7,600 a year thats insane.
Keith

[TapME]

That's is another story, we here on the trader did the price of gas last fall how about if we all chime in on the cost of a kilowatt from there local supplier. that would show us the difference from state to Provence's. I bet this goes all over the place. Let's put in propane and natural gas too if you want. Thanks TapME

[KenWP]

Electric rates are 5.4 cents for the first 30KWH used in a day average and then 7.3 cents for any KWHs over that.Useing the wood heat drove up the average a lot every billing period. Had a super high bill last september due to them under estimateing for 4 months and then adding it to the bill and chargeing the 7.3 cents extra. Also found out the fans in the greenhouse really suck the power when they got used before I got moved here last June. I knew they would use a lot as we have one phase power in and then going to a 220 volt motor. I just open the window in the greenhouse to cool it off instead.