Electrical power when running

[Zephod]

I took stock of what I actually use. It struck me I'm not a huge user of electricity. My electricity bill when I lived in my last place was $24-$29 a month with 75% of that being taxes and fees. Only about $8 was actual electricity used.

I used electricity for refrigeration, water beating, cooking (slow cooker, steamer, microwave), lighting and my laptop/wifi plus phone charging.

Using gas for cooking, ice in a cooler for refrigeration I can't imagine needing more than minimal power. These days I use a tablet, phone and MiFi pad.

Lighting is powered by D cells. Throwaway batteries work out as really good value.

I'm reckoning on using the excess power from my 35W of solar not spent on ventilation to charge the phone, MiFi and tablet.

I'm toying with putting in a 12v socket to power a 12v AA battery charger and a camera battery charger or maybe a laptop charger if I ever get around to replacing my defunct MacBook.

What do you use power for?


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[PP]

What do I use power for?

Gee, let me count the ways.... I do run a lot of battery operated devices from hand held GPS-I do a lot of geocaching, cordless drill, 2-laptops, Iphone, my wifes phone, my Ipod (knockoff), a flashlight in each room (little LED jobs and one triple cell D in the bedroom that serves double duty as a club, cordless impact for removing 'car' lug nuts, SO YES, i do need a source of 120V power whether it's a pod in a park or the gennie because all of those devices have rechargeable batteries, the only kind I buy. Whether alkaline or old fashioned lead/mercury, those disposable bats are hard on the landfills.
Now, what do I need 120V for besides charging rechargeable batteries, again, let me count the ways....

[RJ]

Whether alkaline or old fashioned lead/mercury, those disposable bats are hard on the landfills. . .

Our local recycling center in Cheney takes old batteries of all types, from the tiny button models up to automotive sizes.  Not sure what they do with them, will have to ask next time I make a recycling run. . .

[bevans6]

$8 per month for electricity, at my personal rate of $.15 per KWH, is 53 KWH's per month, or 1.7KWH per day, or 71 watts per hour.  That is right around .6 amps average per hour at 120 VAC.  My fridge draws 2 - 3 amps per hour average, a water heater or a microwave would draw around 10 amps when it was on, a slow cooker would draw 3 - 10 amps when on, even LED lights draw around 1/10th amp per bulb.  Very curious on how you run your household on .6 amps?

Brian

[TomC]

Let's see-Living in Camarillo, Ca, the weather is just about the same as Santa Monica Pier since I'm 5 miles in from the beach within sight of the ocean. Hence-90 would be very hot. Still-I have a 4 ton new A/C (huge condenser). With my thermostat at 76, my monthly electrical is around $160. Cook, heat, water heater with gas. My gas bill last month was $27. Now with 85 avocado trees, 4 orange trees, 2 apple trees, Asian pear, tomatoes, rasberry, lemon, my water bill is $350/month. Oh well! Good Luck, TomC

[Zephod]

$8 per month for electricity, at my personal rate of $.15 per KWH, is 53 KWH's per month, or 1.7KWH per day, or 71 watts per hour.  That is right around .6 amps average per hour at 120 VAC.  My fridge draws 2 - 3 amps per hour average, a water heater or a microwave would draw around 10 amps when it was on, a slow cooker would draw 3 - 10 amps when on, even LED lights draw around 1/10th amp per bulb.  Very curious on how you run your household on .6 amps?

Brian

9c/kWh with sce&g. I was also unsurprisingly on the low user tariff.



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[Iceni John]

Where I used to live, a 700 sq.ft. house a few miles from the ocean, we had 20 (yes, twenty) amps total for the house.   Two of us managed just fine with it.   We learnt that we could use only one appliance at a time, but it quickly became second nature for us to do that.   Cooking and heating was gas, and we did not have or even need A/C.   We always paid more in monthly service charges than for the electricity and gas actually consumed.   This is why it will be an easy transition for me to possibly fulltime in a bus that has all its electricity normally coming from the sun.

John

[Zephod]

Where I used to live, a 700 sq.ft. house a few miles from the ocean, we had 20 (yes, twenty) amps total for the house.   Two of us managed just fine with it.   We learnt that we could use only one appliance at a time, but it quickly became second nature for us to do that.   Cooking and heating was gas, and we did not have or even need A/C.   We always paid more in monthly service charges than for the electricity and gas actually consumed.   This is why it will be an easy transition for me to possibly fulltime in a bus that has all its electricity normally coming from the sun.

John

Yes. That was my experience $24 for the bill and about $10 for actual electricity.


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[bevans6]

Your bill supports my off-the-cuff math, with a lower rate of $/KWH than I have here.  But really, still curious about what you think are the things that let you do that?  3.3 kw per day is very very low.  My personal killer is the 4 ton heat pump for both heating and cooling - but it was cheaper (not by much but cheaper) than burning wood last winter.  Plus I didn't have to move 22 tons of wood three times before I finally burnt it...

Brian

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

It won't be long until the government starts taxing us for generating our own solar energy too.  

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

When my dad was born my grandparents did not have an electric bill.  That was until my dad went to trade-school and came home and wired up the house, the barns and the outhouse with a few lights.  Then they paid the piper every month since then till they passed.  As far as I know, electricity is still a privilege and is not required.  There is nothing wrong with watching TV in the dark as far as I know. 

[Zephod]

Your bill supports my off-the-cuff math, with a lower rate of $/KWH than I have here.  But really, still curious about what you think are the things that let you do that?  3.3 kw per day is very very low.  My personal killer is the 4 ton heat pump for both heating and cooling - but it was cheaper (not by much but cheaper) than burning wood last winter.  Plus I didn't have to move 22 tons of wood three times before I finally burnt it...

Brian

Well, constantly running if I recall correctly were the water heater, wifi and fridge. Occasionally used microwave, slow cooker, steamer. Heavily used - laptop. Light bulbs were cfl throughout and I would switch off lights when I wasn't in the room. In winter I used a fan heater to keep one room warm.


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[brmax]

Battery powered tvs?
Im not so sure on that rule electricity( not required )nowadays Gary.
The things we see on the news cycles or in print.

Anyhow i thought you started these generators when you started on a trip. No one said they got a rest until trips end.

Floyd

[Zephod]

I'm very happy to be a technological Neanderthal when it suits me.  When I was very young, I remember the 1970s and the oil crisis. The 3 day week, the power cuts, the shortages etc. I grew up at that time with barely any electricity. I never had a fridge or a tv when I was young.


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[belfert]

I average 395 KWH per month for my 1,300 square foot house and that is considered low by American standards.  I use central air conditioning non-stop for about three months over the summer.  The average American household uses nearly three times as electricity per year as I do.

My bus has a pretty high power load when on the road.  The base power load is probably over 35 watts.  We often have several laptops charging and also several phones charging along with power for the fridge when it runs.