Shading really hurts the production of panels. Just a little shadow on a panel can knock it down 75%. Strangely, on overcast days, even panels that are normally shaded all read about the same output. So you will see a benefit on cloudy days.
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Still worth getting a Model 3 if Electricity costs more than Gas?
- Thread starter Glamisduner
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- Model 3
I know no idea how to figure that out without shutting off my solar and getting an average. Everything we have is electric (no natural gas) so probably much more than average. I have not had insulation added to my walls because redoing the plaster walls and having this done in general is very expensive. Other than that we have done all the basic stuff, insulate attic, whole house fans, replaced windows, heat with a wood stove when possible, all LED or CFL lighting etc.
Replacing the water heater with propane one would help (I don't think I can do solar heating with all the panels on the roof). Also our refrigerator is old and too small, but we need to remodel the kitchen to fit a new one (or at least rip out the cabinet above it). But that, is a very big project
House is fairly old (1960's), needs lots of work, including a new driveway.
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
My only comment about this approach is that it dials in past TOU behaviour, when the entire point of TOU is to better match demand and generation. Some reasonable assumptions would seem needed.
insaneoctane
Well-Known Member
Just looking for low hanging fruit because waste in the house can be turned into free energy. Also, on a TOU plan, wasted peak energy can turn into MORE EV charging due to TOU leveraging. Your case seems like your usage might be rather high (6kW solar not being enough), so I was looking to why that is. Lastly, if you know your solar production for a given month, you can ADD that to what SDGE says you used to know your total usage.I know no idea how to figure that out without shutting off my solar and getting an average. Everything we have is electric (no natural gas) so probably much more than average. I have not had insulation added to my walls because redoing the plaster walls and having this done in general is very expensive. Other than that we have done all the basic stuff, insulate attic, whole house fans, replaced windows, heat with a wood stove when possible, all LED or CFL lighting etc.
Replacing the water heater with propane one would help (I don't think I can do solar heating with all the panels on the roof). Also our refrigerator is old and too small, but we need to remodel the kitchen to fit a new one (or at least rip out the cabinet above it). But that, is a very big project
House is fairly old (1960's), needs lots of work, including a new driveway.
insaneoctane
Well-Known Member
Certainly, but you have to start somewhere and I'm not sure of any better way to do it
Daniel in SD
(supervised)
You could replace your water heater with a heat pump water heater. They're three time as efficient as a regular electric water heater but I have no idea if it would pay off. They're more expensive and less reliable. For TOU you could put your water heater on a timer as long as no one is taking showers 4-9pm.I know no idea how to figure that out without shutting off my solar and getting an average. Everything we have is electric (no natural gas) so probably much more than average. I have not had insulation added to my walls because redoing the plaster walls and having this done in general is very expensive. Other than that we have done all the basic stuff, insulate attic, whole house fans, replaced windows, heat with a wood stove when possible, all LED or CFL lighting etc.
Replacing the water heater with propane one would help (I don't think I can do solar heating with all the panels on the roof). Also our refrigerator is old and too small, but we need to remodel the kitchen to fit a new one (or at least rip out the cabinet above it). But that, is a very big project
House is fairly old (1960's), needs lots of work, including a new driveway.
Daniel in SD
(supervised)
I had no idea water heaters used so much energy! Mine is gas. The energy guide claims a savings of about 3MWh a year which is $600+ at SDG&E rates. I think the heat pump water heaters cost about $1k.
http://products.geappliances.com/Ma...spatcher?RequestType=PDF&Name=GEH50DFEJSR.pdf
http://www.whirlpoolwaterheaters.com/media/146320/035505161468-ES40R10-55.pdf
http://products.geappliances.com/Ma...spatcher?RequestType=PDF&Name=GEH50DFEJSR.pdf
http://www.whirlpoolwaterheaters.com/media/146320/035505161468-ES40R10-55.pdf
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
I would try to make a log of my major demand uses during peak hours and then see which can be time shifted, or fueled with some other source. AC can be time shifted to 2-4 pm for a large fraction of the use. Dryers can be gas or sun. There are actually lots of choices for the myriad uses of energy during our day.Certainly, but you have to start somewhere and I'm not sure of any better way to do it
I've been in conservation mode for years now, but I just found today that the other shower my wife has started using using in the home we rent has one of the old 5 gpm shower heads! Uggh. That gets replaced ASAP, and then I'm going to give some thought to how to convince her to use DHW more efficiently.
Because as you say, a 6 kW array is presumably a lot of energy (I'll guess 850 - 900 kWh a month) and it not being enough implies a lot of waste. We have a 3.78 kW array, that once I get NG heating under better control, will be enough for us to be CO2e net zero for our home electricity, home air and water heating in Colorado, and 15k miles a year of car use combined.
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Good luck with the showerhead for the wife I don't think mine will go for it lol.
Our dryer is electric too
It's another big power sucker that most people don't have to deal with so they think we are wasting power. Not having natural gas really hurts when you live in the most expensive city in the US for electricity costs. (well according to that PDF I posted anyways)
Daniel in SD
(supervised)
I was wondering how you could be using so much power! Now I understand. That's rough. I thought SDG&E has a separate tier for all electric houses but maybe not anymore. My grandfather actually testified before congress about how all-electric houses were a bad idea. It makes no sense to burn natural gas to generate electricity and then convert it back to resistive heat.Good luck with the showerhead for the wife I don't think mine will go for it lol.
Our dryer is electric too
Good luck with the showerhead for the wife I don't think mine will go for it lol.
Our dryer is electric too
I haven’t followed the whole thread but if you have an electric dryer you may be able to save a ton of $ by switching to a TOU Plan and running the dryer during super off peak hours.
My electric bill has actually gone down after getting a Tesla and switching to an EV TOU plan — we try to run the washer/dryer at night or on the weekends, run the dishwasher at night (it has a timer) and a couple other things like that and are not obsessive about it. My fuel costs are literally zero or negative after factoring in the savings from switching to TOU (PG&E rates but I think you could do the same with SDG&E).
DrivingRockies
Closed
insaneoctane
Well-Known Member
True, but if you didn't read the whole thread, you might have missed how expensive the OPs even super off peak is....
True but the difference between super off peak and peak is in the same ballpark for PG&E rates and SDG&E — about $0.30/kWh. One difference is I had significant Tier 3 charges pre-TOU and it sounds like he only has Tier 2, but still worth factoring into the equation any savings that might be gained from low hanging fruit like running the dryer off peak.
He is hiding and does the very thing of searching and down voting other posters whom he has trolled. The very thing that he accuses others of doing and calling them childish. Why do you think he is hiding and preemptively so? It must be because so many like him and value his posts!
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SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
Electric clothes dryer ? Ughh
A clothes line works great. It took us a while to figure out a system of hanging the clothes on hangars and then putting the hangars on the line and from there straight into the closet, but I don't think it takes any more time than the machine approach followed by folding. Probably less.
Trick: shake out the item before putting on a hangar to reduce wrinkles.
A clothes line works great. It took us a while to figure out a system of hanging the clothes on hangars and then putting the hangars on the line and from there straight into the closet, but I don't think it takes any more time than the machine approach followed by folding. Probably less.
Trick: shake out the item before putting on a hangar to reduce wrinkles.
Reciprocity
Active Member
Electric clothes dryer here. As well as cooking, water heating, house heating, transportation, lawn equipment and anything else in the house that uses power.
Electric, by definition, doesn't have to mean inefficient. However, many electric appliances are inefficient.
The basic concept of maximizing efficiency before adding solar pv is very sound and good advice.
Just wanted to mention that electric power can be a part of that solution.
Electric, by definition, doesn't have to mean inefficient. However, many electric appliances are inefficient.
The basic concept of maximizing efficiency before adding solar pv is very sound and good advice.
Just wanted to mention that electric power can be a part of that solution.
Garlan Garner
Banned
That's totally wrong. Are you trying to scare people? Hundreds of millions of people have gas without ever having an issue with it. I'm one of them.
To answer the original OP question though......Yes. I would still do what I could to save the environment.
