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Thread: If you don't think insulation and windows are important.......

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    SF Bay Area, CA
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    15,332
    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Fitzgerald
    My wife and I are pleased!
    Happy wife....
    Wood: a fickle medium....

    Did you know SMC is user supported? Please help.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    SoCal
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    22,494
    Blog Entries
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    So many things we can do that aren't all that futuristic or involved; I installed a low water system for the planters and hardscaping and cut my water bill in half.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Neither here nor there
    Posts
    3,831
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    6
    I put in LED bulbs and got an on demand hot water heater (propane) Saved a TON.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Lewiston, Idaho
    Posts
    28,504
    A year later, our statements from the utility company show we are using 17% less energy, electric and natural gas, than the previous year and there is only a 1º difference in average outside temperature. We are happy!
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Tasmania
    Posts
    2,162
    We may pay more fore computers and so on but if I spent $1500 a year on energy I would be horrified. Wood fire, electric hot water, gas stove and all the lights are LED. We need the mix of energy sources in case one is out due to storms or whatever. Old timber house with single glazing and minimal insulation too. As time allows I am planning to build new double glazed windows. I have a concept in mind that I will trial before I open my trap and recommend it. Cheers

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,688
    Being energy efficient is a good practice, no matter where one lives and what kind of energy sources are available. It's actually easier to do that these days with more and more innovations in material and techniques. I hate to think what the energy costs would be for our home if we hadn't upgraded insulation and other things when we put on our addition back in 2008 and since...darling daughters are not always, um...paying attention to energy usage, so the changes we've made have really helped to balance that out.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    El Dorado Hills, CA
    Posts
    1,311
    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Hintz View Post
    Not an insulation story, but money-saving, nonetheless.

    We first moved into our new house back in mid-December 2014. The house is about 4,700 square feet with a 2,100+ square foot basement. At the worst of it, our monthly bills were $600 for propane (usage was about 20 gallons/day) and $600 for electric... nearly $1,200/month to (mostly) heat the place. I was NOT a happy camper.

    We had a pellet stove at the old house, which I loved, so decided to do the same here. Although this year was more mild compared to last year, our propane usage dropped drastically to about 2-4 gallons/day, and the electric bill ranged from high-$200's to mid-$300's. Pellet usage so far this year has been about 2.2 tons, which amounts to around $700. The pellet stove ($6,500 installed) will likely pay for itself by end of next year.
    Our last house had propane heat and the first winter heating bills were running $600-800 per month for a 2700sf house. We added a pellet stove and the bills dropped to $750 for the entire year. We stopped using the propane heater. I really liked having a nice warm spot to stand when you first come into the house. I miss that pellet stove at our current place.

    Steve

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