Where does it all go!

[dkjones96]

I was looking at my electric bill and over the last month I used 12.18 kWh of electricity per day. Were does all this come from?

I guess cooking at home with the a/c running could do it but 500 watts per hour per day? I live in an apartment, the usage can't be that bad can it?

My ac does run constant fan all night but that's because the ac turning on and off all night wakes me up and I prefer the air in the entire apartment being circulated and not just the air in the room by a floor fan(no I don't have a floor fan).

I always keep my TV and cable box unplugged because I don't watch TV. My computer is on 24/7(Dell small form factor) but I turn everything else off via wall switch when I'm not home. Then you have your usual couple of wall dc converters, a microwave, and a 4 watt CFL in the hood over the stove that is on 24/7.

[theholycow]

You need one of these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=95683

[BBsGarage]

what about a fridge?

[ihatemybike]

If you're fridge is mostly empty put a bunch of water bottles in it, a full fridge is more efficient.

[GasSavers_Ryland]

put a kill-a-watt meter on your a/c and on your fridge and you will most likely find that they are the cause, clean out the vents on the a/c and the coils on the back of your fridge and you will most likely see a drop, fill your fridge with mass and you will see a drop as well, motors take alot of energy, the fan motor on your a/c running all the time is costing you fair amount.

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

What kind of AC do you have? The one big thing I love about window units over central units is that between about 10PM and 10AM you can throw the damper over and pull in cooler night/morning air instead of having the AC part running at all. Also if the window you have it in is in full sun from about 2pm - 6pm, then try and move it to one that isn't.

The fridge and freezer, make sure it has enough ventilation. Leave about 6 inches behind it, and 8 inches clearance on top. Vacuum the dust off the condenser on the back if it's exposed, or try and get the worst off the vents if it's internal.

Cooking... some people like to leave things boiling merrily away with the burner on full, with the pot uncovered. This i) wastes heat ii) puts a crapload of humidity in the air. Learn to cover your pots and reduce heat to simmer.

Edit: btw, I think when showering, even with the AC on, you're better off to open the bathroom window or run the vent fan. Losing the steam seems to outweigh the slight amount of air exchange.

[rgathright]

I have been using a Kill-A-Watt meter for over a year now. Here is a discussion of the power required to brew a pot of coffee: Cuisinart DGB-600 Coffe maker power usage

I also noticed that a Dyson animal home vacum uses 1200watts of power!

My #1 tip for power savings is to use foam sealant around the AC and in the attic to plug any holes, here is a discussion on how to do this: Great Stuff Foam sealant review

[ffvben]

I just got my bill 678kwh for June -23kwh daily(also noted the 4th hottest June on record since they started recording temps). last June was 820. we have a rancher built around 1961-63 the attic insulation is about 3inches with 40+ years of dust on it. 2people/2dogs gas= water heater/and broiler/stove. elec.= central air one fridge and 55" projection TV and a dehumidifier comes on once in awhile. since last year we have changed just about all the light bulbs to CFL. unplugged stuff that has phantom draws. we use floor fans some times on hot days to move the ac around the house. one of my major projects is to kick up the attic insulation in the near future after I get new tires for the truck and it gets a bit cooler up there.
0ne thing we do is for dinner is eat sandwiches or salads, and if needed cook out side on the grill so the kitchen doesn't heat up.

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

If you still have incandescent light bulbs, there's a lot of your power. Also, most electronic equipment that has a remote control uses some power even when "off".

When I lived in an apartment, my electric bill came to nowhere near that, even considering that was 25 years ago. My AC was 240v, about 8k btu or so, fridge was not frost-free, TV not remote. Only thing which ran was the VCR and the electric clock.

[Lug_Nut]

Originally Posted by ihatemybike

If you're fridge is mostly empty put a bunch of water bottles in it, a full fridge is more efficient.

Empty bottles are as effective for this purpose.
The energy loss is the cold air falling out when the door is open. Containing that air so it can't 'fall' means there is that much less warmer room air able to get in and that much less to have to cool down.
Although the contents of liquid filled containers will take longer to warm than the air in empty ones if the door is left open for long periods, they similarly take much longer to cool again. The energy used to maintain the temperature in the fridge is the same.
But, it's easier to move empty containers, and removing them to make space for the groceries just purchased isn't taking as much electricity and effectively leaving it on the counter to be wasted.