4000 kWh usage per month

[aragonx]

I had a 3000 Square Foot Capecod design house, built Late 80's with proper insulation etc (for that time frame). It did not have any special features (passive or otherwise) and was of the A-Typical construction of the day with fiberglass batt insulation etc. That monstrosity used a MAX of 10kWh per day (when electric heat was on) but so low because we usually had a fire going in winter which used up about 8 Cord of hardwood.

Dumped that shack and built my current home, smaller but highly efficient and I use between 3.5-4.2 kWh per day "year round". I rarely put the woodstove on as it overheats the house far to easily.

Efficient Appliances & Devices are Essential.
Good Insulation + Fresh Air Exchange (w/ heat recovery) also goes a long way for winter comforts. Also Good Insulation helps keep the exterior heat OUT in summer as well (for some reason many miss THAT important point, never occurs to some).

4000kWh hours ! = 4,000,000 Wh !
For a residence that is LUDICROUS !
Get back to the Calculator, Go look at your power bills (heaviest months) and verify the actual kWh used !
Sit down with spouse & ask what can we upgrade/update to cut our energy usage !!!
That Fridge you inherited from Grandma that keeps your beer cold HAS TO GO !
Appreciate also that there are MANY things that qualify for Rebates/Incentives & Cash Back so look into it.

RULE 1 OF SOLAR !!!
Conservation is FAR CHEAPER than Generation & Storage !

Yea, 5000 kWh! Hours... My electric bill is crazy! Even my basement is using 20 kWh/day. The biggest part of that is me cooling the server/solar room. That is 100% of the DC load. The AC load is the server, network equipment, and my office which has 3 computers. My gaming PC can chew up about 800 watts by itself (if I'm playing Cities Skylines II. Seems like no other game pushes my PC nearly as hard).

VRM Portal - Victron Energy

vrm.victronenergy.com

 

[HiElectricbills]

OP any updates on this? I also use 4k a month during winter

 

[HiElectricbills]

I have never seen a sub $200 electric bill. I must have something else wrong with my house because the bill is still pretty high. $550 last month.

What heating system does your house use ?

 

[eppich8479]

Im a remodel contractor

Do you have single pane aluminum windows? Swapping them out with 2 pane vinyl windows with a quality installation could help a lot.
Also buying some blown in insulation and renting the machine is probably 1000$ (do watch a youtube video or something because there are safety concerns)
Most people dont know it but you should flush your water heater every 3-6. Scale builds up and makes it work extra hard.
Look for light around your exterior doors. New door seals are cheap and easy to replace.

If you really want to deep dive, buy a thermal camera. I got one that plugs into my phone for 400$

 

[bhbaker220]

Check your insulation in the attic. Where you live, you should have an R-49 which would be 15" of fiberglass batts or rolls. Perhaps the insulation was blown in and has settled. You should be able to add more fairly easily.
Get a quote for new dual pane or triple pane windows. Not sure what was used on your house, but windows have improved significantly over the years.
If you have a propane source nearby, consider a tankless water heater. You might have two water tanks for a house that large but might be able to get away with one tankless water heaters.
Unless you cook or bake a lot with the oven, it's probably not a big drain in the overall scheme of things.
Focus on the heat pumps. You did not say how old they are what you did to fix one of them. Surely with the age of the house, these would have been replaced at least once. Given the size of the house, you likely have two. If you have kids or other family members that live on both floors, they are likely running significantly in the summer and winter. If they are old, consider replacing with something more efficient. If relatively new and efficient, get them serviced to see if they are low on refrigerant and check the duct work. Ducts running through a ventilated attic can lose a significant amount of heating and cooling. Make sure any insulation is not blocking air the comes in through the eaves.
I would consider spending the $'s first on improving efficiency and then once you know what the new normal is, then work on expanding solar.