What are you doing to save energy?

[Zwy]

On that instant tank-less hot water heater, consider where you live and how cold the water coming in is. Those heaters don't have an ability to heat to a temp like a tank does, but only raise the temperature of the water coming in. In warmer climes they can work well. In colder climes they can mean taking a shower in 70 degree water in the winter. Not telling you to not do it, just look closely at how/if they work in your situation.

I have a tankless propane in the shop. Tankless usually will meet the temp rise, however they will throttle back the flow in order to meet the temp rise. As no heat is produced when off, there isn't any convective flow either, so there isn't any warm water in the plumbing close to the faucet. If the lines run thru a colder basement, all that water in the line has to run thru before any hot water gets to the faucet. In the morning it does take longer for that first run to get hot water than later in the day.

My unit has a wall mounted thermostat by the sink. In winter I usually bump the desired temp up a few degrees compared to summer. If I'm running the hot water thru the pressure washer, I crank it up to 145F. I would like to go higher but that is max.

 

[Zwy]

Ahh, yeah, in air tight homes.. I could see them being needed so it doesn't get stagnant.

But, most homes aren't air tight

My house isn't tight, 1905 farmhouse.

Running ceiling fans eliminates condensation on windows when it is -30F. The heat is also spread more evenly in a room, run at low speed in reverse to force air to the outside walls and down the walls.

 

[SparkyGage]

I have a tankless propane in the shop. Tankless usually will meet the temp rise, however they will throttle back the flow in order to meet the temp rise. As no heat is produced when off, there isn't any convective flow either, so there isn't any warm water in the plumbing close to the faucet. If the lines run thru a colder basement, all that water in the line has to run thru before any hot water gets to the faucet. In the morning it does take longer for that first run to get hot water than later in the day.

My unit has a wall mounted thermostat by the sink. In winter I usually bump the desired temp up a few degrees compared to summer. If I'm running the hot water thru the pressure washer, I crank it up to 145F. I would like to go higher but that is max.

That's a good point: Tankless gas is a different animal than tankless electric. A water heater is adding BTUs to the water and a gas based system is capable of adding a lot more BTU's per gallon per minute than an electric - this is the same reason a gas water heater can recover faster than an electric water heater of the same volume. In Arkansas gas, (natural, propane, etc) can usually heat the water year round. BUT everyone I know that has tankless electric systems hate them in the winter because the water in the feed lines can get VERY cold and the systems are only capable of a 40-50 degree rise and if the water temp comming in is below 50, the water comming out is below body temperature.

 

[Shimmy]

On that instant tank-less hot water heater, consider where you live and how cold the water coming in is. Those heaters don't have an ability to heat to a temp like a tank does, but only raise the temperature of the water coming in.

For really cold water and electric heat I like the idea of a pre-heating tank plus point of use. Use the pre-heat to get water up to ~70 on cheaper electricity.

 

[SeaGal]

My damn fans only work with a remote control. If I had known this I wouldn't have bought them. Really limits my control options.

Come on now... this is a DIY forum . Just sticky tape a relay to the remote control button contact and hang an ESP32 off the other end ?‍

 

[Sunny Day]

This is how our home grid consumption looks and as you see it has been a “hobby” (obsession) of mine to get it down for a number of years. In fact the number one piece of advice I could give on lowering your domestic consumption is to keep track of it (in one way or another) and challenge yourself to keep finding ways to beat the corresponding month from the previous year.

The figures are flattered by the fact I installed my offgrid solar progressively between 2020 and 2022 so that accounts for most of the summer months reductions, and in the winter months when heating is our main load, I have only been able to keep improving my lowering the thermostat and tolerating discomfort as the cost of continuing improvements.

I’ve long since gone past any reasonable compromise between convenience and consumption and into silly territory like only switching on the hot water every three days and unplugging the kitchen cooker overnight to save those critical last few watts of standby consumption. Our lounge is 16C each evening and the bedrooms are around 13C which is double duvet territory.

I don’t advise anyone goes too far down the same road because it does become an OCD as finding the final few kWh savings can drive you a bit crazy. But I get the satisfaction of compiling my graphs each month and feel relatively insulated against rising energy prices.

The savings I have achieved are the product of many individual interventions, sometimes finding more efficient solutions, other times investing in more efficient appliances and at times just going without comforts and convenience.

It is a 1,700 sq foot (155 sq m) two floor house in Sweden. Prices are in Swedish kronor and took a major upswing last year due to Ukraine.

 

[1201]

Come on now... this is a DIY forum . Just sticky tape a relay to the remote control button contact and hang an ESP32 off the other end ?‍

Lol. You jest about that but there are people out there who would absolutely do that.

 

[y0bailey]

True, nor should they be. Air tight building to me is like audiophilia- batshit crazy

My house is pretty damn "air tight" and we have a fresh air ventilation system installed.

I hate that system so much because it's "dumb" and will just pull in air at non-adjustable intervals throughout the day/night. I've felt it suck in 100 degree NC humid air mid day in the freaking summer. No commercially available "easy" controller that I've found on the internet...and I'm not savvy enough to program one myself.

I just turn it off. We are in and out of the house 10 times a day easily. I don't think we are dying of C02 toxicity any time soon. We also have HEPA filters everywhere, and they monitor air quality and are always happy.

 

[1201]

My house is pretty damn "air tight" and we have a fresh air ventilation system installed.

I hate that system so much because it's "dumb" and will just pull in air at non-adjustable intervals throughout the day/night. I've felt it suck in 100 degree NC humid air mid day in the freaking summer. No commercially available "easy" controller that I've found on the internet...and I'm not savvy enough to program one myself.

I just turn it off. We are in and out of the house 10 times a day easily. I don't think we are dying of C02 toxicity any time soon. We also have HEPA filters everywhere, and they monitor air quality and are always happy.

I think that's what most people end up doing, is just turn them off. The building science guys would have you believe 24/7 ventilation is good for the house but the bringing in the humid air thing was a bridge too far for me.

 

[pvgirl]

My house is pretty damn "air tight" and we have a fresh air ventilation system installed.

I hate that system so much because it's "dumb" and will just pull in air at non-adjustable intervals throughout the day/night. I've felt it suck in 100 degree NC humid air mid day in the freaking summer. No commercially available "easy" controller that I've found on the internet...and I'm not savvy enough to program one myself.

I just turn it off. We are in and out of the house 10 times a day easily. I don't think we are dying of C02 toxicity any time soon. We also have HEPA filters everywhere, and they monitor air quality and are always happy.

Is this an HRV/ERV or just a vent from the outside to the inside?

 

[y0bailey]

Is this an HRV/ERV or just a vent from the outside to the inside?

Just a vent that opens/closes based on how many SQ feet you have (turn a knob for SQ feet into the controller and that adjusts run-time). Straight up horrible outside air mixed into the ducts with the conditioned air...hot or cold, rain or shine.

There wasn't even a filter where it sucks in the air from outside...and all of my HVAC filters are in the ceilings of the room and not located at the central handler. So it was sucking in NC spring pollen directly into the ductwork/coils. I at least added a filter...but then I just turned it off fully.

 

[Solarcabin Channel]

I decrease my energy use in winter and increase it over summer.

My system is sized for winter use and at least 3 days of low sunshine. With some backup power stations and portable panels that can be extended a week easy.

In summer I have excess solar power so I am recharging my Ebikes, running an electric mower, evap cooler and I use more electric cooking appliances and gadgets. In winter those go in storage and I watch the forecasts and get things charged up on sunny winter days. We get heavy snow here so I use an electric snow blower occasionally.

I don't go without anything and have most the same modern appliances as any home though I do choose the most efficient appliances I can afford. 12/24 volt fridges, induction cooktop, energy star microwave and washer. I use a laptop for entertainment, water pump, led lights, quartz heaters, electric blankets and lots of low watt cooking appliances. I have propane and wood stove backup for heating.

After being off grid with just a small system for so many years it just becomes instinctive to watch the forecast and know when you can run more stuff or wait for a sunny day.

 

[ledow]

Got my Induction hotplate today. Put on a pot to make some tea. I thought the old electric stove was good. In the past I would put hot water in the pot and it usually took 5 to 10 minutes to warm the water. This thing did it in half the time with cold water to start. Very impressive technology.

Wait until you hear about UK kettles.

 

[JJJJ]

Wait until you hear about UK kettles

I am all ears

 

[SparkyGage]

I am all ears

Their 220v kettles seem to take about half the time to boil as our 110v kettles for some reason....

 

[Ampster]

All lighting is already LED.
Installing multiple mini splits. To get rid of the NG furnace and water heater.
More solar panels and battery capacity.

I have done much of the same to save energy. Driving two EVs has the reverse effect but that has saved buying thousands of gallons of gasoline.

 

[timselectric]

I have done much of the same to save energy. Driving two EVs has the reverse effect but that has saved buying thousands of gallons of gasoline.

EV's are in the future plans. Once the system is large enough to support them.

 

[SupraSPL]

Induction cooktops transfer heat to the pan more efficiently than any other method. You will notice the difference in how hot the kitchen gets especially if you are used to cooking with gas. Induction is 120V inverter friendly and can be easily used outdoors if it is AC season.

Toaster oven saves huge over heating up an oven and is 120v inverter friendly

80 gallon hot water heater loses 1.7kwh per day just standing by so timer might be helpful. Insulate the tank with extra wrap especially if it is in a cold area. These can be rewired for 120V no problem just move one leg to neutral bar and it will now draw 1150Watts in 120V.

A warm, low flow shower takes about 6500 watts! so if you can limit your shower time in no-sun days that is very helpful.

Most dryers can run on 120V and will pull almost 1500 Watts. Use clothes drying rack when there is no sun. During cold dry months exhaust the dryer into the living space (through a sock or stocking as filter). Much safer to do this on 120V.

LED lights are obvious but they make 190 lumen per watt bulbs now, can be found at Wally!

Inverted DC ceiling fan uses 2W on low and still moves some decent air! 10 watts on 4/6 speed and 25 watts on high. Normal AC ceiling fan is 10 watts on low 70 watts on high.

Whenever possible use DC fans avoid AC fans. AC fans use shaded pole motors terribly inefficient. DC brushless even better. Cheap and powerful inverted DC inline fans are available if you need to ventilate a house these are the way to go.

DC brushless battery powered vacuums are awesome and huge power savings versus 120V AC vacuums. Quiet lightweight and cheap. Many can use power tool batteries. Make sure to get cyclonic style.

12V RV pumps are 4-5 times more efficient than AC jet pumps. 17A pumps are available, cheap and quiet and can handle high pressure with no problem.

Inverter heat pumps/AC mini splits can be up to 590% efficient (20EER) at AC and 530% efficient (5.3 COP) at heating. Midea U window AC is 430% efficient. Cheap mini splits are about 350% efficient. Those are the best case scenario numbers and they vary quite a bit so focus on EER and COP to get an idea what the unit is really capable of.

Inverter fridges are impressive. I tested an LG 10.1 as low as 630 watt hours per day (230kwh/year) with minimal opening and 68F ambient. The energy label says 430kwh/yr. The newer ones are supposed to be even more efficient 360kwh/yr roughly.

Inverter washing machine. I tested a medium size laundry load the other day it was 46 minutes, 89 watt hours. Could have powered it with a Ryobi battery. Max draw was about 350 watts during spin up.

 

[ledow]

Inverter fridges are impressive. I tested an LG 10.1 as low as 630 watt hours per day (230kwh/year) with minimal opening and 68F ambient. The energy label says 430kwh/yr. The newer ones are supposed to be even more efficient 360kwh/yr roughly.

Inverter washing machine. I tested a medium size laundry load the other day it was 46 minutes, 89 watt hours. Could have powered it with a Ryobi battery. Max draw was about 350 watts during spin up.

I don't know what you're doing with the fridges, but those numbers are ridiculously high. That would be classed as a very inefficient fridge throughout Europe.

Also, that washing machine - if your units are right that appears ridiculously low, I presume it can't be heating the water at all.

I'm guessing you live somewhere very hot, which would explain both.

 

[Shimmy]

I don't know what you're doing with the fridges, but those numbers are ridiculously high. That would be classed as a very inefficient fridge throughout Europe.

The control logic and insulation are a bit better in the EU, but 1kWh is standard in the US. Mine is actually closer to 3kWh optimally, as it has separate compressors for the fridge and freezer.

 

[Quattrohead]

I don't know what you're doing with the fridges, but those numbers are ridiculously high. That would be classed as a very inefficient fridge throughout Europe.

USA fridges would be considered a small home in Europe lol

Also, that washing machine - if your units are right that appears ridiculously low, I presume it can't be heating the water at all.

USA washing machines do not have any water heater built in, all have to be plumbed into the hot water too.
Oddly, dish washers do have water heaters built in.

 

[cs1234]

USA fridges would be considered a small home in Europe lol

USA washing machines do not have any water heater built in, all have to be plumbed into the hot water too.
Oddly, dish washers do have water heaters built in.

I believe dish washers are also installed on dedicated circuits as well, likely because of that built in heater. Mine is on a dedicated circuit anyway.

Dish washer is also plumbed with hot water, the heater just lets it get even hotter for sterilization option and probably maintain heat during the cycle using less water? Maybe it uses the same heater for dish drying as well?

 

[Crowz]

My dishwasher has a heater but I have no clue if it uses it since it has a dedicated 30 gallon hot water heater 6 inches from it

 

[740GLE]

My house is pretty damn "air tight" and we have a fresh air ventilation system installed.

I hate that system so much because it's "dumb" and will just pull in air at non-adjustable intervals throughout the day/night. I've felt it suck in 100 degree NC humid air mid day in the freaking summer. No commercially available "easy" controller that I've found on the internet...and I'm not savvy enough to program one myself.

I just turn it off. We are in and out of the house 10 times a day easily. I don't think we are dying of C02 toxicity any time soon. We also have HEPA filters everywhere, and they monitor air quality and are always happy.

There are fresh air heat exchangers such that the air youre expelling is changing its energy with the air coming in.

Works way better in colder climates 70f inside air is exchanged with 10f outside air but feels like 65f degree air, all that heat isn’t lost.

 

[cs1234]

My dishwasher has a heater but I have no clue if it uses it since it has a dedicated 30 gallon hot water heater 6 inches from it

Depends on what temp you have the water at I guess. A newer dishwasher only uses like 4-6 gallons per cycle. Older ones used 3 times that amount.