What are you doing to save energy?

[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.

 

[740GLE]

“Heated dry” will always use the internal heating element, their wont be water in the bin to heat, but heat up the chamber to dry dishes at the end of the cycle.

 

[Crowz]

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.

Its a brand new samsung. I bought it month before last.

 

[cs1234]

Its a brand new samsung. I bought it month before last.

So it uses around 4-6 gallons at most per cycle, unless you are telling it do extra rinses and stuff. You can get yourself a new smaller water heater if you want to reclaim some space for storage.

 

[hwy17]

Dishwashers in the US do use the heater and IIRC it's mandated for water heating on all wash cycles, some kind of regulation to ensure dishes are sanitized above a certain temp.

Heat dry can be turned on or off, but not heated rinse.

 

[Crowz]

So it uses around 4-6 gallons at most per cycle, unless you are telling it do extra rinses and stuff. You can get yourself a new smaller water heater if you want to reclaim some space for storage.

Nah its not worth moving it. The wife wants the new washer/dryer combo going on that wall anyways so its there for that too one day.

It was sitting there in the kitchen when we bought the place and not hooked to anything. The daycare center that was renting the place from the city before we bought it had one of those huge industrial dishwashers connected to it.

 

[SupraSPL]

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.

0.65 kwh (650 watt hours) per day is ridiculously high? For reference this is a apartment size fridge, 6 cu ft fridge with 4 cu ft freezer. (Sry not sure how volume is typically measured in eu cubic meters?) What kind of numbers have you measured?

The washing machine numbers are correct and repeatable (80-90 watt hours per load). You are correct that is without hot water.

 

[Solarcabin Channel]

Energy efficiency of a fridge/freezer will depend a lot on the ambient temperature of the room.

At night I lower the cabin temp to 60 degrees and where the fridge/freezer sit away from the heat source they use much less power than in the day time. I am also not opening them to grab a snack when I am sleeping.... usually.

Chest style 12/24 volt fridge freezers with good insulation are very efficient for off grid and emergency blackout use. Pull about 45-50 watts when running and only run a few minutes each hour.

 

[Crowz]

I have 2 refrigerators and a freezer on one outlet that my emporia measures so I have data for the day, month, etc on.

They use from 3800 to 5300 watts a day.

5300 watts was with the room temperature being 80 degrees.
3800 is at 68 degrees room temperature.

The two refrigerators are modern types.

One is a new LG side by side frig/freezer stainless steel inverter type with digital display, icemaker etc.
The other is a two door refrigerator and 3rd bottom draw freezer.

The freezer only one is a bit older at about 6 years old I think but its a monster in size. It's an upright model and not a chest freezer but it was the largest one we could find. It's a bit larger than the other two and its all freezer.

Considering its three of them it doesn't seem to bad power usage wise.

 

[nc73]

Why would I save energy when it's "free" I try to use the most I can when I have plenty of sun. I need the most energy hog appliances and I already have an EV.

 

[SupraSPL]

Why would I save energy when it's "free" I try to use the most I can when I have plenty of sun. I need the most energy hog appliances and I already have an EV.

For grid down, consecutive thick cloud days winter etc