I was heading over to a friends todays and again on the radio news were stories about power costs in Ontario, this must be the flavour of the month or something for reporters. Since I was going to the place that had the abnormally high power bill last Dec, I asked them if I could take a picture of it...I am sure meter problems are rare but just to show that it can happen here is the bill...Note the off the chart bill in December. So it does happen. When disputed the power company agreed to a charge roughly equal to the previous bill. I know the meter wasn't replaced, I would really like to know why, but the power company gave them no reason, maybe it needed calibrating?, just a wag.
Of note on that bill is the stunningly consistent consumption pattern. The Only fluctuations occur in the winter months, when the run time of the furnace is dependant on the type of winter we are having, I don't believe any forced air furnace uses less than 2 kwhrs a day even in a mild winter day in Alberta, but can when the weathers bad use maybe as much as 6 kwhs a day.
I forgot to take a picture of the back of the bill, but 15.60 was the charge for power used during the month of Feb, and 53.40 was just made up charges. If no power was used you will still get a bill nearing 50.00 a month ( 600 a year) in Alberta, The bills are so front end loaded that in trying to consume less you will get no benefit passed a certain point.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
here is a rock solid, with bills included report for you peppercorn
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
Its will be a combo Peppercorn, we are moving the stove to propane, we are moving one area to small winter only pellet stove with solar lighting for that building. we are building a bigger different greenhouse with more passive solar heating for winter. We get good winds and so we will most likely do a small wind power.. and of course wood heat
But all said and done, we are looking to reduce the use, possible replace some of the outbuildings to solar or other ways.. take more canning to propane would help as well.. having said that, we agree with you.. we don't think we can go off grid with the way things are
Allrighty… its now two years to the day that you were going to take action against your power bill...How did that work out, how much propane does your stove use in a year?
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
wow, I had such plans lol..
Ok, I have not gotten nearly enough done
On the good side, I have gotten my summer power bill down on average 32 to 38% using combo solar (stand alone connected to lights) and Propane (outside canning stove, plus house stuff) I still need to work on better solar food drying, as it's the food dryer that makes that % swing, its a heavier puller of power then most realize.
In winter, we just went though very hard winter, lots of cold and we were between 22-26% less use then the year before and we were really the up the winter before because my mom was in the house and spiked my numbers big time! for the time she was here so I have been comparing 2 years ago as well as last winter because I know its a "odd out" the biggest swing factor in amount (that 4%) is when I have to haul warm water from the house for the farm critters, that much water heating over the month add's up.
So the other positive is over 10 grand invested in the house in regards to repair work that all helped make the house work better..
The not positive, I am still waiting for my indoor propane stove, its on the hit list for this spring. I will pm on that one.. its a story.. and I think now that we have the tree's taken out in the big "yard shake up" that I can finally get the dang permit cleared to add the wood stove I want.. I hope.
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
I was really hoping to hear some data on two years of propane stove usage, and how that saved.....I even use my pilot light one as a dehydrator.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
Sorry I could not be more useful on this one..
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
For comparison, my bill, for a 1200-sq ft townhouse in the burbs of Ottawa, costs monthly anywhere from a low of $60 (October) to a high of $205 (this month - 1634 kWh consumption). I live alone & am pretty frugal with electricity, doing most stuff off-peak (when it is cheaper), but I do cook an lot & have electric baseboard heating which sucks. My unit has a unit on each side and one above, so I usually don't have to turn on the heat til Oct or so. Farmgal is right that a big chunk of the bill is "delivery" which includes debt repayment from poor business choices by politicians in the past.
HopeImReady
"The thing about smart mother f*ckers, is that they sometimes sound like crazy mother f*ckers to dumb mother f*ckers." -Abraham .”
For comparison, my bill, for a 1200-sq ft townhouse in the burbs of Ottawa, costs monthly anywhere from a low of $60 (October) to a high of $205 (this month - 1634 kWh consumption). I live alone & am pretty frugal with electricity, doing most stuff off-peak (when it is cheaper), but I do cook an lot & have electric baseboard heating which sucks. My unit has a unit on each side and one above, so I usually don't have to turn on the heat til Oct or so. Farmgal is right that a big chunk of the bill is "delivery" which includes debt repayment from poor business choices by politicians in the past.
Well your sounds much more reasonable, and considering you use electric heat I would say that's not too bad.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
