Batten down the hatches - Page 4

zorander6 · 06-18-19, 09:33 PM

Been turning the window AC on about one day a week but looks like I'll have to start running it more. New doors and windows scheduled to be installed July 5th which means I need to move a bunch of junk out of the living and dining rooms. Get the couches torn down and rid of this weekend and maybe start working on finding someone to take the laminate wood flooring I have. Need to box some crap of the ex's up that she forgot and take it over to one of the sisters in law as well.

On the plus side will also be able to get the rest of the carpet out once they are done with the living room window. Electric bill is averaging about $92 a month since the ex left. Will have to see how July goes but so far this summer has been cooler than it was last year thankfully.

zorander6 · 07-08-19, 06:44 AM

Two new windows and a new sliding glass door are making a nice difference. Spent the 4th frantically cleaning the living room, dining room, and kitchen for the crew to install the windows and doors and then the weekend painting the rest of the living room that I'd not finished painting yet. Looks like a different room. Next to tackle I think will be the dining room once I get rid of the china cabinet. going to knock a stub wall out in between the kitchen and dining room and add some more cabinets because counter and storage space is limited.

zorander6 · 08-05-19, 07:44 AM

Haven't done much on the house, still working on fixing the truck. 16 years of rust has been a royal pain to remove. On the plus side last month my electric bill was down 67% and this month looks like it will be down about 30%. It's been a lot cooler summer which is nice. Have not broke 1,000 kWh since the end of August last year. Once I pay off some debt considering looking into some solar panels but really should probably rewire the house first. Biggest problem is I want 20A to each room (three bedrooms, living room, dining/kitchen) and I want each room on it's own circuit. Also want a 210 outlet in the garage and it on it's own circuit as well. Considering separating the lights to their own circuits since I can run the outlets through the basement and then run the lights up the area the stack for the furnace goes up or the area where the vent goes.

Will have to replace the fuse block as well to get it up to code. May be next years project to rewire the house.

Daox · 08-05-19, 08:12 AM

That is a lot of work to do! Thanks for sharing the journey with us.

zorander6 · 09-11-19, 09:08 AM

So it has now been a year since I broke 800 KWh in a single month. My next goal is to figure out how I can get my average below 600 KWh. Shouldn't be too much change, currently the average is 614.58. I know one of my biggest consumers (outside of laundry) is my 60+ year old freezer. I need to start shopping for an affordable but more energy efficient one. Considering setting up some drying racks in the basement that I can use over the winter as well but not sure how well that will work. I have multiple fans I can put in place to move air around. Also considering doing more hand washing of stuff.

Finally got the rest of the carpet removed and also removed the vinyl "wood grain" flooring. Found my first unknown but expected problem. Apparently there was a water leak that damaged the sub floor and instead of fixing it they just put carpet and the vinyl over everything. On the plus side just gives me another reason to remodel the master bath and add a small shower before I do the main bathroom. Downside is I have to remove the wood flooring without damaging it as much as possible.

zorander6 · 01-12-21, 09:54 AM

Well it's been over a year since I last posted. Due to layoffs and covid and a lower paying job haven't really made any progress on the house like I'd hoped. So far I'm averaging 752.75 KwH working from home and installing some solar powered exterior lights. There is a short somewhere in the kitchen/dining/garage/living room circuit which means none of the front exterior lights work. Found some cheap LED solar powered lights on Amazon and they are pretty bright and turn on when they detect movement so I'm going to give them a shot. Trying to decide if I want to install them on the soffit or not though. Biggest problem is I'm not sure if the switch will detect people approaching the house or not based on the angle. Upside of soffit installation is the panels on the lights will have direct sun for at least 4 hours a day to charge.

08-05-19, 08:12 AM	#34
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	That is a lot of work to do! Thanks for sharing the journey with us. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

06-18-19, 09:33 PM	#31
zorander6 Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 26 Thanks: 3 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Been turning the window AC on about one day a week but looks like I'll have to start running it more. New doors and windows scheduled to be installed July 5th which means I need to move a bunch of junk out of the living and dining rooms. Get the couches torn down and rid of this weekend and maybe start working on finding someone to take the laminate wood flooring I have. Need to box some crap of the ex's up that she forgot and take it over to one of the sisters in law as well. On the plus side will also be able to get the rest of the carpet out once they are done with the living room window. Electric bill is averaging about $92 a month since the ex left. Will have to see how July goes but so far this summer has been cooler than it was last year thankfully.

07-08-19, 06:44 AM	#32
zorander6 Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 26 Thanks: 3 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Two new windows and a new sliding glass door are making a nice difference. Spent the 4th frantically cleaning the living room, dining room, and kitchen for the crew to install the windows and doors and then the weekend painting the rest of the living room that I'd not finished painting yet. Looks like a different room. Next to tackle I think will be the dining room once I get rid of the china cabinet. going to knock a stub wall out in between the kitchen and dining room and add some more cabinets because counter and storage space is limited.

08-05-19, 07:44 AM	#33
zorander6 Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 26 Thanks: 3 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Haven't done much on the house, still working on fixing the truck. 16 years of rust has been a royal pain to remove. On the plus side last month my electric bill was down 67% and this month looks like it will be down about 30%. It's been a lot cooler summer which is nice. Have not broke 1,000 kWh since the end of August last year. Once I pay off some debt considering looking into some solar panels but really should probably rewire the house first. Biggest problem is I want 20A to each room (three bedrooms, living room, dining/kitchen) and I want each room on it's own circuit. Also want a 210 outlet in the garage and it on it's own circuit as well. Considering separating the lights to their own circuits since I can run the outlets through the basement and then run the lights up the area the stack for the furnace goes up or the area where the vent goes. Will have to replace the fuse block as well to get it up to code. May be next years project to rewire the house.

09-11-19, 09:08 AM	#35
zorander6 Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 26 Thanks: 3 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	So it has now been a year since I broke 800 KWh in a single month. My next goal is to figure out how I can get my average below 600 KWh. Shouldn't be too much change, currently the average is 614.58. I know one of my biggest consumers (outside of laundry) is my 60+ year old freezer. I need to start shopping for an affordable but more energy efficient one. Considering setting up some drying racks in the basement that I can use over the winter as well but not sure how well that will work. I have multiple fans I can put in place to move air around. Also considering doing more hand washing of stuff. Finally got the rest of the carpet removed and also removed the vinyl "wood grain" flooring. Found my first unknown but expected problem. Apparently there was a water leak that damaged the sub floor and instead of fixing it they just put carpet and the vinyl over everything. On the plus side just gives me another reason to remodel the master bath and add a small shower before I do the main bathroom. Downside is I have to remove the wood flooring without damaging it as much as possible.

01-12-21, 09:54 AM	#36
zorander6 Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 26 Thanks: 3 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Well it's been over a year since I last posted. Due to layoffs and covid and a lower paying job haven't really made any progress on the house like I'd hoped. So far I'm averaging 752.75 KwH working from home and installing some solar powered exterior lights. There is a short somewhere in the kitchen/dining/garage/living room circuit which means none of the front exterior lights work. Found some cheap LED solar powered lights on Amazon and they are pretty bright and turn on when they detect movement so I'm going to give them a shot. Trying to decide if I want to install them on the soffit or not though. Biggest problem is I'm not sure if the switch will detect people approaching the house or not based on the angle. Upside of soffit installation is the panels on the lights will have direct sun for at least 4 hours a day to charge.