Old farm house, options?

charlie_D · 11-03-09, 05:25 AM

Hi, nice to be here.

I'm hoping someone might have some suggestions for decreasing my electricity usage; I've been staring at this problem for so long maybe I'm missing the obvious. I'll start with some background.

I recently purchased my 'dream home'; it's a 3200sq ft, 100 year old brick farm house on 16 acres. It's all-electric, has a geothermal system for heating (the label says 'water furnace synergy3'), and most of the main floor windows have been replaced. The second floor windows are 20-30, the older push-slider type. I've caulked around all of these to decrease leakage.

The atic area is an ongoing project; it was partially finished when I bought the house, and there are a lot of 'open' areas between the roof and here. The door to the atic is weather-stripped and closed until I can insulate the crawl-out doors and the roof access hatch.

All fixtures are using CFL bulbs, I've re-weather stripped every door leading outside, and replaced all the kitchen appliances with energy efficient ones. Water comes from a submersible pump, no idea what it draws for power, and I've fixed a lot of the electrical issues the house had (bare, live wires, "missing" junction boxes, DIY, reused electrical panel in the garage that should have burned said garage down long ago, etc).

My problem is, my energy bill refuses to budge. I seem to be using approximately 4000kwh per month, no matter how conservative I am with lighting, and the thermostat is set to 70. This is a currently 3, soon to be 4 person home. We don't have any exotic equipment, just a laptop we primarily use for internet (the other computers don't get used much, since we moved), and a 52" LCD television that's on maybe 3 hours per day.

I suppose I should mention; I live in Manitoba, Canada. My budget has mostly been exhausted buying equipment needed for the property, so any other improvements will by necessity come at a slower pace. Basically, I'm wondering if anyone can think of anything else I can do to cut down this bill? I'd like to use the money to have a more efficient home, rather than just give it to the hydro company.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Charlie

11-03-09, 05:25 AM	#1
charlie_D Lurking Renovator Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Manitoba, Canada Posts: 17 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Old farm house, options? Hi, nice to be here. I'm hoping someone might have some suggestions for decreasing my electricity usage; I've been staring at this problem for so long maybe I'm missing the obvious. I'll start with some background. I recently purchased my 'dream home'; it's a 3200sq ft, 100 year old brick farm house on 16 acres. It's all-electric, has a geothermal system for heating (the label says 'water furnace synergy3'), and most of the main floor windows have been replaced. The second floor windows are 20-30, the older push-slider type. I've caulked around all of these to decrease leakage. The atic area is an ongoing project; it was partially finished when I bought the house, and there are a lot of 'open' areas between the roof and here. The door to the atic is weather-stripped and closed until I can insulate the crawl-out doors and the roof access hatch. All fixtures are using CFL bulbs, I've re-weather stripped every door leading outside, and replaced all the kitchen appliances with energy efficient ones. Water comes from a submersible pump, no idea what it draws for power, and I've fixed a lot of the electrical issues the house had (bare, live wires, "missing" junction boxes, DIY, reused electrical panel in the garage that should have burned said garage down long ago, etc). My problem is, my energy bill refuses to budge. I seem to be using approximately 4000kwh per month, no matter how conservative I am with lighting, and the thermostat is set to 70. This is a currently 3, soon to be 4 person home. We don't have any exotic equipment, just a laptop we primarily use for internet (the other computers don't get used much, since we moved), and a 52" LCD television that's on maybe 3 hours per day. I suppose I should mention; I live in Manitoba, Canada. My budget has mostly been exhausted buying equipment needed for the property, so any other improvements will by necessity come at a slower pace. Basically, I'm wondering if anyone can think of anything else I can do to cut down this bill? I'd like to use the money to have a more efficient home, rather than just give it to the hydro company. Any suggestions are appreciated. Charlie