Squeezing the most from a tiny, old, uninsulated apartment - Page 3

MetroMPG · 02-11-09, 07:45 PM

I just got last year's electricity bills for the apartment, so I can definitively say I'm using less power!

month	previous tenant ('07/'08)	me ('08/'09)	% difference	$ difference **
Nov/Dec	785 kWh	477 kWh	-39%	$ 27.72
Dec/Jan	829 kWh	539 kWh	-35%	$ 26.10
Jan/Feb	908 kWh	738 kWh*	-19%	$ 15.30

* My reading - meter reader may not have gone by yet this month
** @ $0.09 / kWh

I haven't compared the temperature though - and being 100% electric heat, that's the biggest portion of winter power usage.

truckncycle · 02-12-09, 02:23 PM

I read back through all your posts. One thing that I didn't see you change was your shower head. Our last two gas bills have dropped by .2 therms a day over the previous year (.7 vs .9 for December and .6 vs .8 for January). We changed to low flow shower heads in the fall. In the beginning of January we also replaced our water heater. It is more efficient than the old one but doesn't have an extra blanket like the previous one. Our water heater and our dryer are the only gas users that we have.

MetroMPG · 02-13-09, 03:34 PM

You're right, truckncycle. Instead, I just turn the flow down manually, pretty low. Fortunately I have normal taps and can do this - it's not a binary on/off twist hot/cold style of tap.

And.. I'll admit that extended hot showers are a guilty pleasure. I tend to burn a lot of energy doing that in winter months.

MetroMPG · 02-16-09, 10:49 AM

Looks like the downstairs apartment has been rented. I can hear the oil furnace running as I type this, warming my floor. :-P

I hope they're quiet! And like to keep their place toasty. It'll be interesting to see if anything happens to my power use.

Which reminds me: in my power usage comparison to the previous tenant's consumption: they had downstairs heat in their figures, but not in mine.

gascort · 02-17-09, 11:05 AM

What about an electric blanket at night? I've also heard the electric mattress pads are quite nice.
Regarding the no neighbor downstairs bit, my brother lived in an interior apartment in a building so they only had two small exterior walls. His (and his roommate's) plan was to keep their heat off and rely on the neighbors' hot walls as much as possible. They made it to mid January, when his roommate was sitting at the kitchen table with his winter coat and hood on, eating soup from a spoon while wearing gloves. Apparently it was a very climactic moment; he threw the spoon down, said, "I can't take it anymore - I'm turning the heat on!" and stormed off to the thermostat.

Higgy · 02-17-09, 11:36 AM

That made me LOL.

MetroMPG · 02-17-09, 02:19 PM

Hilarious story.

I also LOLed.

Good news! My power usage appears to be down significantly in the last 24 hours. I'll wait a couple of days to gather info then post the results. I'm going to be out for much of the day tomorrow, so it won't be representative. Need another "regular" day after that to get some numbers.

dremd · 02-17-09, 09:08 PM

How's the Radiant floor Heating feel /working?

MetroMPG · 02-17-09, 09:16 PM

It sure feels nice in here at the moment

I almost feel guilty, because apparently the new tenants haven't really moved in yet. They've just been moving stuff, car load by car load. There's nobody down there today, but the furnace is still running regularly.

I don't want to say for sure, but I check my meter daily, and the last 24h was down about 20% compared to what I've normally seen for the same outside temps. I'll know more in a couple of days.

It definitely feels nicer in here though. Even though my t-stat is set at the same point, having a portion of the heat rise from the entire floor (vs. only from the baseboard heater by a window, then straight up to the ceiling!) sure makes the place feel more comfy.

dremd · 02-17-09, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

It sure feels nice in here at the moment

Glad to hear it; I guess that means that I'm going to have to install radiant floor heat some day. I'm a real whimp in the cold.

02-13-09, 03:34 PM	#23
MetroMPG Infrequent noob Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: 1000 Islands region, Ontario, Canada Posts: 402 Thanks: 37 Thanked 20 Times in 19 Posts	You're right, truckncycle. Instead, I just turn the flow down manually, pretty low. Fortunately I have normal taps and can do this - it's not a binary on/off twist hot/cold style of tap. And.. I'll admit that extended hot showers are a guilty pleasure. I tend to burn a lot of energy doing that in winter months. __________________ . 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. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

02-16-09, 10:49 AM	#24
MetroMPG Infrequent noob Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: 1000 Islands region, Ontario, Canada Posts: 402 Thanks: 37 Thanked 20 Times in 19 Posts	Looks like the downstairs apartment has been rented. I can hear the oil furnace running as I type this, warming my floor. :-P I hope they're quiet! And like to keep their place toasty. It'll be interesting to see if anything happens to my power use. Which reminds me: in my power usage comparison to the previous tenant's consumption: they had downstairs heat in their figures, but not in mine. __________________ . 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. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

02-17-09, 02:19 PM	#27
MetroMPG Infrequent noob Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: 1000 Islands region, Ontario, Canada Posts: 402 Thanks: 37 Thanked 20 Times in 19 Posts	Hilarious story. I also LOLed. Good news! My power usage appears to be down significantly in the last 24 hours. I'll wait a couple of days to gather info then post the results. I'm going to be out for much of the day tomorrow, so it won't be representative. Need another "regular" day after that to get some numbers. __________________ . 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. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

02-17-09, 09:16 PM	#29
MetroMPG Infrequent noob Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: 1000 Islands region, Ontario, Canada Posts: 402 Thanks: 37 Thanked 20 Times in 19 Posts	It sure feels nice in here at the moment I almost feel guilty, because apparently the new tenants haven't really moved in yet. They've just been moving stuff, car load by car load. There's nobody down there today, but the furnace is still running regularly. I don't want to say for sure, but I check my meter daily, and the last 24h was down about 20% compared to what I've normally seen for the same outside temps. I'll know more in a couple of days. It definitely feels nicer in here though. Even though my t-stat is set at the same point, having a portion of the heat rise from the entire floor (vs. only from the baseboard heater by a window, then straight up to the ceiling!) sure makes the place feel more comfy. __________________ . 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. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

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02-12-09, 02:23 PM	#22
truckncycle Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Roseville, CA Posts: 81 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	I read back through all your posts. One thing that I didn't see you change was your shower head. Our last two gas bills have dropped by .2 therms a day over the previous year (.7 vs .9 for December and .6 vs .8 for January). We changed to low flow shower heads in the fall. In the beginning of January we also replaced our water heater. It is more efficient than the old one but doesn't have an extra blanket like the previous one. Our water heater and our dryer are the only gas users that we have.

02-17-09, 11:05 AM	#25
gascort Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Saint Louis, MO Posts: 59 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	What about an electric blanket at night? I've also heard the electric mattress pads are quite nice. Regarding the no neighbor downstairs bit, my brother lived in an interior apartment in a building so they only had two small exterior walls. His (and his roommate's) plan was to keep their heat off and rely on the neighbors' hot walls as much as possible. They made it to mid January, when his roommate was sitting at the kitchen table with his winter coat and hood on, eating soup from a spoon while wearing gloves. Apparently it was a very climactic moment; he threw the spoon down, said, "I can't take it anymore - I'm turning the heat on!" and stormed off to the thermostat.

02-17-09, 11:36 AM	#26
Higgy The Gardener Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Manitoba - Canada Posts: 492 Thanks: 17 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts	That made me LOL.

02-17-09, 09:08 PM	#28
dremd Need More Eco Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Scott, La Posts: 172 Thanks: 2 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts	How's the Radiant floor Heating feel /working?