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12-31-13, 03:01 PM | #1 | |
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Home electricity use in US falling to 2001 levels
Someone posted this on Ecomodder. Its very encouraging! Needless to say we could all be doing better, but its nice to see that we ARE actually doing better.
Home electricity use in US falling to 2001 levels - CenturyLink Quote:
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The Following User Says Thank You to Daox For This Useful Post: | NeilBlanchard (01-03-14) |
12-31-13, 04:02 PM | #2 |
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Good to see the usage declining. I can’t wait until inverter tech is used in all heat pumps and the price comes down this would help reduce power consumed. But LED light can really help as more people adopt them.
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01-01-14, 08:54 AM | #3 |
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Correct HVAC sizing and installation is a FAR bigger factor in power use than the SEER rating of "the box".
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The Following User Says Thank You to Servicetech For This Useful Post: | stevehull (01-03-14) |
01-02-14, 04:30 PM | #4 |
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I've switched over various rooms in my house to custom LED lighting. The kitchen alone had three 75W fluorescent fixtures, which I've replaced with custom built fixtures with LED strips in them. The light output is about the same for a total power draw of about 45W. I can only estimate, but I'd say the kitchen alone has saved me on the order of 10 bucks a month in electricity. Doing this in the other rooms should add up over time in savings
People say you can't do much with lighting, but just add up how many Wh the lighting in your house uses per month, and how much power you could conserve by cutting that in half. I've found the numbers to be significant. |
01-19-14, 08:43 AM | #5 | |
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Quote:
The bigger thing that determines payback time is how much the mod costs. At retail prices the value isn't there. If you can buy the items at substantial discount then payback times are a lot shorter. |
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01-19-14, 03:31 PM | #6 | |
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Quote:
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01-19-14, 04:22 PM | #7 |
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01-19-14, 11:03 AM | #8 |
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A decent portion of this savings is due to energy efficiency mandates and subsidies from the government. The Energy Star rating system is far from the best in the world, but it is helping to reduce overall use (believe it or not). Much like the nutrition facts label on food, a somewhat savvy customer has facts plainly visible on the package. It is now much easier to compare like products to determine average energy costs.
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01-19-14, 11:05 AM | #9 |
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LEDs can be dimmed and don't mind being turned on and off a lot, both of which mean the actual savings are more than the wattage would say.
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01-19-14, 11:29 AM | #10 |
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As a plus the led bulbs last over 50,000 hrs which cuts down on replacement costs while using half as much energy as florescent bulb. If a person swapped in led bulbs every time a florescent (or incandescent) burned out you could transition to LED's without a hefty bill.
I imagine it won't be long before LED's are a requirement in new buildings, to conserve the nations energy. |
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