EcoRenovator  

Go Back   EcoRenovator > Improvements > Conservation
Advanced Search
 


Blog 60+ Home Energy Saving Tips Recent Posts Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-08-09, 03:22 PM   #1
Peakster
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
Peakster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Regina Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 146
Thanks: 0
Thanked 22 Times in 21 Posts
Post Peakster's House Efficiency

Hello everyone. I have a 3 bedroom townhouse with a basement located in southern Saskatchewan. I intend to track the costs of my bills and share tricks of how I save money on home ownership.

The house only has one exterior wall so that helps with heating costs. As soon as I moved in I installed low flow shower heads and compact fluorescents throughout the home. I like the thermostat near 63*F, but my roomates like turning it to 73*F when I'm not at home . The furnace is about 80% efficient.

These are my utility bills for the month of March:

Gas - $128.80
Electricity - $73.81
Water - $19.62

Other expenses:

Cable - $30.37
Telephone - $63.83
Insurance - $22.42
Wireless Internet - $15.00
Condo Fees - $125.00
Mortgage & Property Tax - $1083.33

Total March '09 Expenses: $1562.18

Rent collection from roommates: $800.00

Monthly deficit: $762.18

---------------------------------------------------

Clearly there's some improvements to be made! I'm going to continue to conserve for the month of April and hopefully with the extra daylight hours and warmer temperatures, I can cut down on utility costs . I'll update next month.


Last edited by Peakster; 04-03-11 at 03:16 AM..
Peakster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-09, 04:14 PM   #2
Daox
Administrator
 
Daox's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Germantown, WI
Posts: 5,525
Thanks: 1,162
Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts
Default

Woo yay, another tracking their consumption.

How is your energy usage broken up? Heat is gas I assume? Hot water?
Daox is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-09, 06:07 PM   #3
knowbodies
Home Improvement Goon
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Moose Jaw, SK, CA
Posts: 96
Thanks: 0
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Default

Are your SaskEnergy payments equalized or is that an actual(estimated) cost? I'm a short way down the road in Moose Jaw and I pay $107 per month equalized. I own a 1912 two storey detached. Your electricity bill looks pretty good - about 540KWHr per month?. The Saskatchewan average is 683KWHr for a family of four.

I'm not sure what you can do to reduce electricity usage except CFLs unless your roommates are very accommodating. I'm also not sure what suggest to reduce gas usage without running afoul of condo association rules. You should however upgrade those windows, the furnace and possibly attic insulation (check your condo rules - it may be considered a common area). Definitely apply for the Energuide for houses rebate if you decide to take on any of those projects.

Other things to note, SaskEnergy has a $15 rebate available for installing a programmable thermostat. Sask Watershed Authority is also giving $50 rebates for installing CSA approved lowflow or dualflush toilets. Financially the best thing you can probably do (assuming this is your first mortgage and you have 25 years to go) is pay down your principal - at this point, one extra payment can take years off your amortization period.

Good luck!
knowbodies is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-09, 01:32 AM   #4
Peakster
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
Peakster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Regina Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 146
Thanks: 0
Thanked 22 Times in 21 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Daox View Post
How is your energy usage broken up? Heat is gas I assume? Hot water?
Heat is natural gas and same with the water heating. Probably a good portion of the electricity is from the clothes dryer. I didn't look too closely at how it was broken up, but I think there was connection charges this one time too. Next time I'll take a look at the units.

Quote:
Originally Posted by knowbodies View Post
Are your SaskEnergy payments equalized or is that an actual(estimated) cost?
They offered an equalized payment plan of something like $82/month, however I preferred to see my fluctuations throughout the year.

Quote:
You should however upgrade those windows, the furnace and possibly attic insulation (check your condo rules - it may be considered a common area).
Yup definitely... the windows are pretty drafty and they slide loosely, which isn't as efficient as the pivoting ones. I'm thinking of adding extra insulation in the roof sometime too.

Quote:
SaskEnergy has a $15 rebate available for installing a programmable thermostat.
Wow, I didn't know that. I still have the original mercury thermostat so changing it is now on my list.

Quote:
Financially the best thing you can probably do (assuming this is your first mortgage and you have 25 years to go) is pay down your principal - at this point, one extra payment can take years off your amortization period.
Definitely! With, my first mortgage payment the principal only went down by $62 and it drove me nuts! I'm currently accelerating the payments and cut my amortization period from 35 years to just over 14!

Got to love the added help from roommates!

Last edited by Peakster; 04-09-09 at 03:10 AM..
Peakster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-09, 01:36 PM   #5
Peakster
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
Peakster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Regina Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 146
Thanks: 0
Thanked 22 Times in 21 Posts
Default

These are my utility bills for the month of April:

Gas - $25.63
Electricity - $36.81
Water - $42.51

Other expenses:

Cable - $24.15
Telephone - $34.30
Insurance - $22.42
Wireless Internet - $15.00
Condo Fees - $125.00
Mortgage & Property Tax - $1083.33

Total April '09 Expenses: $1409.15

Rent collection from roommates: $880.00 (one roommate is now paying an extra $80/month for the master bedroom)

Monthly deficit: $529.15

-----------------------------------

Most of the bills went down this month with exception of water use. Turns out the furnace filter was absolutely clogged, so with a replacement the furnace barely runs! Also keep in mind that the outside temperatures have greatly improved here in Sasaktchewan. The electric bill is surprisingly low, and I think it may have included a usage adjustment after the first month.

Last edited by Peakster; 05-12-09 at 01:43 PM..
Peakster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-08-09, 03:07 PM   #6
Peakster
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
Peakster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Regina Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 146
Thanks: 0
Thanked 22 Times in 21 Posts
Thumbs up Maximum capacity...

May's property bills are in and paid for. This is what it looks like for the month:

Gas - $47.55
Electricity - $43.46
Water - $51.67

Other expenses:

Cable - $24.15
Telephone - $54.82
Insurance - $22.42
Wireless Internet - $0.00
Condo Fees - $125.00
Mortgage & Property Tax - $1267.50

Total May '09 Expenses: $1,636.57

Rent collection from roommates: $1,280.00 (all three rooms upstairs are occupied and now my bedroom is in the basement)

Monthly deficit: $356.57

-----------------------------------

Water use is up now with 4 people living in the house. We got cut off from mooching off of a neighbour's wireless internet, so we got our own. Payment isn't required until the end of this month though. Mortgage payment is now accelerated to the maximum allowed by the bank. Amortization is now only 11 years and 4 months!

Last edited by Peakster; 06-08-09 at 03:14 PM..
Peakster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-09, 03:04 PM   #7
Peakster
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
Peakster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Regina Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 146
Thanks: 0
Thanked 22 Times in 21 Posts
Default

These are my utility bills for the month of June:

Gas - $31.77
Electricity - $44.87
Water - $43.16

Other expenses:

Cable - $24.15
Telephone - $35.89
Insurance - $22.42
Wireless Internet - $7.00
Condo Fees - $125.00
Mortgage & Property Tax - $1,270.34

Total June '09 Expenses: $1,604.60

Rent collection from roommates: $1,280.00

Monthly deficit: $324.60

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now that the warmer months have arrived the cost for gas has reduced considerably (it's only the water heater that's really being used now). We're probably reaching the point where bills are the lowest they'll be all year.

Last edited by Peakster; 07-08-09 at 03:15 PM..
Peakster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-09, 01:01 PM   #8
NiHaoMike
Supreme EcoRenovator
 
NiHaoMike's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,154
Thanks: 14
Thanked 257 Times in 241 Posts
Default

Maybe get a thermostat that has programmable limits? That is, one that can be set during install (using a special service menu) to not allow heat settings above, for example, 65F or A/C below, for example, 78F?

It looks like you'll save a lot by getting rid of your existing phone service and installing VoIP. And the cable seems redundant with the wireless internet.

Also turn down the water heater if it isn't already.
__________________
To my surprise, shortly after Naomi Wu gave me a bit of fame for making good use of solar power, Allie Moore got really jealous of her...
NiHaoMike is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-09, 02:19 PM   #9
Peakster
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
Peakster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Regina Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 146
Thanks: 0
Thanked 22 Times in 21 Posts
Default

I was not aware of ViOP service until I just looked it up. We don't have a landline, everyone has their own cell phone instead. My phone bill is used for mostly business purposes (roommates calling me when things break, receiving calls about room openings, etc.)

The cable is a promotion by one service provider (which ends in about 2 months) while the wireless internet is under another provider and my roommate is responsible for that. We just split the bill between the 4 people that live here.

I like the idea of a thermostat that has programmable limits... the house doesn't have A/C however it will come handy when winter hits because my roommates love to crank the heat while I'm not home and turn the switch down 10 minutes before I'm back.
Peakster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-09, 03:25 PM   #10
NiHaoMike
Supreme EcoRenovator
 
NiHaoMike's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,154
Thanks: 14
Thanked 257 Times in 241 Posts
Default

If it's an analog thermostat, open it up and a screw added in the right place can limit how high it can go.

__________________
To my surprise, shortly after Naomi Wu gave me a bit of fame for making good use of solar power, Allie Moore got really jealous of her...
NiHaoMike is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to NiHaoMike For This Useful Post:
stevehull (08-14-15)
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:00 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Ad Management by RedTyger
Inactive Reminders By Icora Web Design