alt.energy.homepower

"bscallywag" wrote in message
news: @ ...
> On Oct 1, 5:08 pm, BobG wrote:
>> Avg US use is 1000 KW-hrs a month, about 30 something a day. Of
>> course, if your house is 3x bigger, your bill will be also, but I'd
>> say you were reading the meter wrong. There is some multiplier fudge
>> factor you are supposed to use in there somewhere I think.
>
>
> So the house is 6000 sq ft rancher located to the north west of
> Indianapolis Indiana ( USA ). About normal for the locality.

6000sq/ft may be normal for the locality, but it is certainly far above
average. If I had the same home, I'd be happy that it used so =little=
electricity..... I have lived in homes that large and they used far more.


>
> The water system is direct heat electric with a continual loop
> system. ( This wasn't even insulated when I purchased the house ).
> Not being a native I am not totally familiar with 'normal' - but
> 450kWh per 1000sq ft per month seems to be a reasonable rule of thumb.
>
> The meter reads directly in kWh, and the bill comes in kWh, so unless
> these are different kWh than I calculate from RMS A x RMS V and my
> Fluke power meter reads then I think I am doing it correctly.
>
> However there are only 4 of us in resident - none of us take baths
> regularly ( but we do shower with low flow shower heads )
> The house is new (2001), and tightly constructed and well insulated
> ( 6 inch walls, foam and glass - tyvek, brick) 24" blown insulation in
> the attic. all internal walls insulated
> So me feeling is that I should be able to reduce the energy
> consumption from 560kWh/1000sq ft to something more sensible.
>
> The meter has always read at the same sort of levels ( we have been in
> the house for almost 2 years ). I have just finally got settled
> enough and p1$$ed off enough to do something.
>
> Heating ( and cooling ) is not on in unused rooms.
>
> Oh the other thing that may be a factor is that the electricity lines
> outside the house were struck by lightning 3 months before
> purchasing. This caused enough of a surge to take out the heat pump
> compressor.
>