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The classic question: "Are you married?...or happy?"
The average US household uses 900kW-hr/month, so you're way below average. The AC & furnace blower motor and fridge/freezers take up most of the usage. Lighting is only ~10% of the average bill. (That's why lower energy requiring LED lites may be worth it in new construction or as replacements for burned out, older fixtures, but not in generally swapping out fixtures with life left in them.)
I don't know where you come up with your figures, but your conclusion that I have "a refrigerator and a couple of light bulbs" is not correct. Yes, I have a refrigerator, and many light bulbs throughout my two bedroom town house. In addition, whenever I turn on the lights in any of the three bathrooms, there is an exhaust fan which comes on also because it is on the same switch. I have the desk top computer which I am using right now. Water heating, cooking, and heating are all natural gas, which contribute to low electrical usage. But perhaps the biggest factor in my low usage is the fact that I am divorced and live alone. Therefore, if I am in any given room, the lights in all the other rooms are normally off.
Something doesn't compute. Let's break this down.
Refrigerator if reasonably new will use about 75 kWh/month.
Two 60 watt incandescent bulb on 4 hours per day is another 15 kWhs.
Computer with 100 W power supply used 6 hours day 18 kWh
Bathroom fans & light 100 W used 30 minutes per day 1.5 kWh
Refrigerator if reasonably new will use about 75 kWh/month.
Two 60 watt incandescent bulb on 4 hours per day is another 15 kWhs.
Computer with 100 W power supply used 6 hours day 18 kWh
Bathroom fans & light 100 W used 30 minutes per day 1.5 kWh
That's about 110 kWhs without AC in the summer.
What doesn't compute is your information about my fixed monthly charge and the usage charge. Where do those come from, since you do not even know what utility company my supplier is? It looks like I will have to call my utility to get those figures. (With automatic billing I no longer receive bills). I know what I pay per month and I know what lights, etc. I use, so it doesn't have to compute in your eyes. Are you missing the fact that in the average month I have no air-conditioning and no heating whatsoever?
What doesn't compute is your information about my fixed monthly charge and the usage charge. Where do those come from, since you do not even know what utility company my supplier is? It looks like I will have to call my utility to get those figures. (With automatic billing I no longer receive bills). I know what I pay per month and I know what lights, etc. I use, so it doesn't have to compute in your eyes. Are you missing the fact that in the average month I have no air-conditioning and no heating whatsoever?
Yeah, you should definitely call your utility. I'd hate for you to keep making statements like the above. It doesn't have to compute. It would help if it were remotely accurate.
Yeah, you should definitely call your utility. I'd hate for you to keep making statements like the above. It doesn't have to compute. It would help if it were remotely accurate.
It is 100% accurate. I know what my electric bills are and I know what lights, appliances, etc. I have and use. You seem to be unaware of the absurdity of your stance. What sort of arrogance allows you to tell someone else what he is paying for electricity?
I don't understand the figures being trotted out concerning the finances of solar power. They must be based on some sort of averages? Wouldn't the actual savings vary tremendously with the location (amount of sunlight over the year) and the cost of electricity and the need for it in that location?
Where I live (for example) not much heating or air conditioning is needed. I have central heat and central air but I don't need to use them all that often. My electric bills typically run about $20 per month, but can be almost double that if a month includes a heat wave. Therefore my yearly average is more than $20 per month; I've never figured it but it's probably around $25 per month. In my particular case I can't imagine saving any money by having solar power.
I haven't known electricity to be that cheap in California, but I'm not familiar with the LA market. Still, when weird crises like the Enron scandal hit, I'd be very grateful to have solar panels as a back-up. In regions where most of the electricity is hydro-generated, with the growing drought and lowered generating capacity from that, people will need alternative energy sources. Where is LA getting their power, btw, now that they've dismissed the coal-fired energy coming from the Navajo Nation?
It is 100% accurate. I know what my electric bills are and I know what lights, appliances, etc. I have and use. You seem to be unaware of the absurdity of your stance. What sort of arrogance allows you to tell someone else what he is paying for electricity?
I haven't known electricity to be that cheap in California, but I'm not familiar with the LA market. Still, when weird crises like the Enron scandal hit, I'd be very grateful to have solar panels as a back-up. In regions where most of the electricity is hydro-generated, with the growing drought and lowered generating capacity from that, people will need alternative energy sources. Where is LA getting their power, btw, now that they've dismissed the coal-fired energy coming from the Navajo Nation?
LADWP is about 50% coal and nuclear. Other California utilities are about 15%.
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