I got my Vattenfall invoice for December and January today. This was the first real 'winter' bill since the water machinery was installed.The usage was about 17 kilowatt-hours per day during this period, contrasting with just over 5 daily in the summer. That seemed high to me at first blush, but I do have three separate heaters running right now:
- A radiator in the bathroom primarily to keep the washing machine from freezing
- The warming box under the house for the water systems
- An electrical cable in the well hose to protect the water pump itself
My original budget all those years ago was for about 2500kr per year on electricity. It looks like I was half right; my usage for 2009 was about 5000kr. I'd like to cut down on this electrical usage going forward. There may well be a lot of wasted heat I could avoid next winter. Can I turn down the thermostats? Is there another way to protect the washing machine? I'll be looking into all the ways I can save a watt or two.
1 comment:
I would look at some RV-type anti-freeze to pour into the washer to avoid running a heater in the bathroom. Thats simply burning power for not much benefit. Our front loader has a lint filter down low behind a trim cover that drains all the water out of the pump and pipes, I bet yours does too. Drain it out, pour a gallon of anti-freeze in until it flows out that filter drain, then put the filter back in to seal it and pour the rest of the fluid in to fill the pump. This will protect things from freezing and keep the seals from drying out. Ask your island friends about this. RV people in Minnesota do it every winter! The well-head should have a drain as well as the pipes in the house should have been plumbed with a valve at the lowest spot to drain everything out. Open that valve and all the taps inside and out goes the water. In short, there should not be ANY water in the pipes when you arent there. That means theres nothing to freeze and therefore, no need for 17kwh of power a day. Criminy, we dont use that much per day in our regular house with two electric furnaces and water heater and cookstove etc.
Everett
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