Upload
elton-sherwin
View
104
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
What do you do when you get a $505 electric bill? This presentation chronicles what my family did to cut its electric bill by more than 40%.
Citation preview
CFLs in the
Sherwin
Home
www.EltonSherwin.com
What Galvanized the
Sherwin Family
into Action…
The melting ice caps?
Actually, it was…
$506 Electric Bill
Sherwin Family in Menlo Park
One New Home With basement
Tough building code
Two : Stories
Refrigerators
Pool pumps
Girls
Dogs
TiVos
iPods
Rechargeable flashlights
AC compressors
Three TVs & DVD players
Furnaces
Four PCs
Cellphones
Clock radios
Innumerable Cordless phones
Light bulbs
Motion detectors
And 12 Skylights
12 Outdoor Motion Detectors
Indoors
45 Motion
Detectors
12 Timers
Guest Bathroom
Motion detector on left is from WattStopper
Available at Home Depot or at WattStopper.com
Even With Timers and Motion Detectors
Still Had a $506 Electric Bill
Even with all the motion detectors and skylights
Looking for the Culprit
Make sure it says EZ.
If it is not an EZ model,
it is not EZ to use.
Available at Amazon.com.
Links to many of the
products in this
presentation are posted at
www.EltonSherwin.com
Couldn’t Find One Culprit Device Month
Mom's desk light $8.65
Garage rechargeable flashlight $2.79
Entry walkway lights $4.57
Honeywell HEPA - MBR - HI $8.57
Honeywell - HEPA - medium $6.94
Garage refrigerator $19.09
Instant hot water heater $4.08
Dad’s PC & 3 transformers $12.70
Mom's PC & printer $16.40
Need to Take Action
Solar
Option?
Cost of $29,822 (16 panels, $10.76/watt)
Subsidy of $9,206
Net cost is $20,616
Produce 400 kWh/month
22% of our usage
$124 savings per month
166 months (13 years) break even
Save 4,800+ lbs. CO2 per year
Reduce Consumption?
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2005 average 2006 average
Av
era
ge
Mo
nth
ly K
wh Sherwin Annual Consumption
We were consistent
consumers
Part of the Problem ?
Reducing Consumption
Off to
Orchard Hardware & Supply
(OSH)
ACE hardware
Stanford Electric
Seven Trips to Home Depot
Removed 55 Bulbs
Bulbs Have Gotten Smaller
Home Depot’s Better Bulb
Home Depot’s Better
Bulb
Formerly called n:vision
Now called EcoSmart Some of the pictures in this
presentation have old packaging
We tested 11
brands
Home Depot
had better bulb
CFLs Have Gotten Better
Instant on
No flicker
Starts at 60% brightness
105% brightness of incandescent
Color similar to incandescent soft white
Elton’s score: A-
Many Situations
Indistinguishable
Nice Color
Large Packs Are a Deal
Fit Inside Most Harps
Cooler and Probably Safer
Cloth Lampshades
We use in Clip-on Shades
Smaller Than an Incandescent
Small Lamps
My daughter
didn’t notice
Wall Sconces
Even in Some “Ceiling Cans”
Small Amount of Accent Lighting
14 watts vs. 65 watts The animals seem happy
Unnecessary Fixture
That Gets Left On
Even Fit Some Clip-ons
“Red” Package
Instant on
No flicker
Starts at 60% brightness
After 1 min 105%
WHITER than incandescent soft white
Some people prefer
Useful yellow lampshades and big rooms
Elton’s score: A-
Red vs. Green
Green = soft white
Matches
incandescent bulbs
Red = bright white
Big Yellow Lampshade in Big room
Brighter
120W red +
100W red
Replaced 200W incandescent
70% savings
Also Have Baby Reds
Instant on
No flicker
Starts at 60%
brightness
After 1 min 105%
Color WHITER than
incandescent soft
white
Elton’s score: A-
Reds work well:
behind glass
with yellow
lampshades
with glaucoma
Who put in
all these
ceiling
cans?
No
wonder
we had a
$506
electric bill
But What Happened to the
PG&E Bill?
PG&E Billing
$507
$439
$306
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
December January February
Averaging $100 to $150
a month in savings
Recommended Bulbs (A-)
Home Depot Red &
Green Spirals
Instant on No flicker
Start at 60%
brightness
After 1 min 105%
Less success with other
brands
70%+ Savings
Tough Problems
Ceiling Cans
Clear fixtures
Dimmers
Green 40w
Instant on
No flicker
Starts at 40%
brightness
After 1 min 105%
Color similar to
incandescent soft
white
Elton’s score: B-
Dimmer for first 30 seconds
Incandescent
Compact Fluorescent
I left two incandescent bulbs in place
so the bathroom would brighten quickly
After 1 minute
CFL is slightly brighter
Only One is Incandescent
I left one incandescent bulb in place so the kitchen island
would brighten quickly
Back to Our Nemesis
The Halogen
Spot
Best Available for Indoor
Halogen Replacements
Instant on - No flicker
Starts at 35%
brightness
After 1 min 100%
Slightly more yellow
than Halogen
Larger bulb, less
focused
Elton’s score: B-
Home Depot
Halogen Spot Replacement Need a CFL Spot w/ CLEAR Glass Front
50 W or 75 W 23 W
Adjust Ceiling Cans Up
Halogen Spot Replacement
50 W or 75 W 23 W
Two are 23 W CFLs
One is 50 W Halogen
I left one halogen bulb in place so the kitchen counter
would brighten quickly
Inexpensive Flood
“Frosted Front” - Good in Hallways
Takes minute to get to
full brightness
Starts at 35%
brightness
Almost identical to
incandescent 65W
flood
Slightly wider beam
Adjust ceiling can
B+ for always on
Remove the dimmers
Best Available
Nice soft white color
Not instant on
Starts at 50%
brightness
Dimmer must be on
high to start
Larger bulb, less
focused
Often better to
remove dimmers
Elton’s score: C
Available at Ace Hardware
Dimmable Flood
On the Bleeding Edge
Ready for most homes:
Par 20s - small floods w/ standard base
Ace hardware has 3 different CFL versions
Still frustrating:
Most dimmable CFLs
MR-16 style – “flashlight” bulb w/ 2 pins
Spotlights – narrow beams
Most LEDs sold in retail
Wait a bit longer for residential applications
Motion Detectors & Timers
Work well with CFLs
Extend CFL life in
ceiling cans
Burn out fluorescent
tubes in magnetic
ballasts (which should
be replaced anyway)
Rem
oved
20
Sp
ots
Removed an Additional 25 Bulbs
Real-time Monitoring
Black & Decker
Power Monitor
You can install
Costs under $40 Read all the reviews on
Amazon to make sure it is compatible with your meter (works with my PG&E smart meter)
(Also sold as the Blue Line
Power Cost Monitor)
Day After
Installation
At 10:10 AM.
“It says I am using
$1000 a month.”
“And nothing is on.
I turned off all the lights.
Nothing is on”
Except the Pool Pump
We were spending $1,000 a year moving
water around
We bought an
IntelliFlo pump
Spent $2,500
Uses 1/8 the
electricity
Some are now
under $1,200
www.pentairpool.com
Impact of Sherwin Pool Pump on
Global Climate
Useful Tools
Smart
Power
Strips
For more information see
www.EltonSherwin.com
Smart Power Strips
For more information see www.EltonSherwin.com
If You Want to Be Green
Lower the Utility Bill
Lighting
Windows
HVAC
Hot Water
PCs & Appliances
For more information see
www.EltonSherwin.com
A word about Mercury
Berkeley Electric Cooperative
Incandescent Bulbs are
Responsible for More Mercury
Chart: Berkeley Electric Cooperative
Worldwide ,
there are 270
coal-fired
power plants
running to
power
incandescent
bulbs (Earth Policy
Institute)
CFLs by the Numbers
Cost $463
Subsidy (PG&E)) $145
Consumer $318
Monthly Savings:
KWH 359
Bill - $.32 KWH $111
Break even months 3
Annual CO2 lbs reduction 4,304
Cost per 1,000 lbs/year $108
PG&E CFL Subsidy
Paid Directly to Home Depot
I didn’t even know my bulbs were
subsidized
CFLs 60x Cost Efficient vs. Solar
Reducing CO2
CFL Solar
Cost $463 $29,822
Subsidy $145 $9,206
Consumer $318 $20,616
Monthly Savings:
KWH 359 400
Bill - $.31KWH $111 $124
Break even months 3 166
Annual CO2 lbs reduction 4,304 4,800
Cost per 1,000 lbs/year $108 $6,213
Hybrid Car is up to10x Cost
Efficient vs. Solar Reducing CO2
CFL Solar
Hybrid
Car
Cost $463 $29,822 $2,500
Subsidy $145 $9,206 0
Consumer $318 $20,616 $2,500
Monthly Savings: Gas
KWH or Gallons of Gas 359 400 17
Bill - $.31KWH, $2.50 gal $111 $124 $42
Break even months 3 166 60
Annual CO2 lbs reduction 4,304 4,800 4000
Cost per 1,000 lbs/year $108 $6,213 $625