Power bill and how to conserve a bit!

[Jim]

A couple of weeks ago, I got my first power bill since being here at the park in Florida. I as a little surprised as it was pushing the $200 mark. Checked on the price of power and it looks to be about $0.06 a kilowatt hour more here than in NC. So that part I can't change. We've been running the coach heat during the night and the air all day, so I figured that would be a good place to start conserving.

If permissible, I've started opening the windows during the day and leaving the HVAC off. And on cold nights, I leave the HVAC off until a couple of hours before we get up, and then I turn it on to take the edge off. Also started turning the Oasis off during the day, an then turning it on a couple of hours before we shower and wash dishes. Then I turn it back off until morning, when I generally like to take a long, hot shower.

Any other tips/suggestions to limit power consumption?

 

[Jabber Jaw]

My recommendation, Keep Trish HAPPY!!
Also, Being RETIRED, one is supposed to be enjoying life, especially while "snowbirding", and a part of that enjoyment is more about being comfortable, than worrying about a nominal power bill!!
Oh, and keeping "Ryker" comfortable is also a requirement!
Bottom line......Pay the dang bill, and don't worry about it!!
Old cliche.........."Don't Worry, Be Happy"!!!

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

Wow - that does seem high for an RV, but since cost / KWh varies, hard to know.
In a 45’ coach, with 3 roof top A/C units, an Oasis system and heated floors, when we winter in Florida we use around 750 to 850 kWh a month.

Since you have a Casita. Do you have a way to determine how much power is being used in the casita vs the coach? Does your surge protector allow you to track your usage in the coach?

Beyond the A/C units and Electric hot water on the Oasis, what about heated floors?

Seems like the rate there is very high or there is some other item(s) pulling a bunch.

 

[Jim]

Wow - that does seem high for an RV, but since cost / KWh varies, hard to know.
In a 45’ coach, with 3 roof top A/C units, an Oasis system and heated floors, when we winter in Florida we use around 750 to 850 kWh a month.

Since you have a Casita. Do you have a way to determine how much power is being used in the casita vs the coach? Does your surge protector allow you to track your usage in the coach?

Beyond the A/C units and Electric hot water on the Oasis, what about heated floors?

Seems like the rate there is very high or there is some other item(s) pulling a bunch.

Well I thought so as well.

The casita is still being remodeled and the hot water heater isn't hooked up yet, so that's not contributing to the overall bill. Surge protector is no help. Floors haven't worked since I took delivery of the coach. So I'm not sure where it's all going. But I'm reading the meter now whereas I wasn't before.

 

[Jim]

My recommendation, Keep Trish HAPPY!!
Also, Being RETIRED, one is supposed to be enjoying life, especially while "snowbirding", and a part of that enjoyment is more about being comfortable, than worrying about a nominal power bill!!
Oh, and keeping "Ryker" comfortable is also a requirement!
Bottom line......Pay the dang bill, and don't worry about it!!

Yes, yes, that is all true. But the cost of diesel is going up, Ryker's vet is going to Dubai, and Trish's Hobby Lobby bill is due. Gotta start making concessions somewhere . . .

 

[Neal]

I tried this too (saving power money) when in Casa Grande, AZ using my solar during the day. In the end, the hassle is not worth it, it's the cost of the RV lifestyle. Be comfortable, be happy, yes, people are making money off of it, go do something fun and enjoy every day.

 

[Rosy]

A couple of weeks ago, I got my first power bill since being here at the park in Florida. I as a little surprised as it was pushing the $200 mark. Checked on the price of power and it looks to be about $0.06 a kilowatt hour more here than in NC. So that part I can't change. We've been running the coach heat during the night and the air all day, so I figured that would be a good place to start conserving.

If permissible, I've started opening the windows during the day and leaving the HVAC off. And on cold nights, I leave the HVAC off until a couple of hours before we get up, and then I turn it on to take the edge off. Also started turning the Oasis off during the day, an then turning it on a couple of hours before we shower and wash dishes. Then I turn it back off until morning, when I generally like to take a long, hot shower.

Any other tips/suggestions to limit power consumption?

Double check what your bill actually consists of. Around here, a $120 power bill might only have $20 of actual usage on it and the rest is fees. So even if you could somehow magically halve your consumption, that would be less than a 10% decrease in your overall bill.

 

[jaydee325]

Insulation to keep heat out and in.

Windows and roof vents are easy targets. I've been looking into Magna Shades to stop the heat before it gets in and trapped behind shades. Since the heat is already in, it does add to AC draw eventually.

To keep heat in, look into some of those "pillows" that you push into overhead vents and skylights. Look around and you may find other places heat is getting out.

Another cheap approach is fans. This can help on both fronts as it keeps the air moving. Use slow speed for heating needs and high speed for enhanced perception of cooling.

You just have to determine the cost/benefit of insulation and go from there.

 

[Joe Hogan]

In Florida there are many homes that serve as vacation or part year homes. In order to maintain a grid to serve those homes during peak load periods, there are many fixed fees to the mandatory electricity hookup.
As mentioned above, much of the monthly electricity costs are fixed costs.

 

[LMHS]

I am in NM on metered electric. It's $0.11 per KWH.
Dec 2023: 638kwh = $70.18
Jan 2024: 744kwh = $81.84
I have residential heat tape on my water hose and all my supply lines. I have a 10 gallon residential water heater, countertop residential dishwasher, 7.5cf residential refrigerator w/top freezer, 13cf upright freezer, residential top load HE washer, residential gas dryer (3 loads laundry per week) and a heated mattress pad on the bed. I run an electric oil-filled radiator set on a low setting. This is to keep the back bedroom "comfortable" in case the LP heaters fail. I have a 20K BTU blue flame heater that I just bought last month. It usually has just the pilot light on. My main source of heat is my 26K BTU residential fireplace... it has a blower fan. I also have several small fans to move the warm air off the ceiling and around the bus. ALL my lighting is LED. Doing this resulted in an immediate drop in my electric bill (saved about 275kwh or a little over $30 for the month when I changed all the fluorescent lights over to LED). I keep packing quilts on my windows all year and I built interior storm windows that cover not only the windows but the metal frames (creating an all important thermal break). It's either below 30F (often single digits) or over 100F here. A temp range of 30 to 40 degrees is not uncommon between highs and lows in a 12 hour period. I know we are typically colder than my mom who lives in SW NC (actually same town as Jim). I prefer to stay at 72F during the day and lower down to 60F for sleeping. One way or the other, we pay. We fill the LP tank up about every 8 months. Most of our LP use is from heating. During the summer we use very little LP. I have the roof coated with Henry brand reflective elastomeric roof coating to keep us cooler. In the summer our AC's turn on and stay on. Then our electric tends to run over 1000kwh. Interior temps often get up to 90F. My AC compressors will shut down to "save themselves" from overheating. My AC's are built in "window shakers" that are over 10yo. Not too bad when you consider many people in our park has burned out their rooftop RV units due to rolling brownouts and triple digit summer heat.

www.builditsolar.com has some very good energy saving projects that can be adapted to a camper. I came up with my interior storm windows based on a project from that site. Little things add up.

Jim, you do know that Duke Power is raising the rates? It will go up another cent or two over the next 3 years, according to what my cousin was saying.