Quote:
Originally Posted by SailinAway
Sorry to interrupt this very interesting discussing about solar energy. Some questions about the original topic of the thread:
(1) Is it true that electric rates are doubling? I have Eversource. My electric bill is about $115 a month. How much might it be after August 1? A higher electric bill on top of an impossible oil price is a pretty big hardship for most people. (I recent heard a prediction of oil at $8 a gallon this winter.)
(2) What are the biggest ways we can reduce our electricity consumption substantially? I don't think that eliminating trickle charges is going to make much of a difference if the bill doubles.
My biggest dilemmas are air conditioning and dehumidifiers. I work at home and have to have a cool environment. For reasons I still don't understand, my house is very humid in the summer. The dehumidifiers (second floor and basement) use a lot of electricity.
One solution I'm considering is using only the ground floor of my house. That way I wouldn't have to use the AC upstairs at night. I could just continue cooling the downstairs, which must be more cost effective than cooling down the very hot second floor at bedtime.
|
You could check the basement for humidity transfer through the floor and walls. If it is concrete it may be sealed with drylock or a comparable to lower the transmission rate. Open the basement windows for the humid air to disapate. Also check for proper gutters... move the water away from the building.