electric bills

[Tolleys]

I think all new housing in Hawaii requires solar hot water. And this is a good thing! (started 2010)

In additional, I would recommend putting in a solar voltaic system hooked into HELCO. Purchase a system you can afford now with the ability to add more panels in the future. Although the material and installation costs are high, there are good tax savings from both Hawaii state and Federal government. The tax breaks paid for half of the system cost. And the solar panels are warrantied for 25 years.

Depending on time of year our monthly bill has been anywhere from $0 to $60 but usually around $22. We run only electric appliances (no gas or propane) and use an electric dryer. Not all, but many of our lights are florescent. We are two adults running typical electronics (computers, tv, sound system etc.)workshop tools. About 2,000 sq ft house...

Good luck with your project!



Susan

[macuu222]

And for someone who doesn't have any of these electrical cost saving devices....Example....Regular hot water heater,electric stove, electric dryer (although I rarely use it since I hang all our close to dry down on 5th in HPP), ceiling fans, electric dishwasher, electric hot water jacuzzi on all the time and set to 102 degrees, electric refrigerator,etc...It's about $250.00 to $275.00 a month for two people (1800sf home).

[Bullwinkle]

I use Guava for heat - at least I get some benefit to cutting out all the invasive crud.

I cut it into 18 inch "logs" and season it in the greenhouse for a year or two - smells and burns well in the wood stove - I am thinking about making a smoker out of some of the extra rock on the lot.... Me thinks Guava may smoke fish very well

[MarkP]

How come I never hear about heat pump water heaters? They use 1/3 the electricity and they give off free a/c and de-humidification. Course they cost about $1,500.

[Dinamight]

I spoke to Helco recently and they told me the cost is 35 cents a kilowatt hour. That works out to be the case with our bills. Our biggest user is the pool pump which runs about $80 per month. The total bill is usually $130-$140 so I would say our basic electric use is around $55 to $60. We don't use the drier (we hang clothes and only rarely have to finish them off for 5 mins in the drier). We keep lights on only if we need them. We do have an electric oven and stove and electric back up to our hot water tank. We have solar hot water. During rainy months we may have to put the hot water heater on for a few hours in the evening for showers and that might add $10 to the bill. If you are willing to pay attention to the useage, and as Bullwinkle says, conserve, you can keep your bills quite low. I have heard you can save $50 per month or more with solar hot water so if you are here long enough it will eventually pay for itself.

If you want all sorts of extras like hot tubs, air co, heated swimming pools, and use a drier every day, you can count on a bill of hundreds of dollars every month.

[vpjazz]

Thanks everyone for the helpful information and ideas about how to save on electricity and the costs. Very useful, thanks again.