Power Bill up Since Starting to Burn Coal

 
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Cold_Mainer
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Post by Cold_Mainer » Thu. Dec. 18, 2008 8:08 pm

Might be a fluke and something else going on but my power bill went up $40.00 for the same time period that I started my stove up. I can't see the LL Pocono causing this........it just doesn't seem to draw enough juice to cause that. Nothing else that I know has changed to cause a jump like that.

Is anyone monitoring their power consumption with their stoves and figuring the cost to run them? I have a new Kill-O-Watt meter waiting for me to install on the power cord when I get home so will be hooking that up tomorrow night.


 
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Post by kootch88 » Thu. Dec. 18, 2008 8:36 pm

I have a single 10" fan tied to a floor vent and a normal window double fan blowing up the stair well. My bill is up about $20 compared to last year. The only change is now I have the coal stove instead of a wood stove. I did not keep my receipts to determine what the Kilowatt change is, but my normal bill is $86 a month and that was fairly consistent up until I started burning.

 
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Post by mozz » Thu. Dec. 18, 2008 8:39 pm

If you are running the power vent, yes, your bill is gonna go up about that much. I think mine drew 325 watts on my kil-o-watt meter. Even though the combustion motor is on 24/7 it doesn't draw nowhere near as much as the power vent. It's all those little things in your house plugged in 24/7 that bring your bill up. This is coming from a guy who never had a elec. bill over $50/month until now I think last month was $53. When I had my leisure line with power vent running, I was close to $100/month.

 
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Post by TimV » Thu. Dec. 18, 2008 8:44 pm

What are the kilowatt hours used this period compared to last period.? Whats is the rate per kilowatt hour for each period ? I suspect your rate went up. ;)

 
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Post by rewinder » Thu. Dec. 18, 2008 9:02 pm

That could be correct if you are talking about 60 days or so. Let say your stove uses 2.5A running. Just a guess.

2.5AX120voltsX24hrsX 60 days devided by 1000=430KW times maybe 11cents a KW hr equals 47 bucks.

If you know the amps or watts the electric on the stove draw, your bill will tell you your cost per KW hour.

If it's a 30 day bill. maybe your stove draws 4 to 5 amps. Not familiar with that stove

 
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Post by WNY » Thu. Dec. 18, 2008 9:10 pm

dont; forget your days are much shorter and you use lights more often, ours always goes up in Dec./Jan with all the xmas lights, more cooking (electric stove) etc...

I don't have to run the dehumidifier when the stove is running in the basement, it keeps it pretty dry, our bill stays about the same.

 
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Post by gambler » Thu. Dec. 18, 2008 9:37 pm

Do you have any ceiling fans running? Those can chew up some power.


 
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Post by kootch88 » Thu. Dec. 18, 2008 9:41 pm

I leave my ceiling fan going in my camp in Lexington TWP 24/7 365 days a year and also heat a pump room I made under my house that is 10x10 and 30 inches high. My bill there is never more than 13 bucks a month and it is wicked cold because my camp sits on a river in a valley where all the cold settles. I think the lights eat up a lot more and the damned TV's being on since we aren't out as long at night when it is dark.

 
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Post by gambler » Thu. Dec. 18, 2008 9:48 pm

Some of the newer ceiling fans might be better.
I remember reading an article 8 or 10 years ago that claimed an average ceiling fan at that time cost about $25 a month to run 24/7.

 
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Post by kootch88 » Thu. Dec. 18, 2008 9:53 pm

I think my LCD burns a whopping 650 watts if I remember correctly, and we have two of those things running. That is like a freaking hair dryer going 8 hours a night.

 
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Post by Matthaus » Thu. Dec. 18, 2008 11:07 pm

kootch88 wrote:I think my LCD burns a whopping 650 watts if I remember correctly, and we have two of those things running. That is like a freaking hair dryer going 8 hours a night.
Yeah and then the ceiling fan has to be turned on to disperse the heat. My 32" LCD in the bedroom is consuming more power than the stove did last year! :lol:

 
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Post by coalmeister » Fri. Dec. 19, 2008 12:50 am

kootch88 wrote:I think my LCD burns a whopping 650 watts if I remember correctly, and we have two of those things running. That is like a freaking hair dryer going 8 hours a night.
I thought the LCD's claim to fame over plasma was less energy consumption. My 50" plasma is about 700 watts, how big is your LCD??
It really ain't so bad in the winter after all, heat is heat, and where you gonna find more fun heat than that? Well ok, maybe between the sheets :lol:

 
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Post by mozz » Fri. Dec. 19, 2008 8:47 am

Having bought the kil-o-watt meter, my ceiling fan on low draws 9 watts, my small lcd 19" draws 45 watts. I am guessing the Leisure line on 24/7 would be about $20 month and with power venter about $40/month.

 
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Post by Freddy » Fri. Dec. 19, 2008 9:00 am

Maine electric rates are high, and just went up this fall. A KWH is now $.184 We'd love to only have to pay $.11!!

Wow, I'm glad I went with a Samsung hi def DLP instead of a plasma or LCD. It's 42" and draws 230 watts.

 
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Post by europachris » Fri. Dec. 19, 2008 9:08 am

Freddy wrote:Maine electric rates are high, and just went up this fall. A KWH is now $.184 We'd love to only have to pay $.11!!

Wow, I'm glad I went with a Samsung hi def DLP instead of a plasma or LCD. It's 42" and draws 230 watts.
I'm paying a base rate of $.11 out here. I don't recall exactly what my Keystoker DV uses (I posted it somewhere on here last year) but the DV and combustion fan running 24/7 was something under 100 watts. The convection fan pulled 150 watts or so by itself, and it doesn't run that much in my house. I pretty much keep the basement warm (75F) with the stove and let the rest of the heat drift upstairs to the 68F house, burning about 20# a day. My natural gas is still cheap enough......

+1 on the Samsung DLP. We bought a 42" unit a year or two ago now and just love it. A friend of mine has a older 42" unit going on 5 years at least and I think he's still on the original lamp - I'll have to ask him. Ours has been trouble-free. Not as "sexy" and slim as an LCD or Plasma, but LCDs can have dead pixel issues and "blurring" with fast motion, and plasmas are power hogs and have their own set of issues.

Chris


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