Reducing Large

Electric Bills

Elton B. Sherwin

for

Portola Valley’s

Tuesday Harvest

Speaker Series

$506 Electric Bill

December

2006

$506 to $172

December

2006

Feb

2012

Made Some Changes

Electric Bill Went Down

Dream Home

2001 CA building code Basement

Pool and hot tub

4365 square feet

Two : Stories

Refrigerators

Pool pumps

Girls

Dogs

TiVos

Electric towel bars

Rechargeable flashlights

Central air conditioners

Three TVs & DVD players

Furnaces

Four PCs

Cellphones

Clock radios

Innumerable Cordless phones

Light bulbs

Motion detectors

Indoors

45 Motion

Detectors More than half

of the light

switches

12 Timers Pool lights

Fireplaces

Bathroom

fans

Whole house

fan

Recirculation

pump

Motion detector on right is from WattStopper

www.WattStopper.com

Built the house with

12 Outdoor Motion Detectors

The Bill Would Have Been Higher Without the

Timers and Motion Detectors

Still over $500 even with timers and

motion detectors

Front porch

Powder room

Gas

Fireplace

PG&E Billing Rates changed

a bit 2006-2011

Structure was

constant

Who Uses 300% of Baseline?

Under

$36

month

Over

$81

Month

$.11

$.22

$.33

$.36

The Big 4

1. Atherton

2. Woodside

3. Hillsborough

4. Portola

Valley

Rest of County

San Mateo County

Sherwin’s

2006

Where Was the $506 mo. Going?

Hard to tell: There were few tools in 2006

Consumption was consistently high

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2005 average 2006 average

Av

era

ge

Mo

nth

ly K

wh

Real-time Monitor

Black & Decker

Power Monitor

Costs $40

Short Range Read all the reviews on

Amazon to make sure it is compatible with your meter

(Also sold as the Blue Line

Power Cost Monitor)

Day After

Installation

At 10:10 AM.

“It says I am using

$1,000 a month.”

“And nothing is on.

I turned off all the lights.

Nothing is on”

Except the Pool

Pump

We were spending

over $1,000 a year

moving water

around X

Impact of Sherwin Pool Pump on

Global Climate

We bought an

IntelliFlo pump

Spent $2,500

Saves 75%

Saved $100/mo.

Variable flow

performs best www.pentairpool.com

Where Was the Other $400/mo. going?

$505 – pool pump = $400/mo.

Lots of lights

Removed 55 Bulbs

Home Depot’s Better Bulb

Tested 11 Brands

Best Performance:

Home Depot

EcoSmart

In green package

Many Situations

Indistinguishable

Nice Color

Home Depot EcoSmart

Instant on

No flicker

Starts at 60% brightness

105% brightness of incandescent

Color similar to incandescent soft white

Elton’s score: A-

Fit Inside Most Harps

Wall Sconces

Small Amount of Accent Lighting

14 watts vs. 65 watts The animals seem happy

Even Fit Some Clip-ons

No

wonder

we had a

$506

electric bill

Who put in

all these

ceiling

cans?

But What Happened to the

PG&E Bill?

PG&E Billing

$507

$439

$306

$0

$100

$200

$300

$400

$500

$600

December January February

Pool Pump and Lights

2007

Where Was the Other $300/mo. Going?

$506 – pool pump – incandescent bulbs

= $306/mo.

Transformers?

Sherwin

Home

Cordless phones 8

Cellular phones 3

TV surround sound 2

Laptop computers 2

PC speakers 2

Scanner and printer 2

Wii and PlayStation 2

Alarm system 2

2-way radios 2

Router and hub 2

Network modem… 1

Total 43

Started Measuring Things

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

Word About

Transformers Problem

Big

Old

Warm all the time

Usually OK

New

Small

Cold most of time

Standby Power

For more information see www.EltonSherwin.com

17 Watts 24 hours a day for 12 years

• Used them for maybe 10 hours

Smart Power Strips

TV cabinets

Not on DVRs

Stereo

All desktop/tower PCs

Not helpful for notebooks

Speakers

DVD player

Monitor

VCR

TV or PC DVR

Phone

Found a Rogue 20-year old

Rechargeable Flashlight

Dad Started Turning Off the

Lights

$506 – pool pump – incandescent bulbs

= $306/mo.

$306 + smart power strips

- rechargeable flashlight

+ turning off lights

= $225/mo.

Then We Got Serious

Audited Every Circuit

Turn off everything in house

Turn off every circuit breaker

Turn breakers on, one at a time

Family project:

Repeat with everything in house turned on

Circuit Breaker #11

170 Watts

Electric Toothbrush ?

No

Circuit Breaker #11

170 Watts

Electric Towel bar

Installed a Timer

Towel Bar Timer

On in the morning

30 minutes of every

two hours

To dry the towels

Shortened the Setting for

Recirculation Pump From 60 minutes to 20 minutes

Kitchen and

Master Bath

Installed Five

LED Bulbs Home Depot

EcoSmart Brand

Upgraded Kitchen Switches

Third Wave Action Plan Continuous Commissioning

Timer on Towel bar

Five LEDs

Upgraded kitchen motion sensors

Shortened timer on recirculation pump

Electric Bill Fell to $175

Results: 2006 vs. 2011

From $5,172 to $2,109

Full Year Electric Bills

2006 vs. 2011

2006

Four electric bills over $500

$506, $513, $540, $533

2011

Highest electric bill $205

Average was: $176

Full year comparison (electric)

53% decline usage

59% decline billing 22¢ to 24¢ average cost per kWh

33¢ to 39¢ marginal cost per kWh

Analysis:

Total Year In Dollars

2006

2011

2006 vs. 2011

Saved

$3,063

Electricity In one year

Every year for next 20 years For just one home

Summary

$500 to $300

Pool pump

CFLs

$300 to $225

Measuring

Turning off lights

Smart power strips

$225 to $175

Shortened times and added a timer

Replaced 5 incandescent with LEDs

Sounds Like Too Much

Work?

Most of Savings: Big Three

Pool pump

Lights

CFLs

Turn off

Smart Power Strips

What is Missing?

Products Not Available:

1. Comcast DVRs with low power mode

2. Genius smart meter

Itemized bill: Usage by room

3. Thermostat in every room

Motion detector

Often need to heat only 1-2 rooms

4. Smart windows

Let winter heat in but block summer sun

Someday

All This Will Be Standard Products Not Available:

1. Comcast DVRs with low power mode

2. Genius smart meter

Itemized bill: Usage by room

3. Thermostat in every room

Motion detector

Often need to heat only 1-2 rooms

4. Smart windows

Let winter heat in but block summer sun

Online Checklists

What Ails America’s Buildings?

Designing Extraordinary Buildings

What Can Cities and Counties Do?

What are Your Home’s Top Energy Wasters?

What are Your Company’s Top Energy

Wasters?

Available:

www.EltonSherwin.com

http://www.slideshare.net/EltonSherwin

iTunes bookstore

Amazon.com

Details

Lighting

Tough Problems

Dimmers

Clear fixtures

Ceiling Cans

Dimmers

Dimmers

Remove them, or

EcoSmart

Dimmable CFLs

LEDs

Look for the orange dot

that says DIMMABLE

Clear fixtures

EcoSmart

40 in Green package

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

Two CFLs and One LED

I left one incandescent bulb in place so the kitchen island

would brighten quickly (now one is LED, 2 are CFLs)

EcoSmart LED Mix with CFLs

Back to Our Nemesis

The Halogen

Spot Ceiling Can

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

Also Use EcoSmart LED

One to two second delay when turn on

Dimmable (some hum)

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 (It is now an ecosmart LED)

On the Leeding Edge

Still frustrating:

Most dimmable CFLs

MR-16 style – “flashlight” bulb w/ 2 pins

Spotlights – narrow beams

Many LEDs sold in retail

Wait a bit longer for residential applications

If you want to try LEDs, start with the ecosmart band (Home Depot)

Rem

oved

20

Spo

ts

Removed an Additional 25 Bulbs

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

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

Useful Tools

Smart

Power

Strips

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)