Getting a handle on kW usage

[-TX-]

Power company indicates I use 100kW per week, but I have no idea where that's coming from. Using a watt meter, I've tested every AC appliance, and I have an affixed ammeter for DC usage. No tests come close to 100kW per week. Fridge uses 1kW 24hrs, coffee .22 @ 24hrs, TV, router, Tivo, Ubiquity dish use 1kW @ 3 days, and DC utilization is at 4.2kW @ 8 days (DC is lighting, stereo, heat (blower), various fans).

The watt meter has confused me more than I thought it would help. How can I conserve if I don't know what the heck is going on? Would someone explain basic electricity to me. Either that or join me in a suit against Reliant Energy?

[solar pete]

Howdy TX, a lot of houses use that kind of power, about 14kWh (kilowatt hours) per day. You dont mention your hot water system, old inefficient units can be real power munchers. You need to understand the way your electricity bill works and often POCO's (power companies) seem to be making it as hard and complicated as they can. Do you have solar?

[-TX-]

I have to remember to mention 'RV' in the future.

Hot water is via propane. I am readying to order PV but all other aspects of the solar setup are up. But it's hard to order the PV without knowing what I should strive for: 1) Full dominance of my electricity usage or 2) Passive acceptance that there's no way I can support 100kW/week so I might as well go small. At this point, it's a depressingly difficult decision.

edit: Howdy!

[J.P.M.]

That sure is a lot of usage for what sounds like a fairly frugal lifestyle. How do you heat the dwelling ? Something's missing or you're reading something wrong or the POCO has something wrong.

At 100kWh/day, you're at about 3X or so the national average residential usage.

How much to you pay the POCO/year and how much do you pay per kWh ?

[-TX-]

Sorry, user Sunking already corrected me on this: 100Kwh per week.My watt meter reads in kWh too but I guess I can't read it right because nothing I've tested equates to even a minuscule percentage of 100kWh.

[J.P.M.]

Sorry, user Sunking already corrected me on this: 100Kwh per week.My watt meter reads in kWh too but I guess I can't read it right because nothing I've tested equates to even a minuscule percentage of 100kWh.

My bad and my apologies. ~ 5,000+ kWh/yr. ain't much. Depending on what you pay/kWh, it may very well be non cost effective for PV for that small a load.

[-TX-]

It's worth it. I could really apply the option of hauling off to a remote location and being energy independent for a number of days, doing so would be very helpful. Researching this project, I thought loading up on storage and solar panels would make it possible, if not damn close, but if I can't get a handle on usage I'm lost.

Lights (DC)
Stereo (DC)
Propane blower (DC)
Various fans (DC)
---- All DC @ 5.278kWh over 10 days) ---

TV/Router/Tivo/Ubiquiti/Cameras (AC - 1 kWh over 3 days)
Fridge (AC - 1~ kWh over 24 hrs)
Microwave (AC - 1~ kWh over 24 hrs)
Counter Oven/Coffee maker (AC - 1~ kWh over 24 hrs)
Hot water heater (AC - can't meter but 1440w (call it 1~ kWh over 24 hrs)
Various chargers, Inverter and converter inefficiency, unit off status' (AC - minimal)

That's everything and about 4.5~ kWh a day, or 23~ kWh per week. My battery bank should easily be able to provide 6~ kWh a day (35% on bank) but did not last but a half day on a test run (over 70% on bank). And 100kWh per week, per Reliant Energy? That's nuts. I mean, this should be easy, right?

[SunEagle]

It's worth it. I could really apply the option of hauling off to a remote location and being energy independent for a number of days, doing so would be very helpful. Researching this project, I thought loading up on storage and solar panels would make it possible, if not damn close, but if I can't get a handle on usage I'm lost.

Lights (DC)
Stereo (DC)
Propane blower (DC)
Various fans (DC)
---- All DC @ 5.278kWh over 10 days) ---

TV/Router/Tivo/Ubiquiti/Cameras (AC - 1 kWh over 3 days)
Fridge (AC - 1~ kWh over 24 hrs)
Microwave (AC - 1~ kWh over 24 hrs)
Counter Oven/Coffee maker (AC - 1~ kWh over 24 hrs)
Hot water heater (AC - can't meter but 1440w (call it 1~ kWh over 24 hrs)
Various chargers, Inverter and converter inefficiency, unit off status' (AC - minimal)

That's everything and about 4.5~ kWh a day, or 23~ kWh per week. My battery bank should easily be able to provide 6~ kWh a day (35% on bank) but did not last but a half day on a test run (over 70% on bank). And 100kWh per week, per Reliant Energy? That's nuts. I mean, this should be easy, right?

Did you include your coach battery charger/inverter kWh usage. They may be small but if your batteries are old the charger may do more work and consume much more then usual which will add to your watt hour usage.

Remember your POCO is selling you AC kWh so you have to include all the equipment that keeps the DC system charged and running.

[-TX-]

I did not, but usage should be in the neighborhood of DC used (5.278kWh over 10 days). I know it's in the neighborhood because my usage stats are pretty much the same as before inverter was installed.

Edit: Interesting stuff https://www.smartmetertexas.com 13.38kWh/24hrs
usage.png

[SunEagle]

I did not, but usage should be in the neighborhood of DC used (5.278kWh over 10 days). I know it's in the neighborhood because my usage stats are pretty much the same as before inverter was installed.

Edit: Interesting stuff https://www.smartmetertexas.com 13.38kWh/24hrs
usage.png

I saw some "high" usage intervals late at night (0.254kWh @ 11:00pm, 0.206kWh @ 12midnite) or early in the morning (0.166kWh @ 1:00am, 0.205kWh @ 2:15am, 0.154kWh @ 3:30am, 0.144kWh @ 6:00am, 0.211kWh @ 7:15am).

Not sure if those are something that is cycling every hour or so like a water heater or other refrigerator compressor but while small they add up all day long.

[-TX-]

Very little bit of fridge (50 degrees at night), bit more of hot water heater. All those .0~'s are consistent with fridge usage, and the higher numbers are consistent with the hot water heater kicking on for 10 minutes.

The website is showing zero usage for past hour, consistent with my tripping the main breaker. Rats!

I guess I'll shutdown the fridge and turn water heater over to propane tonight to see the difference. Then I'll isolate the inverter/charger.

[Sunking]

Hot water heater. 100 Kwh/week is nothing.

[J.P.M.]

Hot water heater. 100 Kwh/week is nothing.

FWIW, my hot water usage runs ~ 175,000 BTU/week = ~ 51 kWh/week. The solar thermal water heater provides ~ 90-95 % of that on an annual basis.

[SunEagle]

FWIW, my hot water usage runs ~ 175,000 BTU/week = ~ 51 kWh/week. The solar thermal water heater provides ~ 90-95 % of that on an annual basis.

My solar thermal water heater at my home also saves me a lot on electricity but the OP has an RV so a solar thermal may be out of the question.

Propane would be better for a mobile application. I have one in my RV but it requires a manual start to get the water heated. So I have to get up a little earlier before I can take a hot shower.

[Sunking]

FWIW, my hot water usage runs ~ 175,000 BTU/week = ~ 51 kWh/week. The solar thermal water heater provides ~ 90-95 % of that on an annual basis.

I was referring to total usage. Go back to his opening stating the POCO said he uses 100 Kwh/week and then list his appliances. He never mentioned a hot water heater. But to my point 100 Kwh/week is nothing if you consider the national average is almost 3 times that. Heck in TX that is less than a $40/month bill.

The big hitters in electric homes is HVAC (60 to 75%), dryer, and Hot Water. Everything else is peanuts. Well unless you have a house full of women with blow dryers, hell that can be 6 Kwh/day. POCO meters are fairly accurate and most problems are multipliers set wrong.