"Upgraded" to more expensive power

When we moved into the house we found it was connected via pre-pay system. You go to your local Blockbuster video store and buy "power" from them with $20-$100. They give you a 16 digit number which you then punch into a keypad next to your power meter at home.

It sounds a bit micky-mouse, but had the advantage that it (a) gave a digital usage reading and (b) didn't include a daily "line charge".

Eventually the power company (Genesis) decided to upgrade it systems to rectify that. So today we are paying 33.750 cents/day plus 17.500 cents/unit, but there giving us $15 per month to keep our custom. (My plan is to stay 12 months then switch to Meridian who generate power using more "renewable" energy sources.)


The other benefit of this new system is that it provides an indoor control-monitor panel - so I don't have to read the meter out in the rain anymore.

Solar powered house lights

Just finished installing my baby solar power system.

I've got a single 80Watt PV panel, connected to a charge controller, connected to 4 car batteries, which drive a small 12DC to 230AC invertor. Which then runs all the CFL lights in the house.

Doing this in mid-winter doesn't make much sense but - really - I'm just playing with this stuff.

Upgraded water heating insulation

I used some left-over sissilation (aluminium foil) to double wrap the water cylinder in two layers of blanket/foil combo. That should give about as much insulation as is practical.

Heat pump installed

Just installed the answer to our heating needs. It's a cheap Chinese no-name unit I baught via TradeMe. I installed it myself and had an air-conditioning contractor "commission" it. That meant they evacuated the tube finished off the tubing connections. So it should work as well as it it able to.

It should mean lower power usage - see my daily power usage data for the results.

Peak electricity usage today

[This is a retro-posting from 19 May 2007.]

Today was the most power hungry day we've ever had. Following the new theory of heating the spaces not the occupants - we had all three electric heaters on full blast to keep us warm.

The data was: outside temp 7.6 degrees C, inside temp 21.4 degrees C, 68.6 electricity units used costing $10.49. Ouch!

Home energy efficiency audit

We had Barry from Negawatt Resources Ltd come in and do a home energy audit for us.

• Ceiling insulation is more effective if it is layed over the rafters, not between them. The rafter act as a bit of a thermal conductor.
• it's healthier for the home and it's occupants if you heat the spaces people live in rather than try to heat the people directly (by huddling infront of a heater). Ideally leave most of the interior doors open and heat all the main rooms.
  
• We should get rid of the 3 bar electric heater we were using in the lounge and buy oil filled electrix heaters with thermostats. And don't buy the small ones.
• Better to install a clothes dryer than dry cloths on a rack inside. Better still - dry clothes outside.
  

Temperature monitoring

Baught a $35 indoor/outdoor temp plus relative humidity gauge from Dick Smith today. I'll add that data to my daily power usage spreadsheet.