Energy Cost- Electricity for last year.

Well, Have you looked into your Power bills for last year. Mine ranged from a low of $62.00 to a high of $260.00! The energy was from 660 kwh to 2600 kwh. (kilowatt hours) which is what the power company reads from you meter each month. (if you are good with spreadsheets you may want to copy your history into one from the web for more accurate calculations later). You can get some more accurate daily readings for the coldest and hottest days that could be useful information when calculating the size of your system. If you haven't already gotten this information, go ahead and check your power bill or check online with your bill history. Duke-Energy has some very useful information online for looking at your energy usage. And any energy savings you can do by insulating and getting efficient lights and appliances can help reduce the size of the system you'll have to get. This is true especially with your a/c and heat sources. Get your numbers and we'll look at them together in tomorrow's post.
Have a good evening.

Getting Started With Alternative Power

I hear more and more people getting help from natural energy sources like solar, wind and water. The first step in any of these projects is identifying the size and cost of the project for feasibility. The best way to start is to look at your history in you power bills. If you have Duke-Energy as your provider, you can log on to your online account (register if you haven't already) and easily see a history of your last 13 months for both cost and energy usage. This can also be viewed in a bar chart to see the peaks and valleys. You need to realize that the average usage can give you an idea of how much you may save over the year, you need the peak amounts to project the size of your energy system needed. Then you can begin getting pricing and estimates of the various options to getting off the grid, or even supplying the grid! I am evaluating my usage, which ranges from just under 1000 kwhrs per month, to almost 3000 kwhrs per month. These are still averages and may not reflect how the peak usage on the coldest night or hottest day of the year might effect our comfort levels. Also realize that  if you are willing to endure a little discomfort by adjusting your thermostat or supplement you heat, and/or depend on some of your battery backup, you may be able to level out your usage. The prospect of selling back to the grid can also help you end up the year with a zero balance. All these options should be weighted in on the outset so realistic projections can be established and we end up happiest with our clean energy.
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