NET42 OP t1_j5zafuc wrote on January 26, 2023 at 4:39 PM

Reply to comment by Coincel_pro in A request for all those posting about the high cost of their energy bills... by NET42

A few years ago I completely automated my house using HomeAssistant. Using that, I am able to track kWh over time on an almost per-outlet basis. I also use an Ambient Weather system outside that lets me track temperature and other environmentals. With enough data I was able to figure out where I could save substantial amounts of electricity (and oil for heat) to more than pay for my investment in getting it all set up. With the current electric rates I'm saving over $600/yr based on previous utilization. Even greater savings on the cost of oil heat.

To deal with the changes in climate, I also use weekly average/mean temperatures to find appropriate months to compare the data to. IE: January of this year may be more comparable to October two years ago than January of 2022.

While I hate these increases on my electric bill and do believe something needs to be done to reign in this monopolistic power company, yelling and waving my arms in the air isn't going to make next month's bill any cheaper...

Coincel_pro t1_j5zsseq wrote on January 26, 2023 at 6:33 PM

I also added a solar array + battery (last year) and have been using HomeAssistant for a few years.

You said it yourself, monopolistic power company. My anger is on behalf of those who cannot do anything but eat shit over rate hikes and have very few / no options but to do so. I (and probably you) have had the luxury to spend money up front to get ahead of things like this and save.

It all falls back into the "it's expensive to be poor" trap. It sucks. Holding local politicians accountable for appointments to oversight positions etc and those who vote down new generation facilities or methods are also part of the process and something I've invested a lot of time in since moving to RI.

e: what do you use to capture current data for your HA system? I've not done anything for usage monitoring just a lot of presence based and time based automation / made a few control kiosks etc from old tablets and such.

NET42 OP t1_j5zukih wrote on January 26, 2023 at 6:44 PM

I looked into putting solar on my house this past summer, but I have some trees that need to get removed. I also have some electrical work that will need to be done to realize all the benefits of solar, and switch from oil heat/hot water to a heat-pump based system. So for the time being, solar is being put off until I get these other things taken care of.

I'm angry about the rate hikes as well. I don't know how they expect a lot of people to afford it. I'm also not confident that the programs available to assist people are being leveraged to the extent that they could be, or reaching the maximum number of people that need that help. I also wholeheartedly agree with holding local politicians accountable. There have been efforts to build some new solar farms in Richmond over the past couple years, but a lot of people seem dead-set against it. During campaign season last fall I received a few visits from aspiring politicians and that was usually one of the topics I brought up. I got some sympathetic responses, but I'm not sure how sincere they all were to embracing things like solar and wind.

Coincel_pro t1_j6194fu wrote on January 27, 2023 at 12:08 AM

Ughhh yes “keep Richmond rural / say no to solar” everywhere. Classic nimby shitlib nonsense imo. Vote down renewable local generation then cry when the power grid is still 90% dependent on gas. Thanks guys. (Not cool with razing forests for solar arrays tho, but using brown fields should be a given)

FWIW we have oil heat with a wood stove backup. The solar was still worth it. Basically the monthly finance cost for 7 years to pay off the array is the same as our average monthly electric bill was pre rate hike. With the array lifetime of 25-30 yrs and add the 30% Fed tax credit to the installation cost and it’s a no brainer especially if you can time it with when you need a roof replacement. That is if your tree removal gives you enough light exposure.