9 Month Energy Evaluation

I recently received my 9th energy bill and the total was $31.31. My total energy costs for the previous 9 months is $435.62 and I am averaging 430 kw/month and $48.40 per month. In comparison, Energy Star's model code based home should be averaging about $175 per month or a total after 9 months of $1575.00. Simple subtraction means that I have already saved an estimated $1,139.38 or $126.60 per month. To date this prototype is using 73% less energy than the code based model home. Once again, I have no PV, Solar Thermal, Wind or Geothermal systems installed.

I did notice a problem though with my attempt to save energy this past month+. By opening the windows in the evening and overnight to let the home cool down and then closing the windows during the day, I was trapping quite a bit of moisture in the home. Even though the ERV can help to control the humidity level, it is never intended to be a dehumidification system. It became obvious the RH was too high in the house and that some of the materials were being affected--most notibly the floor boards. When I bought my HVAC system I decided against spending the $425+ to have a dehumidification system installed and I'm not sure whether I am regretting that decision. Now that I have turned on the AC full time, I will see how this affects my total energy usage and report back when I receive the next energy bill. The RH is now stable and the heat pump really doesn't even run that often. I am also running the dehumidifier in the crawl space more often to make sure the dew point is not reached in the crawl space.

Overall the home is performing very well and exceeding my expectations. I am starting to build my organic raised bed vegetable garden and I hope to have pictures by my next post.

June Update

I've received another utility bill and the total was $31.45--so far the lowest to date. We've had quite a heat wave here in the mountains with highs in the low 90's and upper 80's, but the home is performing exceptionally well. I've only had to turn on the A/C for about 2 hours on 2 seperate occassions (on the upper floor/zone) over the last week as the home stays very cool during the hottest parts of the day. Two days ago, the temperature reached 92, but my indoor temperature on the main floor only got to 75. This way only a 4 degree difference from the early morning to the early evening. I will calculate the total savings % for the 1st 9 months on my next post when I receive that utility bill.

The pictures on this post show the berry bushes to the right and what will be an additional parking area to the left of the driveway. The berry bushes are already producing quite a bit of fruit and it also will serve another purpose--as a natural fence/boundary marker for the lot next to me. The parking area will be all gravel as it is permeable and accepted by the HOA. I hope to have made some significant progress on the raised bed organic gardens by the end of June.