Interesting article about electricity consumption

[trof]

In October we were away from home for almost 3 weeks. We have an all electric house.
I turned off the a/c and the water heater. Of course we didn't use the electric cooktop, ovens, microwave, lights, ceiling fans, TVs, etc. during that time either.
I expected the October electric bill to be a lot lower, and it was...kinda.

September was very warm and we ran the a/c most all the time.
Our bill for Sept. was $150.
The Oct. bill was $98.
Pretty good I thought...until we got the Nov. bill.
$93.

Wait a minute. We were here for all of November and the bill is 5 bucks lower than for a month when we were gone most of the time?
That don't sound right.

Then I read this:
What Stays On When You Go Out?
"We are never home -- we couldn't have used this much electricity." Or, "We went on vacation for two weeks and our electric bill shows barely a drop in usage." We often hear comments like these, especially in summer. How can electric bills scarcely change when a house is empty for most of the billing period? Here are some things to consider.

First, the modern house is increasingly equipped with appliances that consume electricity. Electronic devices that you "set and forget" have a constant draw of power and use a considerable amount of electricity each month. The instant-on features on televisions, VCRs, computers, satellite dishes, cable TV boxes and stereos consume approximately 2 to 10 kilowatt hours of electricity each ($0.10 to $0.51) per month. Electronic gadgets with transformers use 2 to 4 kilowatt hours a month and a night light can use 10 to 20 kilowatt hours.

Also, did you know that a vacant house with a thermostat set at 55 degrees may use more energy than an occupied house set at 65 degrees? Lights, cooking, baths, clothes drying and other "people" activity help to raise the temperature in a home. An empty house's heating system must work harder to maintain the 55 degree temperature.

The refrigerator (the second largest energy user in the average home) also works harder in a shut-up house. Door opening accounts for less than 20 percent of a refrigerator's energy use; the appliance is much more sensitive to the room temperature around it. A house that is left without any ventilation will raise the kitchen temperature and increase the refrigerator's energy use 50 percent during the summer."

Hunh.
All that 'convenience' has a price tag.
More here:
http://www.klickpud.com/conserve/stayson.asp

[Angela Shelley]

1. Thanks for the "common sense" information