Ouch :: House Energy Bill $$ With Alde on in Winter

MuttonChops

This is a Just-for-Fun
A Reference Point/Post

November, December, and January have been 'colder than normal' months in Eastern Washington state.  Few daytime highs above freezing and many, many nights with lows below 15F.

During November & December I was drying out the wet floor (other posts on floor water leak drama).  The drying process was to run the Alde on Electric 1, 1000W, 24/7 with the cabin temperature around 62F.  Trailer 120VAC was provided by a house 20A outlet. From time to time I'd shift the trailer pitch fore/aft, left/right to allow gravity to move water toward the 'exposed to air' opening I had created.

Well as expected the November and December Electric Power Usage was huge . . . . . .

Yellow is January with the Alde off,  White is Jan-2022 reference.

I should have gotten out of Retired Work Mode/Scheduling for this project

DM159

Can confirm.  Our home electric bill was similar running Alde in our 2022 TAB400.  30amp shore power.  Thermostat at 58F.  Alde currently off and Roci is winterized.

bergger

November, December and January have been colder out here in the West too.  I think our last utility bill went up by over 50% due to the cold and the utility company raising rates.  We now keep out house between 58-66 over the entire 24 hour period of a day and wear bathrobes and slippers!   At least you don't have to worry about property taxes as well living in the T@b.  Our property taxes increased by over 100% this year!  I flipped out when I saw that!  

schwartzki

I suspect heating on propane would likely be cheaper.

qhumberd

I wondered about this and then it struck me that you are using a 1000 watt heat source on electric to heat glycol to around 160 degrees and then let it cool in a trailer with an R value of maybe 5 or 6. If the electric coil is on for an average of 6 to 10 hrs out of the 24 hours that is a minimum of 6kWh to a max of 10kWh extra used each day times 30 days is 180kWh to 300kWh extra per month. If @MuttonChops chart above is showing total kWH on the vertical axis, it would make sense it could jump up that amount. In my area electricity costs 11 cents per kWh so that would add 20 to 33 dollars each month to the bill. I recall one person said running on propane continuously uses a 20 lb bottle in about 2 weeks, so you would go thru 2 fills per month. Around here that would be more expensive than electric, and the propane heater is not as efficient as the electric coil, just faster.

Sharon_is_SAM

Cheaper to winterize - especially if you only blow out the lines.