Queen's Edge Farm: Saving on the Electric Bill

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Saving on the Electric Bill

I watched a video this morning on ABC News that had challenged two families to cut their electric bills by 30%. I was shocked that these families electric bills were $500-$700 a month! I've only ever had an electric bill that high once, and I believe it was a couple of summers ago. We were having record 115 degree temps.

A couple of years ago we resorted to not using the AC until it was over 95. The AC is set on 78, we use ceiling fans in each room as well as, box fans throughout the house to keep the temps bearable.

We went from $300 a month to between $76-$110 a month. Our bill has edged back up, as I have reincorporated dryer usage into the equation. Our bills are between $186-$250 a month. We took down the clothes line when the house was for sale, as Rodney thought it was tacky looking. I need to put it back up though.

I am mentally going over our energy usage now, and two areas I think could be worked on are:

shower length
dryer usage

I'd also like to work on the lights being turned off more. I already wash in mostly cold (exceptions are sheets when people have been sick, and diapers). I don't have a dishwasher, and wash the dishes only a couple times a week, though I know I could do better in this area, especially in conserving water.

According to the video I watched the thermostat is the biggest user of energy. We don't have that here, as we have heated with wood since 1999. We do have a space heater for the bath and for a back room that is furthermost from the wood stove. These are not on all the time. I make the kids dress in cold weather (jeans, socks and a sweater), and cooler in the summer (shorts and tanks). Plus, I usually have the windows open, and the shades lowered on the sunnier part of the house.

At the land, our electric bill is around $40.00 a month, though $25.00 of that is a regular "fee" imposed by the electric company. So that puts my bill around $15.00 for actual electricity. This pays for the well usage to pump water, and the occasional fan. Normally, I use the car and an inverter to power the fan, and the kids TV/VCR/DVD combo when needed. We have solar lights in the cabin, and cook on propane. Of course, once we are out there full time, the bill will go up, but I do want to incorporate energy saving costs now.

My expectations for energy usage will be:

refrigerator
two burner stove top (we have one, but use propane, plus a coleman stove)
microwave (maybe)
washer (hang clothes on line)
tankless water heater (unplug when not in use)
TV/DVD
Computer charging (laptop)
Battery Charging (radios, lamps, remotes) - this is a weekly thing so shouldn't cost too much

In addition to less usage, we also have a generator to help with electric needs in the barn and around the property (power tools, especially).

So, I'd like to challenge everyone to cutting their electric bills by 30%, that would be $60.00 for me, according to my highest bill. If you'd like to participate, please report back here the end of April to chime in on how much you have saved.

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Update on cabin:

We finished running the water line to the cabin, installed the water tank and pressure switch. Also installed a couple of spigots to bring water closer to the cabin. All that is left now (water wise) is to drill the holes in the floor of the cabin to run the water inside the cabin, and run the pipe to the toilet, shower and then the kitchen sink. The water for the toilet will drain into the septic tank, the other items will drain outside to my garden to water that....we will have to change from pouring items down the drain that will harm the garden or impair the septic tank.

I'd like to implement this kind of water heating at the cabin, to go along with the tankless system.

The integral collector/storage is the simplest and historically oldest type of solar water heating system. Paint a tank black, put it in a big crate, insulate it on all sides except the one covered by glass or plastic, and point it at the sun. Water in the tank is heated directly by the sun and stored in the same unit. In the trade, this is also know as a breadbox-type system. An example of a manufactured unit of this type is the Servamatic™. Produced in the 1970s, many are still operational today. The same principle can be seen in today’s ProgressiveTube™ unit (Fig. 5). These are also in-line units, positioned between the well and the shower. You get as much hot water as they collect and store.

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Grandma's Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

2 pkgs active dry yeast or 5 tsps if using bulk yeast
1/2 cup warm water (not too hot)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening, butter, margarine
2 tsps salt
2 cups milk, scalded
1 1/2 cups cold water
10 to 12 cups flour (white or whole wheat)

Yield: 4 loaves

Soften yeast in warm water, springkle in a tsp of the sugar
In LARGE mixing bowl blend sugar, shortening, salt and milk until shortening is melted. Add cold water, cool to luke-warm. Stir in yeast. Gradually add flour to form a stiff dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and satiny, 5 to 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover with foil or damp towel. Let rise in warm place (85 to 90 deg) until light and doubled in volume about two hours. Punch dough down by plunging fist in center. Knead dough for about 5 minutes.

Roll out one fourth of dough to a 16 X 12 inch rectangle. Brush with 2 TBSP of melted butter. Combine 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon (or more to taste). Sprinkle mixture over dough. Starting with 16 inch side, roll jellyroll fashion. Either cut into 16 1 inch slices or leave as a whole loaf. Place on a greased pan, cover and let rise in warm place until light, about 30 to 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Mix one box 10X sugar with 2 tbsps water. If too stiff, add more water until icing consistency, add a drop of vanilla too. Spread on baked bread while bread is still warm.

2010 Homestead Stats

Laundry Soap

Homemade Laundry Soap:
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
½ cup washing soda
½ cup borax powder
~You will also need a small washpan or bowl that holds about 2 gallons.

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the washpan. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Transfer soap (using a funnel if necessary) into empty plastic laundry holders, milk containers (I use my empty glass milk bottles and old Fab containers) Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.

Wild Mustang Grape Jelly

Wild Mustang Grape Jelly

5 cups grape juice (about 3 1/2 pounds of ripe grapes)1 (1 3/4 ounce) box of sure-jel pectin7 cups sugarBefore getting started it is best to clean the entire kitchen, making sure the sink is empty. Bleach the sink and all utensils used in making jelly (I do this as I sell my grape jelly as part of my homesteading business.)

Wash the canning jars in warm soapy water, and rinse well. Set off to side.

Place a large pan of water on the stove to heat. Once it starts steaming, place lids and rings in the bottom, and 2-3 jars (depending on if you use actual jelly jars or pints) to sterilize.

Next make the grape juice using clean washed grapes (make sure you use rubber gloves when picking or washing wild grapes)To 3 1/2 pounds of clean grapes (6 cups of grapes) add 1 1/2 cups water.Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 10 minutes.Strain and squeeze out all of the juice with cheese cloth (see paragraph below)
I didn't have cheese cloth, so I poured the grape mixture into a large spaghetti strainer with a large pan underneath. I had to stir it around some as the skins and seeds would sink to the bottom, and clog the colander up. Stirring allowed the liquid to drain out. I then used a large metal spoon and squished it some to get more of the juice out.

In a very big pan, put 5 cups of the juice (it’s okay to add no more than ½ cup water to even out amount)Add the fruit pectin to the juice.Mix well.On high heat, bring to a full rolling boil, and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.Stir in sugar all at once, and bring back to a full rolling boil, again boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly.
Remove jelly from heat, skim off foam
Use a large spoon inserted inside the jar to lift CAREFULLY out of the water. DO NOT TOUCH THE INSIDE OF THE JAR OR THE RIM WITH YOUR HANDS.
Ladle jelly into hot jars, place a lid and ring onto jar (do not tighten yet).
Set jars to the side. After a while you should start hearing “pings” as the jar seals.
When jars are completely cool, tighten rings and store on pantry shelf.**SIDE NOTE: Wild Mustang Grapes are normally ready the end of June, so be prepared. Keep an eye open for vines on the side of the road, or any that friends and family may have growing in their yard. Many people just let them grow and don’t do anything with them, so it shouldn’t be hard to find a good supply. Also, the more you pick off the vine, the more the vine produces new grapes, so you probably won’t EVER run out of grapes to use until the vine dies or you get sick of making jelly. Good luck and feel free to contact me at queensedgefarm@yahoo.com for questions.