learning how to run things well saves money

[solarbird]

Got the new electric bill and it's... even better than last month?

PSE says last month was the same temperature as this month, but learning how to use the AC properly and getting the environment sensors up and using all the tools that gives me meant usage went down another 9%.


the core temperature sensor array
Year against year, this past month was 3°F warmer than last year. Electricity usage, however, went down 13%, despite literally everything being objectively better - and cooler - inside.

Not to mention quieter. Holy fuck quieter. And smoke season? May as well not've happened, at least, from the inside.

This sensor net is actively going to pay for itself in the short term. I'm... pleasantly surprised.

Anyway, two takeaways:

1: those old AC units were really just trash lol

but also

2: passive cooling works, kids

...and straight up pays for itself, in the short term.

Comments

[kathmandu]

Nice to hear that such success is possible.

[kevin_standlee]

Congratulations! Well done!

[dewline]

Glad to see this going well for you.

[solarbird]

Our newly hot summers :( are a lot nicer in here now, no question of that.

[solarbird]

I've got a few more bits I want to do as well! But this is the ... overwhelming majority of it.

(I want to get my whole-house venting system's fresh air intake integrated into the network, right now it's just on its own timer. It's set about where it should be but it would still be nice. And I'm going to put the old wind gauge - the one that can't be put on the internet - on a post in the back yard, up the hill. I want to see how different it is.)

[solarbird]

It's nice to have a project sometimes. Particularly if it's going to work! xD