We went with integrated fixtures where possible and in total have spent $1,120 on those and LED bulbs. This includes our bathroom vanity and ceiling light, three exterior lights (including one motion sensor light), our dining light, and five just basic all the same fixtures. For the latter we went with Costco's Cloudraker lights - can't say enough good things about them.
Some folks might be inclined to suggest that we should have just upgraded lights as bulbs died or what have you - but with all the other renovations, it made sense just to do it all at once. I did keep all of the old fixtures that were pulled out and am going to try to sell them on my local classifieds site.
How do you guys manage your electricity consumption?
We consume around 165 kWh/month. We keep that low by turning off lights when not in rooms, switching everything to LEDs, and not having AC.
ReplyDeleteThat's impressive! We haven't moved into our place yet (been doing renovations for the last two months) and the house is averaging about 50kWh/week. It'll be really interesting to see the changes when we move in. We've done the LED switch and don't have A/C either - but we get pretty cold winters. What is your consumption like in the winter? Do you have electric heat too?
DeleteWe have gas heat. Winter consumption peaks at 225 kWh/month, presumably since we spend more time indoors and there are fewer daylight hours so we use our lights more. I've heard heat pumps are nice and energy efficient if you are on electric (depending on how cold it gets where you are).
DeleteWe don't have any inbuilt forms of heating so I guess that sucks for us (it's rare in NZ) but good in terms of saving and careful use. We have a smart meter and I use a power company that has everything in real time and you can buy power specials with discounts and see use by day and hour, etc.
ReplyDeleteI believe we're averaging about 6-7 kwh a day in the warmer months and more like 14 a day in the colder months.