The electrical savings begin...

[HeyBub]

I finished converting one breaker box of a duplex into a sub-panel and had the power company disconnect the power to the half now supplied by the "sub-panel." (Several years ago the "duplex" was converted into a single-family residence.)

A pair of 50-Amp breakers in the main box supply power, 11 inches away, to the new sub-panel. My clamp-on meter showed one leg pulling 25 amps and the other 15 with everything running in the "slave" portion of the building, so I should be okay.

The purpose of this drill is to avoid the "just-because-its-there" charges from the power company - things like "meter rental" and "power delivery charge."

If the thing catches fire or starts laying golden eggs, I'll let everybody know. But for the moment, I figure I'm saving about $25-$30 per month.

Aside--- I engaged the technician in a discussion about Smart Meters. He said they monitor everything: voltage drop, demand by time of day, etc. The power company knows what time you come home, what time you go to bed, whether you get up during the night(!), whether you've been bad or good. Everything.

Spooky.

Aside #2--- I spoke to one of my customers in Washington state yesterday. I told him about the above project. He said he had something similar in that the (small) house he owned next door was only used by his children and grand-children when they came to visit. He had the water shut off in the small cabin and connected the building to his main house with double-female water hose. Saves $17/month, he does.

[hrhofmann]

There is probably some code violation there (possible water supply contamination), I don't know about the electrical situation. But if it works, that's what I would do also.

[Mr. Austerity]

I've got the house next doors on a separate meter. About 15 bucks a month so I'll have lights over there when I go look for something and it runs the auto electric garage door opener on that house and a TV antenna booster. Seems like a waste but they pull the meter if the electricity is off for a year and it's hell getting a meter put back since you may or may not have to bring everything up to code. Depends which way the wind is blowing at the code enforcement office. I'm thinking of feeding the AC to this house from there this summer when rates are higher.

[hrhofmann]

How would feeding your house the AC power from your house next door be any cheaper than using the regular AC power at your house? The only way I can see any possible effect would be if there are differing rates. I have seen rates increase if you use more than a certain number of KW hours, and also lower rates if you use more than a certain minimum. Pls let us know how you figure this.

[Jon Danniken]

They can also suss out if you have an LCD TV or a CRT TV, what time your coffee maker comes on, and how long you cook your roast. All in the name of progress.

Given that most people these days see no problem with giving Google and Facebook full access to their email and social network, it will become a part of our everyday modern life without so much as a blip on the screen.

Meanwhile, in Utah....

Jon

[HeyBub]

There's no meter rental, for starters. On my bill, there's a flat $24 "Energy Delivery Charge". I'm sure I once saw a line item called "Riparian Rights".

[Mr. Austerity]

It's a sliding scale for the three summer months. Plus it would give the meter reader a real reason to go into the back yard and deal with the dogs. Poor guy catches hell unless he can sneak in and out.

[Jon Danniken]

No. Each and every appliance in your home has a specific characteristic current draw and phase angle when it is turned on, when it is running, when it is turned off, and when it is in standby.

Some people value their privacy, especially when in their own homes. Others, like yourself, look forward to the day when a daily cavity search becomes mandatory.

Jon

[The Daring Dufas]

I would be inclined to setup a computer to randomly turn on/off different loads at different times of the day just to screw with anyone or anything monitoring the times I'm at home. ^_^

TDD

[trader4]

to find out how much of your personal information, that people can actually= use to do bad things to you, is a matter of PUBLIC RECORD and accessible t= o anyone.

that what you fear most? They've got enough info on you right now to screw = your great-grandchildren.

Classic example of paranoia was a poster here that claimed his electric power company was charging him some strange fee. He refused to tell us the name of the utility because he claimed we could use it for identity theft. Either a loon or a liar.