1. Reducing Large
Electric Bills
Elton B. Sherwin
for
Portola Valley’s
Tuesday Harvest
Speaker Series

2. December
2006 $506 Electric Bill

3. Made Some Changes
Electric Bill Went Down
December Feb
2006 $506 to $172 2012

4. Dream Home
 2001 CA building code
 Basement
 Pool and hot tub
 Three
 TVs & DVD players
 4365 square feet
 Furnaces
 Two :  Four
 Stories  PCs
 Refrigerators  Cellphones
 Pool pumps  Clock radios
 Girls  Innumerable
 Dogs  Cordless phones
 TiVos  Light bulbs
 Electric towel bars  Motion detectors
 Rechargeable flashlights
 Central air conditioners

5. Built the house with
Indoors
12 Timers 45 Motion
 Pool lights Detectors
 Fireplaces  More than half
 Bathroom of the light
fans switches
 Whole house
fan
 Recirculation
pump
Motion detector on right is from WattStopper
www.WattStopper.com

6. 12 Outdoor Motion Detectors

7. Still over $500 even with timers and
motion detectors
Powder room
Front porch
Gas
Fireplace
The Bill Would Have Been Higher Without the
Timers and Motion Detectors

8. PG&E Billing
Rates changed
a bit 2006-2011
Structure was
constant

9. Who Uses 300% of Baseline?
$.36
$.33
$.22 Over
$81
Month
$.11
Under
$36
month

10. San Mateo County
The Big 4
1. Atherton
2. Woodside
3. Hillsborough
4. Portola
Valley
Rest of County

11. Sherwin’s
 2006

12. Where Was the $506 mo. Going?
 Hard to tell: There were few tools in 2006
 Consumption was consistently high
Average Monthly Kwh
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
2005 average 2006 average

13. Real-time Monitor
 Black & Decker
Power Monitor
(Also sold as the Blue Line
Power Cost Monitor)
Costs $40
 Short Range
Read all the reviews on
Amazon to make sure it is
compatible with your meter

14. Day After
Installation
At 10:10 AM.
“It says I am using
$1,000 a month.”
“And nothing is on.
I turned off all the lights.
Nothing is on”

15. Except the Pool
Pump
We were spending
X over $1,000 a year
moving water
around

16. Impact of Sherwin Pool Pump on
Global Climate

17. We bought an
IntelliFlo pump
 Spent $2,500
 Saves 75%
 Saved $100/mo.
 Variable flow
performs best
www.pentairpool.com

18. $505 – pool pump = $400/mo.
Where Was the Other $400/mo. going?

19. Lots of lights

20. Removed 55 Bulbs

21. Home Depot’s Better Bulb
Tested 11 Brands
Best Performance:
Home Depot
EcoSmart
In green package

22. Many Situations
Indistinguishable

23. Nice Color

24. Home Depot EcoSmart
 Instant on
 No flicker
 Starts at 60%
brightness
 105% brightness of
incandescent
 Color similar to
incandescent soft
white
 Elton’s score: A-

25. Fit Inside Most Harps

26. Wall Sconces

27. Small Amount of Accent Lighting
14 watts vs. 65 watts The animals seem happy

28. Even Fit Some Clip-ons

29. Who put in
all these
ceiling
cans?
No
wonder
we had a
$506
electric bill

30. But What Happened to the
PG&E Bill?

31. Pool Pump and Lights
PG&E Billing
2007
$600
$507
$500 $439
$400
$306
$300
$200
$100
$0
December January February

32. $506 – pool pump – incandescent bulbs
= $306/mo.
Where Was the Other $300/mo. Going?

33. Transformers?
Sherwin
Home
Cordless phones 8
Cellular phones 3
TV surround sound 2
Laptop computers 2
PC speakers 2
Scanner and printer 2
Wii and PlayStation 2
Alarm system 2
2-way radios 2
Router and hub 2
Network modem… 1
Total 43

34. Started Measuring Things
Make sure it says EZ.
If it is not an EZ model,
it is not EZ to use.
Available at Amazon.com.
Links to many of the
products in this
presentation are posted at
www.EltonSherwin.com

35. Word About
Transformers
Problem
 Big
 Old
 Warm all the time
Usually OK
 New
 Small
 Cold most of time

36. Standby Power
17 Watts 24 hours a day for 12 years
• Used them for maybe 10 hours
For more information see www.EltonSherwin.com

37. Smart Power Strips
TV or PC
DVR
Phone Speakers
DVD player
Monitor
 TV cabinets VCR
 Not on DVRs
 Stereo
 All desktop/tower PCs
 Not helpful for notebooks

38. Found a Rogue 20-year old
Rechargeable Flashlight

39. Dad Started Turning Off the
Lights

40. $506 – pool pump – incandescent bulbs
= $306/mo.
$306 + smart power strips
- rechargeable flashlight
+ turning off lights
= $225/mo.

41. Then We Got Serious

42. Family project:
Audited Every Circuit
 Turn off everything in house
 Turn off every circuit breaker
 Turn breakers on, one at a time
Repeat with everything in house turned on

43. Circuit Breaker #11
170 Watts
Electric Toothbrush ?
No

44. Circuit Breaker #11
170 Watts
Electric Towel bar

45. Installed a Timer

46. Towel Bar Timer
 On in the morning
 30 minutes of every
two hours
 To dry the towels

47. Shortened the Setting for
Recirculation Pump
From 60 minutes to 20 minutes
Kitchen and
Master Bath

48. Installed Five
LED Bulbs
 Home Depot
 EcoSmart Brand

49. Upgraded Kitchen Switches

50. Third Wave Action Plan
Continuous Commissioning
 Timer on Towel bar
 Five LEDs
 Upgraded kitchen motion sensors
 Shortened timer on recirculation pump
Electric Bill Fell to $175

51. Full Year Electric Bills
Results: 2006 vs. 2011
From $5,172 to $2,109

52. Analysis:
2006 vs. 2011 Total Year In Dollars
2006
2006
 Four electric bills over $500
 $506, $513, $540, $533
2011
2011
 Highest electric bill $205
 Average was: $176
Full year comparison (electric)
 53% decline usage
 59% decline billing 22¢ to 24¢ average cost per kWh
33¢ to 39¢ marginal cost per kWh

53. 2006 vs. 2011
Saved
$3,063
Electricity
In one year
Every year for next 20 years
For just one home

54. Summary
 $500 to $300
 Pool pump
 CFLs
 $300 to $225
 Measuring
 Turning off lights
 Smart power strips
 $225 to $175
 Shortened times and added a timer
 Replaced 5 incandescent with LEDs

55. Sounds Like Too Much
Work?

56. Most of Savings: Big Three
 Pool pump
 Lights
 CFLs
 Turn off
 Smart Power Strips

57. What is Missing?
Products Not Available:
1. Comcast DVRs with low power mode
2. Genius smart meter
 Itemized bill: Usage by room
3. Thermostat in every room
 Motion detector
 Often need to heat only 1-2 rooms
4. Smart windows
 Let winter heat in but block summer sun

58. Someday
All This Will Be Standard
Products Not Available:
1. Comcast DVRs with low power mode
2. Genius smart meter
 Itemized bill: Usage by room
3. Thermostat in every room
 Motion detector
 Often need to heat only 1-2 rooms
4. Smart windows
 Let winter heat in but block summer sun

59. Online Checklists
 What Ails America’s Buildings?
 Designing Extraordinary Buildings
 What Can Cities and Counties Do?
 What are Your Home’s Top Energy Wasters?
 What are Your Company’s Top Energy
Wasters?
Available:
www.EltonSherwin.com
http://www.slideshare.net/EltonSherwin
iTunes bookstore
Amazon.com

60. Details
Lighting

61. Tough Problems
 Dimmers
 Clear fixtures
 Ceiling Cans

62. Dimmers

63. Dimmers
 Remove them, or
 EcoSmart
 Dimmable CFLs
 LEDs
Look for the orange dot
that says DIMMABLE

64. Clear fixtures

65. EcoSmart
40 in Green package
 Instant on
 No flicker
 Starts at 40%
brightness
 After 1 min 105%
 Color similar to
incandescent soft
white
 Elton’s score: B-

66. Dimmer for first 30 seconds
Incandescent
Compact Fluorescent
I left two incandescent bulbs in place
so the bathroom would brighten quickly

67. After 1 minute
CFL is slightly brighter

68. Two CFLs and One LED
I left one incandescent bulb in place so the kitchen island
would brighten quickly (now one is LED, 2 are CFLs)

69. EcoSmart LED
Mix with CFLs

70. Back to Our Nemesis
Ceiling Can The Halogen
Spot

71. Best Available for Indoor
Halogen Replacements
 Instant on - No flicker
 Starts at 35%
brightness
 After 1 min 100%
 Slightly more yellow
than Halogen
 Larger bulb, less
focused
 Elton’s score: B-
 Home Depot

72. Halogen Spot Replacement
Need a CFL Spot w/ CLEAR Glass Front
50 W or 75 W 23 W

73. Also Use EcoSmart LED
 One to two second delay when turn on
 Dimmable (some hum)

74. Adjust Ceiling Cans Up

75. Halogen Spot Replacement
23 W
50 W or 75 W

76. Two are 23 W CFLs
One is 50 W Halogen

77. I left one halogen bulb in place so the kitchen counter
would brighten quickly (It is now an ecosmart LED)

78. On the Leeding Edge
Still frustrating:
 Most dimmable CFLs
 MR-16 style – “flashlight” bulb w/ 2 pins
 Spotlights – narrow beams
 Many LEDs sold in retail
 Wait a bit longer for residential applications
 If you want to try LEDs, start with the
ecosmart band (Home Depot)

79. Removed 20 Spots

80. Removed an Additional 25 Bulbs

81. CFLs by the Numbers
Cost $463
Subsidy (PG&E)) $145
Consumer $318
Monthly Savings:
KWH 359
Bill - $.32 KWH $111
Break even months 3
Annual CO2 lbs reduction 4,304
Cost per 1,000 lbs/year $108

82. CFLs 60x Cost Efficient vs. Solar
Reducing CO2
CFL Solar
Cost $463 $29,822
Subsidy $145 $9,206
Consumer $318 $20,616
Monthly Savings:
KWH 359 400
Bill - $.31KWH $111 $124
Break even months 3 166
Annual CO2 lbs reduction 4,304 4,800
Cost per 1,000 lbs/year $108 $6,213

83. Hybrid Car is up to10x Cost
Efficient vs. Solar Reducing CO2
Hybrid
CFL Solar Car
Cost $463 $29,822 $2,500
Subsidy $145 $9,206 0
Consumer $318 $20,616 $2,500
Monthly Savings: Gas
KWH or Gallons of Gas 359 400 17
Bill - $.31KWH, $2.50 gal $111 $124 $42
Break even months 3 166 60
Annual CO2 lbs reduction 4,304 4,800 4000
Cost per 1,000 lbs/year $108 $6,213 $625

84. Useful Tools
Smart
Power
Strips
For more information see
www.EltonSherwin.com

85. A word about Mercury
Berkeley Electric Cooperative

86. Incandescent Bulbs are
Responsible for More Mercury
Worldwide ,
there are 270
coal-fired
power plants
running to
power
incandescent
bulbs
(Earth Policy
Institute) Chart: Berkeley Electric Cooperative