Holy .....

[Linden]

Very Pacific, very northwest - southcentral Alaska.

 

[m33pm33p]

Power cost for me averages about USD 0.10/kWh here, which includes fees. It's about $150/month additional power cost for my three 4P Folders, not counting monitor use. That figure is quite accurate, as it is based on the 'at the wall' power draw of the computers.

Fortunately, our summer weather is typically cool and air conditioning is not necessary - just open the windows. The impact is much less in the winter, as the Folding computers actually contribute to home heating.

lucky man. I'd kill to have weather like that.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

I have solar, last month (May), it generated 1600kwh, enough to bring my power bill down to $350 or so. It's very sunny here, but electricity is ridiculous.

Details on your solar layout? Cost to install? Do you have batteries to reserve power when you're not using all of it? 1600 kwh seems to be a good chunk, I'll have to pull out my bill again but I'm pretty sure that's ~600 more than my house generates in an entire month. Granted I haven't been actively folding lately.

 

[m33pm33p]

Details on your solar layout? Cost to install? Do you have batteries to reserve power when you're not using all of it? 1600 kwh seems to be a good chunk, I'll have to pull out my bill again but I'm pretty sure that's ~600 more than my house generates in an entire month. Granted I haven't been actively folding lately.

We don't tolerate that kind of talk round these parts...

 

[Deleted member 88227]

We don't tolerate that kind of talk round these parts...

I just don't have the funds to build another dedicated folding rig. Slowly but surely. I hate folding on my main rig because it's in the room I sleep in (noise + heat) makes it difficult to sleep in.

In a few months I should have enough in savings to get another dedicated folding rig.

 

[m33pm33p]

I just don't have the funds to build another dedicated folding rig. Slowly but surely. I hate folding on my main rig because it's in the room I sleep in (noise + heat) makes it difficult to sleep in.

In a few months I should have enough in savings to get another dedicated folding rig.

A Likely story....Although I hear if you water cool your rig it'll cut down on noise and cool down your room. Just ask WFeather...

 

[Deleted member 88227]

It might not be as loud, but it will heat the room just the same.

 

[Quisarious]

Details on your solar layout? Cost to install? Do you have batteries to reserve power when you're not using all of it? 1600 kwh seems to be a good chunk, I'll have to pull out my bill again but I'm pretty sure that's ~600 more than my house generates in an entire month. Granted I haven't been actively folding lately.

Total system is ~9kw, which covers the roof that faces away from the street (faces SW). When it's generating more than we're using, the meter spins backwards. My folding uses ~2.7kw, so even in an ideal month the solar does not cover it. Add in an electric car, a son who lives to play computer games and a daughter who, at 6, has still not learned how to turn off a lightswitch, and I still end up deep into tier 4 pricing each month (which is ~$0.33/kwh).

 

[Deleted member 88227]

Total system is ~9kw, which covers the roof that faces away from the street (faces SW). When it's generating more than we're using, the meter spins backwards. My folding uses ~2.7kw, so even in an ideal month the solar does not cover it. Add in an electric car, a son who lives to play computer games and a daughter who, at 6, has still not learned how to turn off a lightswitch, and I still end up deep into tier 4 pricing each month (which is ~$0.33/kwh).

A 9 kwh solar system. So every hour, it has the ability to generate 9 kilowatts? How many kwh does it generate on a typical day? Average? How much did it cost you to install?

I've been seriously considering setting up a solar array on my roof.

I take it you have no batteries? Are you, during the day, using more KW than your solar power can generate or are you losing some of the potential energy. So basically everything you do during the day is free, but since it's not storing the power, no sun = getting it from the Electric Co?

Sorry for all the questions, we can take it to PM if no one else wants to read about it. In fact, I would very much love it if you started a thread about your solar panel setup where people can comment/question it.

 

[Deleted member 12106]

I recall the jist of it was it doesn't make enough power to run a box, but cuts down on the use for using the power company power.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

I recall the jist of it was it doesn't make enough power to run a box, but cuts down on the use for using the power company power.

Maybe I am reading it wrong, but... if his solar system generates 9kw and his folding rigs consume 2.7kw, I think it IS indeed enough to power a hefty box seeing as how Quisarious' PPD is ~2.4M... The problem seems to be that when the sun goes down, obviously the solar panels aren't generating energy. If he was to be able to store ALL the power the solar array can generate @ 9kw and store it in batteries, I believe he will be close to not only handling his F@H setup, but his entire house as well.

The catch 22 is, batteries for that kind of setup are not cheap at all. In fact, I think that's the most expensive part of a solar setup. Which is why I'm thinkin' he doesn't have them. Especially considering that when the solar panels are generating more power than he's using, it's being fed back into the grid thus causing the meter to spin backwards.

...or am I missing something here?

 

[Quisarious]

A 9 kwh solar system. So every hour, it has the ability to generate 9 kilowatts? How many kwh does it generate on a typical day? Average? How much did it cost you to install?

I've been seriously considering setting up a solar array on my roof.

I take it you have no batteries? Are you, during the day, using more KW than your solar power can generate or are you losing some of the potential energy. So basically everything you do during the day is free, but since it's not storing the power, no sun = getting it from the Electric Co?

Sorry for all the questions, we can take it to PM if no one else wants to read about it. In fact, I would very much love it if you started a thread about your solar panel setup where people can comment/question it.

9kw is rated capacity (actually it's 8.88, panels are rated at 240w each, have 37 panels). Since the conditions are never ideal for all the panels (slightly different angles to sun, etc), my system peaks at ~7.8kw. The system is integrated into the grid. On sunny days, during the day, I generate much more than I'm using, so the excess goes into the grid, and my electric meter spins backwards. As soon as my demand outpaces what I'm producing, I draw power from the grid. States have different ways of dealing with true-up, here in CA you can pay each month (assuming you owe), or true up at the end of the year. If you produce more than you used at the end of the year, they pay you (though this would be a mistake, as in a tiered system you always want to use your tier1 allotment).

 

[sbinh]

It might not be as loud, but it will heat the room just the same.

It might be annoyed at first, but you'll get used to it soon ..

 

[Deleted member 88227]

9kw is rated capacity (actually it's 8.88, panels are rated at 240w each, have 37 panels). Since the conditions are never ideal for all the panels (slightly different angles to sun, etc), my system peaks at ~7.8kw. The system is integrated into the grid. On sunny days, during the day, I generate much more than I'm using, so the excess goes into the grid, and my electric meter spins backwards. As soon as my demand outpaces what I'm producing, I draw power from the grid. States have different ways of dealing with true-up, here in CA you can pay each month (assuming you owe), or true up at the end of the year. If you produce more than you used at the end of the year, they pay you (though this would be a mistake, as in a tiered system you always want to use your tier1 allotment).

Hmm interesting. How much did that setup cost you? I'm assuming somewhere near $20k? How large are the panels? The problem with my roof is it faces East/West, so panels on the East would get good sun until ~noon, then panels on the West would get good sun afternoon till the sun dips behind the trees.

Are you not allowed to use batteries to save your power? I guess it wont really matter since the meter spins backwards, thus meaning the Power Co. is now "paying" you for the power, so even if you did harness all the power into batteries, you'll still be consuming power from the grid. Because if you generated enough power, then you'll be able to spin the meter backwards far enough that whatever you consumed the night before, the meter would "erase" it so to speak.

Which brings me to another question. What is a tiered system?

 

[Deleted member 88227]

It might be annoyed at first, but you'll get used to it soon ..

It's not me that needs to get used to it.

 

[Zagen30]

Which brings me to another question. What is a tiered system?

In a tiered system, you pay more per kWh as you use more energy. With Southern California Edison, at least, you pay $.13/kWh for the first ~250 kWh you use each month, then $.15 for the next ~80 kWh on top of that, $.27 for the next ~200 kWh, and $.33 for anything above and beyond that.

 

[runs2far]

Wow, and I complaint about my ~$150 every three months.

Guess I have to get more serious.

 

[tunatime]

.33a kwh why the hell would any one live there fuck that, my power bill would be close to 900 a month vs the 400 i pay now.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

In a tiered system, you pay more per kWh as you use more energy. With Southern California Edison, at least, you pay $.13/kWh for the first ~250 kWh you use each month, then $.15 for the next ~80 kWh on top of that, $.27 for the next ~200 kWh, and $.33 for anything above and beyond that.

Ah okay, makes sense then.

 

[plext0r]

.33a kwh why the hell would any one live there fuck that, my power bill would be close to 900 a month vs the 400 i pay now.

Why do you think tech companies have moved their datacenters to TX and other places with cheaper electricity?

CA electricity is freakin' expensive. A friend of mine bought a fuel cell for his CA home. Nice little gadget.

 

[m33pm33p]

It might not be as loud, but it will heat the room just the same.

What I said was a running joke in IRC...on me....=)

 

[Qinsp]

.33a kwh why the hell would any one live there fuck that, my power bill would be close to 900 a month vs the 400 i pay now.

Oddly enough, California has no problem attracting residents.

The high tier power thingy is a way to enforce socialist agendas in the state. The "allowed" power use is under 1/2 the true average power consumption. This is at .11 per kwh for most of the state.

The idea is to make the middle and upper class residents subsidize the poor people's power costs. Just another form of welfare.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

Oddly enough, California has no problem attracting residents.

The high tier power thingy is a way to enforce socialist agendas in the state. The "allowed" power use is under 1/2 the true average power consumption. This is at .11 per kwh for most of the state.

The idea is to make the middle and upper class residents subsidize the poor people's power costs. Just another form of welfare.

I suppose that's one way to look at it, but I thought a lot of CA had problems with entire black outs happening from people drawing too much power from the grid. I seen it as a deterrent to make people pay more attention to the power they are consuming.

Though, given CA's past, present and most likely future, I can see you're point clearly.

 

[402blownstroker]

Summer pricing just kicked in this month..... $432.82

 

[AndyE]

I am living in socialist country. The tiered pricing model was discussed, but ultimately disbandoned. The "poorer" families can't afford the more efficient appliances and would be hit more often by such a pricing model.