Click the image below to receive $50 of free power when you sign up with Powershop, all I need is your name.
For those of you who didn’t see my ‘first impression’ post, here’s a link for you.
Well, as the text in the title implies, it’s just over a month since we joined Powershop and it’s time to write a follow up on how things are going.
Last time I complained about the start up costs (of going from paying in arrears to paying in advance) and this was aweful, with another ~$150 bill hitting us during this period on our credit card. However, in terms of Powershop (and this was the only power company we actually used this month) we managed to spend $200, a drop of about $30. This was more to do with power savings than cheaper power (more on that later) but was still good.
One of my goals is to drop our monthly power bill to $150 per month year round. I plan to do this by buying power in advance during summer and autumn so that we have a big balance to be used during the winter next year. From what I can see, I’m definitely going to be able to do this.
You may also be interested in ‘Final Powershop Review – 1 Year On‘
In terms of power saving, I realised pretty quickly that I needed to know what each of my devices was using. “Why isn’t there a device I can just plug everything into and it tells me on a screen how much power it’s using” I said to Megan. Literally hours later, while going into Countdown I spotted exactly that, a simple meter for $25.
I came home and proceeded to get completely neurotic about measuring power consumption of heaps of stuff. We got power savings from things which used unusually big amounts of power, but also things which we would expect to use quite a bit of power (e.g. our LCD tv) but never really thought enough about to turn off. This has changed.
The two most interesting things for me was the PC (which uses about as much power as our 40″ LCD tv even when sitting idle, we’re now using sleep mode in Win7) and our electric heater.
What was interesting about our heater wasn’t that it used a lot (that was pretty obvious) but the impact of using the different switches. There are two switches that can be used, so three combinations, left only, right only and both. Left turned out to use 822 watts (about 18 cents an hour) the right one used 1346 watts (about 29 cents an hour) and both used 2108 watts, a wapping 46 cents an hour. So I suggested that instead of waiting for it to get really cold inside and then using both switches, we should turn the heater on earlier and just use the left switch, it has made a big difference.
So, what’s my conclusion? Powershop turns out to do exactly what it says it’s going to do. It saves you money, it makes you more aware of how much power you’re consuming and when, and it gives you a desire to use less and less power.
Ari Sargent, head of Powershop made a post a while back to stick his foot into the ‘smart meter’ debate. He advocated power users as the ‘smart meters’ using a company like Powershop. I believe he is absoloutely right, as my experience has proven out. While smart meters still have a place (understanding power consumption on devices I couldn’t get access to and turning off devices according to timings or other patterns) they shouldn’t be seen as the first step to helping people reduce their usage.
It’s pretty scary to think how much less power the country would consume if they were all on Powershop. Pretty exciting actually.
Awesome article.
Asking questions are in fact good thing if you
are not understanding anything completely, but this piece of writing provides good understanding even.
Remarkable! Its actually remarkable post, I have got much clear idea concerning from this
post.
Hi, I do believe this is a great site. I stumbledupon it
😉 I will return yet again since I bookmarked it.
Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to help
other people.
Great website. A lot of helpful information here. I am sending it to a few pals
ans also sharing in delicious. And certainly, thank you to your sweat!
My partner and I stumbled over here coming from a different website and thought I might check
things out. I like what I see so now i’m following you.
Look forward to exploring your web page repeatedly.
That is a good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere.
Simple but very accurate information… Thank you for sharing this one.
A must read post!
My spouse and I absolutely love your blog and find nearly all of your post’s
to be just what I’m looking for. Do you offer guest writers to write content in your case?
I wouldn’t mind composing a post or elaborating on some
of the subjects you write about here. Again, awesome web site!
whoah this weblog is excellent i love studying your articles.
Stay up the good work! You realize, a lot of persons are looking around for this info, you could help them greatly.
Heya are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to
get started and set up my own. Do you require any coding knowledge to
make your own blog? Any help would be really
appreciated!
I’m extremely inspired together with your writing skills
as well as with the structure for your blog. Is that this a
paid subject or did you customize it your self? Either way keep up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to peer a great blog like this
one today..
Excellent article. Keep writing such kind of info on your blog.
Im really impressed by it.
Hi there, You have performed a great job. I will certainly digg it and
personally suggest to my friends. I am confident they will be benefited from this
website.
Have you ever thought about writing an e-book or guest authoring on other
sites? I have a blog based on the same ideas you discuss
and would love to have you share some stories/information. I
know my audience would enjoy your work. If you’re even remotely interested,
feel free to shoot me an email.
This info is priceless. Where can I find
out more?
Right here is the right webpage for anyone who wants to find out about this topic.
You realize a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually would want to…HaHa).
You definitely put a brand new spin on a subject which
has been written about for ages. Great stuff, just excellent!
This is very interesting, You are a very skilled blogger.
I have joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of
your great post. Also, I’ve shared your website in my
social networks!
Asking questions are genuinely good thing if you are not
understanding anything entirely, except this paragraph offers good
understanding even.
Hi there everyone, it’s my first pay a visit at this web page, and post is truly fruitful in support of me,
keep up posting these articles or reviews.
Hello, constantly i used to check web site posts here early in the
daylight, for the reason that i love to gain knowledge
of more and more.
Highly descriptive post, I enjoyed that a lot.
Will there be a part 2?
Interesting blog! Is your theme custom made or did you
download it from somewhere? A theme like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog shine.
Please let me know where you got your theme. Bless you
Hey fantastic blog! Does running a blog like this require a large amount of work?
I’ve no expertise in coding but I was hoping to start my own blog
soon. Anyways, should you have any ideas or tips for new blog owners please share.
I know this is off topic however I simply needed to ask.
Appreciate it!
For the reason that the admin of this web site is working, no
doubt very rapidly it will be renowned, due to its feature contents.
If some one desires to be updated with hottest technologies therefore he must be
visit this web page and be up to date all the time.
Pretty section of content. I simply stumbled upon your blog and
in accession capital to assert that I get in fact loved account your blog posts.
Anyway I will be subscribing to your augment or even I success you get admission to consistently quickly.
Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I certainly
enjoyed reading it, you may be a great author. I will be sure to bookmark your blog and will eventually come back in the foreseeable future.
I want to encourage continue your great writing, have
a nice weekend!
It is perfect time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy.
I’ve read this post and if I could I want to suggest you some interesting things or tips.
Perhaps you can write next articles referring to this article.
I want to read more things about it!
It’s very straightforward to find out any matter on web as compared to books, as I found
this piece of writing at this web page.
Hi there! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could get a captcha plugin for my comment form?
I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having difficulty finding one?
Thanks a lot!
Spot on with this write-up, I seriously think this site needs much more attention. I’ll probably be back again to read through more,
thanks for the information!
Hello! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone!
Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward
to all your posts! Carry on the superb work!
What a data of un-ambiguity and preserveness of precious experience on the topic
of unpredicted emotions.
Thanks , I’ve recently been looking for information approximately this
subject for a while and yours is the best I have discovered so far.
But, what concerning the conclusion? Are you positive in regards
to the supply?
Hi there! I realize this is sort of off-topic however I had to ask.
Does building a well-established website like yours require a lot of work?
I am brand new to operating a blog however I do write in my journal daily.
I’d like to start a blog so I can share my own experience and feelings online.
Please let me know if you have any recommendations or tips for new aspiring bloggers.
Appreciate it!
I read this article fully regarding the comparison of newest and earlier
technologies, it’s awesome article.
Good way of telling, and nice post to obtain information on the topic of my presentation topic, which i am going to convey in school.
Simply desire to say your article is as astounding.
The clarity in your post is just nice and i can assume you
are an expert on this subject. Well with your permission allow me to grab your
feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please continue
the enjoyable work.
Good information. Lucky me I came across your website by chance (stumbleupon).
I have saved as a favorite for later!
Hey this is kinda of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to
manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding expertise
so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Heya! I realize this is sort of off-topic however I had to ask.
Does managing a well-established blog such as yours take a large amount of work?
I’m brand new to running a blog but I do write in my journal daily.
I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to share my
experience and feelings online. Please let me know if you have any suggestions
or tips for brand new aspiring blog owners.
Appreciate it!
Very good info. Lucky me I discovered your site by accident (stumbleupon).
I have book marked it for later!
Hello, i believe that i saw you visited my site so i got
here to return the favor?.I’m attempting to find things to enhance my web site!I assume
its good enough to use a few of your concepts!!
Greetings I am so thrilled I found your site, I really found you by accident, while I was browsing on Aol for something else,
Anyhow I am here now and would just like to say cheers for a marvelous post and
a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have
time to read through it all at the minute but I have saved it and also added in your RSS feeds, so
when I have time I will be back to read much more, Please do keep up
the great jo.
Excellent beat ! I would like to apprentice whilst you amend your site,
how can i subscribe for a blog website? The account helped me a applicable deal.
I had been a little bit acquainted of this your
broadcast offered brilliant transparent idea
Hello my loved one! I want to say that this article is awesome,
great written and come with almost all important infos.
I’d like to see more posts like this .
Undeniably consider that which you stated. Your favourite reason seemed to be at the web the easiest thing to consider of.
I say to you, I definitely get annoyed at the same time as folks consider concerns that they plainly do not recognize about.
You managed to hit the nail upon the top and outlined out the entire thing without having side-effects , people could take a
signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks
I read this piece of writing completely about the difference of
newest and earlier technologies, it’s amazing article.
Hi there everyone, it’s my first pay a quick visit at
this web site, and paragraph is genuinely fruitful designed for me, keep up
posting such articles.
Hey! Someone in my Facebook group shared this site with us so I came to
look it over. I’m definitely enjoying the information. I’m bookmarking
and will be tweeting this to my followers! Great blog and terrific style and design.
Hmm is anyone else experiencing problems with the images on this blog loading?
I’m trying to determine if its a problem
on my end or if it’s the blog. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.