San Diego Chicken meetup and Chat thread

[perchie.girl]

Quote: Wow....

Lets see at base line I Have 15 cents
My swamp cooler runs 24/7 and its about 100 watts.

The calculator above says:
36 cents per day
32.85 per quarter
131.40 per year


I dont run it though more than three months total....




deb

 

[ozexpat]

Here is a calculator to figure out how much it costs. http://www.citytrf.net/costs_calculator.htm And here is the SDG&E rate chart. http://www.sdge.com/tiered-rates

My whole house is 100% electric so our bills is high. I am on rate 2-3 most of the year, in the hottest months I get to tier 4.

Below is the cost for running it 24/7 for 30 days. I used my average kWh rate of about 25 cents.
250 watt heat lamp $45
100 watt bulb $18
Eco Glow is 18 watts $3

I have never run a 250... yikes.

25 cents/kw is serious money but then again, using over 20kw of electricity a day is serious use.

I guess I lead a simple life

 

[iamcraftqueen]

Our house is 100% electric, no propane. At night we have 3 lights on at the most. We keep our a/c set at 80 and heater at 65. We have one computer, a fridge and 2 cell phones to charge. The rest of our electricity is the hot water heater with a re circulating pump on a timer. We do everything we can to conserve electricity, but we can't do much more. That's why I worked out the math on the heat lamp.

 

[Phage]

We installed solar power a couple of years ago and now make more than we use. It seemed like a lot of $$ at the time, but there were big rebates too.

Prices have come down a lot since then.

I have seen adverts for firms that will install panels on your roof for free and you get free electricity and I guess they keep the extra.

With so much free energy from the sun in San Diego it seems wrong not to be using it.

 

[Phage]

I have a very delicate chick that was in danger of being trampled on by her hatch-mates so she is has been in brooder on her own for the last 3 weeks.... with a 100W heat lamp...

and knowing me, she will be a he

 

[iamcraftqueen]

We installed solar power a couple of years ago and now make more than we use. It seemed like a lot of $$ at the time, but there were big rebates too. 

Prices have come down a lot since then.

I have seen adverts for firms that will install panels on your roof for free and you get free electricity and I guess they keep the extra. 

With so much free energy from the sun in San Diego it seems wrong not to be using it.

Solar is high on our priority list. Our house also needs all new windows and a bunch of other thing. We bought our house 3 years ago just out if college and a few months before we got married. Our house was built in the 70s and is still mostly original, needs a major remodel and addition. Up till now we have been working on establishing a biodynamic farm on our 7 acres. First vineyards are planted, chicken coop built, olives going in when we get the money, bee hives and sheep in 2014. Might start on a rain water catchment in 2014 as well. Our goal is to be as self sustaining as possible eventually.

Chickens were the first addition to our property, they were a wedding present from my husband.

 

[ozexpat]

Solar is high on our priority list. Our house also needs all new windows and a bunch of other thing. We bought our house 3 years ago just out if college and a few months before we got married. Our house was built in the 70s and is still mostly original, needs a major remodel and addition. Up till now we have been working on establishing a biodynamic farm on our 7 acres. First vineyards are planted, chicken coop built, olives going in when we get the money, bee hives and sheep in 2014. Might start on a rain water catchment in 2014 as well. Our goal is to be as self sustaining as possible eventually.

Chickens were the first addition to our property, they were a wedding present from my husband.

thats fantastic!

You are on the right track.

I know its a different world, but a few years back I moved to the Philippines. We have a small house - maybe 700 sq feet inside and the same again on a verandah. Power as about the same cost as in SD.

We really looked long and hard at our expenditure as we had zero income.

Our fridge is very small. Its about half of the fridge side of a standard 2 door here. We are mindful of what goes in it and try to eat as fresh as possible to negate the need to have 30lbs of stuff in there. We have a chest freezer that keeps the cool air in when you open it.

All lights are LED. They run at 7-11 watts. We use reading lamps instead of trying to keep a whole room bright. Our security is 3 lights - 9 watts each.

We have 1/2 horse power (400W) A/C in the bedrooms only. we only turn them on ar dusk. a ceiling fan is always on low when ac is running. on the verandah we have 3 ceiling fans that we use judiciously.

We use 1000w point of use tankless hot water systems. only hot water is over shower.

our water pump is 750w. its on 30 mins a day

tv is LED

A Few phone and laptop chargers.

welders, saws and other tools as necessary

a cabinet bator on all the time. brooders are 40 watts. on 24/7 1 week the at night 2 weeks

our monthly bill is 40-50 dollars with 5-6 adults 3 kids

it is a great exercise in frugality

 

[perchie.girl]

I only run a well right now.... Its on demand for the animals so I have to leave it on. I do have one fluorescent light on 24/7 in the kitchen Led lights on the stove..... the freezer is un-pluged and I gave away the refrigerator. My water heater is still on..... My electric bill is 16 dollars per month. The propane is a 250 gallon tank when I am living there it takes me two years to run through it. I wash in cold water and

Before I replaced my well pump I was running everything the same. My bill was 140 a month. The well pump died due to old age and a very sandy well. the Pump guy suggested I would be better off with a lower capacity pump.... he installed one with half the capacity.... I can still take a shower because of the pressure tanks.... you really dont see the difference.

If you are running off a well please get someone out to check out your pump. Mine was about twenty years old.

deb

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Just popping to to say my Spitzhauben "Mitzi" the Spitzi is featured in this years BYC calendar.

 

[ozexpat]

Just popping to to say my Spitzhauben "Mitzi" the Spitzi is featured in this years BYC calendar.

your very own pin up chick!

congrats

cockerals all over chickendom will be admiring her pin up on the coop wall

great photo btw!