What are your frugal and sustainable tips and tricks?

[Finchbreeder]

Aust is phasing out coal as fast as possible, and gas a bit slower - but not replacing them with wind and solar as fast. Which dipstick did that maths?

 

[saysfaa]

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I looked into the cost of charging EV's. For my situation, here is what I found...

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What is the peak rate?

We don't have off peak or night rate options. We have a flat rate of about $0.2 per kWh for all kWhs used per month plus various charges that we would pay anyway.

It might be more fair to consider the gasoline price without the taxes that mostly pay for the roads. Because those costs are starting to be paid by EV owners now too, in ways that don't show in the recharging costs.

$3 less 18.4 cents (federal) less 32 cents (Minnesota) is about $2.50 per gallon.

Illinois is 66 cents but gas is about $3.45 so $3.45 less 18 less 66 is about $2.60.

Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa also follow a similar pattern of price between then differing by about the amounts of state tax on any given point in time.

I know there are other taxes on gasoline but I don't know how to find them all or whether they also go mostly to roads.

Sorry, accidentally hit post while I was still working on it. It is finished now, maybe.

 

[Finchbreeder]

Unleaded petrol in Country West Aust. $1.90/litre inc taxes.

 

[saysfaa]

What is the peak rate?

We don't have off peak or night rate options. We have a flat rate of about $0.2 per kWh for all kWhs used per month plus various charges that we would pay anyway.

It might be more fair to consider the gasoline price without the taxes that mostly pay for the roads. $3 less 18.4 cents (federal) less 32 cents (Minnesota) is about $2.50 per gallon.

I drive about 30 miles per week when I am home. Several times a year, I visit friends or family. The nearest is about 200 miles away (3 hours drive), most are about 1,000 miles away (12 hours drive). I do those drives in one day. I make minimal stops. No restaurants or coffee shops. I stop for gas, (bio breaks at the gas stations). On some trips, I stop to stretch my legs a bit at an estate sale or an unusual shopping destination - like picking up chicks at a hatchery.

My vehicle gets about 15 miles per gallon. Or, if the trip is long enough (distance) and short enough (duration), I rent a car that gets about 50 miles per gallon.

If I did the math right, that is about 17 cents per mile vs 8 cents per mile when I am home or at the home of the people I'm visiting. For about $5 vs $2.50 per week.

Or 5 cents per mile vs 30 cents per mile on a drive day - or $50 vs $300 per day (and still making the trip longer) if I rent. Or $150 vs $300 per day if I drive my car.

 

[saysfaa]

Driving a vehicle that gets 15 miles per gallon can be frugal and environmentally responsible.

She's 25ish years old, bought when we had 5 small children. It took less gas to drive her than the two cars we would have otherwise needed. Now that they are grown and gone, it costs less to drive her the little that I do than to replace her. Especially now that she has a salvage title because she's been totaled twice, the air conditioning is not worth repairing, and multiple computer diagnostic systems are malfunctioning. And the key won't come out of the ignition sometimes. And a few other issues.

I wanted her to last the rest of my life. I can live with all of the above. It is probably the rust that will eventually cause me to give her up. Just things like losing chunks of the quarter panels won't do it but when water starts getting to the seats or carpet, I will give her up. Dh is already studying what to get for me next.

 

[fuzzi]

I drive about 30 miles per week when I am home. Several times a year, I visit friends or family. The nearest is about 200 miles away (3 hours drive), most are about 1,000 miles away (12 hours drive). I do those drives in one day. I make minimal stops. No restaurants or coffee shops. I stop for gas, (bio breaks at the gas stations). On some trips, I stop to stretch my legs a bit at an estate sale or an unusual shopping destination - like picking up chicks at a hatchery.

My vehicle gets about 15 miles per gallon. Or, if the trip is long enough (distance) and short enough (duration), I rent a car that gets about 50 miles per gallon.

If I did the math right, that is about 17 cents per mile vs 8 cents per mile when I am home or at the home of the people I'm visiting. For about $5 vs $2.50 per week.

Or 5 cents per mile vs 30 cents per mile on a drive day - or $50 vs $300 per day (and still making the trip longer) if I rent. Or $150 vs $300 per day if I drive my car.

If I go visit my grandchildren the driving distance is 950 miles, one way. I stop halfway, as it's too long for me. I can usually drive all day on a tank of gas, filling it before I stop for the night. If I had an EV, and could drive only 200 miles on a charge, that would really extend my trip.

 

[gtaus]

How is the electricity generated for charging EVs?

My local electrical company uses renewable sources of energy. A few years ago, we were at about 30% renewable. I just checked to see what the stats are us now...

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Yes, your Electric Cooperative uses renewable energy. Their power mix includes approximately 43% renewable sources: 34% wind and 9% hydroelectric.

Here’s a breakdown of your Electric Cooperative’s energy portfolio and renewable initiatives:

Power Generation Mix​

• Wind Energy: 34% of their nameplate capacity comes from wind, making it the largest renewable contributor.
• Hydroelectric: 9% is sourced from hydroelectric generation.
• Baseload Generation (likely fossil fuels or nuclear): 55%
• Other Resources: 3% (unspecified, possibly biomass or solar).

Additional Renewable Programs​

Your Electric company offers several ways for members to increase their renewable energy usage:

• Northern Solar Community Solar Garden: An 80kW solar array with 192 panels. Members can subscribe to panel output and receive credits on their bill.
• Infinity Renewable Energy Program: Allows members to choose how much of their electricity comes from renewable sources.
• Member-Owned Renewable Systems: Support for interconnecting personal solar or wind systems to the grid.

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For some reason, I thought the renewable mix was solar and hydro power. But I see that the renewables are wind and hydroelectric. The lady I talked to at the EV show said she had rooftop solar panels, no solar batteries, so any excess electricity was sold directly to our power company at 11 cents per kwh. That's a pretty good rate considering the power company charges us 13 cents per kwh for normal rate, but only 6.5 cents per kwh on off peak service.

When I built my house back in 1999, I had off peak service installed for my dual propane/electric furnace, our dryers, electric floor heat, and water heater. It's cheaper for me to heat with off peak electricity than to burn propane, so my default is to use electricity, but I have a 250 gallon propane tank as a backup.

With off peak service, the electric company can temporarily shut off power to our appliances. But they have smart meters so they can determine the order of what they shut off. I think the dual furnace goes out first, then the water heater, then the dryer last. The last few years I don't remember any disruption in off peak service. Having said that, we only notice any disruption if the dryer does not work. The furnace automatically switches to propane backup if the house needs heat and the water tank stays warm for hours. Most of any outage for off peak service is measured in minutes.

We had extended off peak outages a number of years ago, and I think I had to refill my backup propane tank at the end of the winter, but normally I only use maybe 5% of my backup tank each winter. I have not had my propane refilled in maybe 5 years and it's still sitting at 85% full. IIRC, they only top off the tank to 90% - allowing 10% expansion for summer heat.

Our electric company is always promoting Green technology and their off-peak program is a big part of that system. I got into the off-peak program to save money over time, but it helps our power company to smooth out peak demands and I guess reduce the amount of coal they have to burn to generate electricity. It cost some money to install the off-peak service, but I think the payback period was something like 2 or 3 years at the break-even point. Obviously, I have been saving money for almost 25 years now.

The people around here that have EV's are using overnight charging at off-peak rates or nighttime rates, depending on what electric company you get your service from. A few people have rooftop solar, but I have never seen any houses with panels. That has not caught on where I live, probably because we get so much snow in the winter, and we have very short days in the winter this far north.

In northern Minnesota, solar energy production in winter typically drops to 10–25% of summer output. Snow cover, shorter daylight hours, and low sun angles are the main culprits.

That's not much of an incentive to spend all that money for rooftop solar where I live.

Of course, the main source of energy generation at 57% is burning coal. Coal is still the cheapest way to make electricity, and we have lots of it. Even so, charging an EV with coal powered electricity is supposedly more environmentally friendly that burning gas or diesel in your vehicles....

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Yes—EVs still pollute less than gas vehicles even when charged with 100% coal-powered electricity, thanks to their superior energy efficiency and lack of tailpipe emissions.

Here’s why that holds true, even in worst-case scenarios:

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EVs vs Gas Cars: Coal-Powered Comparison​

• EVs convert ~87–91% of battery energy into movement, while gas cars only convert ~16–25% of gasoline energy into motion.
• No tailpipe emissions: EVs produce zero local pollutants like NOx, CO, or particulate matter, which improves air quality—especially in cold climates like northern Minnesota.
• Lifecycle emissions: Even when charged from coal, EVs typically break even with gas cars after 8,000–13,000 miles, then continue to emit less over time.
• Coal’s decline: Coal is shrinking in the U.S. grid mix—from 45% in 2010 to just 21% in 2022. Even in coal-heavy regions, EVs outperform gas cars over their lifetime.

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Why Efficiency Wins​

• EVs use energy more slowly and precisely, especially in stop-and-go driving.
• Regenerative braking recaptures energy that gas cars waste as heat.
• Even inefficient EVs charged on coal grids emit less CO₂ per mile than most new gas cars.

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Cleaner Over Time​

• As the grid decarbonizes (like your Electric company’s 43% renewables), your EV gets cleaner without changing the car.
• You can further reduce emissions by charging during off-peak hours or using community solar programs.

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[gtaus]

What is the peak rate?

Our off-peak rate is 6.5 cents per kwh, about 13 cents per kwh for regular rate.

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The Off-Peak Program is a load management strategy that offers significantly reduced electric rates—about 44% lower—in exchange for allowing the cooperative to temporarily interrupt power to certain high-demand appliances during peak usage times.

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What Is the Off-Peak Program?​

It’s a voluntary program where members agree to have specific electric loads (like heating systems, water heaters, or garage heaters) controlled remotely during peak demand periods. In return, they receive a discounted rate for electricity used by those appliances.

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Key Features​

Feature	Description
Rate Discount	~44% lower than standard residential rate
Controlled Loads	Electric heating, water heaters, dryers, garage heaters, etc.
Control Method	Ripple signal sent by Minnkota Power to shut off loads temporarily
Control Duration	Typically 100–300 hours/year, often during cold snaps or peak grid stress
Backup Heating Required	Must have a non-electric backup heat source (e.g., propane, wood, fuel oil)
Tampering Penalty	Using plug-in electric heaters during control periods can disqualify you

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Why It Matters​

• Helps stabilize the grid and reduce peak demand costs.
• Supports integration of renewables by smoothing load curves.
• Offers financial savings for members with flexible heating setups.

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I just want to add that in the past 2 years, we have not noticed any control durations. Our electric company will only shut down the service for short periods, usually only minutes, when it is necessary. It's never been a concern for us.

 

[Molpet]

When I was a kid we had 2 electric meters. The 2nd was for the electric water heater at a different rate. We had oil for the furnace.
Not sure when but the electric company switched to one meter. In the late 1980s or early 90s, I had natural gas installed, furnace and water heater.