Reducing my house electricity costs – any advice please .

[Bandersnatch]

13 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Very interesting and I shall look into getting one. However it must take quite a while for your coffee machine ie kettle to boil the water if it is only 700 watts. most are in the 3kw range. 

It’s a drip coffee maker with an insulated jug and no warming plate. Takes about 5 minutes. 

[KannikaP]

6 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

It’s a drip coffee maker with an insulated jug and no warming plate. Takes about 5 minutes. 

Great, thank you. Most folk use a 'normal' 3kW kettle to boil water for ONE mug of coffee/tea, and put about 2 litres of water in it.

My Mrs does it when heating water for the nipper's milk, and then lets it cool down before mixing with the powder. But try to tell them to heat JUST enough for the bottle to JUST the right temperature................no way!

No wonder their/my lekky bills are high.

A pan with just the right amount of water, on the gas, takes very short time.

Edited September 24, 2022 by KannikaP

[Yorkie]

5 hours ago, Bandersnatch said:

 

@Yorkie I had a bill just like that this month ????

 

 

Sorry. I used your bill but did not reference it to you; or anyone else.

[Bandersnatch]

14 minutes ago, MJCM said:

 

How much kWh would it take for your car to go from 0 - 100%?

17kWh

[MJCM]

15 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

What's your present PEA unit/kW usage ?

 

At present, our solar/panels & ESS provide all needed, and being sort of conservative, that's less than 15 kW a day.  2 frigs 1 AC (inv. 9K BTU), 1 fan are the mandatory appliances. 2 people, no water pump, couple electric kitchen appliance.

 

6.5 kw of that is overnight on the battery, using 2 frigs, AC, laptop/65 in TV from 1800-0700.

 

1800-2300  accounts for about 4kW, then the other 2.5 is while we're sleeping & sunrise coffee.  Usually battery near 100% (10kW) at sunset, and not <35% (3.5kW) when solar starts producing again.

 

TV off about 2300 hrs, and AC on every so often w/floor fan, till about same time.  Then fan usually the rest of the night while sleeping.  Cooking, dinner, showers done before sunset.  Purposely being minimalistic, though AC use, as curious if solar is enough to be self sufficient.  Actually our system (8kW & ESS) is way more than needed, even when not conservative.  Which we're not very conservative any more, though interesting when testing.

 

Any system 3kw & up, should provide 10kW a day & up, no ESS.

Mr Google states 3kW inverter provides 300-400kW a month

Without the ESS, our monthly usage would be ~200kW for

overnight use.  So PEA bill would be around B1000

 

3 or 5kW system should provide most with plenty of daytime use.  I don't think most need to use AC (sporadically) & 65in TV at night for 5 ish hrs after sunset, so 200kW of PEA a month, for overnight should be high end for most folks.

We have a very low kWh per day usage (max 10-14, but nowadays around 6 (last bill was 191 units (30 days))), and we are going with a 5kW system (on-grid) but with only 10-11 Panels (using 1 MPPT out of the 2) and that is just for our day time usage. (so we are being really nice to the inverter )

 

I think for us that should cover it and it will make a nice big dent in our PEA bill without breaking the bank.

[MJCM]

33 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

The energy monitor you got from Momo, is it OK just to monitor my PEA consumption?

I am looking at one as well, and my guess is you have to clamp it on the cable coming from the PEA to your Fuse Box.

 

But I think @Crossy or @Bandersnatch will know best about how to connect one of those.

Edited September 24, 2022 by MJCM
Removed a sentence

[Bandersnatch]

8 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

Sorry. I used your bill but did not reference it to you; or anyone else.

No problem at all, just thought it was funny 

[Bandersnatch]

37 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

The energy monitor you got from Momo, is it OK just to monitor my PEA consumption?

The clamp meter records the power used in the the house in real time, so switch on the aircon and monitor it on the app.
 

In total you can compare the kWh used for the month on the app with the PEA bill, if there is a big difference maybe your neighbors are borrowing some ????

[KannikaP]

3 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

The clamp meter records the power used in the the house in real time, so switch on the aircon and monitor it on the app.
 

In total you can compare the kWh used for the month on the app with the PEA bill, if there is a big difference maybe your neighbors are borrowing some ????

Am I correct in thinking that the clamp only goes on ONE of the incoming conductors. One I had in UK a while back was like that

[Crossy]

41 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

The energy monitor you got from Momo, is it OK just to monitor my PEA consumption?

 

If it has a current maximum less than your main breaker it will certainly do the job. It needs to go on the incoming supply, it should go on the L for best accuracy (it will work on the neutral but may miss some diverted neutral current that's going via the ground rod in a TNC-S system).

 

Of course it needs a clamp-type current transformer that can just clip over the wire otherwise you will be messing about with disconnected live wires.

 

 

[Crossy]

Just now, KannikaP said:

Am I correct in thinking that the clamp only goes on ONE of the incoming conductors. One I had in UK a while back was like that

 

Yes. Live for preference and best accuracy.

[KannikaP]

5 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

Yes. Live for preference and best accuracy.

What is a 'clamp type current transformer' you mentioned previously. Does the unit not come self contained?

 

Oops, I realise what you mean now. Clamp as opposed to a ring, which would have to be fitted over a disconnected cable. But if that cable is after the main breaker.......

I have a smallish fuse box with Main Breaker, Surge Protect and RCB, which then feeds to another with all my Mini breakers, so I can easily cut off the power to that box and fit the Monitor. Thanks for help.

Edited September 24, 2022 by KannikaP

[Crossy]

5 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

What is a 'clamp type current transformer' you mentioned previously. Does the unit not come self contained?

 

It's the bit that goes on the incoming wire, it usually comes with the unit.

 

It can look like this (clamp or split-core) which doesn't need you to disconnect the wire.

 

 

Or this which needs you to disconnect to feed through the hole.

 

 

[KannikaP]

1 minute ago, Crossy said:

 

It's the bit that goes on the incoming wire.

 

It can look like this (clamp or split-core) which doesn't need you to disconnect the wire.

 

 

Or this which needs you to disconnect to feed through the hole.

 

 

Yep, realised that. Cheers.

[KannikaP]

12 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

The clamp meter records the power used in the the house in real time, so switch on the aircon and monitor it on the app.
 

In total you can compare the kWh used for the month on the app with the PEA bill, if there is a big difference maybe your neighbors are borrowing some ????

Does the Momo one have a clamp type or a ring to go on the incoming live feed please?

[Bandersnatch]

5 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Does the Momo one have a clamp type or a ring to go on the incoming live feed please?

Clamp - it’s pretty clear in my second video

[KhunLA]

17 hours ago, MJCM said:

We have a very low kWh per day usage (max 10-14, but nowadays around 6 (last bill was 191 units (30 days))), and we are going with a 5kW system (on-grid) but with only 10-11 Panels (using 1 MPPT out of the 2) and that is just for our day time usage. (so we are being really nice to the inverter )

 

I think for us that should cover it and it will make a nice big dent in our PEA bill without breaking the bank.

Having a very low production day, at present.  But a ballpark idea of consumption.

... 1 AC, inv. 9k BTU set at 27° auto fan, at low presently, as room cooled off

... 2 frigs

... laptop & TV (65")

 

That is all that's on right now.  347w being used, and usually have to add 50-80w for our inverter's use.  Less than half kW using and rest going to the battery, and if just 8 hrs of decent production, no battery being charged, on your worse day, you'll have 8 hrs @ half kW** for 4kW X 30 days, 120 kW off your PEA bill that month = ฿560

 

** Downgraded 1kW production to 1/2kW, as our 8kW vs a 5kW system, since you'll have half the number of panels.

 

On a sunny day, we have, and you'll have more electric than you can possibly use.  You're way more conservation than we are with usage.

[MrJ2U]

Jeeze!

 

Just got the bill with the new rates. Despite being away from the house for 7 days the Bill is up over 1000 baht from last time and the weather isn't so hot as well so less air-conditioning also.

 

Hopefully they'll be a revolt!  Very fishy?

 

PTT made record profits and oil and natural gas prices have been declining.

 

Recession, terrible wages, inflation, etc.

 

Where's the mass protest to get rid of this regime of thugs!