Power usage March, April, May 2008

It is June and 87 degrees as I write this. My A/C is on. A lot. So I am curious to see what happens this summer. Last year, we began running our A/C in May. This year, we think due to the green roof and its insulation properties, we got four more weeks before we had to start running the air.

I am not 100% sure what all the differences are in these two years, but our power consumption dropped significantly compared to the same months last year. Things like line drying clothes, eliminating the power drain of the rainwater harvesting system, and significant improvement to the insulation of the ceiling (thanks again to the green roof) all played a role. We also intermittently turn off our electric hot water backup and rely exclusively on the solar hot water, especially in the heat of the summer. We are consistently hitting our goal of 1,000 kWh or less per month and have not sacrificed quality of life; we use a dishwasher, clothes washer, have nice hot water, computers, lights, etc.

March
2007: 1531
2008: 884

April
2007: 1658
2008: 754

May
2007: 975
2008: 615