[Racer X 69]

As Racer mentioned later on, electricity in our region (I live about 200 miles south) is generally quite reasonably priced; I might add that the same is also true for natural gas (thank you Canada). Looking at my last electric statement from our public utility district, I paid $0.0816 USD per kwh this last billing cycle. The power is generated using a combination of hydro, wind, and natural gas (thank you again, Canada) with the district owning its own hydro dam and NG generation plant and the rest being purchased from the grid. Natural gas comes from a utility company with rates regulated by the state. My last statement from them shows that I paid $0.81021 USD per Therm (100 KBtu).

My furnace, kitchen range, and hot water run on natural gas with lights and AC running on electricity. My house size approaches the 3000 sqft mentioned above and despite not being super-insulated, power bills have never exceeded $330 USD/mo in any season despite significantly warmer summers and somewhat colder winters here than where Racer lives. I guess if I had more people in the house, the number might be higher, but not by much.

I think the $2500 USD figure is a bit high, though perhaps not by much. Substituting propane for natural gas (1.1 Therm/gal) or running the whole thing using electric might be somewhat more expensive. I should ask my friend one street over who is all electric and who supplements with wood for heat.

That said, ground sink heating/cooling solutions are not unpopular, particularly with those living on rural acreage. I have known several people who have built using that option. The savings are real, just not by a factor of eight or more.


Steve

I might have been off some on my quote of monthly costs 15 years ago, but hey, that was a long time ago. Back then I worked for that utility, and had frequent customer contact. People were always complaining of excessively high power bills, claiming that the PUD made a mistake in reading the meter or calculating usage.

Usually it was large, poorly insulated homes, large families with lots of laundry and showers, heat cranked up to the maximum 24 hours a day, a TV in every room also left on . . . . . . The meter department would install graphing meters on the meters of homes where customers routinely complained of billing errors, and they always proved there was no mistake, that the energy was getting consumed.

Currently the Public Utility District #1 of Snohomish County is charging 10.414 cents per kilowatt-hour for residential electric power. So it would seem they can no longer brag about having the lowest rates around if you're paying eight cents a kilowatt-hour.

[Racer X 69]

Off topic, but you can also partly thank Canada and the Columbia River Treaty for a lot of the hydro power.
It's actually quite fascinating having done a fair bit of reading into the topic.

When I was in high school they taught Washington State History. Much of it was about the mighty Columbia and hydropower in the Pacific Northwet. The history of the river, the power, and the fisheries make for very interesting reading.

[stevebrot]

Off topic, but you can also partly thank Canada and the Columbia River Treaty for a lot of the hydro power.
It's actually quite fascinating having done a fair bit of reading into the topic.

Oh, yeah...forgot about that part. The bulk of the flow into Grand Coulee comes from up north, a contribution that continues all the way to the Pacific.


Steve

[tim60]

I put in a geothermal heating/cooling system, basically a heat pump that uses the thermal mass of the earth to heat the house in winter, and cool it in summer, in a central HVAC type system. It runs about $100/month to operate, so around $1,200/year. It was a bit spendy on the front side, adding about $36,000 to the cost of building the home. That may seem like a lot, but typical homes here are heated with electricity, and a similarly sized home costs about $2,500 a month to heat and cool with electricity.

So the geothermal system paid for itself a couple years ago.

I think the question was about USD 2500 per MONTH to heat and cool. That number sounds more plausible for per YEAR in Adelaide.

[bertwert]

We heat by wood only, and cool by breezes in the winter. So the only money cost is gas for the chainsaw. Time, on the other hand...

[ivanvernon]

As Racer mentioned later on, electricity in our region (I live about 200 miles south) is generally quite reasonably priced; I might add that the same is also true for natural gas (thank you Canada). Looking at my last electric statement from our public utility district, I paid $0.0816 USD per kwh this last billing cycle. The power is generated using a combination of hydro, wind, and natural gas (thank you again, Canada) with the district owning its own hydro dam and NG generation plant and the rest being purchased from the grid. Natural gas comes from a utility company with rates regulated by the state. My last statement from them shows that I paid $0.81021 USD per Therm (100 KBtu).

My furnace, kitchen range, and hot water run on natural gas with lights and AC running on electricity. My house size approaches the 3000 sqft mentioned above and despite not being super-insulated, power bills have never exceeded $330 USD/mo in any season despite significantly warmer summers and somewhat colder winters here than where Racer lives. I guess if I had more people in the house, the number might be higher, but not by much.

I think the $2500 USD figure is a bit high, though perhaps not by much. Substituting propane for natural gas (1.1 Therm/gal) or running the whole thing using electric might be somewhat more expensive. I should ask my friend one street over who is all electric and who supplements with wood for heat.

That said, ground sink heating/cooling solutions are not unpopular, particularly with those living on rural acreage. I have known several people who have built using that option. The savings are real, just not by a factor of eight or more.


Steve

$2,500 sounds astoundingly high as a monthly cost for electrical heating. I am supposing that would be the cost for use of an electric resistance furnace as opposed to using a heat pump. I recall that my home (2,600 sq ft.), bought in 1981, was equipped with an electric resistance furnace at that time, and we could not afford to use it at something like $800/month. Instead, I set up a so-called barrel stove in a downstairs fireplace to burn wood, which was basically free with the large wood lot that we have. It did require plenty of work in the summer to build a bank of about three cords of seasoned wood, and the heat system was a bit messy for the inside of the house.

Nowadays, we are have got rid of the wood burner, and are using a high-efficiency propane central heating system that is combined with a heat pump. The heat pump is programmed to provide heating (or cooling) up to a certain point at which the propane-powered system kicks in. It is difficult to know exactly how much it costs to run the heat pump/AC because the electricity is metered along with other household electrical current use, but certainly less than $100 per month on average including cooling as well as heating operations. My best calculation is that our total annual heating/cooling cost comes out to around $3,200/year or around $265/month. I am sure that a geothermal system would cost much less to operate once the initial installation costs were amortized, but at our existing cost levels it does not seem economical to go that route, though that sort of system would also no doubt raise the overall value of the property.

[MikeyBugs95]

I just got a Lowepro S&F Filter Case 100. The filter case I got for the holidays doesn't attach to my backpack so I can't really use it very well.

[Aaron28]

yashica TL-E.....in rough shape! ack! reckon a finger went through the cloth shutter not torn but off the rails.....severe battery corrosion.....the good news should clean up decently as a display piece and only have the TL to get to complete my yashica TL series.....also a yashinon dx 50/f1.8 (A/M switch most are auto only)….can't wait to throw it on my K-50

Another ansco shur shot (120 box).....different front plate than ones I have adding to the collection....the shutter moves freely, will clean up very nicely and likely see a roll of film!

[clickclick]

I personally use an MSI x470 board for my ryzen 5 2600x. It has been absolutely rock solid.

Have used many MSI boards without issue. Currently sitting next to an Asus one though.

[MikeyBugs95]

Unfortunately I just had to order a replacement 130 Watt AC adapter for my Dell XPS straight from Dell. The stock AC adapter that came with the laptop broke and wouldn't charge so I ordered a USB-C one. Well that one apparently isn't compatible with the laptop even though I've been using it for nearly 2 ½ weeks already. Also wouldn't charge the laptop and was driving me insane trying to figure out what was wrong...

Anyway I bought it...

[pepperberry farm]

[Jean Poitiers]

A new addition to the Fuji X gear. An excellent used XF 35/1.4 R from my local B&M shop, Phox Poitiers. Just a bit of wear on the lens hood and here on the X-E2 ...

I have a Fuji X friend with the same lens that he let me try out one afternoon. I was pretty much sold on the whole thing right off the bat.

[SSGGeezer]

I bought the ones with the extra camera connectors and was very happy with them.
Newest acquisition is an old Honda Element AWD for hauling stuff. Then this afternoon I got hit in the drivers door while headed to work after running some errands. High miler but I like everything but the gas mileage it gets.

[savoche]

A new addition to the Fuji X gear. An excellent used XF 35/1.4 R from my local B&M shop, Phox Poitiers. Just a bit of wear on the lens hood and here on the X-E2 ...

I have a Fuji X friend with the same lens that he let me try out one afternoon. I was pretty much sold on the whole thing right off the bat.

Looks good! Fuji makes some beautiful lenses.

[lesmore49]

I bought the ones with the extra camera connectors and was very happy with them.
Newest acquisition is an old Honda Element AWD for hauling stuff. Then this afternoon I got hit in the drivers door while headed to work after running some errands. High miler but I like everything but the gas mileage it gets.

Never had an Element, but always admired the practical design...a box on wheels with easy access to the interior with well designed doors. I also like the fact that the Element has the big Honda four cylinder (2.4 liter)...good mpg and power. There is something to be said for a vehicle like this.

One similar practical vehicle we had, from '97 to 2007 was our 1997 Astro van. It had the Vortec 4,3 liter V6, rear wheel drive with the optional Eaton locking axle, heavy duty suspension, oversize wheels/tire package (came with the HD suspension), front and rear heaters (I live in Canada). It had a very good payload rating...1700 lbs. + or so if I recall correctly , hauled our trailer through much of western Canada, western USA, mid west, etc. Our kids were young and it always easily hauled whatever we needed. We had the barn doors (panel truck type doors) at the back, etc....which was great for loading/unloading.

Like the Element there was a fair amount of cargo area...that was relatively secure from weather and prying eyes...the van style interior. Pickups are nice, but unless you get a box cap...your cargo can be vulnerable to weather and light fingers, if you know what I mean. I like to be able to lock things up.

I really miss the old Astro and if GM still made it, I believe I would have continued to buy them.