Note that the months in this chart are for the period ending that month. So the January numbers are for mid-December to mid-January. Our energy usage clearly spiked as the temperature dropped, but on the whole it's not a huge increase. During this time last year at the old house, we used 31 kWh per day plus $154.56 in natural gas for the furnace (which was unusually high). During a one-year period we spent $1,620.76 on energy (electricity + gas) at the old house. We are on track to save about $950 per year in our Passive House. And all of this while being more comfortable than we ever were in the old house. No more cold drafts, no more chilly corners, no more icy floors.
Every home is different, so don't expect these numbers to reflect every Passive House project. But we are thrilled with the results we have seen.
Thanks for sharing the numbers, that helps us make a more informed decision about which direction we decide to go.
ReplyDeleteAny chance Blake is interested in building a home in Bend? :)
Jason - Glad this is helpful. And I know Blake definitely wants to build more Passive Houses. You should contact him and convince him to go out there! http://bilyeugreen.com/Contact_Us.html
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see how things are working! I'm curious how it's working to have just the one mini-split heat pump- do all the rooms stay the same temperature?
ReplyDeleteThe heat pump definitely heats/cools the downstairs first. It can take a while for the air to mix, especially in warmer weather when the hot air doesn't easily flow down the stairwell. The vast majority of the time we aren't running the heat pump, and all the rooms are the same temperature.
ReplyDeleteI am curious if you know where the 14 KWH a day come from. How much is lifestyle choice (lights, entertainment, clothes dryer? etc) and how much is needed to run the house (ventilator, other?).
ReplyDeleteNancy,
ReplyDeleteNearly all of that 14kWh is lifestyle. Before winter we almost never ran the A/C or heater. The ventilator only consumes in the ballpark of 20W. The solar hot water heater consumes about 80W when in use, but of course saves us kilowatts in the process. So on the whole maybe 1kWh of the 14 was for non-lifestyle purposes.
Stuart - thanks for the reply.
ReplyDeleteDoes it seem like someone who used less electricity could be net zero with your house? I use 3-4 KWH per day but heat with natural gas. I can cover my electrical consumption with 1.4 KW PV array. I would be thrilled to install more PV and use the rest for the minimal heating needs of a passive house.
Nancy, you have exactly the right idea. Passive House makes going net zero much easier. A dollar spent on conservation goes a lot further than one spent on generation, but there is no reason you can't do both.
ReplyDelete