by Trevor Orton | Mar 11, 2013 | Featured
Customers generally save energy after installing Eyedro because they learn why their electric bill costs are what they are, and do something about it. Minor changes to their daily routines have little impact on their comfort level but do have a positive impact on their electric bill.
This post is about a customer in Wellesley, Ontario, Canada that found a 20% savings in their electric bill within the first few days of having Eyedro installed. The family of 5 had already been in their home a few years and most of their major appliances were not very old.
Electric Water Heater Spike of 1750W
After installing Eyedro and letting it run for a couple of days, they quickly noticed large spikes within their normal electricity usage. The 1750W spikes clearly stood out and raised the question – Which appliance is that (in our home)?
During the next day, the family kept a laptop in the kitchen area with MyFreeMonitor.com streaming their electricity usage in real-time. It turned out that the spike was the electric water heater turning on for 20-30 minutes each time a hot water tap was turned on, even if only for a few seconds. Some quick math showed that the electric water heater was costing the family over $20 in electricity each month.
Electric Water Heater 20% Savings
The electric water heater was then replaced with a natural gas model on March 5th and, as can be seen in the before/after comparison graph of electricity consumption (kWh), this simple change has resulted in more than 20% savings on their monthly electric bill. Even once the costs for increased gas consumption are factored in they are still saving money!
Tell us about your experience with electric water heaters. Is it a significant cost on your electricity bill?
by Trevor Orton | Mar 11, 2013 | Featured
70% energy savings is quite an accomplishment, and one that exemplifies the benefit of doing energy saving projects in your organization. The larger the facility and electricity bill, the greater the opportunity to find savings and the greater the payback. This particular company is already profitable and drives awareness and energy saving initiatives as a social responsibility. This particular project was certainly a success.
The company operates a factory with approximately 100 employees between the office, warehouse, and production line. The production line requires the use of four large 3-phase pumps to move liquid throughout the building and production process. As part of the energy saving project, the team installed the Eyedro Business electricity monitor to measure the baseline electricity consumption and cost. Capturing proof of the before and after results was a requirement of the project for obvious reasons.
Before the project, the pumps ran continuously at a constant speed consuming a combined 800kWh per day, or $80/day if we assume $0.10/kWh. That’s approximately $2,400/month and $28,800/year. The project task was to install variable speed controllers to better match pump speed with demand. As can be seen below, the installation of the new controllers occurred on June 12th and was optimized by June 14th.
70% Energy Savings as Measured by Eyedro Electricity Monitor
The project reduced the daily electricity consumption by the four pumps from 800kWh to 200kWh, achieving a 70% energy savings and a cost savings of approximately $20,000 per year. Hidden benefits include less heat generated (which would have required air conditioning costs to offset the heat), and less wear on the motors. The team celebrated their success but didn’t stop there. Next stop is to upgrade the warehouse lighting, a project that is certain to achieve additional energy savings.
