# Cool



## Balikbayan (Apr 23, 2019)

So how are you all keeping cool? I installed a new split AC a month ago, and wow, did my electric bill ever go up, doubled, and yes I have had it on 24/7 , dumb eh?


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Keeping cooler*



Balikbayan said:


> So how are you all keeping cool? I installed a new split AC a month ago, and wow, did my electric bill ever go up, doubled, and yes I have had it on 24/7 , dumb eh?


We have to watch costs in our home and I will turn it on later on in the evening for a couple hours but my next AC unit/Fridge will probably be an inverter type.

Over the years I planted several trees around the home and the back yard to help keep it cool also and it has made a huge difference so unless it's really hot we won't need to turn on the AC unit but we do have fans just about every where in the home including the bathroom and kitchen.


----------



## Nickleback99 (Aug 6, 2011)

Gotta be comfortable! If you can afford it, that is all that matters. Idea of saving money,But being miserable makes no sense to me. In the end m, it’s Your $$ and what You spend it On is solely up to You. I know when we move back nxt yr, for what is probably a 3 yr gig (adoption) , we will rent a nice place and with A/C for times like now. I know coming from NW Washington state, gonna be a hard first year acclimated, cause I’ve done it before. Wish you well!


----------



## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Balikbayan said:


> So how are you all keeping cool? I installed a new split AC a month ago, and wow, did my electric bill ever go up, doubled, and yes I have had it on 24/7 , dumb eh?


Balikbayan, welcome to the forum and raising some interesting posts.

For me it's like Jay (Nickleback) mentioned with regards to creature comforts, really no different to where we lived in Oz, Sunshine coast, yes it gets hot in summer and can be quite cool in the middle of winter, we run reverse cycle A/C there though not often but a must.

Here on the beach in Tammocalao La Union I thought we would get sea and mountain breezes, not often and now in the middle of summer I am not dealing with the heat and humidity very well so first was the A/C in the bedroom, the ceiling was not insulated, all the windows in the house are jalousie and not sealed very well though we do have big shutters on all the windows (for the typhoons) the system that the original builder came up with is very inefficient. We have been running that A/C 10 to 12 hours a day (retreat and sleeping) so I will post later what our electricity bill is in a few days. Was just under PHP 3K last time but that was only for 18 days running A/C.
We also purchased R3 insulation batts at great expense and had them shipped from Olongapo (Subic) for the ceilings, to date we have installed in the living/dining/kitchen as well as hallways and laundry, this was easy as we had new ceilings installed but not looking forward to getting in the roof space to do the bedrooms and bathrooms but I am sure we will recoup the costs with savings on electricity, research suggests 2 to 3 years to recover initial outlay.
Last week we had a 2.5HP dual inverter split system installed in the living area so we will see how much the bill runs up and will let you know.

Wow I have waffled on. 

Mark (MCA) I agree with you on trees and shading and we certainly have plenty as well as good eave overhangs, definitely shading walls from direct sun helps. For us the problem is fighting the thermal mass of the building, concrete columns and beams, block and rendered. We get little sun on the walls and windows but being 36 C every day definitely heats up the walls and that is radiated internally so the A/Cs have a fight on their hands.
Looking into the cost of replacing all the windows with double glazed.

When we lived in Manila (Condo 7th floor 3 bed 3 bath master bedroom exposed to west sun, 2 split systems) our bill there was PHP 3 to 4K but that was 6 or 7 years ago.

Enough for now.

Cheers, Steve.


----------



## Balikbayan (Apr 23, 2019)

Thanks Steve, I don't know what they charge per kwh, I figure it's about 12 pesos/kwh ? Correct me if I'm wrong. We have a LG split AC, dual inverter. I figure running this 24/7 cost me about php 9600.00/m, I could be wrong here to, my math isn't to hot. ( a pun? ).
We are going to plant more shade trees around the house, and insulate the attic as well. I'm also going to use less wattage light bulbs, LED.


----------



## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

You are very close, a couple years ago the rate was 11.5 per KWh but that is PECO (Panay Electric Company) on Panay Island as I live in Iloilo. 

We just use a few fans strategically placed at various places, but I moved here from Arizona where it is a bit on the warmish side most of the year anyway and the heat doesn't bother me very much.

A much used (in Southwestern states of the US) method of cutting the internal heat problem is to build another roof over your present one with a 1 or 1 1/2 foot gap between so your present roof is in the shade of the higher one and also allows the breeze to blow through to help cool. Very effective on a metal roof. Don't know what the ROI would be here but will eventually pay for itself in the long run. Just food for thought.

Fred


----------



## expatuk2016 (Mar 20, 2016)

We live on the edge of Laguna De Bay some days( not very often ) i can sit ouside on the porch and enjoy a coffee 
And watch the birds.( wildlife 🤣 ) 
Normally daytimes its fans for cooling, our Aircon ( 1hp) in the bedroom is usually on around 12 noon till 2pm and then from around 9pm till 8am daily, temp set at 25c .
our power bill for last month was 2700 pesos 
that includes 2 old fridges ( 1 for my cold drinks and my chocolate etc and my Burgers ! ) 
24/7 electric kettle, coffee maker, aircon, 3 insect killers, 2/47 CCTV .will be replacing the 2 fridges for a large double door model once the aircons final instalment is paid.
Our power bill averages around 2500pesos


----------



## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

expatuk2016 said:


> We live on the edge of Laguna De Bay some days( not very often ) i can sit ouside on the porch and enjoy a coffee
> And watch the birds.( wildlife 🤣 )
> Normally daytimes its fans for cooling, our Aircon ( 1hp) in the bedroom is usually on around 12 noon till 2pm and then from around 9pm till 8am daily, temp set at 25c .
> our power bill for last month was 2700 pesos
> ...


Well done, hope mine is like that but very much doubt it.

Cheers, Steve.


----------



## hogrider (May 25, 2010)

expatuk2016 said:


> We live on the edge of Laguna De Bay some days( not very often ) i can sit ouside on the porch and enjoy a coffee
> And watch the birds.( wildlife 🤣 )
> Normally daytimes its fans for cooling, our Aircon ( 1hp) in the bedroom is usually on around 12 noon till 2pm and then from around 9pm till 8am daily, temp set at 25c .
> our power bill for last month was 2700 pesos
> ...


I love the weather here. I'm outside the whole day and most of the evening. We have the AC running in the house for the wife and the dogs who struggle with the heat. We have 4 AC units, 2x2HP and 2x11/2 HP units. All split inverter types. AC in living areas set at 25C , in the bedroom 23C. Our monthly bill is usually around P5,000. That's in Davao.


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

I have a large family, I and my wife, youngest son my daughter and her family so 7 altogether and my bill for summer or June was 5,600 pesos. 

We have a large side by side Electrolux fridge (I could use a new one) fridge went through two flash floods and so found floating but amazingly still works we purchased this in 2008, a hot & cold dispenser we don't have city water it's an electric water pump that supplies our home and several fans in every room but we did have a water pipe leak that had to wait over a long holiday weekend in May before it could be fixed so it probably added another 1000 pesos in electricity.

Our summer bill is always high because we do turn on the AC unit sometimes during the day from 2 - 4 hrs and then night time another 4 hrs but now with the rain coming in it's not so bad.


----------



## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

prob with a/c is then u never want to go outside. I had it my first yr in Philippines then stopped it. Got use to the heat. After a few yrs it became normal. My son was born there and he hated the heat.


----------



## Balikbayan (Apr 23, 2019)

Some really good thoughts here. I think we will start by planting more shade trees around the house, then paint our roof white. Also I'm thinking of installing a whole house ventilation system, and buy some more fans.


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Quality fans*



Balikbayan said:


> Some really good thoughts here. I think we will start by planting more shade trees around the house, then paint our roof white. Also I'm thinking of installing a whole house ventilation system, and buy some more fans.


If you spend a little more on a quality fan it'll be worth it and they seem to last longer also and the ones that work very well have a propeller type blade that won't bend the negative is that they make more sound.


----------



## Tiz (Jan 23, 2016)

I lived for a while in Queensland, Australia, which has similar temps to PH.

I never used an A/C, but had good ceiling fans which did the trick in circulating the air.
Also had some large bushes & trees planted near the sun facing walls.

[sarcasm] You could always do what the locals do. When it gets too hot at home, go to the mall for the day!  [/sarcasm]


----------



## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

Tiz said:


> I lived for a while in Queensland, Australia, which has similar temps to PH.
> 
> I never used an A/C, but had good ceiling fans which did the trick in circulating the air.
> Also had some large bushes & trees planted near the sun facing walls.
> ...


many days spent in vfw or bars for that reason. Not a drinker,but I do like to watch the girls in baretto:amen:


----------



## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

The electricity bill came the other day, PHP 4,500.00. Not too bad but we have only run the split system half a dozen times for 5 to 6 hours in the living area but the bedroom runs 10 to 12 hours 7 days a week.
The biggest problem is the master bedroom as it's an in the wall unit (new) but not inverter type and slack me hasn't put the insulation in that ceiling yet,,,,,,, too hot up there.
I can live with bills like that as I sleep well at night.

Cheers, Steve.


----------



## Balikbayan (Apr 23, 2019)

How do guys only pay 4500 pesos to peso for your electricity? Our bill last month was over 16000 pesos. We have 5 fans, two ac, one a window type that was on 24/7 last month when we had visitors, and a split ac which was on 24/7, because I didn't know any better. We have two upright freezers, ( we sell ice), a energy efficient refrigerator, and a hot and cold water dispenser. All the light bulbs where changed to 10 watt LED.
After I got that bill, I'm insisting that the ac's go on for only a few hours to get relief from the hottest part of the day, and use fans the rest of the time, also all lights to be turned off when leaving room. 
I'm going to add insulation next year , and paint the roof with that sun blocking paint.
Any other suggestions to get my electric bill down would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

Balikbayan said:


> How do guys only pay 4500 pesos to peso for your electricity? .....


That is a lot of stuff connected but did you check for anyone tapped into your service?

Hit your master switch a few times day and night, if the lights or A/C at the neighbors go on and off with your switch then you have your answer.

Then use the individual breakers to see which circuit they have tapped into, and you can track down the tap.


Personally I like the idea of once you find the tap, running high voltage down the line to destroy anything connected to it but that can also have some dangers associated with it, you may hurt someone. 

It also takes a little knowledge of how to do it to make it work, so if you are not electrically inclined it is not a good idea to experiment since a dead conductor and a live one look exactly the same until you touch it. Then the live one will have scorch marks on it from what used to be your hand.

However a couple fried A/C's and people will get the idea that they should not tap into your line. 

The beauty is that cannot accuse you of doing it without admitting that they were stealing your electricity.

However they may take some covert revenge.


----------



## expatuk2016 (Mar 20, 2016)

To add further the 220v fan we use in the front room we run through an old computer power stabiliser unit but using the 110v output fan runs slower and quiter but keeps the room cool


----------



## Balikbayan (Apr 23, 2019)

I'll be leaving the Philippines for six months, and the split ac will not be used well we are gone, and we left specific instructions not to use the window ac all day long.
Some of the money from the sale of the ice goes towards the electric bill.
So it'll just be fans, the refrigerator, and the water dispenser running well we are gone. We'll see what the difference is in the next couple of months.
I'm trying to figure out the kwh we are using, not being really good at math it's hard, plus I need to find out the exact peso per kwh we pay here. I got to bring our bill down to at least half of last months bill.


----------



## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

P16,000.00 would be a bit hard to take. Conditions must be quite a bit different as mine is P2500.00 per month. Single level bungelow style, 2 occupants, Refrigerator, 4 fans, water cooler, 2 burner stovetop, countertop oven, rice cooker, blender, coffee maker, sewing machine, computer, & 32 inch wall tv. The fans run almost constantly, tv might run an hour a day but the sewing machine runs almost all day as that is her hobby, the computer is on most of the day as is the coffee maker(my requirements). The well water pump kicks on & off automatically as needed to maintain pressure in the lines.

Fred


----------



## Tiz (Jan 23, 2016)

Just checked my most recent bill.
consumption 365 kw, @7.73 per kw = 2,821.45

Condo, 2 occupants, with at least 1 of the A/Cs running almost 24x7.
1 computer on 24x7, another on probably 6 hours per day.
Electric stove (no gas bill)


----------



## Balikbayan (Apr 23, 2019)

I think we are paying 12 peso per kwh, not actually sure of that, but when I divide the cost by the kwh we used, that's what I get, 12 pesos/ kwh. We are in Moalboal.


----------



## Balikbayan (Apr 23, 2019)

Our house is a 4 bedroom bungalow, 6 of here, plus a couple of helpers.


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Selling Ice*



Balikbayan said:


> How do guys only pay 4500 pesos to peso for your electricity? Our bill last month was over 16000 pesos. We have 5 fans, two ac, one a window type that was on 24/7 last month when we had visitors, and a split ac which was on 24/7, because I didn't know any better. We have two upright freezers, ( we sell ice), a energy efficient refrigerator, and a hot and cold water dispenser. All the light bulbs where changed to 10 watt LED.
> After I got that bill, I'm insisting that the ac's go on for only a few hours to get relief from the hottest part of the day, and use fans the rest of the time, also all lights to be turned off when leaving room.
> I'm going to add insulation next year , and paint the roof with that sun blocking paint.
> Any other suggestions to get my electric bill down would be greatly appreciated.


There it is Balikbayan, selling ice that's where you get that high energy bill, I have another friend that also does this sell ice it's not worth it and neither is selling cold sodas so if you unplug those upright freezers and the bill is still high I'd have someone trace or locate who's tapping into your electrical line, one good way would be check your meter and how much consumption you use normally and then shut off your main circuit breaker later on in the evening and notice how man houses also go black plus check your meter again and if it's still running then they've cleverly found a way around your circuit breaker.

Our electrical bill used to be 10,000 pesos a month and no AC and a tiny fridge, found out later from the electrical company that our house was rigged so good and supplied nearly all our in-laws so we'd have to build another concrete post and have the electrical company wire it once again to our home... LOL  so the only good thing we got out of this was a gate between the two concrete posts and an electrical bill of 3000 pesos.


----------



## hogrider (May 25, 2010)

jeanjean12 said:


> Although the standard is 26 degrees, it will be more comfortable when you sleep 27 or 28 degrees, which can save a lot of electricity. In fact, the effective temperature felt by the human body is slightly lower than the temperature of the indoor air. Generally, it is about 1-2 °C lower, that is, the air supply temperature of the air conditioner is slightly higher, but the human body actually feels it. The temperature is not that high. Therefore, the control temperature of the air conditioner is adjusted to about 27 ° C, and the human body feels more comfortable. Some people say that the setting temperature is 2 degrees higher, which can reach 20% power saving; in winter heating, the temperature setting is 2 degrees lower, and the power saving can also be 10%. You can try it.


We have our bedroom set at 23C, any lower and there wouldn't be any point as the outside temp is 24C at night.


----------



## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

hogrider said:


> We have our bedroom set at 23C, any lower and there wouldn't be any point as the outside temp is 24C at night.


I concur!!!!


----------



## DonAndAbby (Jan 7, 2013)

hogrider said:


> We have our bedroom set at 23C, any lower and there wouldn't be any point as the outside temp is 24C at night.


Is there a typo? I'm not following you. Did you mean "any higher"? Outside temp is 24 so you could set the inside to anything less than that.

The problem when it is cool outside it is often still humid. I like to keep the A/C on to dry the air when it is humid. We set out bedroom Kolin split 1.5 hp inverter at 26 at night, but my wife switches it off and turns on the fan later in the morning.

Google "best temp to sleep" and you will be surprised at what the experts recommend. Blankets needed!

Some of you, especially those with window types, might be served well by one of the AC / Fan timer switches. You set a time or hours for the AC to run and then it turns off and turns on the fan. Great for bedrooms. Cool the room til say 2 am then just the fan will be on.

The sizing of air con is critical to efficiency and sizing differs a lot if you use an inverter or non-inverter unit. A non-inverter uses the most juice when the compressor goes on. If you oversize it, it will get to the target temp and shut off, go back on later, rinse and repeat. Big bill from going on and off. If you slightly undersize a non-inverter, it will not turn off and use less electricity. Google it. For an inverter unit, you should oversize it a bit, because an inverter will slow the motor and reduce electricity usage, but not shut off. No off and off burst consumption like the non-inverter.

If you buy split inverter units, don't buy Samsung. I have heard so many stories about the motherboards going bad.


----------



## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

Doesn't matter to me what anybody else says,i keep ours at 66 at night and we sleep like logs


----------



## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

DonAndAbby said:


> Is there a typo? I'm not following you. Did you mean "any higher"? Outside temp is 24 so you could set the inside to anything less than that.
> 
> The problem when it is cool outside it is often still humid. I like to keep the A/C on to dry the air when it is humid. We set out bedroom Kolin split 1.5 hp inverter at 26 at night, but my wife switches it off and turns on the fan later in the morning.
> 
> ...


right,,i suspected so


----------



## DonAndAbby (Jan 7, 2013)

lefties43332 said:


> Doesn't matter to me what anybody else says,i keep ours at 66 at night and we sleep like logs


That is what the experts recommend! 18 C!


----------



## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

Never consulted them....don't care what anybody says about it. My body tells me. And my sons sleeping shows me too.


----------



## hogrider (May 25, 2010)

DonAndAbby said:


> Is there a typo? I'm not following you. Did you mean "any higher"? Outside temp is 24 so you could set the inside to anything less than that.
> 
> The problem when it is cool outside it is often still humid. I like to keep the A/C on to dry the air when it is humid. We set out bedroom Kolin split 1.5 hp inverter at 26 at night, but my wife switches it off and turns on the fan later in the morning.
> 
> ...


Yes a typo, indeed I meant higher.
I agree with your comments re inverter types. Compressor motor speed is variable and is set as per the cooling requirements, and yes they should be slightly oversized.


----------



## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

lefties43332 said:


> Doesn't matter to me what anybody else says,i keep ours at 66 at night and we sleep like logs


Wow that's like 19 deg C; time for the thermal underwear and then some.

Cheers, Steve.


----------



## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

hogrider said:


> We have our bedroom set at 23C, any lower and there wouldn't be any point as the outside temp is 24C at night.


Middle of the hot season here sees 29C @ 5am outside and 31C inside, perhaps we picked the wrong island group. That's why god made air conditioners.

Cheers, Steve.


----------



## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

bigpearl said:


> Wow that's like 19 deg C; time for the thermal underwear and then some.
> 
> Cheers, Steve.


Lol,,we are use to cold here...just thick blanket


----------



## DonAndAbby (Jan 7, 2013)

lefties43332 said:


> Lol,,we are use to cold here...just thick blanket


Yes, I think ideally cuddling up with a blanket and colder air results in a better sleep. When we visited Colorado in May, we stayed in my sister's basement and I slept good with blankets and comforter. My wife was still freezing!

My house in Florida has central air and I would keep it at around 21C 24/7. It seemed just right back then. Now, my wife would turn into an icicle if I tried that. And it would be super expensive too!

Keeping a bedroom here at 18-20 C at night would also be expensive unless it was very small.


----------



## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

Don last night it dropped to 58 and bedroom was 63...kid pulled quilt off me and brrr


----------



## HondaGuy (Aug 6, 2012)

It's been my experience that May is usually the hottest and most expensive month for electric bills.
I just pulled my last 3x years worth of bills from Meralco in Manila and May is always the most expensive. This May it was p14k because the kids kept forgetting to turn their A/C off and leaving the doors to the bedrooms open. The June bill was "only" p10k, but that's Manila for you.
We have 3x Sharp brand split type A/Cs in the bedrooms that usually only run at night or if someone is taking a nap, plus a fridge, TV and 6-8 electric fans in our house.


----------



## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

I found that setting at 25C and just sleeping on the fitted bottom sheet worked best for me. No blanket and no top sheet.

Let the A.c run all the time, it reduced the humidity but I set the temp to 27C in the day time. My electric bill in Manila was around 2500 for a one bedroom apartment in an SM block. I would close the blinds during the day to reduce solar heat gain as well.

It took some getting used to as I come from a cold climate and like the burrowing into the blanket and covers but once I was accustomed to it, about 2 weeks, it worked well for me.


----------



## hogrider (May 25, 2010)

bigpearl said:


> Middle of the hot season here sees 29C @ 5am outside and 31C inside, perhaps we picked the wrong island group. That's why god made air conditioners.
> 
> Cheers, Steve.


Hi Steve

We are in Davao, just outside the city centre at about 80m elevation. The temp is usually 24-25 min at night.


----------



## Hey_Joe (Sep 13, 2016)

I haven't seen it mentioned here yet. The PE double sided foam insulation degraded after a few years so we used rockwool insulation above the ceilings to provide a barrier from the attic heat. A huge difference that lowered the temp throughout the house. Fiber, Rock Wool etc. can be found here.

https://www.olx.ph/all-results?q=insulation&locationName=&page=2


----------



## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

Hey_Joe said:


> I haven't seen it mentioned here yet. The PE double sided foam insulation degraded after a few years ....



Was it exposed to sunlight? uV light will degrade that type of insulation, generally it is pretty good as long as you protect it from light. (And a source of flame as it will burn erasily and give off toxic smoke too)


----------



## Hey_Joe (Sep 13, 2016)

Manitoba said:


> Was it exposed to sunlight? uV light will degrade that type of insulation, generally it is pretty good as long as you protect it from light. (And a source of flame as it will burn erasily and give off toxic smoke too)


Not "directly" exposed to sunlight or light.

The double foil sided PE insulation was installed using the same process used throughout the PI. It was placed over the C-purlins then the painted galvanized steel was placed over the PE foam. The PE Foam was the best quality we could get. Both sides of the foil have degraded and the thick white PE are virtually non existent from the heat alone.


----------



## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

hogrider said:


> Hi Steve
> 
> We are in Davao, just outside the city centre at about 80m elevation. The temp is usually 24-25 min at night.


Sounds perfect Dave, wish it were the same in my neck of the woods though since I left a week ago Bengie tells me the temp has been dropping and we are both glad that we invested in insulation, onward we march and I'm sure I'll get used to the summer temps but not sure about the humidity,,,,,, in the house with A/C on in the middle of the day, I can see it coming.

Cheers, Steve.


----------



## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Hey_Joe said:


> Not "directly" exposed to sunlight or light.
> 
> The double foil sided PE insulation was installed using the same process used throughout the PI. It was placed over the C-purlins then the painted galvanized steel was placed over the PE foam. The PE Foam was the best quality we could get. Both sides of the foil have degraded and the thick white PE are virtually non existent from the heat alone.


That's not good Joe, how long ago/how old is the PE (supposed) insulation? Only my opinion but that type of insulation is only good as sarking, send the roof leaks into the gutters. From research it has an insulation value of 1 while the fibreglass batts we installed rate 17 in PH standards or in OZ standards R3.0, tried to get R3.5 but not available but very happy to pay transport cost from Subic to secure, has made a huge difference to the house temp by 5 to 6 deg C without A/C. We did look at rock wool but with suspended ceilings I was worried about the extra weight.

Cheers, Steve.


----------



## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Tiz said:


> Just checked my most recent bill.
> consumption 365 kw, @7.73 per kw = 2,821.45
> 
> Condo, 2 occupants, with at least 1 of the A/Cs running almost 24x7.
> ...


A bit of a late reply Tiz but that is a really cheap rate, ours works out to be 10.8 pesos per Kwh. Well done.

Cheers, Steve.


----------



## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Well a very welcome cool change has hit in the last week, 28 to 32C though at the moment we are sitting under a tropical storm or what's left of it, very wet but great temp.
Our next power bill came in from Luelco and surprised at only 3,002 pesos after the last 4,500 bill. Probably the cooler weather is helping, we also upped the temp in the bedroom to 27C and sleep comfortably with just a top sheet, probably acclimatising, will be better once I put the insulation in the ceiling. With the cooler weather we have only run the big A/C 3 or 4 times. The two ceiling fans we put in the living area were a great investment and help with air movement and are cheap to run. We also put in COB LED light fittings 9 in total @ 15 watts on 3 circuits in the living area as the previous lighting was dismal and an incandescent set up, also changed all other lights to fluro bulbs.

I am an advocate for grid tied solar and was prepared to spend 5 to 600K for a system to save on power bills but that now appears to be a false economy based on our electrical consumption, if we install a swimming pool in the next year or so then I will revisit that scenario.

Cheers, Steve.


----------

