Electric bill too high!

[asamuelson]

My electric bill has almost doubled since I added streamer and DAC. . How can I reduce consumption?

My Spectral amp and MIT Powerbar are plugged into the wall. My Spectral CD player, Spectral preamp, Aurender Streamer, and Berkeley DAC are plugged into s MIT Powerbar.

My preamp and DAC are always on. As is the Z powerbar. My CD player is on standby. I turn off the amp and streamer.

Is there any thing I can do or do I just have to pay the Man for this expensive hobby.

 

[dan31]

Spectral preamps and amps tend to run a high class A bias. I think my preamp pulls 80 watts idling and my amp around 250. That’s with no music, just powered on.

 

[Republicoftexas69]

My electric bill has almost doubled since I added streamer and DAC. . How can I reduce consumption?

My Spectral amp and MIT Powerbar are plugged into the wall. My Spectral CD player, Spectral preamp, Aurender Streamer, and Berkeley DAC are plugged into s MIT Powerbar.

My preamp and DAC are always on. As is the Z powerbar. My CD player is on standby. I turn off the amp and streamer.

Is there any thing I can do or do I just have to pay the Man for this expensive hobby

Really doubt it is the streamer and DAC.
Where do you live??
Rate change??
Even if your rates changed for it to double just adding a DAC and streamer is questionable.

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...my utility sends a monthly usage summary, with YoY/MoM line items. My bill is through the roof, but when I look at usage, it's flat or even less than previous year/month. The bills get your attention, don't they! I started putting amps in standby myself.

 

[asamuelson]

Thats the thing. Use age is through the roof. Must be fridge.

...my utility sends a monthly usage summary, with YoY/MoM line items. My bill is through the roof, but when I look at usage, it's flat or even less than previous year/month. The bills get your attention, don't they! I started putting amps in standby myself.

yseage

 

[pdxaudio]

Streamer and DAC always on should be about 50 kWh per month usage. Depending on your location, this should be under $10 in the US and probably under €15 in Europe.

And Spectral preamp always on might be a little more than those 2 but not much, about 10 kWh more a month.

To sum it up, my estimate for monthly usage, if left always on is about 18 kWh for DAC, 29 kWh for streamer and 58 kWh for preamp.

 

[Steve Williams]

Go solar. I haven’t had an electric bill in 5 years

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...solar in upstate NY I think I'd be saying: I haven't had refrigerated food in 5 years!

 

[Steve Williams]

...solar in upstate NY I think I'd be saying: I haven't had refrigerated food in 5 years!

Pick your poison

 

[Al M.]

Go solar. I haven’t had an electric bill in 5 years

Excellent advice.

I have gone solar too, and usually I don't get an electric bill either. My highest one was last summer for a full, screaming $ 39 (!) in one month (shocker! ). That was extra cost because of the air conditioning, not the system.

And I live in Massachusetts, not the sunshiniest state either.

I didn't have to pay anything upfront for the installation, it was an actual zero dollars. And the lease of my solar panels per month is about the average of half of my previous electricity costs.

It's a total win-win, for myself and the environment. Highly recommended switch for anyone.

My solar company even monitors my panels. Once they sent me a note that 2 of my 11 panels performed suboptimally, and they would replace them at no cost, which they did.

 

[Steve Williams]

...solar in upstate NY I think I'd be saying: I haven't had refrigerated food in 5 years!

You’d be shocked as to how much solar your panels
produce on cloudy days or even in the shorter winter days. I went solar because our electric utility carrier is the most expensive in the nation. As I said pick your poison. We bought ours rather than lease as we picked up a huge investment tax credit to boot. I typically have my stereo in play when the sun is out and I’m playing music from energy I’m producing. The panels are so efficient now as well. Ours are rated at 120% efficient and have a 25 year guaranty. Enjoy your music and still have refrigerated food. Our electic bills in the summer were in excess of $1000 per month. It’s a great feeling getting my electric bill each month and it says I owe nothing and that I banked “X” KWH’s each month. And if you’re really concerned about your refrigerator etc consider adding a battery or two in your garage …. You might be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Al M.]

You’d be shocked as to how much solar your panels
produce on cloudy days or even in the shorter winter days. I went solar because our electric utility carrier is the most expensive in the nation. As I said pick your poison. We bought ours rather than lease as we picked up a huge investment tax credit to boot. I typically have my stereo in play when the sun is out and I’m playing music from energy I’m producing. The panels are so efficient now as well. Ours are rated at 120% efficient and have a 25 year guaranty. Enjoy your music and still have refrigerated food. Our electic bills in the summer were in excess of $1000 per month. It’s a great feeling getting my electric bill each month and it says I owe nothing and that I banked “X” KWH’s each month. And if you’re really concerned about your refrigerator etc consider adding a battery or two in your garage …. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Oh yes, forgot, I got a tax credit worth 3 grand as well!

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...yeah, I'm in the Cultural District here. You can't flush the toilet without a variance. But sure, in principle, solar is nice.

 

[Steve Williams]

Oh yes, forgot, I got a tax credit worth 3 grand as well!

Typically when you lease the lessor takes the bulk of the ITC

 

[Al M.]

Typically when you lease the lessor takes the bulk of the ITC

That might explain part of why the solar company even made money on the deal.

 

[Mark (Basspig) Weiss]

Be careful if you do solar with one of those 'installer' companies. Many are outright crooks. Just watched a documentary on it this week.
I chose to DiY. More control, no government involvement, no sham companies, no mortgages.
Saving me about $700 monthly through the sunnier months. We still struggle with tree shadows in winter and after 3:30pm in summer, but as long as it's bright overcast, we make enough power to fill our battery banks every day.