Does anyone turn off their breaker completely during the power hour?
Does anyone shut off the main breaker during the power hour? This sounds easier than shutting everything off each time.
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snetphilie
ConcordMember, Moderator Posts: 139
I have done this on a few occasions. I'm normally not around to shut off anything and I have everything controlled by smart devices. In the rare instance that I'm home, I'll let the smart devices shut off, I'll hit the breaker a few minutes into the OhmHour, and then I'll flip it back on a few minutes before the end of the OhmHour. This way, I get tokens for the smart device control but I save that much more energy (Even though my use is already down to 0.027 kWh relying only on smart devices). Since my usage is so low, if I hit the breakers, even the few minutes usage I have rounds down to 0.
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We turned ours off last night for the first time to see if it makes a difference. We don't have any smart plugs yet.
Hi, my buddy, Kerry. I have not tried shutting braker off yet. I will wait and see how yours did.
I'll let you know if my points ever update. Haha!
My wife and I turn off the breakers every time. We haven't noticed any issues yet with this approach, and we're able to cash out at 1000+ points a little more quickly than when we weren't doing it.
(I think it's every 4-5 weeks instead of every 5-6 weeks. I'd have to run the numbers for the past year to get more accurate averages.)
> Does anyone shut off the main breaker during the power hour? This sounds easier than shutting everything off each time.
Whenever there is an Ohmhour we flip all the breakers off after all the smartplugs trip. We have a 0.00 kWh usage almost every time.
I use a bunch of smart plugs and don't turn off the breaker, it shows 0.02kWh usage every time.
For those who are struggling to move up in Status or keep Status over 40%, shutting off the circuit breakers at the main for an OhmHour is a great way to do that. You'll see a substantial increase in points and savings percentage after the OhmHour is processed.
Maybe for my next home hour I will need to try flipping off my breakers. For my next 0HM hour I will need to try flipping off my breakers
@Ronica Hesbon, I suspect the meter comes before the main breaker, meaning you can never turn it off, and the current-measuring circuit occurs before the power is taken off to run the meter, meaning the power to run the meter is reported as your usage.
If your forecast is low, 5% of that number could be a very small amount of energy. What were your forecast and actual numbers?
If you turn off all your breakers, the meter will read 0.00 KW. I have done it hundreds of times. You are not paying for the energy to run the meter!
That may be true at your house, but I don't believe it is universally true.
I have done this to MANY meters, and not just my own. (In the SDG&E Territory only).
I will research that @John K . From what I understand, any power used by the meter is provided by the line side, before the meter. I don't believe the utility is allowed to charge for energy usage to operate their smart network.
@SD Chip I have usage of 0.002 when I turn it all off at the box. I'm with SCE. Something else to consider is the year the original meter was installed. Maybe they didn't think about which side of the meter was paying to run it back then. Who would've missed 0.002 kWh? The newer homes probably take that into account. Just a thought.
@belladonna I flip switches every OhmHour, sometimes 1, sometimes all of them. Depends on what's happening here. I haven't had any problems (knock on wood). Make a bet with him and try it once, as long as your house isn't super old with a scary breaker box.
Tell him if something catches on fire or you blow a fuse, you'll pay for it. Do it when there's an OhmHour to make it count, though.
@belladonna I won't take credit for this bit of knowledge....
My Buddy says a fuse is THE device to prevent fires from starting. Turning off/on the main breaker might induce surges or spikes (peaks or too low voltage) and some devices might get "confused". The best thing to do is flip the individual breakers and then turn them on in sequence again. (That's what I do instead of turning everything off and on with the big main switch.) In case the power "goes out" and returns, the same happens as pulling the main breaker, and all your neighbors at the same time. When that happens (luckily not that often) have you ever seen a fire start ? ;-)
He has a point, right?
When we turn off the breakers, are we getting paid in points? Are you keeping track to see if you are getting $5.00 worth of points??
> @Ronica Hesbon said:
> I could imagine that at maybe 2% but 5% seems very high.
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> If your forecast is low, 5% of that number could be a very small amount of energy. What were your forecast and actual numbers?
John K my forecasts differ but my actual useage is 0 But till 95% even when all breakers turned off from main power supply going out to house and yard. Does anyone get 100% ?.
I get a 100% every time I turn it off. PG&E customer_
@JohnK, I suspect the meter comes before the main breaker, meaning you can never turn it off, and the current-measuring circuit occurs before the power is taken off to run the meter, meaning the power to run the meter is reported as your usage
If the meter were always on when off and the house is vacant, abandoned, etc and there is no one to bill the usage to, how would the utility company get their money? Usually when you no longer have the service, whatever the utility, you get a final bill and that's the end of it. Yes they could put a lien on the property but if you have no service I would think theie could not be justification for a payment.
I am solar, all electric (no gas), and one of my breakers is for the solar. So I do not cut all the breakers. I have about 10 things in the house plugged in which I unplug. Some things I don't unplug and hopefully they are not drawing power: circuit strips with nothing plugged into them or plugged in but not on (though one strip has a dual thing so that it is always on and can power two things always, and then a second area of the 6 plugs that controls 4 that can be turned off--this one I do unplug), smoke detector wired into power, all light switches, stove (clock on it has been broken forever), washer, dryer, and the solar inverter panel . It is a pill to run around unplugging things. With solar during some of my ohm hours I hopefully am getting less than zero but when that fog rolls in...so far so good but tonite my mega ohm hour is zero while my forecast is less than zero...
@hayjude777 I was constantly puzzled by never getting to zero when flipping my breakers. When I had an electrician out to fix something, I asked about it. He pointed out one lone breaker switch that isn't connected to the main switch. Now my reading is zero.
I tried that once but clocks on microwave, range and pool controller get reset. And it is a pain to set them after each ohm hour. You guys have tricks to not let that happen? Or you just not bothered by that?
@Suman I have 5 clocks I reset but I get paid for it, so it's not a problem. It's the only "work" I have to do during that hour.