Reducing Electric Costs

[BruceAllen]

I was wondering, is it possible to reduce electric costs by pulling fuses and turning off switches on the breaker? I tripped the breaker a few times when it was really cold out and I had both heaters running full blast. Which was weird because I was under 2800 watts. Then I flipped the breaker for the A/C. Apparently it was getting enough juice to make a difference and I haven't had an issue since.

In any event, can I do the same thing for the fuses? If I pull a fuse does it also turn off the power to that part of the RV? Any downsides to doing that?

[time2roll]

Could be a weak breaker. Although best to use only 80% of the breaker and circuit rating for continuous load items.

30a circuit = 24 amps max
20a circuit = 16 amps max
15a circuit = 12 amps max

Of course short term can go right to the rating and maybe a little more.

[GordonThree]

Sounds like a worn breaker

Most breakers aren't designed to be used as switches... so tripping breakers on purpose to turn off vampire loads (like the microwave clock) is using up a limited number of lifetime cycles that breaker was designed for. Pennies saved will cost dollars down the road when it's time to buy a new breaker.

The 5 watts or so that microwave clock uses:
8.3 days to use 1 kilowatt-hour of energy.
So that's 44 kilowatt-hours used in 365 days. Assuming worst case of 25 cents/kwh, the microwave clock costs $11/year to run.

I guess $11 isn't pennies, but it isn't a princely sum either. That's one fast food visit, or a fancy coffee.

[BruceAllen]

time2roll wrote:
The elephant in the room is the space heater not the tv or microwave idling when turned off.

Is that so? That would make sense.

I have the oil heater below my rig set to an 'antifreeze' setting. Even when my thermometer says it's above 42, the oil heater would still trip the breaker.

[time2roll]

The elephant in the room is the space heater not the tv or microwave idling when turned off.

[racer4]

If the air conditioner is also a heat pump, when it is cold outside a oil heater might run. That keeps the oil warm enough to provide good lubrication for cold weather use. That is how my residential A/C Heat Pump on my stick and bricks works anyway. I assume RV models would be the same.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

The biggest 'waste' of electrical usage/ money in winter camping in my experience is the water heater.

It is also almost always the cause of tripped breakers when running electrical heaters. Because you have no control when the water heater comes on. Many rigs I've seen have the water heater plugged into a normal wall receptical - which is on the same 15 amp circuit as the GFCI which controls the outlets in the bedroom area. Others have the water heater on the living room/ kitchen circuit. (Ours is on the kitchen circuit - if the water heater kicks on while the Keurig is making my coffee - tripped breaker.)

Running the water heater on propane avoids the sudden loads which trip breakers - and if you are paying for electricity - propane is almost always cheaper than electricity.

The only concern I would have is if the temps are steadily down in the teens or lower.

I've used propane once or twice a day to heat up water with night time temps down below 20 - but daytime highs came into the upper 20s and low 30s.

Also because the propane costs are usually cheaper than electricity costs - I use the propane furnace as the primary heat, and the fireplace and space heater as supplements.

[BruceAllen]

Lantley wrote:

2gypsies wrote:
RVs have many phantom loads using electric behind the scenes such as the radio memory, television memory, water heater, refrigerator, heat tapes, propane detector, etc. They add up.

Yes but they don't add up monetarily on your bill. The cost of the phantom loads is negligible.

True, but does the electric company need my charity?

Flipping a breaker is as easy as posting a comment.

A penny saved is a penny earned.

If we all just flipped a few breaker switches in the winter time we'd reduce X tons of carbon in the air.

Reducing the total number of wasted watts allows you to run more of what you want to run.

[Lantley]

2gypsies wrote:
RVs have many phantom loads using electric behind the scenes such as the radio memory, television memory, water heater, refrigerator, heat tapes, propane detector, etc. They add up.

Yes but they don't add up monetarily on your bill. The cost of the phantom loads is negligible.

[2gypsies1]

RVs have many phantom loads using electric behind the scenes such as the radio memory, television memory, water heater, refrigerator, heat tapes, propane detector, etc. They add up.

[Dutch_12078]

The only way I can see an RV A/C unit drawing enough current to make difference in this case is if it's equipped with an optional heating mode resistance heater and it's turned on. Unless there's something else tied to that A/C circuit that we don't know about...

[gatorcq]

Why are you worried about turning off items to say a few $$ ?

[enblethen]

2880 watts is over what a standard 20 amp breaker would handle. That is 23 amps.
I would look at your 120 volt power system. It is possible that you have a loose neutral.
Your 12 volt system would or should not have much effect on the 120 volt side.

[Old-Biscuit]

BruceAllen wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:

Converter/charger maintaining battery voltage.

What do you mean by this? If I'm parked and hooked up to a power supply with a cord, can I turn this off? How?

IF you open the 120V AC CB that feds converter.charger then you will only have 12V DC until battery goes low....and no charger to maintain battery voltage.

Drawing battery voltage down below 50% will shorten battery life



And as I posted earlier......SOME components are still 'hot' when OFF

But just like your link suggested...minimal energy use
The A/C Unit might have a circuit board that still consumes power (1 watt or less) when NOT running
IF limiting 1 watt is keeping your power pedestal breaker from tripping then power pedestal breaker needs replaced (worn out) or you are overloading it AND flipping CBs off isn't the solution.

That 120V AC CB for the A/C Unit.....remove panel cover and see if that breaker has '2' wires connected to CB Load terminal.
Sometimes RV mfg. use a CB to fed 2 components from single breaker.
Not right but they do it......sometimes converter is fed this way.
Converter will use 1-8 amps (float mode to bulk mode)
But again if converter is turned off then battery WILL run down

Fridge/water heater..on electric or propane???

What else are you using besides the 2 space heaters?

How do you know you only are using 2800W?

Again WHAT breaker is tripping....30A?
Power pedestal breaker?

What is your RV....30A or 50A?

[2oldman]

BruceAllen wrote:
You guys don't have to believe what I'm telling you, but I tried everything to stop the breaker from tripping, but it wasn't until I switch the A/C switch that it stopped.

You see what you see, but it doesn't make any sense to me.

And your link doesn't mention air con as an appliance that uses any power when it's off.