Winter storage

[Marcel Backs]

At 5.9 cents a Kwh here, my primary heat sources are air to air heat pumps. I have had both units keeping my house and garage heated and cooled for a good 10 years now costing me a couple hundred dollars in hydro every two months (including the rest of hydro usage). With the price of fuel going through the roof, putting your home heating on the electrical grid is becoming more economical in many areas. I have never had any problems with breakdowns and my 24000 BTU unit in my house is also wired into the Generac 11 Kw stand-by unit. It swings between approximately -30 Degrees C in the winter and +30 C in the summertime with 80% humidity. I rarely have to help out the heat pump with one of my 3 other sources except for a few nights in the winter when the mercury dips to the extreme. If your region in North America has good hydro rates, these heat pumps will save you money. We have more than a foot of snow on the ground from over night an it is not letting off until late Saturday. I will need to do some snow removal pretty soon since my laneway looks like a quagmire ! Luckily the Polaris SxS  is sitting in the garage and has a heater and a beverage holder! I envy you folks in warmer climate right now. At least I have a never ending list of things to do in the garage. Best to everyone M

[DonaldSmith]

I have roots in the Niagara Peninsula, so I know that the "hydro" is the electric company, since most of the power there has been hydraulically generated at the Falls. 

 

My dad got his electrical engineering education at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, met my mother in Welland, and they settled in Buffalo, where my dad wound up managing the production of transformers. 

 

Question- how do you guys in western Canada generate your electricity, and do you still call it the "hydro" ?   

[1950 Special Deluxe]

In Saskatchewan 41% of electricity is produced by burning coal, 40% by burning natural gas and the remaining 19% by renewable resources.(wind, hydro and some solar). The government is again talking about small nuclear reactors.

The term Hydro is not very common, but common enough that we know what is being referenced.

[Los_Control]

On 1/13/2023 at 1:34 PM, Marcel Backs said:

At 5.9 cents a Kwh here, my primary heat sources are air to air heat pumps.

I'm so jelly   ..... "I hear on a radio commercial jelly is the new kids word for jealous. "

 

I am on a yearly contract, this year am paying 13.3 cents per kwh .... as long as I stay under X amount of kwh per month.

I only stay under the limit 8 months of the year, so 4 months am paying over 19 cents kwh 

 

Just saying, I am so jelly of your 5.9 .... not trying to change the subject of the thread. .... Just amazed at seeing 5.9 .... thats like seeing gasoline for 75 cents a gallon.

 

[Marcel Backs]

Hey L_C I'll trade you my little frozen paradise up here in Qc for West Texas any day! LOLOL

[keithb7]

On 1/13/2023 at 11:59 AM, DonaldSmith said:

Question- how do you guys in western Canada generate your electricity, and do you still call it the "hydro" ?   

 

Out here in BC we are fortunate to have lots of snow and glaciers.  Rain too, as moisture evaporates off the pacific ocean and condenses up against the mountains. We have lots of hilly terrain. All this snow and ice that melts, the rain water, it all fills lakes and rivers that all eventually works its way tirelessly to the sea again. Elevation and gravity are creating seemingly endless energy to move all that water. We dam powerful rivers, create water reservoirs, flood valleys, divert a portion of rivers to power generating turbines.  I'll guess that probably 99% all our electricity here in BC comes from moving water. Hydro-electricity is a household word. So common, that the electrical bill is called the "hydro bill". Yes mostly all of us just call the entire process, "hydro". Hydro is pretty green and renewable. Yet an incredible amount of concrete, steel and copper are used to build these hydro dams and turbines. All products that are mined from the earth and processed. Coal is usually burned to dry the  materials needed to make concrete. Copper mines here in BC are massive.  Steel is shipped-in to BC on trains , trucks and boats from other areas. Shipping methods that all need fossil fuel to move the steel here. There is no way to get around mining and carbon emissions, yet hydro-electricity is pretty darn clean once it is all set up and running.  The nature and wildlife preservationists are dead-set against flooding river valleys with the introduction of a new dam. It's never easy. Yet we all need and love our electricity. It has to come from somewhere. Hydro seems to be the least risky and damaging long-term of all electricity generation methods.

Edited January 16, 2023 by keithb7

[Sniper]

18 hours ago, Marcel Backs said:

Hey L_C I'll trade you my little frozen paradise up here in Qc for West Texas any day! LOLOL

 

Till it's still over 100F at midnight, lol.  That said, Ill take the heat over the cold any day.

[Dan Hiebert]

I like warm weather as much as the next guy, but I like my winters, too.  When it's cold, you just layer up.  Reversing the process when it's hot...you can only take off so many layers before the cops get called.  At home, not much of problem, but them little old ladies downtown seem to have a real problem with it...

[LeRoy]

2 hours ago, Dan Hiebert said:

I like warm weather as much as the next guy, but I like my winters, too.  When it's cold, you just layer up.  Reversing the process when it's hot...you can only take off so many layers before the cops get called.  At home, not much of problem, but them little old ladies downtown seem to have a real problem with it...

That's strange, when I take off too many layers they just point and laugh uncontrollably. No cops just side cramps.?

[LazyK]

after winter storage, when replacing the battery, does the regulator/generator need to be re-polarized?

[moparfun]

OK, you guys don't be haters, I live 20 minutes north of SLO. So no winter storage only winter driving