Energy Savings

In the UK the average household electricity use is around 10kwh a day. This is higher in larger households, where people work at home, households with kids, or homes using more computing, media (SKY/Cable), where electricity use may be more in the 15-20kwh a day range.

An approximate breakdown is (with some adoption of efficient Compact flourescent lighting), about a sixth on lighting, fridge/freezer, washing machines/dish-washers, cooking, media/electronics/TV, and around a ninth on computing, and balance on things like hair-dryers, tools.

Some of these are very high load devices that need high mains current, but are used intermittently, like cooking, kettles, irons, washing machines, dish-washers. These are always best to be purchased in the highest energy efficiency rating but will always be best powered by the grid, as are high load, occasional use. They probably account for 50-60% of energy use and bills currently, yet changing this is expensive, e.g. new washing machine, and best done at the natural replacement point otherwise its wasteful on money, as well as the carbon cost/waste of the product. A half way step is to avoid using some of these at peak times, like turning on the dish-washer late, or washing at other times, or automating this by buying a smart plug/or timer.

Others, such as electronics, gadgets, computing are all low loads, and typically DC (direct current), using AC/DC adadptors,  and similarly lighting is now possible as low power DC LED lighting, so together could be around 40% of typical daily energy use, and a lot of this falls at peak times (lighting, media, emails, gaming used in the evening after work). In our view these are best powered by a local renewable source, suitably sized, such as PV or batteries charged off-peak.

In our model shifting these to our Moixa system can significantly reduce mains/ AC use by, so they become off-bill

• reducing load - e.g. when they are changed to low power devices such as LED lighting, or OLED, LED TVS
• smart controlled, so turned off when not in use or in standby, e.g. printers/fax/chargers left on all night
• with the balance powered at reduced cost through smart DC systems and batteries charged at lower tariff times, or by solar resources (so free)

The result is the potential to reduce electricity bills by 20-30% if various changes and interventions are done, such as changing lighting, and powering electronics and gadgets this way, and to save further through smart control of mains appliances or improved controls over household heating. 

Surprisingly, even small scale household systems, say 1-2 solar panels, or 0.5-1kwh of battery packs, together with efficient LED lighting, monitors and smart control can be effective at powering the DC power requirements of households. This means that flats and houses not having access to large scale solar PV roofs, can use such systems to reduce energy bills.