Hydro Rates

windwalkingwolf · Post by **windwalkingwolf** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 2:58 pm

Might want to build your own dehydrator; the store-bought ones use anywhere between 200 and 1500 watts and at that point you might as well use an electric oven!

Post by **WLLady** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 3:09 pm

Sandy you can bundle herbs by the handful and hang in a breezy spot to dry. Or use your dehydrater after 7pm.
Parsley only takes an hour to dry in mine-and i just have an el cheapo walmart dehydrater.

TomK · Post by **TomK** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 7:46 pm

If it wasn't for the cottage, i wouldn't have any idea about hydro rates..or care...(ducking)

goatgal35 · Post by **goatgal35** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 8:00 pm

TomK wrote:QR_BBPOST If it wasn't for the cottage, i wouldn't have any idea about hydro rates..or care...(ducking)

Does going off the grid mean much sacrifice, when it comes to usage? What do you do different for freezers, incubators, heat lamps and such?

TomK · Post by **TomK** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 8:44 pm

GG...my life isnt any diff from anyone else..i don't waste electricity but thats about all...i dont hatch a lot of birds but have bought day olds in batches...heat lamp in the brooder...lights..the works...no issues...its an investment...people don't see it because its an up front cost...but hydro is getting stupid and only going to get worse...it doesnt take long to amortize out ...but people are not trained to think that way... In essence, theres no sacrifice

Post by **Killerbunny** » Thu Sep 22, 2016 6:48 am

I think you also have to decide whether you want to stay in that house/farm long term, also how old you are. We decided against it because we are "ahem" older and would move to somewhere with more land and a smaller house given the chance. Our current house isn't bad (Tom has seen it) and it would likely take us 15 yrs plus to amortise out. If we built a new house we'd likely do it. This house was built 1982 (2000 sq ft heated) when you got a grant for baseboards. We've insulated more and new baseboards, every room on a thermostat. You don't need air conditioning.It came out to we'd get just over half our hydro ($3400 pre year) paid with feedback which made a long amortisation for the $30K investment. It really comes down to keeping records and figuring it out for yourself because every house is different.

TomK · Post by **TomK** » Thu Sep 22, 2016 7:10 am

KB..all that is true, but, and there's always a but, lol...its not a heating issue..you just cannot heat with solar...not around here anyway, unless you have specifically designed the house to do just that and its nothing near conventional in any way..but on the electrical side of things its totally doable... refrigeration and appliances that run when you are not home being the major factor to calculate in..heating elements of any kind are a draw to consider and baseboard heating is out of the question...gas appliances are the favourite at the moment and are quite efficient...there are a lot of things to consider into the calculations and the costs are coming down quite nicely...never say never

Post by **Killerbunny** » Thu Sep 22, 2016 8:37 am

Yes that's right and it's our sole heat source. We considered pipes under the patio and radiators but not for this house. We really WILL finish the solar hot water system this winter but that is a cobbled together system of reclaimed parts and if it works like at our previous house is great. Perhaps I should consider cutting the little Princesses off from their flat panel heating this winter? Hmmmm, will discuss with them LOL!

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Thu Sep 22, 2016 8:44 am

WLLady wrote:QR_BBPOST Sandy you can bundle herbs by the handful and hang in a breezy spot to dry. Or use your dehydrater after 7pm.
Parsley only takes an hour to dry in mine-and i just have an el cheapo walmart dehydrater.

I ran dehydrator last night after 8pm. That's when I'll do it.
I normally hang upside down to dry but with the AC on a lot of the summer it hasn't worked so
Well for me. I tried drying outside on the deck but I found them to get moldy which I think was because of the humidity.

Stupid basil after 6hrs still needs more time. Grrrrrr!!' Turning the recommended temp up and putting on for longer.

Post by **WLLady** » Thu Sep 22, 2016 9:06 am

basil takes forever! if you freeze it in icecubes it will go jet black too. and if you "cook" to dry on too high a temp it will go black but still taste fine.
it's probably the worse to do. the herbs that amaze me are chives. you would think they would take forever since they're so moist and crisp and thick....NOPE. like instant dry! lol especially in the microwave!

just do NOT dry hot pepper slices in your dehydrator in the house.....put the thing outside on your deck or something LOL. away from your windows!
(trust me on that)

nothing like having your own....yeah, we could buy at the store cheaper, but then miss out on all the weeding and picking and drying and working LOL. i did up my parsley and dumped it in with some old costco parsley, and mine was actually green, not the brownish green of the old stuff.....so much more flavourful and tasty and well-FRESH!

yeah, hanging to dry is a pain this year. even my bleached squash are having issues....a lot of the chickens are very happy this year. LOL