Riot For Austerity – Month 35

This is the Riot for the month of September 2011. Our numbers were pretty stable here on the ole homestead. Mostly just the 3 of us. Our first year’s averages were calculated here, our second year’s averages can be found here. Edson fixed the calculator!

Gasoline.  Calculated per person. A trip to DC in it for DH, for work, and he carpooled, but I’ve no way to calculate that. I on the other hand am now walking Amie to school – and it’s just been wonderful! – so though I drive more for the activism, all in all I drive less.

22.65 gallons per person

55% of the US National Average

Electricity. First full month since the installation of our solar and our bill said 0 KWH!

Yes, we produced more electricity this month than we consumed!

The electricity company even gave us credit for what we produced over and above what we consumed. Turns out we do still have to pay something, though: not production charges (obviously!) but still delivery charges, because our system is grid-tied.

Solar doesn’t get as high a “percentage discount” (as a green technology) as wind does. De to the calculator being down, I was calculating it like wind, but now I have no excuse. So the percentage will jump a bit.  This is reckoned per household, not per person.

458 KWH (our solar) and 0 KWH (NSTAR)

25.3% of the US National Average

Heating Oil and Warm Water. This too is calculated for the entire household, not per person. During these warm months it’s basically for hot water, which is stupid.

8.5 6.5 gallons of oil

13.8% 10.5% of the US National Average

{UPDATE} 3 Jan 2012: The way I have been calculating our heating oil consumption is by reading off the furnace how many hours it ran, then multiplying it by .85 because that’s the amount of gallons of oil I *thought* it used. Now DH just told me that our furnace is more efficient than that and the correct number is .65. Hence the correction

Trash. After recycling and composting this usually comes down to mainly food wrappers.

10 lbs. pp per month

7% of the US National Average

Water. This is calculated per person.

511 gallons pp.

17% of the US National Average