In 1999-2000, the ranch was using 16350 kw-hours/year. By 2002, a serious effort at energy conservation reduced this to 8055 kw-hours/year. Our winter heating is by firewood, and our consumption of firewood decreased to about 70% of what it had been. This was achieved by simply doing standard things recommended by many organizations concerned with conserving energy. Specifically, we did the following:
There is still more we can do. In the winter, our main electrical energy consumption is the water heater. Solar water heating assistance should reduce that. We are still wondering about the advantage vs. expense of replacing our single-pane windows. Since our walls are a kind of adobe brick, the walls are a considerable heat leak that makes replacing the windows less effective than in a house with well-insulated walls.
Eventually, we would like to have large array of solar panels that put power back into the electrical grid. Since we have a grid connection, storing energy in batteries is not as practical as putting it back into the power grid. Unfortunately, the cost of solar panels has stopped decreasing and a completely honest calculation of the savings didn't justify panels even with the recent state rebates.
The big step to reducing our gasoline consumption was to buy a 2003 Toyota Prius hybrid and to drive it gently. We usually get over 50 miles/gallon in the mountains, highway, and city. (The 2004 Prius gets about 10% better mileage!) This allows us to only use our 1991 Previa Van, that only gets 26 mpg, for hauling things that only it can carry.
We are 25 miles from the nearest sizable towns so our driving is usually 50 or more miles round-trip. If instead, we lived in town and most of our trips were only 5 miles round-trip, then our gas mileage would be much less. In order to produce "Super Ultra Low Emissions", the Prius heats up its catalytic converter at the beginning of a trip. This uses quite a bit of energy and makes the first 5 minutes of driving much less efficient. Also, the heater and air conditioner are necessarily electric since the gasoline engine is not always running. That makes for lower mpg when those features are used. These factors, along with aggressive driving habits might explain why many folks get much less than 50 mpg with their Prius hybrids.
Each year, I make several 535-mile round-trips to Los Angeles and have attained 57 mpg average for the trip several times. The key is to drive between 55 and 60 mph staying 200 feet behind one of the few trucks traveling near the California truck speed limit of 55 mph. At 200 feet back, there is no safety problem, one gets 1 or 2 mpg benefit from the truck's wind blocking, and other cars blame the truck, not me, for slowing down the right lane.
The Prius has all the power I ever need. There is no problem going up the "grapevine" grade on I-5 or accelerating when merging or passing. On only two occasions have I noticed the electric power assist being cut off. One was in going 55 mph while rising 4000 feet at a 5% grade (the "Shaver lake 4-lane") while carrying 650 pounds of humans and 120 pounds of camping gear. The other was going over a steep 9,624-foot mountain pass (Sonora Pass). I have never had any power reduction going over 9941-foot Tioga Pass or going over the Colorado Rockies through 11013-foot Loveland on I-70. Those passes have grades that are not as steep as Sonora Pass.
I have no idea when or how expensive replacing the big battery will be, but certain other aspects of hybrids should lead to lower maintenance costs. For example with gentle driving, the brake pads get very little use. Our Prius now has 115,000 miles on it and has needed no non-warranty repairs, shows no sign of deterioration in mpg, and the brake pads have not yet needed replacement. Of course, we change the oil and oil filter every 7500 miles. The engine is less stressed and runs less often so its bearings, etc., should last perhaps 40% longer. (I believe its oil pump is electric so that the engine can be certain to be fully lubricated before being started.) Also, the Prius' transmission is actually a fixed planetary gear system with no clutch and far fewer parts than normal stick or automatic transmissions. I expect no "transmission" problems for the life of the car. The brushless electric motors will have bearings that eventually wear out, but so far no hint of trouble.
See Graham Davies' excellent, detailed discussion of Prius technology.
Even our 1990 Honda Civic Wagon gets 43 miles per gallon when driven 55-60 mph with gentle acceleration. It now has 300,000 miles and is still used occasionally.
We also bought a new Honda 4-stroke weed wacker which uses far less gas than its predecessor.
Last updated: June 25, 2008