Devices that contribute to base load / phantom load

Understanding Base Load Electricity in the Home

In the intricate world of home energy consumption, one concept that often gets overlooked but is of paramount importance is the "base load" electrical load. Essentially, the base load refers to the background level of electricity that is continuously consumed in a household, irrespective of peaks in usage during particular times or activities. This ongoing consumption is due to devices and appliances that are either always on or intermittently draw power, even when they seem to be off.

The significance of understanding our home's base load is multifaceted. Not only does it directly impact our energy bills and environmental footprint, but also, when optimized, can lead to energy savings and prolonged appliance longevity. As homeowners and environmentally-conscious individuals, pinpointing and managing this constant electrical draw is a step toward a greener household and a reduced energy bill.

In the sections that follow, we'll delve deep into the devices and systems that contribute to your home's base load. From the obvious culprits like refrigerators and water heaters to the less conspicuous ones like standby electronics and chargers, it's time to illuminate the silent energy consumers lurking in our homes.

Note: The specific devices and systems that make up the base load might vary based on the individual household and region, but the mentioned examples give a general idea.

Alright, considering the context of base load, here is a grouping for the devices:

1. Home Automation & Connectivity:

• Smart bulbs

• Smart devices (Alexa, Google Home, etc.)

• Smart plugs

• Smart sockets

• Digital wall thermostats

• Heating control systems (especially with internet control)

• Broadband hub; mesh network discs

• Networking equipment (routers, switches, access points, mesh networks)

2. Standby Devices & Chargers:

• Anything on "standby" (TVs, projectors, computers, etc.)

• Anything with a clock on it (oven, microwave)

• Kettle with lights and temp control

• Anything on charge (phones, batteries)

• Any chargers plugged in (even if not charging something)

• Laptops

3. Home Security & Surveillance:

• Baby monitors

• CCTV systems

• House alarms & other mains-wired security

• Movement sensing bathroom mirrors

• Movement sensing lightbulbs

• Nightlights or other constantly-on lights.

4. Kitchen & Appliances:

• Hobs with electronic control (e.g. induction hobs)

• Fish tanks (lights and pump running)

• Mains-powered smoke/carbon monoxide detectors

5. Vehicle Infrastructure:

• EV wallbox

• Electric/remote garage doors

6. Home Appliances:

• Refrigerators and Freezers (often a significant contributor to base load, especially older models)

• HVAC systems, especially those that are programmed or have consistent fan operations.

7. Entertainment Systems:

• Gaming consoles (even when off, they might be in a power-saving mode).

• Set-top boxes (like cable or satellite boxes, often consume power even in standby mode).

• Bluetooth adapters/receivers, IR Receivers/Relay

8. Miscellaneous:

• Water heaters, especially those maintaining a certain temperature.

• Dehumidifiers or air purifiers.

• Landline phone bases.

• Any continuously running pumping device (e.g. sewage processing systems, garden pond)

Planning for EV life

My planning for the arrival of my EV (Electric Vehicle) started about 10 months prior to its arrival - actually, about the time the car was ordered.

Hang on a minute? Planning? What planning?

Well, it turns out, if you want to get the most from going electric, you need to know what you are letting yourself in for and make some plans accordingly. Owning and running an EV is a shift in mindset and behaviour, which some may find easier than others.

Now, it just so happened in my case that I had some idea of what was involved, because I’d been dabbling in relevant forums even prior to this T-minus-10 point (particularly forums about solar power and going off grid).
It also just so happens that my home is all-electric. There is no mains gas where we live and we use heat pumps - so we are used to being all-electric, and on a green tariff. That meant I also had a good idea of what the domestic energy supply landscape looked like, what tariffs were available etc.

But let’s wind back a minute, and talk about some of the basics that are part and parcel of this journey.

• Where to charge: Hopefully you will be able to mainly charge your car at home

  • this is by far the most cost-effective and frictionless way of doing things. If you can buy a car that has a range larger than the number of miles you need on an ordinary day, then this option can work for you. Since many cars now offer 200 or even 300+ miles of range (depending on your budget), this is very achievable for many people.

  • This certainly was the case for me - although historically I was a high mileage driver (business miles) that reduced somewhat prior to the pandemic and even more so during it. Long trips are now mainly confined to family occasions, and 95% of all my trips are under 100 miles, starting from home.

  • So, the first bit of planning is to work out if the EV you want or can afford is suitable for your travel patterns, and preferably biased to charging at home

• Tariffs: Most of us are used to paying a fixed rate for our electricity units (kWh = kilowatt hours) because meter readings are taken at best once per month, and historically way less often. However, the advent of smart meters has changed that landscape, opening up the possibility of tariffs that change every 30 minutes (no kidding).

  • So what’s the point of that? The advantage of variable tarriffs is that energy suppliers can offer incentives (i.e. reduced rates) to use electricity when demand is low and where there may even be a surplus on the grid. This usually means outside peak times and overnight.

  • As a result, a number of suppliers offer “dual rate” tariffs which have low overnight price during a certain time window (e.g. 12.30 - 4.30, or 11.30pm - 5.30am)

  • These tariffs are perfect, indeed often designed for, charging EVs overnight at cheap rate. Remember that EVs use a lot of electric: a 77kWh car consumes (obviously) 77kWh energy to charge from 0 - 100%. For some people this might be equivalent to a fornight’s or even a month’s total normal electric usage. Therefore cheap overnight tariffs are massively beneficial financially.

  • Octopus Energy, at the time of writing, are leaders in this space. They even have a tariff system which can remote control the charging on your car, so that they can allocate the cheapest time slot to you!

  • If you have solar and/or a domestic battery, the landscape looks even better for you, with the potential to fill your car for nothing, nada, zero, purely on solar energy!

    • An alternative to having your own solar panels, might be ownership in a solar cooperative, such as Ripple. While this won’t give you free solar power, it will still provide you with discount based on how much solar your share generates.

• Smart Meters: the world of variable tariffs is opened up by, and only by, having a smart meter.

  • A UK smart meter records and send your usage data in half-hour time windows. Thus, not only can you track your usage with great accuracy over the course of a day, but your supplier can bill you differently during those time slots.

  • Part of my planning was to get a smart meter installed. I did this before doing anything about changing suppliers. Actually, originally I had been with Pureplanet, who went bust during the “Energy Crisis” in 2022, and I was moved by default to Shell Energy. So, as soon as I had ordered my car, I requested a smart meter.

  • It was fitted in about 6 weeks, and I had no idea if it would actually work. We live in rural Scotland and I’d heard stories around the village that they were “bricks” (not able to communicate). As it happened, it took about 2 weeks to fully come online, but it did indeed work. (It’s also stopped reporting data for 2 months which caused me great concern, but it started working again - touch wood).

  • With the smart meter up and running, I knew I was then free to start looking at new energy suppliers with good EV tariffs.

    • There was no real advantage in switching straight away, as over winter 2022, UK tariffs were “capped” by the government and basically the same everywhere; and also suppliers weren’t necessarily allowing switching. This was not a problem - good planning meant I had 10 months to go.

    • In the end, I actually switched to Octopus about a week after I took delivery of the car, and the process was really quick and simple, taking 2 days. After all my readings had stabilised (another couple of days), I switched to their Octopus GO tariff, which offers 4 hours of cheap rate (about 1/3rd the unit price) overnight, specifically for charging EV’s. (Again, this was easy and all done online)

    • This has been a brilliant tariff, which you’ll see when I talk about costs.

• Home charger: charging your car is easy, but it seems very complicated to begin with. For a start there are all these different numbers and units (kW and kWh), then AC and DC charging, then slow, fast, ultra fast, rapid charging, and so on. Let’s keep it simple and talk about home charging.

  • You can charge you car from a regular mains socket on what’s called a “portable charger” or “granny cable”. It has some built-in electronics, but basically, you plug it into your wall socket, plug the other end into you car, and it charges using 230V AC mains supply.

    • But it’s slow. The “granny cable” will deliver a peak of about 2.5kW (kilowatts) which is equivalent to 10A (amps) at 250V (volts). This is in the same ball park power-wise as running a kettle.

    • if you have a car with 50kWh battery (e.g. a Corsa-e) and charge from 0% at 2.5kW rate, then it will take 20 hours to fill the car. (Actually, it may take a bit longer if the car battery management system slows the charging down at certain points to protect the battery lifetime).

    • 20 hours is obviously longer than “overnight”, so unless you are really only doing a local miles each day, it can be an unsuitable solution, but good as a backup.

  • This is where a home charger comes in. This is an AC charger that attaches to your wall, is connected more directly to your electricity supply in the home (i.e. direct into your consumer unit), and charges at up to 7kW rate.

    • this is almost 3 times the rate of the “granny charger” so offers a significant speed reduction in charging. In a 4-hour window, for example, you can add 4x7 = 28kWh to your car, which for a 50kWh Corsa-e is over half a “tank” (battery).

      • At the time of writing, my tariff for this 4-hour window is 9.5p per kWh, so 28kWh costs 28x9.5 = £2.66. That 28kWh will give the car about 112 miles range, which works out at a cost of 2.4 pence per mile.

    • There is a large choice of home chargers and many installers, and another part of the planning is researching what is suitable for your needs and getting quotes to compare.

    • UK legislation has advocated that all new home chargers be “smart” meaning they have remote-control type capability and app connectivity. So, in actual fact, there is quite a high level of base functionality across all chargers, which may make choosing one a little less agonising.

    • The smartest chargers (such as OHME) can actually integrate with Octopus so they can remotely start and stop charging and give the most advantageous overnight costs, but you may not need these level of sophistication, or even if you do, your car itself may also integrate regardless of the charger.

    • In the end I went for a Vchrged charger, which looks neat, is simple to operate, and has an app with security features and the ability to schedule charges - that’s all we need

    • You will also have to think about whether you want a Tethered (comes with a cable built in) or Untethered charger (comes with a socket to use your own cable). There are pros and cons of each:

      • Tethered means you never have to think of the cable at home, but also means you have (usually) 5m of cable to stow on your wall. Also, you will need to commit to a connector type, and although these are more-or-less now standardised on “CCS” in Europe, some older/specific cars might not be able to connect to your charger. There’s also the possibility with a tethered charger that someone could try and charge their car, because the cable is already there.

      • Note that your car almost certainly will come with a suitable cable for AC and DC charging, so you will be able to use that cable if you have an untethered charger. This is the option we went for.

  • It’s useful to have your charger installed before you car arrives, but not essential if you have a “granny cable” and/or access to nearby public chargers. But it also makes sense not to go too long without it, as it will make charging very easy and quicker.

• Public Charging: this is something you may not need much of, but it pays to be aware of your options. Public charging is supported by a plethora of different suppliers, all in different locations, with different prices, and different charging machines. Frankly, to the beginner, it looks like a complex and unholy mess (and to some extent, it is).

  • It’s worth checking whether your car manufacturer offers any charging plans. This may bring together a network of charge providers, and even offer a discount rate. Kia, for example, offer “Kia Charge” which does exactly that.

  • So too, your electricity supplier might do something similar. Octopus offer, for example, Electroverse - a card which allows you to charge on a number of different networks, gives a small discount, and adds all the charges to your monthly electricity bill.

• Get to know your car: sounds odd if you haven’t got your car yet, but I joined the relevant online forums ( https://www.kiaevforums.com/ ) and started to soak up everything there was to know about the car, from hidden features, to things that rattle and issues to watch out for (Such as 12V battery going flat). By the time I came to do the paperwork for my car at the dealership, they admitted I was way more knowledgeable about the car than they were!

  • Yes, there are lots of things to know about an EV to get the best out of it, such as maximising range, optimising your battery lifetime, how to drive on “Regen” (braking regeneration) and much more.

  • Who knew that EVs have a 12V battery to power all the infotainment and other standard systems? And that if this battery goes flat, you can’t start the car? But you can jump start it like a regular car!

  • I also watched lots of videos about the car and EVs, such as how to charge them and experiences of doing so, what the range tests showed, and so on.

• Apps: the forums also taught me a lot about the apps that are going to smooth EV ownership. Aside from the apps that allow you to pay for, and get discounts, on charging (usually issued by the a particular charging network), there are apps for finding chargers and route planning with them.

  • Indeed, apps such as ABRP (a better route planner) will take account of your car’s stated range and battery performance, and plan trips for you based on how much charge you want to leave and arrive with, and how often you want to stop. Not only is this practically essential (at least in the early days of getting to know your car and routes), moreover, with a suitable ODB2 dongle plugged into your car, it will adjust your route real-time based on current battery and usage.

    • your car may actually have this facility built in too - an update on the Kia EV6 did provide this capability, but I don’t really like the display.

  • In Scotland, Chargeplacescotland is the a key network across the country especially in rural areas.

• All the usual car stuff: Don’t forget all the usual car stuff too, such as insurance quotes, private number plates, part-exchange, loans and finance, and even whether you will get your car protected with wrap, PPF (pain protection film) or Ceramic coating.

  • AT THE TIME OF WRITING (2023) in the UK the VED (Vehicle Excise Duty aka Road Tax) is £0 per annum due to an exemption, BUT you must actually have the car registered for VED at the zero rate, rather than simply not register it. A competent car dealer will handle this for you.

  • Note, however, the UK Government have declared that from 2025, EVs will pay VED, including the “expensive car” supplement.

So, - PHEW - once you’ve got all that lined up, you’re ready to sit back and await the great day of the arrival of your electric car!

ready to exchange our old car for the new one!

The Electric Conundrum - an episode of the Simpsons about Electric Vehicles

Homer Simpson discovers the environmental and ethical issues surrounding electric cars and fossil fuels, leading him to rethink his views and become an advocate for clean energy and sustainable transportation in "The Electric Conundrum".

Title: The Electric Conundrum - Watt’s the deal?

Synopsis:

The episode begins with Homer Simpson driving his gas-guzzling car to work while listening to the radio, which announces the latest electric vehicle technology advancements. Homer scoffs at the idea of an electric car, believing they are expensive, unreliable, and can't travel long distances.

Later, at the Springfield Auto Show, Homer meets an electric car enthusiast who promotes the benefits of electric cars, such as reduced carbon emissions and lower fuel costs. But Homer remains skeptical and dismisses the electric vehicle as a toy for the rich and environmentally conscious.

However, things start to change when Homer learns about the negative impacts of fossil fuels, such as air pollution and climate change. He begins to research electric cars and discovers that they are becoming more affordable and have improved battery technology, resulting in longer ranges.

But Homer's skepticism is compounded when he hears critics of electric cars argue that they require rare earth minerals, which are often sourced from unethical or environmentally destructive mining practices. They also argue that electric cars create pollution through the manufacturing process, which offsets their emissions benefits.

Homer becomes even more conflicted about the electric car issue when he realizes that the same critics who are attacking electric cars for their ethics are themselves owners of smartphones and laptops that contain the same battery technology.

To make matters worse for Homer, he also learns about the dark side of the fossil fuel industry, including oil spills, fracking, and environmental degradation. He feels conflicted about continuing to support such an industry, especially since it's also hurting the planet.

Homer eventually decides to test drive an electric car, and he's pleasantly surprised by its performance and features. He also realizes that by driving an internal combustion engine car, he's contributing to the problem he's criticizing, which makes him feel hypocritical.

In the end, Homer decides to buy an electric car, and he becomes an advocate for clean energy and sustainable transportation. He even convinces his boss, Mr. Burns, to invest in renewable energy sources and electric vehicle charging stations for the company's employees.

The episode ends with a shot of Homer driving his new electric car, feeling proud and empowered that he's doing his part to protect the environment. He also makes a point to recycle his old phone and laptop and to encourage his family and friends to do the same.

Here are a few potential jokes that could be used in "The Electric Conundrum" episode:

1. Homer: "Electric cars? You might as well ask me to ride a bike to work. Actually, no, scratch that. I'd rather walk."

2. Bart: "Hey Dad, did you hear about the new electric car that's so fast it can outrun the police? They call it the Shockwave."

3. Marge: "Homer, have you ever considered how much money we could save on gas if we got an electric car?" Homer: "Have you ever considered how much money we could save if we stopped eating donuts?"

4. Homer: "An electric car? I don't want to be the laughingstock of the town. What's next? Solar-powered underwear?"

5. Lisa: "Dad, did you know that electric cars produce zero emissions?" Homer: "Wow, imagine how fresh the air will smell when we're stuck in traffic!"

6. Marge: "Homer, I heard that electric cars can charge up in as little as 30 minutes." Homer: "Great, so now we can go from being stranded on the side of the road with an empty gas tank to being stranded on the side of the road with a dead battery."

7. Mr. Burns: "Electric cars? I thought those were just a myth, like the Loch Ness Monster or the perfect cup of tea." Smithers: "Actually, sir, there are millions of electric cars on the road today." Mr. Burns: "Well, I suppose we'll just have to create a monopoly on electric charging stations then."

Controlling room temperature with Netatmo "occupancy detection" and IFTTT

Thanks to the addition of Heatmiser range to the online automation service IF (formerly IFTTT - "if this then that") it's now possible to control room temperature using inputs from your other IFTTT-friendly IOT devices. In my case, Netatmo weather station. 

In my house, heating for every room is individually controlled by a Heatmiser Neo thermostat, each running an individualised programme of temperature gradients throughout the day, tailored to each room. During the summer most of these are just on standby, meaning in practice unless the room drops below 12 degrees C, the heating will never come on.  

My child's room is the exception, because we don't want him to ever get too cold, and some days he naps in the afternoon; so his thermostat is always active. So far so good. Except when you open the windows, perhaps for fresh air during the day, and it turns cloudy, the temperature drops and the heating comes on and heats the great outdoors. 

Finally, I have a solution which does not involve adding sensors to the Windows.  

The first step is to use Netatmo indoor station as an occupancy detector. Over the last year I've charted the correlation between occupancy and CO2 levels and in general found that an occupied room tends to read >500ppm CO2 and unoccupied room is below that. Of course if you open the window the CO2 level drops to almost zero very rapidly. So, this basic threshold measure can be used as a simple detection of empty room and/or wIndows open.  

IFTTT recipes to control Heatmiser thermostats based on occupancy (CO2) 

Of course, you might ask what happens if the windows are open while the room is occupied. Good question - but in our case it never happens; our child is young, so for safety when he is using the room we always have the widows locked shut. 

This simple trigger forms the basis of the input to an IFTTT recipe which controls the Heatmiser thermostat in the same room. If the CO2 levels drop (room empty or Windows open) then the thermostat is set to 'standby' (this stops it following its daily program) and if CO2 rises again ( = occupied) the standby mode is deactivated and the normal program continues to run. 

This way we hope to avoid those costly mistakes where we have opened the windows and forgotten to adjust the thermostat; or unnecessarily heated an unoccupied room.  

For the future we can explore whether outdoor temperature, wind speed and rainfall can be used to optimise performance of the indoor heating.   

I Save money when I shower with two natty watery gadgets

If your shower runs at mains pressure or close to it, it's quite possible that you can reduce its pressure without detriment to its cleaning potential and how it feels. Indeed, if your shower is like mine, it might actually be painful to stand under at high pressure.  It seems that most modern houses comes with thermal store hot water systems which allow hot water to be delivered to the house at mains pressure, without little regard to what is actually comfortable or what is economic and eco-friendly.

Since I have the luxury of two showers I have installed two different devices, one in each as follows:

Eaga Shower Smart (get one free)

A small pressure-reducing insert that goes inline with the shower hose.

The Eaga shower smart prevents the unnecessary waste of water without loss of comfort. It creates a constant flow of 7.7 litres per minute, giving a full even jet with less fluctuation in water flow. Water temperature can be more constant - because sudden changes in pressure have a much smaller influence on the temperature. 

For a 2 person household, the Eaga ShowerSmart could save more than 12000 litres of water per year, as well as all the associated energy costs that go with heating it. 

At the time of writing Eaga are running a promotion for a free showersmart.

Oxygenics BodySpa shower head

If you want the dual benefits of economy AND a spa-like experience when you shower, then try the Oygenics BodySpa shower head. The entire oxygenics range not only reduces pressure and flow but at the same time sucks in oxygen and mixes is the with the water, giving an incredible refreshing shower sensation without any feeling of loss of pressure.

I have one fitted in my main shower and have tested that it does indeed reduce the flow (easily done by filling a bag with a line marked for 5 seconds or so) yet it feels wonderful to shower under. And it looks great too. The single orifice design of Oxygenics® showerheads coupled with internal components made of non-stick Delrin® are no match against common "shower cloggers." There isn't a calcium deposit or sediment that will stand in the way.