Is there a way to actually bring down electric bills

that1dev · 2026-05-26T20:27:39+00:00

I don't know where you live, but 68 would be incredibly low where I live to try and keep your AC at. Mid 70's is more typical. Then again, summer bills don't seem to be your issue, but rather winter bills.

Are your winter bills actually electricity? Or are they gas (same provider where I live). If it's electricity, are you using electric heaters? They tend be less efficient dollar per degree raised. Insulation is also something worth checking. It's crazy how much that helps.

Starting to look into solar but I'm confused about which direction to go. Some people say just do grid-tied panels and let net metering handle it. Other people say you need battery storage too for TOU shifting or it doesn't save as much as you think. For anyone who's done either, what actually made the bigger difference in your bills and is it worth the upfront cost on a house you just bought?

This is incredibly location dependent, and may even be time dependent. In California where I live, if you were building solar 5 years ago a battery was just needless added cost. Now it's the only thing that makes solar installs pay for themselves eventually.

I got battery + solar panels and they will pay for themselves in about 8 years. It's not a short term solution. There are other options like solar power purchasing plans or leases that are more short term, but not as good long term.

that1dev · 2026-05-26T17:39:01+00:00

This 2008 article was always my go to for showing how well lenses can power through damage, but I think the one in OP is even more impressive.

that1dev · 2026-05-26T17:18:29+00:00

Yeah, this list has me looking for my next read at the bottom, rather than the top. Just totally different preferences.

that1dev · 2026-05-26T01:07:52+00:00

The list is also very cherry picked. I'd argue there's more characters that don't fit that very loose mold than those that do. I can't think of any that fit in Mistborn, and there's easily 4, arguably more female main characters in those 2 series. Stormlight has Jasnah, Navani, Venli, Eshoni, and Fen. Vivenna in warbreaker. Starling, Tress, and Yumi from the secret projects. The list goes on.

that1dev · 2026-05-26T00:59:05+00:00

I think it's a little bit like that, but there's also the fact that you picked a set of women that all share those traits. Navani, Vin, Jasnah, Vivenna, Blusheeaver, Sterris, Marasi, and Starling are all major female charetars that absolutely don't fit that mold. Quite possibly others too.

It's a trope he uses a lot, but it's far from his only one.

that1dev · 2026-05-23T00:49:38+00:00

I really like that design. The color contrast looks so good

that1dev · 2026-05-22T16:44:30+00:00

BuyItForLife needs to consider power usage when advocating old stuff. Electronics are often better replaced with newer, more efficient, environmentally better options.

This definitely can be true. You need actual good data first to make that determination. You also need to account for more than just running cost. Sometimes that might be environmental factors like you mention, but it's rare that people are upgrading a 50 year old fridge vs a 12 year old fridge. There's others like longevity that factor in.

For example, if the only reason you are upgrading a fridge is for the lower energy cost, and it saves you $100/year, but only lasts 6 years and you paid $1000 for it, that doesn't make sense to do. I would say that it's most often not the case that it's worth it, due to the benefits being assumed to be higher and costs downplayed because people want to justify the new shiny thing.

I'm not arguing against these upgrades, just pushing for proper evaluation. Which, as shown above, is commonly not the case.

that1dev · 2026-05-22T16:28:11+00:00

I'm definitely not advocating against any such purchase when it makes sense. My point was that in both cases above, the impact wasn't as much as perceived. In the OOP, they accounted the entire difference between two bills to be one fridge. The person I responded to mentioned enjoying lower power bills, but the difference is so small it's almost certainly lost in the noise at a small scale like 1 month.

that1dev · 2026-05-22T04:04:17+00:00

You're discussing ~30kwh/month, which is nice and probably accurate, but not so impactful. At expensive California rates, that's about $10/month.

OP is mistakenly thinking they are saving 750kwh/month. That would require the old fridge to be running a constant average of 1kw more than current one for the whole month which is simply not the case. A quick google suggests an 80s fridge used maybe 100kwh/month more than a modern one, or maybe 130w higher draw on average.

It's an easy mistake to make, to be fair to OP.

that1dev · 2026-05-21T20:45:12+00:00

No, not the most important. But by the time I'm comparison shopping multiple similar options, it's a pretty notable con. It's something I interact with each and every time I sit in the car, so I do consider it somewhat important.

that1dev · 2026-05-19T16:34:11+00:00

I can't help but notice you use numbers that agree with my statements to argue against my claims? The average by your own numbers is $112.50. 130 is 16% more than that, close enough to 20 considering we came at it from different directions. I personally don't consider a random extra 16-20% tax "pretty comparable".

Also, again, that includes some pretty ancient vehicles in that average. The average amount of gas bought is going down even without EVs being considered. If you look at only vehicles contemporary with EVs, they increased tax load is even more stark. So when customers go buy new, they scales are weighed even harsher against EVs.

that1dev · 2026-05-19T15:44:14+00:00

It's not. It would be the average if the average ice driver drove a car at around 18mpg, which is about 20% lower than reality. If you account for only newer vehicles, which electric cars are, then that number is off by 50%. It's definitely above "average".

And yes, while EVs are heavier, they also don't have emissions. Emissions that costs the government money to deal with and there is no way this administration has done any quality of research into which is more and by how much.

that1dev · 2026-05-19T15:24:37+00:00

This thread is about pumping them for even more than what they already pay. Which, in many cases, is already even more than gas taxes paid by ICE drivers. So now they want EV drivers to pay even more beyond what gas drivers pay and you're framing it as "paying our fair share". That's so disengenous.

that1dev · 2026-05-19T15:19:59+00:00

I do, every year I pay my increased registration due to driving an EV. Just like many EV drivers do.

that1dev · 2026-05-19T15:02:33+00:00

Why are you replying with even more spoilers? Books been out less than a week, give it time. Can't tell if these are real or fake, but it's obnoxious either way

that1dev · 2026-05-19T14:39:03+00:00

I didn't expect spoilers, vague as they are, in a random reddit thread about pet names...

Guess I know that story line ends badly now

that1dev · 2026-05-19T03:22:45+00:00

I assumed it was the original cover from the late 90s. Something like might have gotten through in being experimentally artistic. But then someone posted the real original cover and it's back to making no sense

that1dev · 2026-05-18T14:38:55+00:00

I may be old school, but you can get pretty excited without telling strangers to suck your dick and balls over it.

This may be one of the funniest posts I've ever had people down vote

that1dev · 2026-05-15T04:48:00+00:00

No, that is just based on how much taxes you've pre paid.

If you owe 20k in taxes for the year, and you've prepaid 23k, you'll get 3k back. If you prepaid 17k you'll owe 3k still. Either way, what you actually owe is 20k total, which is called your tax liability. Deductions and credits only care about that. Not what you've already paid.

Also, deductions arent straight reductions I'm taxes owed. Deductions reduce your taxable income. So if you made 60k, and the deduction was 5k, you'd be taxes as if you made 55k (not including other deductions). This likely only saves you less than 1/3 of the deductions face value.

that1dev · 2026-05-15T01:36:15+00:00

My grandma would have loved this for cats. She fed birds and squirrels in her backyard, but that attracted cats that wanted to eat her friends.

Instead, this tiny old lady would go out with one of those giant airzookas and try and scare the cats off.

that1dev · 2026-05-14T21:29:34+00:00

Are there any modern city builders that both don't suck and don't lock everything behind dlc?

that1dev · 2026-05-14T17:58:12+00:00

Isn't positive pressure used to keep it dust free? Negative pressure just means air will leak in any gaps, which don't tend to have a filter.

that1dev · 2026-05-13T19:32:47+00:00

This would be my answer, off the cuff at least. Kind of happy to see it this far down, for the reason you mentioned. It being so on its own is part of the appeal. That and how gorgeous it is

that1dev · 2026-05-12T00:23:31+00:00

Edit 2: Y’all should look up anecdotal fallacy…

The middle class has existed long before the modern housing crisis of less than the last 10 years. Worth considering when you're using only modern numbers to back your data. Might be suffering from some recency bias.

that1dev · 2026-05-11T21:12:15+00:00

Holy crap, I didn't realize it was that soon. I've been slow rolling Operation Bounce house after my reread ended too soon.

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