But if you've got solar
But if you've got solar panels, dun dun dun. And if you consider that that is often longer than the drive to work you've got to figure that you might be running wicked rich the whole drive. Like MetroMPG said about extended his trips to try and not get such bad gas mileage.
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Re: But if you've got solar
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Man, you got batteries and
Man, you got batteries and **** when you do solar, or else you wouldn't have power for a week when you got a big snow.
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Re: Quote:Another 'non-sexy' but
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i plug my 300 watt block heater in for 1.5 hrs (sometimes 2) and it does its job, warming the engine around 30-50F above ambient. at $.08/kw-hr that costs $0.036 or 3.6 cents. Quote:
external element style example: https://www.metrompg.com/posts/photos...-bolt-on-z.jpg |
Re: Quote:Another 'non-sexy' but
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Quote:and unless you have a
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Re: Quote:and unless you have a
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You can find good aftermarket heaters cheap. I even saw one that was a dipstick heater, which I think is rather cool. |
So maybe I'm missing
So maybe I'm missing something, but what are the savings by using this engine heater? How long does it take to make up the cost of the heater and electricity? Are we trying to save money or save gas?
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Re: So maybe I'm missing
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Engines are more efficient when at normal operating temperature. Depending on the vehicle it can take several miles. For my car I think it takes around 5 or 6 miles to get warmed up. Using the block heater for one hour and spending 4 cents in electricity (if the above figures are correct) to help get your engine in normal operating temperature right away seems like it would pay off. I'm certain it could pay for itself in a year or so (depending on the block heater you purchased). Then again, it might pay for itself much sooner assuming your fuel economy while the engine is cold is drastically less than your fuel economy while warm. |
matt makes a good point on
matt makes a good point on the issue of motivation.
to further complicate things, in the case of an engine heater, i use it for a combination of reasons: better mileage, increased comfort (heater output comes much sooner), reduced wear on the starter/battery, and because the motor runs significantly more smoothly immediately after a pre-warmed start than when started cold, and i like that. i haven't bothered to do a cost/benefit analysis based solely on fuel savings because (1) i haven't bothered to calculate exactly how much it saves me, and (2) i'd do it for the other reasons, even if there were no mpg benefit (which we all agree there is, though likely very small in the big picture). |
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