What Annoyed You Today?

[SaparotRob]

Almost 99% of sites / apps have servers outside the country. They wil use between 3 to 5 times more MB's than those sites that have their servers inside the country.

Yikes!

 

[at6]

I am annoyed by not being annoyed today.

 

[Snautzer01]

I am annoyed by not being annoyed today.

I am annoted by that.

 

[Greg Boeser]

Energy bill arrived today (gas & electric). I use monthly averaging and my rate for this year is 23% higher than last. And they are asking permission from the state to raise it even higher.

 

[SaparotRob]

Ouch!

 

[Viking1066]

Parents complaining about how their kids are failing and teachers are all bad. Then not coming in for PTC when they children are 1 to 3 grades below grade level after making an appointment to come in.

 

[Viking1066]

Energy bill arrived today (gas & electric). I use monthly averaging and my rate for this year is 23% higher than last. And they are asking permission from the state to raise it even higher.

That is just plain awful!

 

[GrauGeist]

Energy bill arrived today (gas & electric). I use monthly averaging and my rate for this year is 23% higher than last. And they are asking permission from the state to raise it even higher.

I'm getting chastised by the local electric company for using more than "local energy efficient homes" and they want to come "advise" me how to save energy.
Problem is, my house isn't even occupied, meaning no refrigerator, no laundry, computers, TV or anything.
It's 100% LED lighting and the heater (propane) is just high enough to keep the pipes from freezing.

So I am at a loss to know how I have neighbors who are more energy efficient than that...

 

[517714]

I'm getting chastised by the local electric company for using more than "local energy efficient homes" and they want to come "advise" me how to save energy.
Problem is, my house isn't even occupied, meaning no refrigerator, no laundry, computers, TV or anything.
It's 100% LED lighting and the heater (propane) is just high enough to keep the pipes from freezing.

So I am at a loss to know how I have neighbors who are more energy efficient than that...

Check with your neighbors, they may be getting the same story. The utility may have committed to doing a particular number of surveys or percentage reductions to the regulatory body.

Is it up for sale? When my parents sold theirs, the electric bills were astronomical because the real estate people would turn on the HVAC on both levels sometimes with one trying to cool what the other was trying to heat and leave the lights on (in the days before LEDs and CFLs), or leave the water running and therefore the well pump running.

I received a similar offer years ago based on the utility reading the meter after they had estimated low for two years, so they had a small error over twenty months put into one month and it looked like I was using twice what my neighbors were using, when I was using about half.

I did have the utility do the survey, I found two windows had lost their insulating gas, but hadn't fogged up yet and I had them replaced under warranty by the manufacturer, those warranties tend to be long. And they gave me a bunch of energy saving light bulbs for free. It was worth my time. Make sure they have thermographs to find hot/cold spots in the walls and windows and do it when it's hot or cold, not when its nice outside.

 

[cvairwerks]

Parents complaining about how their kids are failing and teachers are all bad. Then not coming in for PTC when they children are 1 to 3 grades below grade level after making an appointment to come in.

We used to get the email about upcoming PTC's about two days before they happened. Only way you could schedule was by electronic means. I'd log in to do schedule and find that 95% of the conference times were already filled and had been for two weeks or more. The killer problem for me is that I work nights and the only open times were always well after I had to be in bed. Every year at the open house prior to the start of classes, I made it quite clear to the teacher verbally and in writing about my schedule and which phone number to use at what time of the day to reach me or my wife. About the last quarter of the school year they would finally figure it out.

With the close of the first year of remote schooling, we took our youngest out and moved to homeschooling. Remote was a disaster. It took almost a month to get Zoom working on all the kids laptops and chromebooks. They kept switching software systems, attendance tracking and homework systems. Kaelyn's chromebook was already a year old and it was one of the ones with school IT crippled software and we couldn't get any meaningful response about fixing it. Couldn't use an external monitor on it, so he was trying to do stuff on a 10 or 11" screen. Emails to teachers went unanswered for days or weeks. Phone conversations with the principal helped for a couple of days and then it was back to the same old garbage.

He'll turn 16 this year and can already pass three of the five sections for his GED, but has to wait til he's 17 to take it.

 

[special ed]

I'm getting chastised by the local electric company for using more than "local energy efficient homes" and they want to come "advise" me how to save energy.
Problem is, my house isn't even occupied, meaning no refrigerator, no laundry, computers, TV or anything.
It's 100% LED lighting and the heater (propane) is just high enough to keep the pipes from freezing.

So I am at a loss to know how I have neighbors who are more energy efficient than that...

Perhaps have an attorney friend present during the inspection. My experience has been it was their over usage/price errors and it required getting the state utilities regulator office involved and then got a credit. Another fun time was with the water department who thought the meter was in error because of low consumption. They dug up the yard for a day and a half and installed a new type meter. The usage went down and we now pay only the fixed minimum.

 

[at6]

I get reports that I use less energy than similar efficient homes and less than half of what other homes similar to mine use.

 

[SaparotRob]

I get reports that I use less energy than similar efficient homes and less than half of what other homes similar to mine use.

IN THEIR FACE! You tell 'em Bro!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I get reports that I use less energy than similar efficient homes and less than half of what other homes similar to mine use.

So do we, but that is probably because we are from Germany. Unlike most American's we turn the lights off when not needed, don't turn the heat up to stupid levels, and don't unnecessarily run the water like in 30 minute shower or something.

 

[Viking1066]

We used to get the email about upcoming PTC's about two days before they happened. Only way you could schedule was by electronic means. I'd log in to do schedule and find that 95% of the conference times were already filled and had been for two weeks or more. The killer problem for me is that I work nights and the only open times were always well after I had to be in bed. Every year at the open house prior to the start of classes, I made it quite clear to the teacher verbally and in writing about my schedule and which phone number to use at what time of the day to reach me or my wife. About the last quarter of the school year they would finally figure it out.

With the close of the first year of remote schooling, we took our youngest out and moved to homeschooling. Remote was a disaster. It took almost a month to get Zoom working on all the kids laptops and chromebooks. They kept switching software systems, attendance tracking and homework systems. Kaelyn's chromebook was already a year old and it was one of the ones with school IT crippled software and we couldn't get any meaningful response about fixing it. Couldn't use an external monitor on it, so he was trying to do stuff on a 10 or 11" screen. Emails to teachers went unanswered for days or weeks. Phone conversations with the principal helped for a couple of days and then it was back to the same old garbage.

He'll turn 16 this year and can already pass three of the five sections for his GED, but has to wait til he's 17 to take it.

 

[Viking1066]

We sent forms out ahead of the PTC. I also had to contact each parent to see what time was good for them. Its a private school in name, but has all.the same issues as public schools. I will so agree with you on the way its run. The district here is terrible, so I thought that after 8 years of public school that private would be better. Bad decision. Many of the things I couldn't stand about public school are just as prevalent in private school. I have four kids in the school district and have experienced many of the problems you have mentioned. It doesn't matter if you are teacher either because then they assume you will take whatever gets shoveled at you.
I hated the virtual, but my wife works from home, so we made it work when I had to go back to the building. The students I have now for virtual log in, but don't work. I have three of 17 who work and the rest zilch. It's been tough, but I have hung in there. We have had several staff leave or get fired, so we are very understaffed. My colleagues in public school tell me it's pretty bad. No wonder the shortage is so bad. I have several calls to work elsewhere, but I really have to consider if I want to keep teaching. Its hard, but I like it.

 

[GrauGeist]

So do we, but that is probably because we are from Germany. Unlike most American's we turn the lights off when not needed, don't turn the heat up to stupid levels, and don't unnecessarily run the water like in 30 minute shower or something.

I was raised the "old school" way:
Turn the light off when you leave the room.
Know what you want before opening the fridge.
If the house feels cold, wear a sweater or toss an extra blanket on the bed.
And the classic: "close that door, boy! I'm not paying to heat all of outdoors!!"

 

[GrauGeist]

Check with your neighbors, they may be getting the same story. The utility may have committed to doing a particular number of surveys or percentage reductions to the regulatory body.

Is it up for sale? When my parents sold theirs, the electric bills were astronomical because the real estate people would turn on the HVAC on both levels sometimes with one trying to cool what the other was trying to heat and leave the lights on (in the days before LEDs and CFLs), or leave the water running and therefore the well pump running.

I received a similar offer years ago based on the utility reading the meter after they had estimated low for two years, so they had a small error over twenty months put into one month and it looked like I was using twice what my neighbors were using, when I was using about half.

I did have the utility do the survey, I found two windows had lost their insulating gas, but hadn't fogged up yet and I had them replaced under warranty by the manufacturer, those warranties tend to be long. And they gave me a bunch of energy saving light bulbs for free. It was worth my time. Make sure they have thermographs to find hot/cold spots in the walls and windows and do it when it's hot or cold, not when its nice outside.

My house was a total disaster when I bought it and I've nearly rebuilt it from the ground up.
I'm almost done (after 2 1/2 years), but in the process, I've replaced all the bathroom vents with ones that have "flappers" (they block airflow until the fan comes on), replaced all the light fixtures with new ones (and all are LED), moved the heater vents from beneath the cabinets (bathrooms, kitchen) and relocated them. Where the vents had come up through the floor, the builder had just cut a 10" x 10" hole for the 7" duct and not bothered to put any form of escutcheon around the duct. So the gaping holes allowed airflow, insects, frogs and such to come and go.
The range hood was replaced with a new one that also has a flapper. The old one didn't...and it also didn't have a exhaust collar, instead venting *toward* a louvred exterior panel (and the inside of the wall in the process). The hood's exterior vent also has a flapper.
I had to replace the exterior siding on the entire south end of the house, so while the siding was off, I installed the "Tyveck" vapor barrier to prevent moisture buildup and add extra protection against the southern exposure.
I resealed and recaulked all the windows and joints under the trim.
I replaced the front door and the back door and filled the huge gaps that existed prior.

Like I mentioned earlier, I don't live in it yet, so no appliances are in it, the heater is set to 62 to keep the pipes from freezing and to prevent excessive expansion/contraction and the water heater is propane.

So the utility telling me I'm using more than nearby energy efficient neighbors has me thinking that they're trying to bullsh*t me into buying something.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I was raised the "old school" way:
Turn the light off when you leave the room.
Know what you want before opening the fridge.
If the house feels cold, wear a sweater or toss an extra blanket on the bed.
And the classic: "close that door, boy! I'm not paying to heat all of outdoors!!"

Exactly!

 

[special ed]

The young ones today make very good money and do not see the value of repairs or proper care. They seem to feel there will always be a paycheck and enough to buy replacements. My three daughters think I'm frugal (cheap) when I repair things. I point out that the old stuff was better made than the things they buy, so it is better to repair than replace if possible. I view my youngest and her husband as both a great success and some small failure as their education has provided good paying jobs, but allowed them to live in a "replacement" mode. Another example of generational difference occurred when I was still working. There were only two in the shop, both well into our 60s, older than every one in the office. One day we received large equipment well packed in heavy wooden crates. After all the dust settled and quiet resumed, my colleague and I were sitting on the concrete floor straightening nails with hammers when one of the young supervisors walked in asking, "What are you doing?" After explanation, he walked off shaking his head.