Cheap USB analog interface?

This month's bill, which includes air conditioning:

CUSTOMER CHARGE $08.76 ENERGY CHARGE FIRST 1000 KWH 769 KWH @ 6.29900 $48.44 ABOVE 1000 KWH 0 KWH @ 7.39000 $00.00

FUEL CHARGE FIRST 1000 KWH 769 KWH @ 4.46100 $34.31 ABOVE 1000 KWH 0 KWH @ 5.46100 $00.00 ------ Total Bill $91.51

Propane costs about 60% more, the last time I checked. They get you with tank rental fees, and a monthly delivery fee, even if you don't need any propane. There was a rusty old tank here when i bought the property. The company refused to remove it, and tried to bill me for the empty tank until I threatened to tow it out onto the highway in the middle of the night, and leave it in the median with their name on it. It was only connected to an old gas furnace, that was beyond repair from disuse.

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So, you are paying around 11 cents per KWH upto 1000, which is reasonable. However, we are paying 20 cents beyond 400, which is ridiculous.

If costs are similar, propane should cost around 10 cents per KWH equivalent.

Yes, good reasons not to use propane, but not because of the energy cost. Incremental cost should be same for electricity.

Fortunately, for us, we have natural gas to offset the high electric cost. Natural gas is around 2 to 3 cents for heating and 4 to 5 cents for electricity. I have an electric generator on natural gas, but it's too dame noisy to run it. Still waiting for natural gas fuel cell to be ready.

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True, but the objective is to save MONEY. The cost of a gas water heater plus the cost of getting the gas to the location plus bringing the whole installation up to current code, plus the permits plus the ...plus...plus and based on my water usage, I'd be dead before it paid back.

I use the shower example because it's so wasteful and something everybody can relate to. Last time I did the math, it cost me 13-cents to take a shower. I could cut that by 90% without sacrificing cleanliness. Heck, when I had a small RV, I'd take a shower every day and go a week on 18 gallons of water.

But I LIKE standing under the hot water spray. I like it

You sure about that? How long do you turn it off at a time? What's the thermal time constant of the water heater? My math says that, for a well-insulated heater, it makes no sense to turn it off unless you're goin' on vacation.

Gas is the most expensive way to heat

Read it again. Nowhere did I use the word "I". I DID use the word "YOU". Look around you... I don't know anyone over age 8...besides me...who doesn't have at least one smart phone with EXPENSIVE data plan. Instant gratification is the norm. Saving a few bux on energy is WAY down the list for most of the population.

Then your math is wrong. It runs one hour a day.

Then you know the wrong people.

I would have to relocate the water heater if I went propane. It is in a small closet in a bathroom, with no easy way to vent. It is where the most hot water is used, and would have to go outside. That would require a building permit, and it would be more trouble than it's worth.

I had natural gas for the water heater and the furnace when I lived up north. I had to replace all the gas piping, and move the meter out of the basement after the gas company damaged the cutoff box and caused a leak. The lowest bid was $3,000. I did it myself, for under $500 and passed the inspections the first try.

According to the above, propane at $3/gallon is about the same as electricity at $.14/kWh. A couple of weeks ago propane was $2.75/gallon and our electricity is $.08/kWh (flat). The electric water heater and heat pump aren't so bad. ;-)

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The NG ($26) vs. EL ($41) is way too high. We are paying $1.20 per therm (or $12 per MBTU?), $30 for first 400 KWH and $60 for additional. For us, EL is 4x to 5x more expensive than NG.

Electricity is far cheaper here than NG, mainly because we'd have to pipe it over from the next city. ;-) It's electricity or propane. We have heat pumps, electric water heater, LP fireplace, and stove that uses both.