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The Power Bill

O

OlsonSigns601

New Member
So I got last months power bill...

Its up 20% from this time last year and 31% from May.

I can only imagine what next months bill is going to be breaking 100 twice this week.

Hoping its worth keeping the entire 1200sqft shop at 72.

Anyone else keep their entire shop air conditioned?
 
artbot

artbot

New Member
i have the 1600 sq ft of havac blowing cold. but surprisingly i'm really enjoying my new outdoor 1400 sq ft tent. it's white (a heavy duty quonset hut style) with a double thick osb floor. the lighting is great because the "ceiling" glows, the breeze passes right through. and i live near the coast in texas so the summer can be miserable. but it's not in the tent. also,the floor has this very zen country dance floor feel to it. if i ever moved to the desert i'd get a massive one and prefer it over a real building.
 
rjssigns

rjssigns

Active Member
artbot said:
i have the 1600 sq ft of havac blowing cold. but surprisingly i'm really enjoying my new outdoor 1400 sq ft tent. it's white (a heavy duty quonset hut style) with a double thick osb floor. the lighting is great because the "ceiling" glows, the breeze passes right through. and i live near the coast in texas so the summer can be miserable. but it's not in the tent. also,the floor has this very zen country dance floor feel to it. if i ever moved to the desert i'd get a massive one and prefer it over a real building.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

The tent sounds neat. Some of the huge dairy farms here have them. Every time we pass one I kid the wife we should get one to use as our shop. I figure if it's good enough for a moo cow I should feel right at home.:rolleyes:
 
binki

binki

New Member
We use the A/C when it gets to 80 inside. Front door is always open. A partition between the front and back helps keep it cooler in the back.

We are in a retail area so lots of walking traffic.
 
mopar691

mopar691

New Member
I have 1220 sf main floor offices and a full 3/4 basement under it for darkroom/screen reclaim room all climate controlled. Printers, laminator and large plotter and all that in the main level of this.

Back production room at 2000 sf houses all screening equipment, work tables and a few small plotters, plus all sheet inventory, frames, yada yada. I am just in the process of getting this spray foam insulated and heated/cooled also with some sort of fresh air circulation.

I have 4 14' overhead doors on back of building with 2 each going into seperated, insulated and heated 25' x 30' bays. These so far stay fairly cool as doors face north.

With this heat like it is, mid to upper 90's here this week, my ac in the front has been running non stop during the day to keep up. front faces south and older brick building really heats up.

I have a 2 bedroom living arrangement also towards the back of the building out of the direct blaring sun and a mid sized window unit keeps that nice and cozy. Just the front is a challenge.

It easily reaches 110 plus in the uninsulated portion of this building in mid to late afternoon in this weather, its a 20' wide bay full length of building with overhead doors on both ends. Long, tin addition that was added a few years ago. Like a tunnel in other words, so I try to open the bay doors on both ends just to help the rest stay cool.
 
A

amw

Longtime Members
We keep our shops A/C on, keeps the equipment, supplys, the help, and the clients happy. lol
We shut off the A/C to the install bay if we are not using it to save on electric usage though.

Not looking forward to this months power bill for the house or shop!

Marsha
 
artbot

artbot

New Member
@rjssigns the one i have is a hansen weatherport (weighs over a ton), crazy heavy duty.

http://www.weatherport.com/shelter-port/30-wide-two-car-garage (this model)

they are usually about $8k (got mine off of ebay for a $1k!). that is pretty damn high. but recently i saw that the same style could be bought from china for $4k.

http://cecoda.en.alibaba.com/product/558322171-209732051/Large_Storage_Tent.html
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/443528887/40m_Engineered_Container_Shelter.html

if you don't have security issues and all you need is maximum square footage. a building is not the way to go. i covered the floor with "pallet osb" (49x90's). horizontals across the bottom, running long way on top. then screwed them all together. the entire 1400 sq ft floor cost around $450 and it is really nice to walk on compared to concrete.
 
mnapuran

mnapuran

New Member
Wow... I keep our shop pretty warm. Around 80 degrees or so, running fans. Just can't justify the high commercial bills, even as low as I'm paying now for electricity.

Office/work area is around 1200 sqft, and the back shop (non A/C) is around 1400 sqft. Just run a large evaporative cooler out there (although many times just run the fan)
 
rjssigns

rjssigns

Active Member
artbot said:
@rjssigns the one i have is a hansen weatherport (weighs over a ton), crazy heavy duty.

http://www.weatherport.com/shelter-port/30-wide-two-car-garage (this model)

they are usually about $8k (got mine off of ebay for a $1k!). that is pretty damn high. but recently i saw that the same style could be bought from china for $4k.

http://cecoda.en.alibaba.com/product/558322171-209732051/Large_Storage_Tent.html
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/443528887/40m_Engineered_Container_Shelter.html

if you don't have security issues and all you need is maximum square footage. a building is not the way to go. i covered the floor with "pallet osb" (49x90's). horizontals across the bottom, running long way on top. then screwed them all together. the entire 1400 sq ft floor cost around $450 and it is really nice to walk on compared to concrete.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Thanks Artbot. BTW how is your Frankenstein flatbed project?
 
artbot

artbot

New Member
the franken printer is on hold because my buyer is doing a contract manufacturing deal with me and wants me to put out his and my product from the same shop. this would require a slightly different printer. so now i heading to china with him (at least i hope i am, ...having issues with the passport since my custody battle for my daughter last year. long story) to the shanghai sign expo to view all the machines, mostly the linyi winwin dual dx5 LED uv model. they have a 78x118 for $38k that might work well for the big panels that i do for this customer. hope i get to go.

at this trade show will also be several oem's that build custom printers. so that will be great to bring my current design and have someone put together and gantry and control box for it.
 
J

john1

Guest
mnapuran said:
Wow... I keep our shop pretty warm. Around 80 degrees or so, running fans. Just can't justify the high commercial bills, even as low as I'm paying now for electricity.

Office/work area is around 1200 sqft, and the back shop (non A/C) is around 1400 sqft. Just run a large evaporative cooler out there (although many times just run the fan)
Click to expand...

I'd rather be comfortable and spend a little more then be hot and have a billion fans blowing everything everywhere IMO
 
A

andy

New Member
artbot said:
at this trade show will also be several oem's that build custom printers. so that will be great to bring my current design and have someone put together and gantry and control box for it.
Click to expand...

Giving the Chinese designs & drawings is OK as long as you don't mind them using your ideas to built their "new" range of machines in about 4 months.

A good way around the problem is to divide your drawings into three sub assemblies which are made by three different Chinese suppliers none of which have any idea what the other two assemblies look like.#
 
artbot

artbot

New Member
all i need them to do is stretch a printer they already make and make some mounts that can meet up to the z-ups and maybe put the main board and servo controllers in such and such a postition. printers are going the way of cnc machines.

also, with the new patent law that the USA is putting forward in the next months, there will be very little to protect without scores of individual micro-patents and a team of lawyers.
 
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