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Hard Data for block heater useage for 4 weeks

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Frank Hudon, Oct 9, 2006.

  1. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    Pulled 28 days and 8 hours of data from my WattsUp Pro and crunched the numbers
    I pay .062 cent's per kw of electricity
    I use the block heater on a timer for 4 hours and 35 minutes per work day.
    I work 4 days a week
    the numbers look like this.
    45,029.5 watt hours consumed in 28 days and 8 hours
    $2.79.2 Cost
    46.7Kw projected for a full months useage
    399watts nominal wattage of the block heater
    this should provide enough data to estimate the cost of using a block heater, all you have to do is substitute your electicity cost and the hours your running your timer.
     
    #1 Frank Hudon, Oct 9, 2006
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Do you really need it on for 4 hours and 35 mins in the morning? I thought 30-60 mins was enough to heat it up.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Oct 9, 2006
  3. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Oct 9 2006, 07:22 PM) [snapback]330337[/snapback]</div>
    That really varies depending upon the air temp.



    60min gets me up to around 90 degrees, give or take, when the OAT is ~40 degrees (rarely gets colder than that in my garage). By about 3 hours I'm usually up to around 120-130 degrees which is about as high as it will ever get.
     
    #3 efusco, Oct 9, 2006
  4. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    that gets me to about 50C and I'm at 4.7 this tank so far, over 240 into it, so my question is, is it worth it? and no thermos!
     
    #4 Frank Hudon, Oct 9, 2006
  5. sl7vk

    sl7vk Member

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    OK, so where does a poor shmuck get a block heater in the US, for how much, and how freaking hard is it to install... Thanks.
     
    #5 sl7vk, Oct 9, 2006
  6. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sl7vk @ Oct 9 2006, 07:43 PM) [snapback]330401[/snapback]</div>
    there are many threads here on PC about block heaters and the installation. search showed this thread.
    http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=1...hl=Block+Heater

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Oct 9 2006, 05:31 PM) [snapback]330346[/snapback]</div>
    It was 4.3C in my car port this morning, 40F and it's going to get colder soon. That will be the Hi for the day in another month.
     
    #6 Frank Hudon, Oct 9, 2006
  7. sl7vk

    sl7vk Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon @ Oct 9 2006, 10:54 PM) [snapback]330406[/snapback]</div>
    Thanks for nothing. I got through Evan's post and decided that this wasn't worth it. Rarely gets colder then 20F here in Salt Lake. I was all set to buy one..... Sigh.... ;)
     
    #7 sl7vk, Oct 9, 2006
  8. ken1784

    ken1784 SuperMID designer

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon @ Oct 10 2006, 10:59 AM) [snapback]330379[/snapback]</div>
    I think the 50C is very good temp because you can skip the S1 warming up and warp to the S2 in the beginning on Japanese Prius.
    Does NA Prius need the engine starting for the CAT even on 50C?

    Ken@Japan
     
    #8 ken1784, Oct 10, 2006
  9. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ken1784 @ Oct 9 2006, 11:01 PM) [snapback]330428[/snapback]</div>
    At that temp I have a very short warm-up cycle. I can enter stealth within about 30 seconds of start up...maybe it would be faster, but I don't hit road that I can go that fast for about 30 seconds in any of my regular driving that I can plug in at.



    I'm not sure I can say if the engine start is for the CAT or not, but the initial start up sequence seems to be the same as usual in that prefered initial RPM is about 1275, power is primarily from the battery with ICE secondary at low speeds....just for a much shorter period of time....maybe 15 seconds.
     
    #9 efusco, Oct 10, 2006
  10. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ken1784 @ Oct 9 2006, 09:01 PM) [snapback]330428[/snapback]</div>
    the highest I've see is 52C and at that it started for about 15 seconds and when I put it in R the ICE stopped. It's only ever done that once. Most times it still want's to do the S1 step but I'm in S4 about 6-7 blocks from home. This in the summer, further in the winter and I do use my "winter lips" to block the grill when the temps are in the low teen's C. Now my mileage might seem low to the J himilers but 15 blocks from home I start a 350 meter climb at normal traffic speed of about 70 km per hr. Lots of traffic lights that are not synced. I've been averaging about 4.87 liter per hundred for the last 8 tanks. But mother nature will take care of that shortly. As you can see we have very cheap electricity costs here.
     
    #10 Frank Hudon, Oct 10, 2006
  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Frank Hudon @ Oct 9 2006, 06:59 PM) [snapback]330379[/snapback]</div>
    Ahh ok. It was at 4.4L/100km (my bro actually lowered it to 4.3 on Sat) then my bro took it out last night and judging by the seatbelt usage, it looked like he had a little fun with two other people on board and now it's 4.5L/100km. We're at 380+km and half tank.

    I don't think I'll have a good morning reading tomorrow since I washed my car today and the thermos cycled and it'll be cool tomorrow morning.

    So when using the block heater, how would you know when to remove it and for how long if you didn't have a scangauge?
     
    #11 Tideland Prius, Oct 10, 2006
  12. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Oct 9 2006, 11:21 PM) [snapback]330446[/snapback]</div>
    I'd just use a timer set to 3 hours...or just plug it in 2-3 hours before you leave.



    I know this'll make some environmentalist apoplexic, but I actually leave the EBH plugged in my whole 8 hour shift when I'm at work! :eek:



    At home I have a timer, it comes on about 3am (since I leave at 5 am some days) and goes off at 11am (since that's the latest I leave for a "morning" shift)....I usually just plug it in, when I remember, about 2 hours before I leave for my other various shifts.
     
    #12 efusco, Oct 10, 2006
  13. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Oct 9 2006, 10:21 PM) [snapback]330483[/snapback]</div>
    400 watts for 8 hours in that situation wouldn't even be noticable. They probably waste more energey on coffee makers in bosses offices.

    Jon you really need a CAN-view in your Tideland. Just bite the bullet and I'll put it in for you. Then there's no more questioning what's happening with the car.
     
    #13 Frank Hudon, Oct 10, 2006
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