Typical electricity usage of oil boiler and accessories

asherraph

I've been trying to understand where the electricity in my new house goes. Looking at smart meter data for usage overnight and before we moved in, I've found that at minimum it's consuming 800 watts (data is in 15 minute increments and the lowest it's ever gotten to is .2 kWh). There's probably 200-300 watts accounted for, leaving at least 500 watts still to explain.

The one thing I haven't been able to account for is the heating system. I have a W-M WGO-4 oil boiler from 2013, 2 Taco circulators pushing to 4 heating zones (one indirect water heater), a few honeywell zone valves, and the oil pump. How much electricity is this stuff typically using? Continuous draw I mean, not for startup. Is it ongoing, or sporadic when the thermostat calls for heat? I would imagine the only thing going all the time is the electricity to run the boiler itself, right?

Any insights here appreciated, thanks!

Derheatmeister

It can add up very quick.
A Taco 007 has a .7 ampdraw = 70 watts. A Larger Taco may draw 170 watts each.
Transformers and as you mentioned the oil burner motor.
also keep in mind that equipment such as a refrigerator may cycle on a night.

ChrisJ

A typical refrigerator should consume around 100-150 watts for half an hour every so often. However it's defrost heater consumes quite a bit and likely runs once a day regardless of who's home or using it.

That's if there was a refrigerator running in the house.

Electric water heater?

pecmsg

Typical residential refrigerators go into defrost every 6 - 8 hour. For how long depends on the amount of ice inside. 

ChrisJ

pecmsg said:

Typical residential refrigerators go into defrost every 6 - 8 hour. For how long depends on the amount of ice inside. 

Aren't they just on a manual timer that doesn't care if there's any frost at all?

Jamie Hall

259 watts or so would be a decent guess for a reasonably sized oil burner.

WMno57

A small continuous draw would be the transformer converting 120 vac to 24 vac. 24 vac is used by the boiler and thermostat, and possibly the zone valves. Transformers draw 120 vac all the time, whether or not there is a demand for 24 vac.

EdTheHeaterMan

And what about the little guy inside the refrigerator that turns the light on for you? What does he do all that time the light is off? I think he stole my Netflix password and is currently streaming old Jack Ryan episodes.

Just food for thought. Get it? Food... Refrigerator... Food... Refrigerator, where you keep the food!

ron

for zone valves the older (discontinued) taco 550, or 570, heat motor type, I believe draws around 20 watts each, all the time when heat is called for and they are activated?
In comparison to the newer zone sentry which draws 12 watts when first activated (charging for however long) then settles down to less than 2 watts

https://www.tacocomfort.com/documents/FileLibrary/REV2_HeatMotorZoneValves_Catalog_100-3_093019.pdf

look at getting a line splitterand a cheap clamp AC meter... harbor freight, amazon... to measure current of various plug in appliances.

A decent FLUKE meter can be gotten for less than $150, the cheaper ones as little as $20.

with the boiler electrical feed, which is not plug in like a refrigerator you could use the line splitter with, you would access the NM (romex) wire feed and use the clamp meter around just the hot wire... not hard to do but don't do it if you're not familiar with such things electrically. Hard part would be sitting there watching the meter to see the changes in current when everything running vs just circulators/zone valves.

Long Beach Ed

I just installed a backup system in a gas boiler. The transformer and controls draw 25 watts and a Taco 007 circulator draws 88 watts. Not sure about the oil burner but these numbers are from measurements.

hot_rod

Zone valves are about 5 watts when they are powered open, 70- 80 W for a typical circulator. Consumption on those when a heat call. The boiler probably has a transformer powered all the time

If the boiler, pump and controls are on one plug or circuit, those Kill O Watt tools will record power usage..

When components need replacing, ECM circulators use 1/2 or less power, 250 milliamp zone valves are available also