Comments on: Computer running costs http://stonehead.wordpress.com/2006/11/27/computer-running-costs/ The trials and tribulations of a modern crofter Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:22:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 By: stonehead http://stonehead.wordpress.com/2006/11/27/computer-running-costs/#comment-688 stonehead Tue, 28 Nov 2006 19:55:56 +0000 http://stonehead.wordpress.com/2006/11/27/computer-running-costs/#comment-688 Ah, but you're assuming it's a fresh dead mullet... Ah, but you’re assuming it’s a fresh dead mullet…

]]> By: carol in crathie http://stonehead.wordpress.com/2006/11/27/computer-running-costs/#comment-683 carol in crathie Tue, 28 Nov 2006 19:30:16 +0000 http://stonehead.wordpress.com/2006/11/27/computer-running-costs/#comment-683 Be more effective and a lot more fun with a LIVE mullet!! :O Be more effective and a lot more fun with a LIVE mullet!! :O

]]> By: stonehead http://stonehead.wordpress.com/2006/11/27/computer-running-costs/#comment-670 stonehead Mon, 27 Nov 2006 22:03:15 +0000 http://stonehead.wordpress.com/2006/11/27/computer-running-costs/#comment-670 What I've found so far is that there is a lot of "leakage" - appliances that appear to be off but aren't. These aren't the obvious culprits like televisions on standby, but things like speakers, radios and empty battery chargers. They appear to be off, their lights and LEDs are off, but because they have internal transformers they are effectively still on. One or two watts may not sound like much, but take a dozen appliances like that and you're looking at an annual power consumption in excess of 150 kWh, at a cost of £14 and with emissions of 65kg of CO2. Multiply that by every household in the country and you're talking about a lot of wasted energy. So, if you're not using it - turn it off at the wall. (This is good practice anyway as it helps reduce the chance of fire.) However, one word of caution. Some appliances need to draw a small amount of power to maintain their memory and all your stored settings. In our case, that includes the broadband router, the satellite TV box (it goes completely haywire), and an old and now defunct Sony television (which had to be retuned every time the power went off), However, we can still turn off the hi-fi amplifiers, the tuner, the turntable, the CD player, the DVD player, all the computer equipment I mentioned and more. As for the benefits of different technology, the key is to check the power in watts (usually on a label somewhere on the appliance). If it draws less power than your current appliance, then it may be worth the change. If not, avoid it. And even if it is worth the change, you need to consider whether buying a new replacement is appropriate if the old one is still doing its job. In broad terms, most old appliances are worth keeping so long as they are working efficiently because they're not consuming the resources need to make the replacement. A key exception here is refrigerators and freezers. There have been such huge gains in their efficiency that it makes more sense to replace them than to keep them - especially if they're more than 10 years old. Plus the old ones have ozone unfriendly gases and leaks from them are decidedly bad. As for the average consumer, the occasional slap around the head with a dead mullet is probably called for! :D What I’ve found so far is that there is a lot of “leakage” - appliances that appear to be off but aren’t. These aren’t the obvious culprits like televisions on standby, but things like speakers, radios and empty battery chargers.
They appear to be off, their lights and LEDs are off, but because they have internal transformers they are effectively still on. One or two watts may not sound like much, but take a dozen appliances like that and you’re looking at an annual power consumption in excess of 150 kWh, at a cost of £14 and with emissions of 65kg of CO2.
Multiply that by every household in the country and you’re talking about a lot of wasted energy.
So, if you’re not using it - turn it off at the wall. (This is good practice anyway as it helps reduce the chance of fire.)
However, one word of caution. Some appliances need to draw a small amount of power to maintain their memory and all your stored settings.
In our case, that includes the broadband router, the satellite TV box (it goes completely haywire), and an old and now defunct Sony television (which had to be retuned every time the power went off),
However, we can still turn off the hi-fi amplifiers, the tuner, the turntable, the CD player, the DVD player, all the computer equipment I mentioned and more.
As for the benefits of different technology, the key is to check the power in watts (usually on a label somewhere on the appliance). If it draws less power than your current appliance, then it may be worth the change. If not, avoid it.
And even if it is worth the change, you need to consider whether buying a new replacement is appropriate if the old one is still doing its job. In broad terms, most old appliances are worth keeping so long as they are working efficiently because they’re not consuming the resources need to make the replacement.
A key exception here is refrigerators and freezers. There have been such huge gains in their efficiency that it makes more sense to replace them than to keep them - especially if they’re more than 10 years old. Plus the old ones have ozone unfriendly gases and leaks from them are decidedly bad.
As for the average consumer, the occasional slap around the head with a dead mullet is probably called for! :D

]]> By: Dad http://stonehead.wordpress.com/2006/11/27/computer-running-costs/#comment-669 Dad Mon, 27 Nov 2006 21:45:58 +0000 http://stonehead.wordpress.com/2006/11/27/computer-running-costs/#comment-669 So turning off appliances at the wall, in your opinion, does reduce the power bill Stoney. There is an interesting corollary here mate, in that it is cheaper to use the later technology of the LCD monitor. however you found that it was less expensive to use the older tech. for your TV when you compared it with the plasma TV. So both tech. can be of economic value ..... it does sound a little Orwellian to me, in that the average consumer may never be aware of the advantages of the various technologies. So turning off appliances at the wall, in your opinion, does reduce the power bill Stoney.

There is an interesting corollary here mate, in that it is cheaper to use the later technology of the LCD monitor. however you found that it was less expensive to use the older tech. for your TV when you compared it with the plasma TV.

So both tech. can be of economic value ….. it does sound a little Orwellian to me, in that the average consumer may never be aware of the advantages of the various technologies.

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