Saving Power

Last week I gave you the math about the energy (and money) your computer uses. I think you get the idea – a few cents an hour adds up pretty quick. I’m not gonna do the math for you this time, but consider this:

Cold Wash = 4 cents a load

Hot Wash = upwards of 36 cents a load

Dryer = 32 cents an hour

Washing Line = FREE!

Towel rail heater = from $1.20 to $2.40 a week

Thanks Contact Energy for those stats, check out the rest here:

Contact Energy

So why have I been going on about saving power for the last few weeks? As far as saving the planet goes, I guess it’s pretty basic, generating power wreaks havoc on the environment, whether by flooding valleys, making artificial lakes, destroying habitats, creating an eyesore. . . Even just the construction of a new power plant makes a mess, when roads are built and trucks create noise and pollution. By reducing the energy we use, we can reign in the mega impact, and search for better ways to meet demand in the future.

Check out these links to see some mega destruction caused by power plants:

DAMN! 3 Gorges

Coal vs. Wind

Electricity

This is the first in a series of tips about saving money AND the planet. Cos let’s face it, there’s nothing that gives you motivation quite so much as a little extra cash. I am being spurred on by my wish the save money, after receiving THE POWER BILL. This unholiest of documents arrived the other day and after regaining consciousness, I set about improving the power use in the flat.

Step 1: Turning sh*t off, such as the microwave, the telly, the DVD player, cellphone chargers that aren’t charging anything etc. That stuff uses power. Think how warm a cellphone or laptop charger is, that heat is just wasted power. It’s energy transfer, physics baby.

In fact, it is estimated 95% of the energy consumed by cell phone chargers happens when they are left plugged in.

So I went on a dictatorial mish round the flat, searching for things using power and shutting them off. I also changed out the multibox that the TV, Playstation, DVD, and MySky was plugged into. Why? Cos the cordless phone is plugged in there too, so that switch had to be on all the time. It now has a multibox with individual switches for everything, so we can turn it all off at night, but keep the phone on.

Yay! These small changes can add up to a lot, save power, save money, save the planet!

For more info on this and other stuff, check what the government has to say here