Well, sort of. Not plugged in, I mean.
I followed another of Vanessa's changes and unplugged any electronic equipment not currently in use in our house. The toaster, the telephone charger, the coffee maker, some of the table lights. The only exception was the computer/modem/printer combo, as I am a little leery about messing with that, and the TV/stereo system (as I can't reach it to unplug it. Like Vanessa, I'd have to move a very heavy stereo stand to get at the plug.) I shut the computer down every night, so although we are still drawing phantom energy, it is not as much as if the machine was left on all the time.
The coffee maker is the one that concerns me the most.
Although I am a morning person, I usually need my coffee to really wake up and be ready for the day. Poor DH can't FUNCTION without the stuff. He usually stumbles around in the morning trying to figure out where to put the water and the coffee in machine, until I take pity on him and do it for him. Hence, coffee making is my job.
I have visions of me muttering and mumbling that the stupid thing is broken because it won't turn on, until I remember, like an idiot, that I unplugged it. I can hear the conversation now - "Honey, the coffee maker isn't working. Do you think we need a new one?" "Did you check to see if it's plugged in?" Silence. "Oh, right". Plug item in. "Never mind."
Wish me luck tomorrow morning - I will probably need it.
I put my laptop, printer and modem on a power bar. And turn off the power bar when I'm done. It screws up any scheduled task, but they pick up wherever they left off when I turn the whole lot back on. It also means that your computer becomes inaccessible to potential hackers when it's unplugged.
ReplyDeleteIt only becomes a real problem if you have remote access to your house through your modem. Even computer geeks have no problem with unplugging the whole thing.
I'm going to try the power bar - the key will be to remember to switch on and off when I need to. Just one more habit to change. :)
ReplyDeletehey keep up the good work.
ReplyDeletewhy notpbut your entertainment system on a power bar too.
Its amazing how much power the sat receiver and PRr can draw. I am going to talk to Les about this. The only problem is that the PVR won't record anything if turned off!
PH
We don't have PVR, so we're safe there. However, to access the stereo, we need to move the stand, and you know how big and heavy that thing is! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is something that I need to do as well. The pwer bar is a good idea too.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work Jen.
Teresa
For the first few days, maybe a week, yeah, I would forget I unplugged the toaster oven and would start swearing and cursing when my toast was NOT DONE after the signaling toasted toast. But now, I'm a new trained monkey! You'll get used to it, and your family too. I did it at work too and had to listen to them grumble for about ... two weeks, but they know better now!
ReplyDeleteHa Ha I love the comment about thinking the coffee maker is broken because it is umplugged... My hubby is a little paranoid about fire and electrical problems and he ALWAYS unplugs the coffee pot in the morning after we are done. After one bleary-eyed morning wondering why it wasn't working, I am very good at 'plug in, then turn on'
ReplyDeleteThe single biggest user of electricity in our house is our furnace fan - that runs 100% of the time - it has no "off" position unless I turn the furnace off completely - that means no heat or air conditioner if it gets too cold or hot. I struggle with replacing the furnace to one with multi-stage motors, as this requires replacing a fully functional piece of equipment.
ReplyDeleteOur furnace fan runs 100% of the time as well - if we don't, the air does not circulate very well. I can set it for "automatic", but the thermostat is in the back hall, which gets lots of sun, and therefore doesn't accurately reflect the true temperature of the house. The downstairs can be 23C, in the summer, but the upstairs can be 27C or 28C if we don't run the fan to circulate the cold air.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your furnace - I hope you find something that works.