In an effort to save on utility costs, I've been trying to find that balance between convenience, comfort, and savings.
My aircon is THE single most power hungry appliance I have. It makes up over 65% of my electricity bill.
Next in line is my ref, taking up about 20% of my bill.
Everything else... shares the remaining 15%... and I really mean EVERYTHING else.
I've seen some eco-sites recommending that you unplug everything... since most electronic devices now still use up some power on standby, and are technically never "off".
This is true. To some extent. Understand what appliances are actually using SIGNIFICANT amounts of power. If you just shorten your AC use for ONE HOUR, you can leave your other appliances on standby for the rest of the month. Don't freak over the pilot light on the light switch.
Also, running your AC on full-blast at 16C for 4 hours, then shutting it off, uses more electricity than setting it to 25C and leaving it on for 8-10 hours. The main power drain on the AC is the compressor... that thing that kicks in and makes a low humming sound... when that's on... you're using up the full wattage of your AC... when that's off... it's like you've got an electric fan. Just raise your thermostat instead of running it on the lowest temp for a shorter time.
If you don't have an AC, and really wanna save every milliwatt of power, then shut everything off at the breaker when not in use...less wear and tear on the tiny plug. Except the ref/freezer of course.
Take note... constantly unplugging and plugging in electronic devices will shorten the life of their power supplies since these aren't meant to take on repeated surges of electricity from constant plugging.
**Power adapters like the ones for laptops, mobile phones, etc... may be damaged if you unplug and plug them back in within a few seconds. Wait at least 10 seconds before plugging them back in.**I'm not saying to leave all the lights on or anything... but worrying about the tiny standby consumption of an LCD TV is ridiculous if your AC is dirty and not running efficiently. Or you have incandescent bulbs. All these things eat up more power in one hour than your electronics on standby for a month.
Multi-door refs also consume more power... UNLESS... you frequently open the door to get a drink... then a single door ref will consume more power. Frost-free refs also consume more in general.
BTW, those "Energy Savers" that plug into that wall... do NOT work.
