Additional Methods For Conserving Electricity

06/28 (LWN) Conserving electricity, which saves money as well as helping to protect the environment and prevent the depletion of world oil supplies, can be accomplished in many ways not commonly thought of. It is also important to avoid the mistake of restricting use of electronics which use very little electricity, while at the same time using inefficient devices without any restraint. One major consumer of electricity in your home is likely to be your computer, especially if you use several accessories with it.

Many newer computers use 250-300 watts, compared to 60 watts consumed by a 19-inch TV. Turning off items such as printers, external modems, and powered speakers when they are not in use is worthwhile – two speakers and a DSL modem may use almost as much electricity as a television. For more substantial savings, consider using a laptop or an older computer for some purposes. Laptops generally use about 1/5th-1/3rd as much electricity as newer tower-style computers (and they don’t use the power consumed by an external monitor), and some computers from the early ’90s (compact desktop 286/386s) used as little as twenty-five watts, still being useful for word processing and some other purposes. There are many items which only use a quite minimal amount of electricity. Most radios, alarm clocks, and answering machines use about 6-7 watts, so they are unlikely to make much of an impact on your electric bill. A small NiMH battery charger only uses about five watts. Turning off a lightbulb will save you substantially more energy than not using one of these devices. It is still beneficial to turn them off when possible, however, as even small amounts of electricity add up – especially on a national basis. On the other hand, turning off the radio but leaving the air conditioner on its highest setting won’t save you much money or do much to protect the environment. Devices which use more electricity generally produce more heat. Heat output is usually measured in BTUs, and is harder to find information on. However, data on heat output is available for some computers and monitors. Flat panels produce somewhat less heat than standard (CRT) monitors. Using electronic devices which produce more heat will increase the amount of cooling necessary, thus additionally increasing electricity usage. There are countless more ways to conserve electricity and other types of energy. If you aren’t sure how much electricity a device uses, look for a specifications label on the bottom or back of it and see if the amount of “watts” is listed. You can determine how much each watt costs by looking at the cost per kilowatt (thousand watts) on your electric bill.

 

 

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