Keeping appliances unplugged

[hurk27]

Yep, older desktop. Works great.

Just got a new monitor that draws .3 watts when not in use.

Not sure what my computer uses in sleep mode, because I shut if off when I'm not using it if going to be over a couple hours, and the monitor I have now is a 24" wide LCD, which pulls hardly nothing when it goes to sleep, I never turn it off because as soon as I turn off the computer it goes into sleep mode, as well as my color laser printer, but my computer has a 1200 watt PS, and it does pull allot, never measured it, but with the amount of heat it gives off, I have shut off the heat vent to my little office as it can get hot in here, even then I have to open a window sometimes, because it gets too hot, it's kind of an extreme computer for most but since I do allot of playing with flight sim's, Google Earth and other graphic programs, I wanted allot of processing and graphic power so it's quick, and doesn't take much time to boot up.

But there are somethings that I won't un plug just because they take too long to re-down load the guide, and that's my Direct TV box, I can't figure out why they never store this information in a non-volatile memory or in the case of the one I have with a DVR on the hard drive, but they don't.

 

[weressl]

As smart as you are, you can't honestly believe the percentage is that low... With all the power supplies in a house nowadays, the utilities are having a time keeping up with triplen harmonics. It isn't just VSD's anymore...

As I said:'Show me a series, independently conducted, peer verified study that confirms the 15% and I am willing to listen.'; and as they say: put up or....

 

[hurk27]

It's a computer and needs an orderly shut down. Then , when it comes back on, it needs to boot up and load all the config.sys programs and log onto the Internet, check for updates and virii which takes time.

If I left the computer on, I didn't have to wait to use it in the morning like I do when I shut it off at night; it was just there in the same state I left it the night before.

It's not a light bulb. It can take up to 10 minutes to get to the point where the computer is up to it's optimal speed after boot up.

That is a matter of convenience, not common sense.

your either still running a Windows 9x system, or you have some older 16 bit programs? XP and most newer 32 bit programs, don't use autoexec.bat or config.sys anymore, most launch straight out of the registry or the start up file, unless it is run as a service which runs under the Windows services (svchost.exe) as a .dll

Although there are some legacy devices that will use the autoexec.bat and config system to launch their drivers? which knowing your into radios, I would expect:happyyes:

 

[K8MHZ]

your either still running a Windows 9x system, or you have some older 16 bit programs? XP and most newer 32 bit programs, don't use autoexec.bat or config.sys anymore, most launch straight out of the registry or the start up file, unless it is run as a service which runs under the Windows services (svchost.exe) as a .dll

Although there are some legacy devices that will use the autoexec.bat and config system to launch their drivers? which knowing your into radios, I would expect:happyyes:

My error....Win XP, so no config.sys. I am just showing my age.....

Still, the point I was trying to make was that when it comes to computers, it's not as simple as just turning them on and off. Every time I reboot, the computer loads and scans so much crap that it is snail slow, sometimes freezing up, for 10 or 15 minutes.

Something happened the other day that was weird.

I was doing something on my computer and all of a sudden the screen said "Windows is shutting down" and in a second or two the computer shut down and OFF, the fans even stopped spinning. I sat there for a few seconds wondering what happened. I pushed the 'On' button on the computer and everything came back to life. The fans came on and the computer was just as it was when it shut down. It did not go through a boot sequence. It just turned on like it had never been turned off.

Tell me why this little glitch can't be made into a standard feature???

 

[jim dungar]

Tell me why this little glitch can't be made into a standard feature???

Sounds like it went into hibernation, rather than a true shutdown.

 

[Besoeker]

It's a computer and needs an orderly shut down.

I wasn't suggesting that you simply pull the plug.

 

[hurk27]

My error....Win XP, so no config.sys. I am just showing my age.....

Still, the point I was trying to make was that when it comes to computers, it's not as simple as just turning them on and off. Every time I reboot, the computer loads and scans so much crap that it is snail slow, sometimes freezing up, for 10 or 15 minutes.

Something happened the other day that was weird.

I was doing something on my computer and all of a sudden the screen said "Windows is shutting down" and in a second or two the computer shut down and OFF, the fans even stopped spinning. I sat there for a few seconds wondering what happened. I pushed the 'On' button on the computer and everything came back to life. The fans came on and the computer was just as it was when it shut down. It did not go through a boot sequence. It just turned on like it had never been turned off.

Tell me why this little glitch can't be made into a standard feature???

Windows will do that when you have a driver conflict, to protect the computer, most common is the video drivers, which I would see if there is an update, many things will make a computer slow, and there is no really quick fix, but I find most of the problems being Ad-Ware, Lava-Soft makes a good free scanner that catches about 90% of the stuff out there, and Malwarebytes, anti-malware scanner which is also free will catch and remove the rest along with hard to get rid of virus's.

But there are a few other things like cleaning out temp files, and getting a good program to clean up the registry as over time it gets clogged down with left over un-installers, and running scan disk and defrag at least once a month, there are other trick I know to get an older computer back to life also so drop me a PM or Skype, and I'll help you.

 

[Besoeker]

Sounds like it went into hibernation, rather than a true shutdown.

I agree. It's what my laptop does when I close the lid.

 

[hurk27]

Tell me why this little glitch can't be made into a standard feature???

I missed this part and that it didn't completely shut down.

It sounds like you some how hit a short cut key or combinations of keys that activated the sleep mode, I doubt it went into hibernation as it take much longer to come out of it, but if you right click on your desktop, and select properties, in the small window that opens, select the screen saver tab, then click the power button close to the bottom right, it will give you options to set power saving modes, also search in windows help file for "To manually put your computer on standby" there is also shortcut keys that you can use, but I will have to look them up.

 

[hurk27]

also in the place where I told you to go for power options, you can also set the power button on the computer to go into standby and use the windows shutdown on the start button to shut down the computer which most do anyways, the power button will still function as it normally does to turn the computer back on, or to do a hard reboot by holding it.

 

[Joethemechanic]

It's all a bunch of propaganda

Here is a little story.

My mom goes crazy about turning off lights. My mother does not walk but is in an electric wheel chair. She was always worried about the outside lights being left on, so I installed led lamps in her outside lights. She still was always worried about the outside lights (Depression era kid) and sometimes would even transfer from her bed to the wheelchair to go check.

Well I had to sit down with her and explain (complete with the math) that her wheelchair used more energy transporting her over to the light switch, than was saved by turning the light off.

Now people who can walk may not think that the same situation applies to them, BUT,,,,,


Your legs don't operate for free either, and the amount of energy your body uses to walk around plugging and unplugging things has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is the caloric content of your food. And producing, transporting, refrigerating, and transporting food are all energy consuming processes.

I could go into a whole wear and tear on the receptacle, and the energy that it tales to manufacture new ones, and to have an electrician drive to your house to replace them because you wore them out trying to save 10 watt hours in a day. but that isn't even necessary.

When you do the math, most of the green propaganda falls flat on it's face

 

[hurk27]

It's all a bunch of propaganda

Here is a little story.

My mom goes crazy about turning off lights. My mother does not walk but is in an electric wheel chair. She was always worried about the outside lights being left on, so I installed led lamps in her outside lights. She still was always worried about the outside lights (Depression era kid) and sometimes would even transfer from her bed to the wheelchair to go check.

Well I had to sit down with her and explain (complete with the math) that her wheelchair used more energy transporting her over to the light switch, than was saved by turning the light off.

Now people who can walk may not think that the same situation applies to them, BUT,,,,,


Your legs don't operate for free either, and the amount of energy your body uses to walk around plugging and unplugging things has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is the caloric content of your food. And producing, transporting, refrigerating, and transporting food are all energy consuming processes.

I could go into a whole wear and tear on the receptacle, and the energy that it tales to manufacture new ones, and to have an electrician drive to your house to replace them because you wore them out trying to save 10 watt hours in a day. but that isn't even necessary.

When you do the math, most of the green propaganda falls flat on it's face

I agree Joe, there are many appliances that will have more wear and tear turning off on on all the time, even cycling florescent lights shorten there life, computers can get heat stress cracks on the mother board, from changing temp all the time, thats why it was alway suggested to only turn it off if your not going to use it for a for a few hours, all this wear and tear has to be accounted for when we try to conceder how much we will save, sure the POCO's come out like a bandit on this because it lowers there operating cost on demand, but its not them that will be paying to replace my equipment when it fails earlier because of all the cycling.

 

[Joethemechanic]

I must say, my true agenda was not energy costs, it was to keep my mother from falling in the night, but it worked


Oh yeah, and if you are heating your house, all the "wasted energy" goes to heating your house anyway. It's not like energy just magically goes away.

The first law of thermodynamics also states that energy can not be destroyed

 

[Besoeker]

Your legs don't operate for free either, and the amount of energy your body uses to walk around plugging and unplugging things has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is the caloric content of your food.

Which is usually a fair bit more than you actually need.
Obesity abounds.......
But I'm not suggesting unplugging stuff willy nilly.
Common sense needs to be applied. If I switch off my bedside lamp is ceases to consume energy. Unplugging it would achieve nothing more. Same with the toaster, electric kettle, etc.

 

[Joethemechanic]

Which is usually a fair bit more than you actually need.
Obesity abounds.......

Buy an electric exercise bike that dumps regen back on the line

 

[Besoeker]

Buy an electric exercise bike that dumps regen back on the line

It's a nice thought.

 

[K8MHZ]

I must say, my true agenda was not energy costs, it was to keep my mother from falling in the night, but it worked


Oh yeah, and if you are heating your house, all the "wasted energy" goes to heating your house anyway. It's not like energy just magically goes away.

The first law of thermodynamics also states that energy can not be destroyed

Just the opposite in the summer though.

I went on an energy saving rampage as a result of a class I took last summer. I treated it like a game to see how much difference I could make over last years bills.

Right now I am at about 50 percent.

Now, I live alone, so my word is law, and that makes a big difference. Much of the stuff I do here could not have been done when I lived with the X and the daughter. A hundred bucks a month just wasn't worth the grief....

For instance:

I now hang my clothes on an actual clothes line in the summer.

I don't use my oven in the summer.

I have just about finished changing all the incandescent lights over to CFLs and the difference in color hasn't killed me.

I turn off my big outside light about half the time. It confuses the criminals and saves a few bucks a month. I still have another set of floods on a motion detector.

Several lights have been put on motion detectors and sometimes don't come on instantly or sometimes they will turn off too soon. That wouldn't have flown before...

So, drastically cutting energy costs can be done, but not without some lifestyle changes.

 

[Joethemechanic]

How about moving your refrigerator's condenser outside?

In the winter it would for lots shorter cycles. In the summer, it wouldn't heat up the house.

Or would you want the condenser inside during winter to help heat the house.

I'm always a little unsure about that last one

 

[Joethemechanic]

K8MHZ,


This is how crazy it can get. My dad spent most of his career working in the research lab of a major chemical company that was based in the Philly area. So he is very familiar with things like stored BTUs and energy.

One day after talking to him about how when I was out on emergency calls at sewage pumping stations I could tell when I better be ready for increased flow was, By the amount of steam coming out of the wet well. When people are waking up and taking their morning showers etc.

Now he puts the stopper in the tub when he showers, and lets the water in the tub cool off before draining it in the winter. He figures he pays for those BTUs in the hot water, and he isn't going to waste them.

 

[kwired]

How about moving your refrigerator's condenser outside?

In the winter it would for lots shorter cycles. In the summer, it wouldn't heat up the house.

Or would you want the condenser inside during winter to help heat the house.

I'm always a little unsure about that last one

That is exactly what heat reclaimers do for larger refrigeration systems.

Wired a dairy barn many years ago. They put the compressor/condenser for the milk tank in a doghouse on side of building. Doghouse had both doors on the exterior side and on the building side. Summer the exterior doors were open to let heat out, winter the doors were open to the building to keep heat within the building. Free heat for the most part - the milk needed cooled no matter what. Technically not really free - it came from the cows which had to be fed to be healthy.