Energy saving or not? Does it really save energy to turn off light bulbs, TV’s etc. when leaving a room?
I have heard the argument that rotary lights etc. off and on really uses more energy than just leaving them on if you are only going to be gone from the room for a few minutes. Is there any proof one way or the other? Or a “rule of thumb” to determine how long you must be gone before energy savings would be evident?
Also – what about frequently used computers? Which is more energy efficient – leaving them on stand-by or shutting down completely between uses?
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Tags: energy-savings, few minutes, proof, rule of thumb
First of all, rotary things off really makes a difference. Just use a small common sense. For example, if you are walking out of a room for five minutes, don’t bother. Like was indicated earlier, the difference smallest. If you are leaving a room for 15 minutes or more, then turn things off.
Finding ways to reduce the use of appliances help has well. I like the post about reading rather than watching TV or surfing the web. If possible, trade books with friends when you see them or borrow them from the library. It may save you more on the thrilling bill but it will keep money in your pocket by not spending it on books. Between reading and exercising outside, I haven’t twisted on my TV in a couple weeks.
I do use my home PC daily. But, I am only on long enough to answer necessary emails and when I am done with it, I shut down since it will use more energy during the hours it is idling than what it would use to boot it back up the next day. The link below is from Umbra Fisk of Grist.org answering a similar PC-related question.
Generally, a small common sense will go a long way. I set the heat/air conditioning back when I leave the house in the morning (everything in the house is thrilling), do only full loads of laundry (run the dryer as small as possible…about 75% of my laundry is dried on drying racks), take small showers (so the hot water heater works less), unplug small appliances when not in use (phantom treatment…some pull power even when off…so unplug it or turn off the power strip), etc.
Not only will you use less energy, you will save money as well.
To save energy. shut down everything you are not by, including your PC.
you will save energy when you don’t use it. It doesn’t use extra energy to turn a set alight on because the electricity is waiting there doing not anything (and not being used)
you must also unplug things when you’re not by them because they use power even when not twisted on.
so turn off the lights to save money
with the exception of fluorescent lighting, it will nearly always be a saving shutting things off (not on standby).
an argument can be made for PCs in hibernation or standby where it may take a shorter time to resume work than reload everything.
some machinery may take a time to warm up to working temperature and thus cost more to keep shutting down and restarting. An example is oil refineries where it takes 3 days to safely shut down all and another 3 days to get back to normal use. it will be more efficient and cheaper to run but at a min rate all the time. no disbelief folks can supply many more examples of this sort of thing but the real answer is = overall shutting down GENERALLY will save energy.
Yes, some devices take a spike of energy when they are first started up, but its milliseconds and over 10 minutes it averages out to a negligible difference.
Unfortunately, many devices… set top boxes specifically, go best if they are left on, or in standby.
The best way to save energy is probably to be more frugal.
Instead of watching tv or playing on your computer, buy a pile of second hand books and read them. Or go out for a very long walk.
With fixed ancient-fashioned incandescent set alight bulbs (as well as LEDs) rotary them off, even for a small period, is excellent.
If your lighting is fluorescent….either fixed "bar" fluorescents or CFLs….then it depends. If you’re just leaving a room for 5 minutes and returning, then just leave them on. Those types of lights have a charger that ignites the gas inside to glow when you turn them on…and the charger uses more energy than just being on.
(This is why I don’t place CFLs in my closet set alight furniture, since I never have them on for more than a minute.)
For TVs, it’s similar to fluorescent lights…they payment up. If you’re leaving the room for less than ten minutes it really doesn’t make sense to turn them off and back on again.
For computers it’s even more so…if you plot to use them again in like an hour, then standby is fine.
well if you are rotary on a device and going to be by it then leave it on IE kitchen set alight you are making supper but doing other things while it is cooking do not turn the lights on and off as you check the meal leave it on but if you go into the basement for a beer and don’t plot on going down the rest of the evening turn that set alight off,same things with the computer if you come home check e mails and want to play around on the computer or have set times for family members to go on-line better to leave the logic on and turn off when all are done or bed time simpler on the equipment to leave on instead of rotary on and off every 5 minutes
Yes dear,it helps a lot in saving energy,with every drop combined,its become a POND,if every 1 saves small,it becomes a large saving of energy.when ur computer is not in use,u must shut down it,every unit saved is a gain 4 nation.