Skip to main content

Saving electricity

I got a letter from my electricity company the other day, warning me that my power bill was going to go up, and advising me on simple steps I can take to reduce my power usage. I don't have air conditioning, or heaters, so I can't save there. I've already replaced 90% of my light globes with the "green" ones, so all that we left (of the three suggestions) is turning off my electrical appliances at the switch when I'm not using them.

This is all well and good, and should save me something, but it might cost me in other ways. In frustration, for instance, when I find that the oven hasn't pre-heated, or my water boiled because I forgot to switch the stupid oven on at the wall. And not being able to tell the time from wherever I'm sitting, as the microwave and VCR clocks unset themselves when they're switched off at the wall.

I'm also trying not to use as many lights (I've only got a few to start with, but I can always be more diligent), but it's lead to a bit of stumbling and standing on things/animals (I have a black cat and a predominantly black dog). I should get them little glow-in-the-dark jumpers or something. And get Dexter to pick up the pegs on the laundry floor (ouch).

I used to use candles a lot, in order to save on electricity (I can read comfortably by the light of three candles), but that was Before Freddy. The first time I had candles going when I got Fred, he went to investigate and ended up with singed whiskers. I haven't been game to try again, at least not without finding something to put between Fred and the candle flames.

Back when I was living in England I had some candle holders that had glass chimneys on them, probably to protect the flame from the wind rather than cat's whiskers from the flame, but the result would be the same. Of course, that was back in the Olden Dayes (the 1980s), so I expect they are obsolete now. I should trawl a few flea markets to see if I can find something like it....

Failing that, I could get some of those night-vision goggles (always a good look). Anything to try to save electricity and ensure that I can still pay my bills!

Comments

  1. Damian CugleyJune 15, 2010 at 4:07 AM

    I think you’re doing pretty well already. Compared the air conditioner you’re not using, a few compact-flouorescent or LED lights is not going to cost much electricity. And don’t forget that while candles may displace some electricity, in the big picture they have their own manufacturing and transportation energy costs, and are probably composed of paraffin from fossil fuels. I’m not saying don’t use candles, but I don’t think they are automatically more eco than a well-designed CFL. You could probably make a bigger difference by adjusting your day to maximise the use of natural light.

    Having said that, my biggest change recently is fairly feeble—I switched from ready meals and pizza heated in the oven to stir-frying on the top of the stove, on the grounds it would use less gas.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What I learned on prac.

I'm pretty sure that I learned far more on my prac than the students I was teaching. Some of it will stand me in good stead for my next prac, and for when I am a fully-qualified teacher. Some of it was very disappointing and disallusioning. One of the first things I learned was that my supervising teacher no longer wanted to be a teacher, but was sticking with it for a few more years, while her youngest child finishes high school. Another teacher in our staff room was only staying with teaching to boost his superannuation before he retired. Yet another teacher didn't speak to me during my four weeks sitting at the desk next to him, and seemed to dislike all students and the teaching of them. There were frequent discussions in there about students being "not very bright" and "unteachable", including one entire year. No effort was put in to teaching these students, as it was deemed to be a waste of effort. However, imaginative teaching was hampered
4 comments
Read more

Why I really need a pig.

For the last couple of years I've been on a plastic-elimination diet, and working hard at drastically reducing my landfill footprint (ie what I cause to sent to be buried in the ground for all eternity*). I have made some huge progress, although I still have some way to go to becoming zero waste (I think I'm at about 80% waste-free). One step on this journey was to get rid of my kitchen bin. In theory, everything I use in my kitchen should be either recyclable or compostable, leaving no use for a kitchen bin. However, I do have one item that is neither: my cat's uneaten food. FreddyCat is a fussy eater. I put this down to his hyperthyroidism – and being a cat. After considerable trial and error, I have found a range of foods that he will (usually) consent to eat, but he never eats ALL of anything I put down for him. There is always something left over; sometimes all of it. Cat food reeks even before going off, so I have to dispose of it. As I am a ver
Post a Comment
Read more

Understanding my physical challenges: An analogy

So, I've been trying to come up with a way to explain to a non-disabled person what it's like to face physical challenges at work, as a person with a disability. My current workplace is very physically demanding, even for me, a wheelchair user with long arms, full reach, abdominal muscle control and good balance. After 2.5 years of just getting on with it, despite the inaccessibility of large areas of my workplace, I'm at a point where I'm having to say, 'Enough. I can't do it any more.'. My employer is struggling to understand what's changed. Why is my workplace 'suddenly' inaccessible? What has changed with my health, to make my work so arduous for me now? Here's my analogy*: Imagine that you are looking for a job in the field you have just qualified for. A new employer says, if you move out to our location, we'll give you a permanent job. You just have to be able to carry 10kg. Cool, you think, I can do that. I'll uproot myself
Post a Comment
Read more