Energy saving devices.

markbloke

Leaving out talk of monitors like the owl, efergy and wattson - what can you actually do to save energy? Maybe we can discuss tactics in this thread and point out the pitfalls.

Suggested guidelines:
1. "Turn it off if you're not using it" is the best solution for most things, and it's here. We don't need to hear it again.
2. Make sure it's economically viable. Buying something that never pays for itself is not moneysaving. Personally I won't buy something that doesn't pay for itself inside its own guarantee period, though preferably a year.
3. Don't be surprised if somebody tries to shoot holes in your ideas or posts something silly, the dynamics of energy saving are less than obvious and there are a lot of dodgy devices out there. Be polite and patient, play nice.

My best buy:
Bought some e.on "powerdown" plugs (aka intelliplug).
The ones I got weren't advertised for use with a TV but work fine with mine and my PCs.

They work by waiting for one main device to be switched off (or even into standby) and then totally power down anything else you've plugged into it (games console, speakers, vcr, dvd, printer, scanner). Switch the main device back on and everything else comes back to life too. Think about what you're plugging in though, some things need to be in standby for updates (set-top boxes and broadband modems). Also, some things are designed to be left on (network routers) and this treatment might shorten their lifespan.
In my case the other devices were totalling about 30W when the main device was off so this solution made sense. If you need more than two sockets to plug stuff in you can use a mains extension board in one of them. Just don't overload it with heaters etc!

lokiman

If you do not have a combi boiler, consider switching off your boiler altogether during the summer months when it's not needed for heating. Many modern appliances, such as dishwashers and washing machines, heat their own water and do not have a hot water feed at all, and since the vast majority of homes have a shower unit that heats water on demand, what do you really need the boiler for during the summer months? Is it really worth having a large hot water tank being fed for so little usage?