Turning things off...

pigpen

I don't turn anything off at the plug..

We have.. 5 pc's, the fridge freezer, the freezer, modem, oven, microwave, kettle, toaster and usually the breadmaker as well.. all turned on at the plug 24/7

I know I should make more of an effort.. but I'd rather go to bed and turn the 8 extra lightbulbs off 10 minutes earlier!

headoutthesand

I turn everything except the fridge off at the wall.

I've switched back to a normal phone so i'm not charging 2 cordless ones 24/7

I put the clothes on the heater at night and set the timer for the heating to come on about 5.30am for 2 hours meaning the clothes are dry and the place is hot for me getting up.

I also make sure my shower is switched off and that my curtains are pulled over at night.

Does anyone know if bulbs which don't work still charge electricity? I have 4 spotlights out and haven;t replace the bulbs yet.

Olliebeak

I always switch off (at the socket) tv, sky box, dvd, video (all on a multipoint with surge protector - so only one switch to turn off!). Also all plug-in air fresheners, phone rechargers, cd players, radios get switched off at sockets.

Leave on the fridge/freezer, chest freezer, boiler, c/h timer and phone.

We have low-energy bulbs everywhere now including the table lamps/bedside lamps.

I used to leave the landing light on at night, but now have a low-energy night-light which gives just enough light on the landing.

Dryer, washer, cooker, toaster, kettle, pc all remain plugged in and switched on at the plug - but obviously no stand-by on them - wonder if they make a difference? - never actually thought about those before!

Keeping_Motivated

I also wonder what people do about turming the things off that have clocks on them like the oven and DVD player, surely you don't reset them everyday?

I would like to make more of an effort with the other things though. I thought I was pretty good at switching things off but didn't really give much thought to switching sockets off of things like the kettle and microwave as I just thought it only costs if I am actually using them.

lil_me

I'm trying much harder but I do forget or sometimes get wrong for doing so, like when I switch all of the TV stuff off at the wall to find out DP had something saved to record on Sky+ so I get nagged

I do get a bit sick of being the only one to switch things off, following people around, things are improving, 90% of the time the boys are switching their PCs off at the wall, but then they leave the light on....can't win them all. DP has got a gas bottle type heater now in his garage instead of the expensive halogen one he was running and forgetting to switch off.

I do worry about the oven, is it bad if I switch it off when the fans whirling after cooking (self cleaning but I keep it clean) because that must use a lot of electricity. It's got a spin around type clock so that doesn't bother me.

jackieb

pigpen wrote: »

I don't turn anything off at the plug..

We have.. 5 pc's, the fridge freezer, the freezer, modem, oven, microwave, kettle, toaster and usually the breadmaker as well.. all turned on at the plug 24/7

I know I should make more of an effort.. but I'd rather go to bed and turn the 8 extra lightbulbs off 10 minutes earlier!

I'm the same and our leccy direct debit is £101 a month! The problem is a lot of my sockets are out of the way, and i'd have to shift stuff to turn them off at the wall. I turn things off that I can easily reach.

I had an energy saving bulb in the lamp in my livingroom for a couple of months - it was a 20w, so equivelant to a 100w. I had to remove it though. It made a very poor light. I actually felt down. That sounds daft, but I hated it. I use one in a lamp in the kitchen in the evenings instead of turning on 6 spotlights - it's okay in there though.

Stephen_Leak

StressedSteph wrote: »

I would love to turn off my oven / Microwave / dvd player etc at night, but don't you get driven crazy by the clocks on these things flashing, needing to be reset?? Thats whats always put me off from switching off at the plug. xx

I'm looking around at things like microwaves at the moment for a place of my own, and one of the criteria is no clock.

If I want a clock in the kitchen, I'll get a battery-powered radio-controlled one, which won't need to be reset twice a year and after every power cut. How's that for saving energy?

LittleTinker

I dont understand why anyone would say switch the kettle off at the socket. It doesnt use any power unless the kettle is switched on.

VickyA_2

Our DVD player is so unsophisticated that it doesn't have a clock to worry about. Nor have I ever been able to set the clock on our cooker, so it's not like it would show the correct time anyway. :rotfl:

purpleivy

LittleTinker wrote: »

I dont understand why anyone would say switch the kettle off at the socket. It doesnt use any power unless the kettle is switched on.

My parents do this and it drives me nuts, but they were told that the kettle wears out sooner if you don't do it.