Phil
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RIP 23-Oct-2018
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Post by Phil on Feb 6, 2007 16:40:10 GMT
I needed to check how and where my elcetricity was going after the last bill. Amongst other things I found that the PC was costing me no less than £18 per MONTH by leaving it on 24/7.
Apart from the cost, it's obviously also adding that (unnecessary) little bit to global warming .....
Of course I can't save all of that - the PC does get used (!) but it's a thought as to how much I can realistically save. Must be far more than switching off the odd low-energy light bulb......
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2007 17:10:18 GMT
I'm surprised it's as little as that if it's always on. That cheers me up as it means must only cost me about £1.50 per month to run mine for about 2 hours a day.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2007 19:03:57 GMT
The average office/home PC uses around 100 watts on idle, taking into account Power Supply Unit inefficiencies. Probably around 150 watts extracting that zip file.
Or if you have a nice graphics card and fire up BVE, that goes up to 200 or more! ;D
You can add 50 watts on top of all those figures for your Monitor. Easiest way to save the planet is to turn them off rather than leaving screensavers. Standby still uses 3 watts.
But them, some people find leaving PCs on cheaper than buying legitimate products.
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Chris M
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Post by Chris M on Feb 6, 2007 19:29:37 GMT
A CRT monitor also uses a huge amount more power than an LCD one does.
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Phil
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Posts: 9,473
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Post by Phil on Feb 6, 2007 19:43:04 GMT
Yes, but my figures (measured not calculated) are WITH an LCD screen and powersave activated after 30 mins non-use.
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Post by Chris W on Feb 6, 2007 20:43:49 GMT
The company that I am employed by (which shall remain nameless) is already conducting work into the savings by turning off machines, reducing printers etc etc. The figures they are quoting are incredible when multiplied across the whole organisation re cost & environmental saving. The issue is one of education and changing culture - not easy. On the other hand, every time a machine is switched on, a bolt/surge of electricity does pump though it. Doing this day-in, day-out, can reduce its life by burning out component parts prematurely - this has to be weighed against the fact that most hardware will be redundant/out-of-date within 3 years  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2007 1:15:40 GMT
Swapping out the power supply for a higher efficiency unit can help. Bit Tech (bit-tech.net I think) ran some articles about this. Also some BIOS's support different suspend states which can reduce power on standby. Finally a lower power CPU like the Intel Core series or Via Epia will also help by reducing both power consumption and cooling (fewer/slower fans).
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2007 19:20:17 GMT
Experts suggest that, for each lightbulb you change to a low energy one, this saves you £6 a year.
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Post by donnytom on Feb 7, 2007 19:29:03 GMT
A problem with energy-saving bulbs is that the packaging seems to lie. A bulb which declares itself to be equivalent to 60w doesn't seem to fulfil this promise. I've found that the bulbs which replace 75w bulbs are more suitable. Or maybe it depends on the manufacturer. Don't be tempted to buy one from a poundshop: I did once, and the light it produced was almost blue!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2007 19:31:49 GMT
I've found the GE brand to be best - bought a pack of three 'equivalent to 60w' energy saving bulbs from Homebase, one ceased working within a week, another kept flickering, even when the bulb wasnt even switched on, so I chucked that out.
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Post by donnytom on Feb 7, 2007 19:38:15 GMT
Some good-value ones I've found are under the Lyvia brand in Boyes shops, which won't be familiar to anyone south of Nottinghamshire. They're about £2.50 per bulb and come in different spiral or tube styles. Best bargain was found in Asda, which was selling discontinued Philips bulbs for 47p each!
Possibly one of the biggest barriers (aside from initial cost) to wider use of energy-savers is their size. They aren't so bad now that 4U and spiral shapes replaced 2U in the cheaper market, but many will still be too big to look good in some light fittings, regardless of whether they're globe-shaped or not.
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Post by Dmitri on Feb 7, 2007 21:23:24 GMT
the PC was costing me no less than £18 per MONTH by leaving it on 24/7.  My last electricity bill was approx. £5... A problem with energy-saving bulbs is that the packaging seems to lie. A bulb which declares itself to be equivalent to 60w doesn't seem to fulfil this promise. I've found that the bulbs which replace 75w bulbs are more suitable. Look at the actual power consumption of the lamp. Most manufacturers try to make us think that a fluorescent bulbs can replace incandescent lamps that consume 5 times more electricity. However, I find those claims to be somewhat exaggerated, and 3.5-4 multiplier seem to be close to the reality. E.g. a 20 W energy-saving bulb is closer to the 75 W incandescent lamp. From my experience, it does depend. Fluorescent bulbs can have different colour temperatures. The one that is marked 'warmlight', or '2700 K', will produce light similar to that of incandescent lamps. The one that is marked 'daylight', or '6000 K', will produce a light that looks 'bluish' at night. Just choose one you like more. Possibly one of the biggest barriers (aside from initial cost) to wider use of energy-savers is their size. Agree to both (for me, an energy-saving lamp will pay off after 3 years of use, 3 hours each day). However, some light fittings limit power of the lamps that can be used, and energy-saving bulbs come in handy. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2007 21:32:24 GMT
The one thing I find annoying is that you cant yet get Energy saving bulbs in the mini bayonet cap...
£5 for electric? [converts to rouble]
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Post by Dmitri on Feb 7, 2007 21:43:07 GMT
£5 for electric? [converts to rouble] Yes, ~235 roubles, ~50 roubles/pound. In addition to my previous post: just in case someone doesn't know - energy-saving bulbs cannot be used with dimmers. Also, they can fail to start on the cold. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2007 21:48:57 GMT
In the last 100 days, I've used £24 worth of Electric. Shudder to think how much my gas bill will cost me!
So, 235 roubles, is that considered expensive compared to the percentage of pay?
I'm still waiting for British [via Norway] Gas to get back to me regarding my complaint...
I've noticed that my energy saving bulbs take a while to get going in a cold room.
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Post by donnytom on Feb 7, 2007 22:06:00 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2007 22:10:40 GMT
Hmm, have to do a bit on online shopping and run the risk of having them smashed...
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Post by donnytom on Feb 7, 2007 22:13:44 GMT
Look at the actual power consumption of the lamp. Most manufacturers try to make us think that a fluorescent bulbs can replace incandescent lamps that consume 5 times more electricity. However, I find those claims to be somewhat exaggerated, and 3.5-4 multiplier seem to be close to the reality. E.g. a 20 W energy-saving bulb is closer to the 75 W incandescent lamp. Fluorescent bulbs can have different colour temperatures. The one that is marked 'warmlight', or '2700 K', will produce light similar to that of incandescent lamps. The one that is marked 'daylight', or '6000 K', will produce a light that looks 'bluish' at night. Just choose one you like more. I agree. It's annoying because some people might try energy-saving bulbs and think that they're rubbish because of this, and would switch back to incandescent bulbs! Thanks for the information about the colours! |
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Post by donnytom on Feb 7, 2007 22:14:53 GMT
Hmm, have to do a bit on online shopping and run the risk of having them smashed... The department shop Barnitts in York sells all sorts of shapes, sizes and fittings of energy-saver, which isn't much use to you, but a local supplier might have some. That TLC shop has branches in Coulsdon, Croydon, Enfield, Merton, Penge, Maidstone, Medway and Tunbridge Wells (and elsewhere) if that's any use? |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2007 22:26:16 GMT
They're all fairly close by... I'll have a butchers at some point.
STILL NOT SNOWING! Grrrr!!!
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Chris M
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Post by Chris M on Feb 7, 2007 22:39:07 GMT
Latest I heard re the snow is that its due to hit during the morning rush hour...
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Post by Dmitri on Feb 7, 2007 23:09:36 GMT
So, 235 roubles, is that considered expensive compared to the percentage of pay? For my pay cheque, it is negligible. But I get much more than e.g. pensioners... |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2007 23:12:02 GMT
probably the same situation all over the world; for those on low income, it is a huge percentage...
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My last electricity bill was approx. £5...
