UN Plug Everything CHALLENGE!

[KD0DKI]

We live in an instant on society if you want to save start right at home. Keep track of what you are doing so you will see if it works or not. You have to track it for 6 months. Get your electric bills for the last 6 months as a reference.

Unplug everything that is not in use, toasters, microwave ovens, TV's, radios, computers, and even some lamps use power when not in use.
Get rid of the old mercury switch thermostat (dispose of properly) and get a setback (without a display).

Everything that has a clock or a memory of some kind draws power.

They all draw if not unplugged, it's a little inconvenient but if you save $150+ a year on your electric bill... That’s 3 tanks of gas for you and less fuel of all kinds used by the power company’s nuke, coal, natural gas, oil etc...

Put them on a power strip and just push 2 buttons.

How many alarm clocks do you have, first person up wakes up everyone else. If you need to know what time it is, you're late already ;-)

Get rid of the old tube monitor and get an LCD they draw less power and don't just let it sleep unplug it.

Shovel the snow don't get the snow blower our (check your health) it's a great work out!
Get a push mower if you have a very small yard (city type lot) again it's a great work out.
Put in more garden that isn't mowed, grow your own ;-) veggies, another great work out!
Go to bed when it gets dark and get up when it gets light, our grand parents had all this knowledge and told us, and we didn't listen.

[kr2d]

Unplug everything that is not in use, toasters, microwave ovens, TV's, radios, computers, and even some lamps use power when not in use.

Good idea, but try getting a couple of teenagers to go along with that. They can't even remember to turn off the lights, put dishes away, hang up wet towels, etc.

Get rid of the old mercury switch thermostat (dispose of properly)

But mercury is fun to play with!

Shovel the snow don't get the snow blower our (check your health) it's a great work out!
No way! My driveway is 128 feet long, 14 feet wide plus a 20 by 20 foot parking area. Most of it is on a steep hill. Even with a snowblower it's a heavy workout.


Get a push mower if you have a very small yard (city type lot) again it's a great work out.
Put in more garden that isn't mowed, grow your own ;-) veggies, another great work out!

Yard is just slightly too big to handle with a standard push mower (.7 acre). In retrospect, I should have purchased a professional walk-behind mower instead of a tractor. The tractor is a hassle on the steep hill in the front, and I have a lot of trees, rocks, small garderns, etc to mow around. I want to let the yard go mostly back to forest (which is actually preferred and encouraged in my neighborhood), but the XYL likes the lawn. But guess who gets to take care of it. :confused:

Go to bed when it gets dark and get up when it gets light, our grand parents had all this knowledge and told us, and we didn't listen.

No. See my sig line below for my feelings about getting up early.

I know how to knock a huge chunk out of my power bill. I've got 4 PCs that run 24x7. If I could get power management in the OS to actually work correctly, that would help a lot. The other thing is our HVAC air handler that we run 24x7 to keep the air filtered of pollen, dust, cat dander and other allergens. A new air handler with a low speed setting would help a lot, but a good one costs $2500. I keep waiting for the 36 year old Lennox to break, but it just keeps going. Previous owner also ran it 24x7 - it's been on continuously for over 25 years except for power failures and maintenance.

[kq9j]

All right, I can't stand it anymore. Will someone PLEASE tell me how the ____ a TOASTER draws any current when it is plugged in and not in use? I don't mean some fancy toaster with electronics in it...I mean your BASIC TOASTER???? As I recall, the last time I tried to repair a toaster, either it was on, or off depending on whether the lever was down or not.

My daughter came home and unplugged the damn toaster the other day. She said she learned it was using energy. Yet she didn't unplug the microwave, the stove, her computer, the TV, all those things are using energy when off.

Is idiocy that rampant?

Nevermind.

[KC2TAU]

All right, I can't stand it anymore. Will someone PLEASE tell me how the ____ a TOASTER draws any current when it is plugged in and not in use? I don't mean some fancy toaster with electronics in it...I mean your BASIC TOASTER???? As I recall, the last time I tried to repair a toaster, either it was on, or off depending on whether the lever was down or not.

My daughter came home and unplugged the damn toaster the other day. She said she learned it was using energy. Yet she didn't unplug the microwave, the stove, her computer, the TV, all those things are using energy when off.

Is idiocy that rampant?

Nevermind.


The toaster is clearly the easiest to unplug,everything else requires effort! :P

[KC7YPJ]

ah so many parts of that don't jive with reality it isn't even funny...

an hour plowing snow and another 30min to an hour snowblowing the banks back
do you have any idea how long it would take to do by hand? and I'm lucky, I have friends that can spend 8-14 hours just clearing out the road into there house from the main road after a moderate storm with "mild" winds using multiple gnarly 4x4's with plows.

get up at dawn sleep at dusk, are you kidding me, work for many starts well before dawn and ends well after dark (was the same for my parents and grandparents), besides my alarm is my cell phone so no extra cost there.

a garden would be nice, if there was someone with free time to maintain it. riding mower vs push mower (motorized, no way in hell do I try to mow the back yard with a manual push mower) see again the free time statement, it's 6 of one half dozen of the other, rider uses more fuel but takes less time, so it's a wash on cost to operate, and a huge win in the free time department.

multiple servers running here 24/7 along with everything running on ups, wich incidentally come on when you kill the power so thats a bust.

I'd kill to get rid of these crt's at least this one (noisy as hell on hf) but that would require a substantial investment for new gtg fast response lcd's (donations gladly accepted)

throw in the convenience lost and the fact that all it takes is a couple small projects involving welding and it's a lost cause anyway..

chalk it up to the old adage "Time is Money" the time saved not having to do a lap through the house everytime you want to use something is well worth the cost in the end

[KB3PXR]

While you are at it, ditch the cordless telephones. These things use electricity to do the same thing that a corded phone does (except operate without cords). A corded telephone that does not plug into a power outlet draws the small amount of power that it needs from the telephone company.

[n9lya]

No thanks I will pay my bills and enjoy my life as I wish..

If you want to save money fire the man in office...

73 Jerry


We live in an instant on society if you want to save start right at home. Keep track of what you are doing so you will see if it works or not. You have to track it for 6 months. Get your electric bills for the last 6 months as a reference.

Unplug everything that is not in use, toasters, microwave ovens, TV's, radios, computers, and even some lamps use power when not in use.
Get rid of the old mercury switch thermostat (dispose of properly) and get a setback (without a display).

Everything that has a clock or a memory of some kind draws power.

They all draw if not unplugged, it's a little inconvenient but if you save $150+ a year on your electric bill... That’s 3 tanks of gas for you and less fuel of all kinds used by the power company’s nuke, coal, natural gas, oil etc...

Put them on a power strip and just push 2 buttons.

How many alarm clocks do you have, first person up wakes up everyone else. If you need to know what time it is, you're late already ;-)

Get rid of the old tube monitor and get an LCD they draw less power and don't just let it sleep unplug it.

Shovel the snow don't get the snow blower our (check your health) it's a great work out!
Get a push mower if you have a very small yard (city type lot) again it's a great work out.
Put in more garden that isn't mowed, grow your own ;-) veggies, another great work out!
Go to bed when it gets dark and get up when it gets light, our grand parents had all this knowledge and told us, and we didn't listen.

[WA2ZDY]

While you are at it, ditch the cordless telephones. These things use electricity to do the same thing that a corded phone does (except operate without cords). A corded telephone that does not plug into a power outlet draws the small amount of power that it needs from the telephone company.

Not here in fibreoptic land. The phone company doesn't give us any juice. In fact, their UPS is plugged into my outlet in the garage.

[N2RJ]

Not here in fibreoptic land. The phone company doesn't give us any juice. In fact, their UPS is plugged into my outlet in the garage.

Same here in cable TV phone territory.

[N9MOQ]

Unplug everything that is not in use, toasters, microwave ovens, TV's, radios, computers, and even some lamps use power when not in use.

Get rid of the old tube monitor and get an LCD they draw less power and don't just let it sleep unplug it.

Shovel the snow don't get the snow blower.

And then after you did all that, power up your Ham Radio so you can contact someone hundreds of miles away with enough power to get those tubes nice and red hot.

Just kidding, throw all you Ham Radio equipment away because it uses electricity! Use a pencil and paper and WRITE letters under candle light to send to your Ham friends instead! Use only recycled paper, and if you can, bring the letter to the Post Office on foot or by bicycle so you don't use any gas. Tell the Post Office to do the same when they deliver it.

Then go home and sit on the cold hard floor and try to move as little as possible, so you don't require as much food and water, and not to breathe, as exhaling produces carbon dioxide. In fact, there is no need for your heart to beat at all, pumping blood for no good reason, since you aren't going to be doing anything, so just turn it off.

When we are all dead, we leave a much smaller carbon footprint.

Just make sure to write a note that no one waste trees on a coffin and don't use electricity to cremate you. (write the note on recycled paper with earth friendly green pencils.)

Hey.... are you reading this right now on a COMPUTER?!?!

TURN IT OFF NOW!!!

[ai4ep]

I like reading all of your responses to a dude that tries his best to tell you how to run your own life.

He does not live where you live, go through the day-to-day situations of the yard, the house, occupants...but he can try his best to tell you how to run your own life.


interesting to read .

when are one of you going to tell the original post person where to go and how to get there ?

He aint trying to help, he is trying to boss you folks around.

[ky5u]

Another suggestion is to use a long extension cord and plug into your neighbor's outdoor outlet to run your stuff at night.

[KC7YPJ]

because reacting like I would in person isn't possible (can't grab them by the throat and knock some sense into them)

[WA2ZDY]

I like reading all of your responses to a dude that tries his best to tell you how to run your own life.

He does not live where you live, go through the day-to-day situations of the yard, the house, occupants...but he can try his best to tell you how to run your own life.


Sounds like he's ready for a career in politics though.

[KC0ZQA]

I might have an epilectic seizure from all the electronic clocks flashing 12:00 if I unplug them and then plug them back in. ;)

[AG3Y]

Pure hogwash! I just saw one of those Public Service ads from the Power company ( of all places ) telling me to contribute to "the green earth" by unpluging my toaster, coffee maker, clocks, microwave, etc. etc. The catch is, they don't want to work so hard to supply all the electricity that drives all those devices ( how much are we actually talking about here ? ), but and this is a big BUT , a recent ruling gave them the right to charge MORE for distributing LESS actual KWH to the consumer in order to keep their profits UP! Of course, that is because they are a PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY and we certainly wouldn't want our PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANIES to lose any profits, now, would we ?

Here in Maryland, thanks to the lifting of the profit caps by the PS Commission, I believe that we will eventually pay MORE for the electricity that we DO use than we are paying for the amount we use, NOW, no matter HOW MUCH we try to conserve! :eek: :mad:

[AC0FP]

We live in an instant on society if you want to save start right at home. Keep track of what you are doing so you will see if it works or not. You have to track it for 6 months. Get your electric bills for the last 6 months as a reference.

Unplug everything that is not in use, toasters, microwave ovens, TV's, radios, computers, and even some lamps use power when not in use.
Get rid of the old mercury switch thermostat (dispose of properly) and get a setback (without a display).

Everything that has a clock or a memory of some kind draws power.

They all draw if not unplugged, it's a little inconvenient but if you save $150+ a year on your electric bill... That’s 3 tanks of gas for you and less fuel of all kinds used by the power company’s nuke, coal, natural gas, oil etc...

Put them on a power strip and just push 2 buttons.

How many alarm clocks do you have, first person up wakes up everyone else. If you need to know what time it is, you're late already ;-)

Get rid of the old tube monitor and get an LCD they draw less power and don't just let it sleep unplug it.

Shovel the snow don't get the snow blower our (check your health) it's a great work out!
Get a push mower if you have a very small yard (city type lot) again it's a great work out.
Put in more garden that isn't mowed, grow your own ;-) veggies, another great work out!
Go to bed when it gets dark and get up when it gets light, our grand parents had all this knowledge and told us, and we didn't listen.

Please tell me your kidding, am I right?

[K8ERV]

I suggest you must measure every item in the off position, using a current meter or the GREAT Kill-A-Watt plug-in measure-everything gadget. (Many years ago I had a Drake satellite receiver that drew 65W in the off position. I fixed that in a hurry).

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

[ad5mb]

In 1993, I saw the meter reader going to do his thing. I noted the time and started unplugging everything. Ran maximum miser mode for a month, until I saw the guy again.

Electric bill: $78

When I saw the guy again, I went hog wild. Every light on, every radio on, yard all lit up...

Electric bill: $83

Most of your electric bill is for the honor of being connected.

[wa9cwx]

Livinging responsibly in the world today requires each of us to act as ambassadors for our future generations of 'Earth Sharing' occupants.

'Going Green' is essential.

I have personally taken on the responsibility of unplugging EVERY unused appliance from EVERY outlet I have seen in the last 2 years, without exception.

I have ALSO unplugged some IN USE devices.

Not ALL were a good idea.....

Like the fan above my friends stove when he was cooking steaks (Fire alarm went off).

Or the VCR which my XYL had set to record the last episode of her favorite TV program (we were going out that night).

The pump in my daughters basement (it rained two days later, $2350.00 worth of furniture damage, $1500.00 in re-modeling costs).

My neighbors automatic garage opener (His wife broke the garage door and did $1400.00 damage to her new Honda).

My burglar alarm system (STILL explaining the 'Green' concept to State Farm).

And, perhapse in a bit too hasty a move, my sister in laws' Ventilator in the ER.

[AC0FP]

Living responsibly in the world today requires each of us to act as ambassadors for our future generations of 'Earth Sharing' occupants.

'Going Green' is essential.

I have personally taken on the responsibility of unplugging EVERY unused appliance from EVERY outlet I have seen in the last 2 years, without exception.

And, perhapse in a bit too hasty a move, my sister in laws' Ventilator in the ER.

Oh! That doesn't sound good, however, your mother-in-laws ventilator I could possibly understand.

In retrospect, I guess I never met your late sister-in-law.

[ka0sog]

I am beginning to think Al Gore is right, I am going native. Just like Dances with Wolves. I am going to hunt game year around and live off the land. I am getting me a teepee and burn meadow muffins for firewood. I can communicate with my friends with smoke signals.

Wait a minute ...... I can't take game out of season; if I burn meadow muffins I generate carbon emissions and end up with a big carbon footprint anyway.

Oh well back to power company.

[wz0o]

I quit on the push mower line. If I started on Monday working 10 hrs a day pushing the mower I might be done by Friday. 1008 feet by 1230 feet is just too much to cut by hand.
73

[kb3laz]

We live in an instant on society if you want to save start right at home. Keep track of what you are doing so you will see if it works or not. You have to track it for 6 months. Get your electric bills for the last 6 months as a reference.

Unplug everything that is not in use, toasters, microwave ovens, TV's, radios, computers, and even some lamps use power when not in use.
Get rid of the old mercury switch thermostat (dispose of properly) and get a setback (without a display).

Everything that has a clock or a memory of some kind draws power.

They all draw if not unplugged, it's a little inconvenient but if you save $150+ a year on your electric bill... That’s 3 tanks of gas for you and less fuel of all kinds used by the power company’s nuke, coal, natural gas, oil etc...

Put them on a power strip and just push 2 buttons.

How many alarm clocks do you have, first person up wakes up everyone else. If you need to know what time it is, you're late already ;-)

Get rid of the old tube monitor and get an LCD they draw less power and don't just let it sleep unplug it.

Shovel the snow don't get the snow blower our (check your health) it's a great work out!
Get a push mower if you have a very small yard (city type lot) again it's a great work out.
Put in more garden that isn't mowed, grow your own ;-) veggies, another great work out!
Go to bed when it gets dark and get up when it gets light, our grand parents had all this knowledge and told us, and we didn't listen.

A mercury out of thermostat= explosive hollow point :D
B no tubes - but I like tubes
C unplug everything- but I have 500 gallons worth of fish tank, my fish will die
D shovel snow- driveway is to big
E push mow - I have 6 acres, lol
F Garden - well I already have 4 greenhouses
G Got to bed at dark, get up at first light+ the alarm clock thing,
everyone in my household works different shifts.

Nope dont think this is going to work, lol.

[N4AUD]

We live in an instant on society if you want to save start right at home. Keep track of what you are doing so you will see if it works or not. You have to track it for 6 months. Get your electric bills for the last 6 months as a reference.

Unplug everything that is not in use, toasters, microwave ovens, TV's, radios, computers, and even some lamps use power when not in use.
Get rid of the old mercury switch thermostat (dispose of properly) and get a setback (without a display).

Everything that has a clock or a memory of some kind draws power.

They all draw if not unplugged, it's a little inconvenient but if you save $150+ a year on your electric bill... That’s 3 tanks of gas for you and less fuel of all kinds used by the power company’s nuke, coal, natural gas, oil etc...

Put them on a power strip and just push 2 buttons.

How many alarm clocks do you have, first person up wakes up everyone else. If you need to know what time it is, you're late already ;-)

Get rid of the old tube monitor and get an LCD they draw less power and don't just let it sleep unplug it.

Shovel the snow don't get the snow blower our (check your health) it's a great work out!
Get a push mower if you have a very small yard (city type lot) again it's a great work out.
Put in more garden that isn't mowed, grow your own ;-) veggies, another great work out!
Go to bed when it gets dark and get up when it gets light, our grand parents had all this knowledge and told us, and we didn't listen.

The $150 I might save isn't worth the inconvenience.

Here's a concept: How about the power companies start producing more electricity in ways that don't pollute, like hydroelectric, solar and wind? How about devices that use alternate sources of energy? The way you've described is neither, IMHO, the smart solution or the easy solution.

Sorry, I'm not going back to being a caveman.

[ab9lz]

We have nuclear power around here, say what you will, at least there is no carbon footprint.

The bigger problem are the friggen 4 ton suv's that everyone around here seems to have.

Fortunately, between the price of fuel, and the plethora of cellphone related traffic accidents, that appears to be a self correcting problem.

73 m/4

[N8CPA]

No, I can't do anything about your sasquatchean carbon footprint. And I don't have a Nobel prize or Oscar to my credit, but I can help alleviate any guilt you feel over your RF footprint. I sell RF offsets, the same way Al Gore sells C offsets, to assuage the consciences of conspicuous consumers.

King G claims to use the proceeds from such sales for reforestation. I do something similar. Proceeds from the sales of RF offsets go to my antenna farm.

Any takers?

[va7aax]

Ok, I blindly pulled out all wires, AC plugs and went to the hamshack and can't figure out what goes where? HELP

[N8CPA]

Hey! Aren't Collins and Heath boat anchors already green?

[n8yx]

This horsehockey was suggested a while back at my workplace. Like 10 years ago. Our cleaning crew was given the go-ahead to 'power down' any monitors, desktop workstations and other "non-used" office equipment which was left powered up after normal business hours.

The practice lasted just long enough for them to turn off the workstation of a developer who had a software project that was critical to business...was behind schedule...and took almost 24h to compile from start to finish. The switch was thrown even though a big "DO NOT TURN EQUIPMENT OFF!" sign was prominently displayed on the gent's monitor...

[AG3Y]

Yea, that sure saved them a LOT of MONEY, didn't it ? ! ? !

[ai4ep]

this thread is about as worthless as some of mine....with a 4 page life like most of mine have....too.

[N9MOQ]

In 1993, I saw the meter reader going to do his thing. I noted the time and started unplugging everything. Ran maximum miser mode for a month, until I saw the guy again.

Electric bill: $78

When I saw the guy again, I went hog wild. Every light on, every radio on, yard all lit up...

Electric bill: $83

Most of your electric bill is for the honor of being connected.

I have done the very same experiments with the gas and electric here with the same results, only the numbers were even closer yet.

It doesn't matter how much gas you use to heat your home, the cost goes up in the winter months just because they figure you will think it is because you use your heater more. But in fact, hardly using it at all, or leaving it on full blast for a month, the cost is the same.

One month we are misers with the air conditioning and heat, the next month we leave them on 24/7, and don't notice a difference in the bills.

[wa9cwx]

One of the BIGGEST uses of energy, that did NOT even get a start until the last few decades, is this daily SHOWER routine.

In summer, I sometimes take 2 or 3 showers a day! :eek:

THAT IS DONE !

No more bathing, maybe, MAYBE once a year, on my birthday, but ONLY in cold water, and ONLY without any waste. ( I will use the water for cooking when I am done).

As for my ham gear...DONE! NO more using it by consuming electricity!
I can look at it, and make noises verbally, talking, mouthing CW tones, and static-like sounds. ( if I get a hoarse voice, I can be DX)

And JUST to be up on his program, I WANT A HOUSE JUST LIKE BIG AL's.

[wa9cwx]

Hey, anyone remember (SURE YOU DO, ADMIT IT) the 'Instant on' TV's of the 50's and 60's.

As I recall, EVERYTHING except the B+ stayed on, ALL the time......The 'on-off' switch just grounded the center tap, I suspect, like a 'Stby' switch....At least that is how I remember it, I will stand corrected however !!

Frank