Thrifty Shorts Part 2 - more groovy ways to save money, man!
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Steve Bishop
Steve Bishop is a qualified electrician and a member of NAPIT. To see his qualifications click here.
When I'm out and about doing my day job as a local electrician (I know, I'm multi-faceted), I often get asked about ways to save energy. As well as recommending LED lighting (see my previous Circuit Shorts on LEDs here) we at S W Bishop Electrical thought it would be a good idea to dedicate the occasional Circuit Shorts to money saving ideas and call it Thrifty Shorts.
Last month's Thrifty Shorts (read it here) gave you money saving ideas on your kitchen appliances. As I got such positive feedback, I decided to send around another this month and dedicate it to saving energy with your PC and home entertainment. So here goes ....
Home entertainment
Easy as abc...
If you’re buying a new TV, they now carry 'A to G' labels that rate their energy efficiency - just like those already seen on fridges and dishwashers. A-rated TVs or B-rated sets use less energy than similar televisions with a D rating. Some sets even have A+ ratings.
Size DOES matter...
Another thing to consider when buying a new TV is the size and type of screen you choose. Naturally, TVs with larger screen sizes tend to use more energy, so the rating system puts them in order of efficiency to size. This means that an A rated 60" TV could actually cost more to run than a smaller B rated 42" TV (see table below).
Typical television running costs of energy efficiency rating by screen size
Turn it off...
Don’t leave your television, DVD player, music system etc on standby, turn them off at the plug. 71% of us admit to leaving the TV on standby and this small change of habit can save a lot of energy. If you can, put your digital recorder on a separate plug socket so you can turn off everything else at the mains but keep your series link recordings
Change your mode...
Put your TV on energy-saving mode. This will dims the backlight which means the power consumption should drop by a third. If your TV doesn’t have an energy-saving mode then just dim it manually. You can drastically reduce power consumption by turning the brightness down on your TV.
Turn it down...
Turn your TV and music system down! This will not only save energy but also your ears and your relationship with the neighbours!
Blank it...
If you listen to the radio through your TV, make sure you use the radio screen blanking feature - it's a handy way to save energy. Better still, invest in a digital radio as these are even more economical to run.
All sit together ...
A family of 4, all watching television together in the same room, uses ¼ the energy of the family with TVs in 4 different rooms viewing 4 different programs (sorry to state the obvious!). So sitting in the same room is going to save bundles. A bit idealistic I agree as dad is not going to put up with much of Dick and Dom and the kids won't stick around for long when Time Team is on ...
Computers
Upgrade it...
Laptops, desktops and monitors are becoming increasingly energy-efficient, especially when you compare LCD or LED monitors with the old-style tube or CRT monitors. So investing in a newer, energy-efficient model will be cost effective in the long run.
Size DOES matter...
Get a laptop. These are far more energy-efficient than a desktop and monitor set-up and do the same job in most cases.
Turn it off...
Switch off computers, printers and scanners at the socket when not in use. Even when powered down computers still use electricity.
Send it to bed...
Set your PC to switch to hibernate after 10 minutes of inactivity. This will save energy if you forget to turn it off.
Fun but costly...
Screensavers may look pretty but they use a lot of energy by keeping the computer running. Set your monitor (as well as your PC) to switch off after 10 minutes of inactivity
Turn it down..
Turn down the brightness on the monitor. The dimmer it is the less energy it uses
Save trees as well as energy...
Don’t print things unnecessarily. By not printing you are not only saving energy, you're also saving money on paper and ink. Print double sided when you must print things out.
Turn it off...
Turn off your laptop’s Bluetooth or wireless capabilities when not in use to get some extra minutes, or even hours, out of the device before the battery dies
Mobile and gadget chargers
Charge it less...
Chargers are not huge energy consumers in their own right, but across the UK those left plugged in unnecessarily waste over £60m and are responsible for a quarter of a million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. Either use a time switch to limit the charging time or switch off the charger when the battery is fully charged. It’s not necessary to charge gadgets overnight.
Unplug 'em all...
Unplug all your gadget chargers when you're not using them. If a charger feels warm when it's plugged in but not attached to a device, it's still using energy.
And finally .... talk to your family!
… you may find you quite like them! Once a week, switch off your TV, computer, tablet, mobile phone etc and do something else. Read a book or play a board game with the kids. Better still, send the kids to bed and get cosy with the other half!
I hope you find my handy hints useful. At S W Bishop Electrical, we take energy saving very seriously, not just from an economical viewpoint but also because we feel strongly about reducing our carbon footprint.
