I figured out how to solve electric grid

[Skywagon]

Simply put...unplug my office.  As I look around, getting ready to ride the bike tomorrow, I see:

 

Sena plugged in and:

Phone, battery back up device, marine handheld, aviation handheld, Nav V, 2 flashlights, one headlamp, Bose portable speaker, Garmin In-Reach 2, fan plugged into PC, PC, printer, shredder,  Peloton, 2nd pc as server, router, TV, eero...That is just one room in the house.... I don't even want to think about my garage and all the rechargeable things out there.  

 

I know...let's get back to unplugging things and just use batteries we throw into landfill again....kidding of course...or am I...  How much crap do you have plugged in.

 

Energy rates in Texas are still cheap by comparison so we tend not to get rattled over electricity cost...although we may face brown outs again this year.  Current rate is 9cents per Kwh.

[BamaJohn]

Thanks for jogging me to look around.  Guilty everywhere I look!

[DakarTimm]

Well , we have 8 motorcycles on chargers . Two chargers each for the two boats . A charger for the Scat Pack and yet another for ther '66 convertible . Multiple chargers for the Milwaukke 12 volt and 18 volts cordless tools....

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

FWIW, "wall wart" chargers aren't the energy vampires they used to be.  Many years ago, they were simple iron-core transformers, which wasted significant amounts of energy even when the device plugged into them was switched off.  These days, they're all switched-mode power supplies.  They're considerably more complex inside, but one of their advantages is that when the device plugged into them stops drawing power, the energy wasted by the SMPS is just about zero.  So don't worry about all the battery-powered devices that you're charging, or the various other devices that are actually turned off: when not in use, the energy wasted by the power supply itself becomes negligible.

 

OTOH, yeah, all those other devices add up.  We have a Tivo with a HDD that spins 24/7, and I've measured it at 40 watts.  My old computer speakers consumed 20 watts just for being turned on, and I generally left them on all the time.  They died a couple of years ago, and I replaced them with something newer that draws only 5 watts when not in use (guessing they're built around a class D amp).  Add in the router, the cable modem, and (if never allowed to sleep) a PC.

 

The biggest energy sin in our house is probably the 65" flatscreen.  It's plasma, not LCD/LED, so it's a real power hog, pulling as much as 700 watts when displaying a really bright image (this is a double-sin, because then our air conditioner has to pump that wasted heat out of the house).  It's 15 years old now, so I expect we'll be replacing it with the latest and greatest someday soon; a new 65" LED model uses less than 100 watts.

 

 

 

 

[Rougarou]

Thanks for the reminder, I just unplugged the heat pumps, water heater and refrigerators so the important stuff can stay plugged up.

[Skywagon]

I didnt unplug anything, just put tape over the lights. Problem solved

[taylor1]

If I could just get it through my wife's head how to use a light switch, that would be a great start for me  

[John Ranalletta]

10 minutes ago, taylor1 said:

If I could just get it through my wife's head how to use a light switch, that would be a great start for me  

I'll not mention who they are but when they stay with us, they NEVER, EVER turn off lights when they leave a room.  I'm often tempted to ask, "When you take a shower, why do you turn the water off?" and draw the comparison to lights;  however, there's always a small price to pay for peace amongst us.

[John Ranalletta]

1 hour ago, Joe Frickin' Friday said:

FWIW, "wall wart" chargers aren't the energy vampires they used to be.  Many years ago, they were simple iron-core transformers, which wasted significant amounts of energy even when the device plugged into them was switched off.  These days, they're all switched-mode power supplies.  They're considerably more complex inside, but one of their advantages is that when the device plugged into them stops drawing power, the energy wasted by the SMPS is just about zero.  So don't worry about all the battery-powered devices that you're charging, or the various other devices that are actually turned off: when not in use, the energy wasted by the power supply itself becomes negligible.

 

OTOH, yeah, all those other devices add up.  We have a Tivo with a HDD that spins 24/7, and I've measured it at 40 watts.  My old computer speakers consumed 20 watts just for being turned on, and I generally left them on all the time.  They died a couple of years ago, and I replaced them with something newer that draws only 5 watts when not in use (guessing they're built around a class D amp).  Add in the router, the cable modem, and (if never allowed to sleep) a PC.

 

The biggest energy sin in our house is probably the 65" flatscreen.  It's plasma, not LCD/LED, so it's a real power hog, pulling as much as 700 watts when displaying a really bright image (this is a double-sin, because then our air conditioner has to pump that wasted heat out of the house).  It's 15 years old now, so I expect we'll be replacing it with the latest and greatest someday soon; a new 65" LED model uses less than 100 watts.

 

 

 

 

Electric clothes dryers are energy eaters.  I'm interested in the new, heat pump versions.

[John Ranalletta]

10 hours ago, Skywagon said:

Simply put...unplug my office.  As I look around, getting ready to ride the bike tomorrow, I see:

 

Sena plugged in and:

Phone, battery back up device, marine handheld, aviation handheld, Nav V, 2 flashlights, one headlamp, Bose portable speaker, Garmin In-Reach 2, fan plugged into PC, PC, printer, shredder,  Peloton, 2nd pc as server, router, TV, eero...That is just one room in the house.... I don't even want to think about my garage and all the rechargeable things out there.  

 

I know...let's get back to unplugging things and just use batteries we throw into landfill again....kidding of course...or am I...  How much crap do you have plugged in.

 

Energy rates in Texas are still cheap by comparison so we tend not to get rattled over electricity cost...although we may face brown outs again this year.  Current rate is 9cents per Kwh.

 

None of this would be an issue if we engaged in a balls to the walls effort (like China and India) to build out nuclear.  Energy would be so cheap powering the economy and meeting the need to build out data centers to support AI (where China and India will have an advantage).