Do You Unplug Appliances When Not Using Them?

Discussion in Gas & Electricity started by Kitty Reeves • May 11, 2014.

  1. Kitty Reeves

    Kitty ReevesActive Member

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    So my Dad does this thing where he unplugs all the appliances (Coffemaker, electric toothbrush charger, cell phone/table charger, electric mixer, toaster, etc) he has everything connected to the TV (DVD player, soundbox, old vcr, mini computer, etc) on a power strip so he can turn it all off, because he insists that is saves electricity and saves us money. Is he really lowering our electricity bills? Or is he just driving me nuts by unplugging everything? Like really, when I go to use the TV, I have to reset everything, because it completely lost it's power and it takes 15 minutes to reset it all! Also, I go to make coffee and forget it's unplugged and come back 15 minutes later expecting to have a pot of coffee, but nope I got nada cause it's unplugged.

    So, is he saving money really, or is he just driving me crazy?
     
  2. whnuien

    whnuienActive Member

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    I'm sure your father is just driving you crazy just like my mother does to me. She believes hundred percent that by unplugging everything will saves us a big electricity bills. She even said the power will keep on running if we do not unplugged the charges, laptops, TV's and so on. I tried convincing her that the power will stop running in if the plugs were turned off but she would not believe it. I don't unplugged them at my own house, I just turn them off.
     
  3. Jessi

    Jessi<a href="http://www.quirkycookery.com">QuirkyCooke

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    Well actually, yes, energy does continue to trickle through outlets...but it's really a trickle, not a ton when a product isn't being used.

    This might help both of you convince your parents of which appliances are worth unplugging and which aren't:

    Log In

     
  4. whnuien

    whnuienActive Member

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    That's a good article Jessi, thanks a lot. I have to be honest that I never turned off or unplugged my cordless phone and modem as I use Internet at late night and I just can't be bothered to go and settle it :D But I have a doubt though because I always leave my laptop charger unplugged but both the plug switch and the laptop are turned off so I don't really see how the energy can still flow in. Well it is just me and sometimes I think too much :D
     
  5. Fauxpat

    FauxpatMember

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    My fiancee and I work. A lot. Sometimes 12+ hour days. So it only made sense to me to start unplugging certain things around the house in the morning before we left. However, we realized that we didn't actually have much plugged in all the time to begin with- we're more of a use as needed household, only plugging in appliances/electronics when we need to use them, and unplugging them and putting them away as soon as we're done. The additional step of unplugging everything didn't make much of a difference on our electric bill, so we dropped that habit.
     
  6. sully3333

    sully3333Member

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    I have a horrible habit of leaving everything plugged in. I'm not even referring to appliances, but just chargers of all sorts with no devices plugged in to them. I know that it doesn't really cost that much, but it still doesn't help.
     
  7. forextraspecialstuff

    forextraspecialstuffActive Member

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    I agree with other posters who said they think this is just driving you crazy. I did this once for a month, made sure to do it religiously because I wondered if it would be a fairly painless way to save some money. Disclaimer: the only thing I did not unplug was the TV because as you stated with everything else plugged into it, including the cable, it didn't seem worth the hassle. I don't think I saved even $3 on my electric bill, and I drove myself somewhat crazy unplugging and plugging back in. I found greater savings from just shutting things off when you don't use them, not keeping ALL of the lights on and other things of that nature.
     
  8. Kevin128672

    Kevin128672Member

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    I don't, simply because it would be too much of a hassle for such little savings. The cost of constantly charging a phone is something like a dime per year. Laptops may cost slightly more than that, but as I said, the savings are pretty much non-existent. If you wanted to persuade your dad from going crazy over unplugging appliances, I would suggest doing the research, and providing proof that he is just wasting his time.
     
  9. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

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    We tried the unplugging bit for awhile but it got to be a pain. The items that use a lot of energy like the refrig can not be unplugged. A friend of mine reduced the heat level at her place and saw a difference on her utility bill. She usually kept her house really hot but when she realized how much money lowering the temp could save her she put on a sweater.
     
  10. daleo717

    daleo717Member

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    I do turn off my computer at night time and also the electric kettle. That is about all I turn off. I think you can save a little if you turn off the computer, printer and powe rbar. I have checked my hydro bill when I have done this and it is lower for the day. You may save about 2 -5 dollars per month doing this. I also use those low energy light bulbs and they save about $5 a month also. So I guess a little bit of savings does help throughout the year. I think it would drive me crazy if I had to unplug everything after use. It's the plugging it back it that makes you C R A Z Y.
     
  11. Gavin

    GavinMember

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    I just don't think this is going to save very much energy in the end. I can understand that you may want to save a few bucks, but setting up timers and other energy efficient strategies will pay off much more in the long run than that. There tons of new age devices that will create much better energy plans, such as Nest thermostats then just unplugging everything. So I'm just not seeing this.
     
  12. H.C. Heartland

    H.C. HeartlandActive Member

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    I have heard that it saves money but it also helps save your appliances from power surges. We unplug all of our appliances if we are going to be gone more than a day. Sometimes if we see a storm is coming we unplug them just to be safe. We do use electrical strips as well but even that sends some of the electricity surging into our printers and other electronic things. I have had a lot of friends who have lost their T.V.'s because they did not unplug it before they left the house. But I can see how it would be a real pain to rest everything. I say let it go and then the first time something blows you will be the one unplugging everything.
     
  13. mikelouis

    mikelouisActive Member

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    Just switching off the appliance is enough no need to unplug it. It is not like there will be some sort of leakage current. I think it is just being paranoid. Personally I just switch off from the mains and keep it that way. Unplugging is much work for nothing as the appliance is not using any power.
     
  14. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    I only unplug those appliances that have advice of doing so in the manual, which is not that many of them. The only one I really watch out for is the electric kettle, but as for others like the microwave and toaster or TV, I don't unplug them anymore as I think they are meant to be always plugged in and it's such a chore having to fiddle with plugs and outlets whenever you decide to heat up some food or water. I'm sure that there is some amount that I would save for unplugging appliances, but I consider my time and comfort a bit more valuable.
     
  15. nangk08

    nangk08Active Member

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    No, I don't think your dad is overdoing it, I think he is smart and cautious. I read an article somewhere that, appliances left plugged in, even though they are not being used, still draw a little bit of energy and over a period of time, they add up to a lot of wasted energy. And in any case, developing a habit of unplugging devices when not being used is a clever way of avoiding short-circuits and fires that we hear about so often.
     
  16. Martinsx

    MartinsxActive Member

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    This is a very delicate issue and must be taken very seriously. I have actually witnessed a house apartment burnt down because of an unplugged electrical appliances. It was a horrible day in my neighborhood that day because something we looked at to be a trivial issue happened to be very catastrophic.

    So, immediately after that incident, I made it a point to duty to always unplug any electronic appliances I have at home because it's much more safer to be preventive than repairing.
     
  17. littlewitch66

    littlewitch66Active Member

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    I'm a bit lazy when it comes to switching off appliances but my ex partner used to do it because he said it prevented fires. I can see that might be so but he annoyingly switched of the freezer one night and if I hadn't noticed we would have lost all our food.

    I have read that over a year switching appliances off can save a considerable amount of money but I still don't do it. Maybe I should test it out and see how much I can actually save.
     
  18. Martinsx

    MartinsxActive Member

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    Haha, that's very funny. Some parents can be very silly or should I say that they are old school people, so they are thinking in a different way than how things are actually is. I think my grandmother said such thing long ago, but I just laughed over because I knew she was very wrong.
     
  19. Krissttina Isobe

    Krissttina IsobeWell-Known Member

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    I'm one that turns off appliances, tvs, heater ( I only have the main circuit on for just about 20 min. to half an hour for my shower), use the electric clock when I need it. I have a digital cable box and I wait every time for my tv all the time for I turn it off every night. The only thing I leave on is my wifi modem that I leave on 24/7 because the tech said I should leave it on. So the only thing I leave on is the refrigerator and my wifi modem. Everything else I turn off for safety and savings.
     
  20. Ray1

    Ray1Well-Known Member

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    There are a certain appliances which is okay to unplug but switching them off is enough instead of unplugging them from the socket. Besides there are some gadgets which you have to keep plugged in as they stop using energy after a while since they are controlled by thermostat. Maybe a couple of LED keep blinking but that cost you almost nothing and maybe unplugging those plugs and inserting them again would cost you more in wear and tear.