I always switch off all electrical appliances whenever I am leaving my home for work or any other place. I'd disconnect my refrigerator and put off the water heater. The simple reason why I do this is in an effort to cut down on electricity bill. A friend did advice I should at least always leave the refrigerator on because of food, drinks and water there, but I have been able to manage the whole thing without food or drinks going bad.
Wow, that's some conscientious energy saving on your part. There are lots of things that can be turned off or unplugged while you're out and even while you're sleeping. I wouldn't unplug my fridge though. I wouldn't want to take a chance on getting sick or having food go to waste, which would just mean spending more money to replace it. Replacing the food would cost more than any savings that could be gained. I do turn off as much as I can before leaving the house. I have also started using more energy efficient appliances and light bulbs. I was surprised by the big difference they made. I have started trying to do things like laundry during non-peak hours as well.
There was a time when electricity bill was like a nightmare for me. Then I decided to take deliberate efforts to bring it down. The first thing I did was to replace all normal bulbs with LEDs. I also started following a routine of switching off/not to use all major power eating appliances at least during peak hours when electricity rate was supposed to be very high. When there is any grinding or motoring is required I postponed it to after peak hours when the rates are very low. Finally my efforts start showing results. I think the major step was to replace bulbs with LEDs. There is a two way advantage – LEDs are very energy efficient and at the same time it got a very long life. I could save upto 50-60% on my electricity bills..lol. Now I am also looking for the possibilities of installing a solar panel which could cover a major part of my electricity expenses.
Your friend was right about not switching off the fridge especially if there is food in it. The only time you should switch off a fridge is if you are going away or a long period of time, or when you move out. It's actually bad for the fridge, and while you may think the food doesn't go off, it can do and isn't worth the risk. What you can do is put the fridge on a lower setting so it uses less power, but switching it off is not a good idea and in the long run will damage the fridge.
I do following things in order to cut electricity. I switch off light and any electrical devices when I am out of home. I use solar power as alternate power source. I keep the fridge in low temperature in winter, when there is no food I switch it off. I use CFL or LED lamps that use lesser power. I try to buy clothes that do not need ironing, jeans for instance.
I don't think it is wise to turn off the refrigerator every day when not in use. A technician had advised us against it because it can damage the compressor. But with the appliances, we are using the surge protector with a switch, that's where we plug in the appliances. And when we're done watching tv, we switch off the surge protector which completely disconnects the tv from the power source. Especially the digibox connected to the tv, it is consuming power even when turned off as long as it is plugged to the power socket. We also do not leave the water dispenser running overnight, we turn off the surge protector.
Turning off the refrigerator can cause food to go bad. Therefore, unless it's an emergency you should never do it. However, a person can turn off nearly anything else off to save money. Nonetheless, I could be wrong. Are there any 2nd opinions?
In our household we cut down electricity by turning off the refrigerator if there's no important goods that needs to be refrigerated. When we cook, we always use the Induction stove than LPG, I know the purpose of this discussion is to cut down electricity but then it settles down in the end to our monthly bills. Induction cooking saves us 80-90% the price on buying an LPG per month! You think that crazy but it's true. Anyway, in addition to the main topic, many of you prefer doing the laundry on a washing machine, although it saves time, we still prefer doing the manual laundry because it's not only you are saving electricity, you are also promoting your physical health.
This is really good advice. A power strip or surge protector makes it much simpler and quicker to disconnect everything at once. We suggested this for our daughter who would never remember to disconnect stuff. It's so much easier with the flick of one switch. That sounds like a much better choice to me. It would still allow for some savings, but without the risk of ruining the food or the appliance. I guess it depends on what is being stored as well. Some food items have certain temperatures that are optimal or even required. I'd pay attention to that when determining an appropriate setting.
I do that when I am not having actual foodstuffs that I know can easily go bad within the hours I'm away at work. I wouldn't put off the refrigerator if I have raw protein like meat or fish in there. But if they are just some sorts of fruits, canned drinks, then I can put it off to minimise power usage.
i don't shut down the fridge because i don't want to over stress the compressor. but i have installed LED's, shut down water heater, and weatherproofed all doors and windows Also, don't leave all those chargers in the wall as all of those energy trickles add up over a month.
There are some other good options for conserving energy as well. A smart thermostat can be a handy option. You can set it to turn the heat/air up or down at certain times. You can adjust the setting to be very low while you are away and have it turn on the heat or air just before you arrive back home after work or whatever. You can also set it to turn everything down low at night when everyone is asleep. Other options include light timers and things of that nature. Having a light come on just before you return home can be welcoming, without leaving that light on all day while you're away from home.
The best way to cut on electricity costs would be to purchase prepaid electricity so that you use electricity within your own limits. Postpaid electricity is like a credit card and confers little in terms of discipline when using it. Its good to have your own meter if you live in a rented apartment so that you pay only for your own electricity costs. There are also new generation energy saving bulbs which are tube like and save on wattage.
Because of some saving energy measures I have adapted, my monthly electricity consumption had be considerably reduced. We are scheduling on the time and the use of the television, DVD player, handy sound system and the turning on and off of the stand fans, ceiling fans. It is good we don't have a fridge. We also have a schedule on using the washing machine. Everything is under control as long as the electricity consumption is concerned.
