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I went through a phase like that. I measured everything I could and found I could only improve things by about 10%, with light bulb changes, computer hardware c

I went through a phase like that. I measured everything I could and found I could only improve things by about 10%, with light bulb changes, computer hardware changes, etc. The bulk of my usage was still HVAC, water heater, fridge, washer & dryer, and the rest of the appliances. Home LED lights and better electronics efficiency might make a dent on total grid usage eventually, but it really feels like it's only scratching at the surface.

quaffapint 12y ago
Noticed the same thing. I had a media PC that though it was very convenient to have on all the time, I figured I'd save enough to turn it off and on that it'd be worth it. I measured that it ran idle (which it often is) at @ 60W, so even leaving it on 24/7 365 will only cost me @$40 a year. The only light bulbs I swapped out for LEDs are ones that are on a lot where it might make more sense.
- steven2012 12y ago
  As I mentioned, the things that made a huge dent were things like the PS3 that I had on all the time and my Xeon server. Those were just burning a ridiculous amount of electricity and I had no idea until I measured it. I basically stopped using those and that accounted for a large amount of my electricity reduction, since those were specifically pushing me into the higher tiers of rates. I also had the advantage of choosing new appliances for my house, so I went with things that were as energy efficient as I could muster, and my dryer, water heater, furnace, oven are all natural gas. With regards to your media server, it depends on where you live and if you have a tiered system like I do in CA. 60W = 525 kWh per year. In CA, Tier 4 rates are 0.32/kWh, so it would cost about $170/year to run that server, if you hit that tier. So depending on your overall usage, it could make a decent impact on your electricity bill, especially if it was that specific appliance that was pushing you into a new tier.

quaffapint 12y ago

Noticed the same thing. I had a media PC that though it was very convenient to have on all the time, I figured I'd save enough to turn it off and on that it'd be worth it. I measured that it ran idle (which it often is) at @ 60W, so even leaving it on 24/7 365 will only cost me @$40 a year. The only light bulbs I swapped out for LEDs are ones that are on a lot where it might make more sense.

steven2012 12y ago
As I mentioned, the things that made a huge dent were things like the PS3 that I had on all the time and my Xeon server. Those were just burning a ridiculous amount of electricity and I had no idea until I measured it. I basically stopped using those and that accounted for a large amount of my electricity reduction, since those were specifically pushing me into the higher tiers of rates. I also had the advantage of choosing new appliances for my house, so I went with things that were as energy efficient as I could muster, and my dryer, water heater, furnace, oven are all natural gas. With regards to your media server, it depends on where you live and if you have a tiered system like I do in CA. 60W = 525 kWh per year. In CA, Tier 4 rates are 0.32/kWh, so it would cost about $170/year to run that server, if you hit that tier. So depending on your overall usage, it could make a decent impact on your electricity bill, especially if it was that specific appliance that was pushing you into a new tier.