What appliances at your house stay on all the time?

[MummaBear03]

All this talk about saving energy made me realise a few things. I leave the alarm clock on at all times of course, as is the fridge/freezer. I realised though that when we're not home, or when we go to bed at night, lots of switches are still on. For instance when the tv is turned off, it's still on standby. Same with the dvd player, video player, and Austar box. The computer and lamp are the same. now, all these things are hooked up to a powerboard on the same power point so switching off the power at the power points once all these things are turned off would save more power than leaving it turned on and having them all on standby. I leave the microwave on all the time because it's the only clock I have apart from the alarm clock in the bedroom, but there's no reason to leave the kettle and toaster plugged in with the power point on. The mobile phone charger is on all the time too and doesn't need to be on except every 3 or 4 days when it's actually charging the phone. So I was just wondering about other people, do you go around at night and turn everything off or do you just leave it on like I've been doing? Oh, the hallway light is 5W energy saver light and is turned on overnight, but it gives enough light to light up the toilet, bathroom, a bit of the lounge room, laundry and bedrooms dimly and it's the only way my dd will go to the toilet overnight so it's staying on. But we don't generally have lights on in the evenings except that one from about 7:30pm until 5am when we get up.

[MummaBear03]

The only thing we have on all the time are the alarm clock, fridge/freezer and microwave as I'm to lazy to set the time every it's turned of at the power point.
That's how it was here last night too when i stopped and thought about power usage. Will do that all the time now, but the hall light will stay on until she starts going to the toilet without it because it still uses less power than washing sheets after she's wet the bed and she could potentially wet the bed twice a night if the light isn't on :confused: yeah she's mine, she's a strange one :p

[MummaBear03]

Don't forget that's it's Earth Hour to night :yes:
I've been advertising it wherever possible, including daycare centres :smiliedance:

My neighbours think I'm nuts after talking to them about it, they said with 5 kids there's no way they can sit around in the dark with them. I know my daughter will be in bed by then, but if I had other people here we'd do what we did during blackouts, and that is sit at the table playing board games under candle light, it's so much more fun than just sitting around playing them normally for some reason. Or card games, I remember playing Canasta with candles up either end of the table :goodvibes:

[Noah_and_Elijah]

Microwave

Fridge / Freezer

Alarm Clock

TV and Set Top Box (too pregnant to reach down behind the entertainment unit to turn them off)

That's it... :thumbsup:

[Ana Gram]

Fridge, phone, modem, foxtel box. I switch everything else off at the wall.

But I have no control over my house mates and they leave everything on in their room.

[WorkingClassMum]

I'm the switch-it-off, unplug it Nazi...

MOTH is supporting Origin Energy all by himself...

I switch the microwave off at the wall and dont both to set the time

I also switch off the oven, and the washing machine and the dryer. I have been switching the phone chargers off for ages, and the computer etc.

But I can't tell if it's saved us much as we also put in Solar Hot water a while ago and two skylights - on in the toilet and one in the hall.

[QTB]

im pretty shocking actually, now that you have pointed it out!

i basically have everything on standby :o

the microwave, jug and toaster are always turned off after use (all on the same switch and ds has worked out how to turn them on... so they all go off at the wall now! our phone chargers we leave plugged in, but turned off unless we are using them... other than that we are pretty shocking!

im gonna make more of an effort now!

[Nowhere]

fridge/freezer wich is all one unit
phone x 2
modem (turn computer of but not modem)
Feeding pump charger
cylometrics
pulse ox
spair feeding pump
oh and my kettle i never swtich of at the wall i never think to

[tootiredtosleep]

Everything is left on standby .. our TV's/DVD sit in cabinets against the wall and I am too short to bend over and down to turn off at the powerpoint.
We run 2 fridges and lots of other appliances... the only thing I turn off at the wall is the toaster .. most other things are too hard to access.

[mummeeto2]

This has got me thinking, see if I can rework the cords in the laundry to have the chest freezer & fridge on one double adapter & washing machine & dryer on the second. If I had plenty of money I would get this whole place rewired. I think it was done to suit the people who built.

We always have the fridges & freezer, washing machine & dryer, oven, microwave, dishwasher, kettle, toaster, tv, austar, video, set top box & sound system, computer & fishtank, phones always plugged in & turned on at the wall. Man, that's too much already. Plus DH hates turning off the fans in our bedroom...

I try to turn off things that have a standby light, like the printer, TV screen, computer screen & modem by the power switch (not the wall) cos I heard that will save heaps.

[forbetoel]

Microwave, dishwasher and fridge.

Everything else is OFF at the point, always.

[MummaBear03]

Our five kidlets where all in bed early and DH and I played Uno :yes:
Their 5 kids weren't in bed, in fact at 10:30 their teenager was screaming "I HATE YOU!!!" to her mother, the 2 below her were fighting over the bathroom I don't know where the next one down was, didn't hear him, and their 4 year old was bashing on my front door calling out to my daughter who was in bed long ago as always :rolleyes:
All loud enough for me to hear, the entire neighbourhood probably heard, and it's not uncommon for this to happen. They got upset with me one night for not walking the streets looking for their then-2 year old at 2am when I'd agreed only to search my own yard since my child was sleeping and I didn't want to leave the premises with her in it alone. Anyway I kept her up later last night so she could actively participate in it :yelclap: she had a great time but was a little upset that not everyone did it. I told her it was their choice and she decided we might need to save the world ourselves :laughing:

[bubs_and_us]

ok, dont shoot me :o

fridge and 2 freezers
microwave
water filter tank thingy
phone
phone charger
tv / dvd / stereo
computer / printer / modem / speakers
air cooler unit in DS's room
food processor
kettle
washing machine
dryer
handheld vaccum cleaner

i actually dont turn anything off at the wall, although i should. i will make an effort today to start doing it

[noniwaldron]

ok don't shoot me... listing them here to spur me into action! we're pretty good with lights and usually only have 2 on at night, however...

powerpoints always on: fridge, microwave, jug, oven, baby monitor, toaster, two computers & printers, phone, two alarm clocks, hairdryer, fairy lights in DS's room, snake and lizard heat mats and uv lights (on timer), 5 lamps, fish tank light & heater, 2 washing machines, elliptical machine, 2 stereos... in winter add two electric blankets and a gas heater... omg! :o

(we also have the tv / dvd / foxtel box / av receiver thingy but we have a universal remote that stuffs up and doesn't turn things on properly if you turn the tv & things off at the powerpoint, then you have to plug the remote into the computer to fix it and stuff which is a pain in the butt).

i think we'll start unplugging a lot more things when DS is mobile and we'll put the power point safety covers on instead, but until then... could start making an effort couldn't i?

[~Temet Nosce~]

When we are in bed, the baby monitor, the kitchen light (so I can see if I have to get up), the fridge and the oil heater in dd's room if its really cold, the clock..
not too bad I suppose..

[Mamalicious]

The fridge. :D

Sometimes the phone, but not always, maybe 50% of the time.

Everything else gets unplugged and switched off, we tend to use candles at night instead of lights, unless I'm studying.

[subaruforestermum]

Our fridges and our chest freezer and the fish tank, we only have 1 running now, did have 3. With a filter and heater (tropical). And the phone, 2 handsets walk around.

That's it, oh and a light for DS which is an energy saver. But no other appliance is left on. Well they are, but not running or on standby. Like my computer is left turned on at the wall, but it is off, no lights stay on it or anything, so not using power. Same as monitor, modem, tv.

Chargers, both mobile, laptop and battery all get switched off at wall, even the toaster and kettle get switched off at the wall, even though it has no lights on. I still flick it off.

Oh and our aircon is on, not running but it has power going to it.

[MummyJen]

The only thing we have on all the time are the alarm clock, fridge/freezer and microwave as I'm to lazy to set the time every it's turned of at the power point.
Same here. We also have the TV standby on all the time cos my hubby HATES it when I turn it off and he has to bend over to the power point :rolleyes:

[SassyMummy]

fridge/freezer
computers
modem/router
foxtel
all tvs
dvd players
playstations
microwave
lamps
fish tank

Pretty much everything...:o

[Lastcenturymum]

It used to drive me nuts when I went to my parents and MIL's and everything was turned off at the wall, but for them it was a safety issue (I think ACA etc reported this stuff!!) but it is more of an environmental thing now isn't it? Does it save much? There was an ad with the black ballons yeah? That was giving figures, but was it more about not using things (ie drawing blinds instead of using A/C) rather than just turning off at the wall?

The other night I was up and saw how many 'lights' indicated that stuff was on.

Sometimes it bothers me how many electrical appliances we have and their long term effects. The things we do for convenience, eh?

[canberramomma]

fridge/freezer
microwave

That's it!

[Mamalicious]

But no other appliance is left on. Well they are, but not running or on standby. Like my computer is left turned on at the wall, but it is off, no lights stay on it or anything, so not using power. Same as monitor, modem, tv.

I thought they still used power if you didn't switch it off at the wall? Isn't that the whole point in switching them off?


Does it save much?

Knocked $80 off my power bill. :yes:

[subaruforestermum]

I thought they still used power if you didn't switch it off at the wall? Isn't that the whole point in switching them off?



Knocked $80 off my power bill. :yes:

No they dont draw power unless they have a light on them.....if the monitor is turned off standby, it has no light indictating as it is off and not on standby, therefor not drawing any electrical current to the appliance.

The whole point of turing things OFF at the wall is because most appliances when left on standby, have a light which draws electrical current to the appliance keeping that light working.

It's a bit like a light switch, you dont have to turn the power off at the power box for the light to go off and not draw any current, using electricity.

[Benji]

Just the fridge.

[MummaBear03]

No they dont draw power unless they have a light on them.....if the monitor is turned off standby, it has no light indictating as it is off and not on standby, therefor not drawing any electrical current to the appliance.
On the radio it said to turn it off at the wall to cut your power bill. I've started doing this where before I'd have them turned off, not even on standby. Will let you know how it affects my bill :)

[bootiful]

When finish using them i turn these off at the wall

* Kettle
* Toaster
* Phone Charger
* TV (off standby)
* Washing Machine
* Lamps - excpet lounge cause its behind a huge lounge

On all the time

* Fridge/Freezer
* Small fish pump
* Night Light - stephs room
* Oven

I am going to start turning our modem and router off during the week cause DH uses his laptop all night.

I try and go round my house and check everything before I go to bed.

[reAllytee]

We only keep on the following :

Fridge/Freezer
Microwave
1 Computer - Cause DP has stuff going all nite :rolleyes:
Alarm clock in our room