19
votes
Accepted
For electricity use, which is better: Turning all appliances on at the same time, or spread out?
The "surge" that the electric utility was referring to is the demand charge:
The kWh charge (consumption) is the measurement of the amount of energy the building uses over the given period ...
- 12k
12
votes
Accepted
How much power does an idle PC use?
The problem here is that there is really no such thing as an "average desktop". There are a lot of factors that influence this, and just "averaging them out" doesn't really work. Your university may ...
- 821
9
votes
Should I replace existing inefficient light bulbs?
Sort of.
Consider the pay back time. high efficiency lights are expensive. Expense is, at least in part, a measure of the resources used to make it.*
Replacing the fixtures in the kitchen where the ...
- 7,247
8
votes
How much power does an idle PC use?
If you come across this answer and have measured your idle system's power consumption please extend the list by editing this answer or adding a comment.
Power Consumption Measured by Users
Power ...
6
votes
For electricity use, which is better: Turning all appliances on at the same time, or spread out?
The primary issue being described is Peak Demand charge. The description in LShaver's answer explains a lot of that, but there are a few more pieces that I think are important:
Why does peak demand ...
6
votes
How much energy does it take to store 1 Terabyte of data in the cloud?
According to a 2016 blog post by Backblaze, a (particular) 1.5TB HDD uses 3.4W when idle and 5.9W when operating. This gives a lower bound of 20 kWh / TB / year and an upper bound of 35 kWh / TB / ...
- 1,654
5
votes
Is it better to leave your computer on?
It undoubtedly uses more energy to leave a computer on than to turn it off. A PC will draw a few hundred Watts when on, compared to a few Watts powered down but plugged in.
The biggest hardware ...
- 2,126
4
votes
Accepted
What is marginal energy?
What is marginal energy, or fuel on the margin?
Fuel on the margin, when talking about the electric grid, refers to which fuel will be used to generate the next additional kilowatt of power that is ...
- 12k
4
votes
For electricity use, which is better: Turning all appliances on at the same time, or spread out?
The company was having problems with demand pricing as discussed in other answers. That's not a problem for residences (usually).
At a "micro" level on the grid, it doesn't matter.
You ...
4
votes
How to reduce energy usage of refrigerator while away?
Some models have a holiday mode which can be used with care.
On a fridge-freezer it often stops cooling the fridge compartment (AEG) or at least stops cooling it enough to keep food fresh. Check the ...
- 2,126
3
votes
How can I figure out what's using so much electricity in my home?
For the daily energy consumption quoted, optimizing the lights will not make a significant dent. I know because I've been there.
Keep in mind that large loads (electric stove, electric drier, heaters, ...
- 31
3
votes
Are crypto currencies sustainable?
The cryptos that require large/increasing/exponential amount of processing power/electricity to function are not sustainable according to the (resource-related) meaning of the word.
If, however, we ...
- 2,889
3
votes
Is an incrementalist approach to decarbonisation feasible?
This Zero Carbon Britain report gives a detailed answer to your question. Their plan sees emissions being reduced to 8% of the current levels, and the rest being balanced by carbon capture. This ...
- 1,021
3
votes
Best strategy for turning off computer/laptop monitors to save energy but not reduce lifespan?
Modern monitors use LED backlights. LEDs are not damaged by being turned on or off.
In short; I can't see any reason why this would do anything to the lifetime of the monitor, and it has never been a ...
- 175
2
votes
Do USB outlets waste energy just like conventional wall warts?
I was looking for similar information and came across this article: "Tested: Should You Unplug Chargers When You’re Not Using Them?".
Seems that, while some of the wall warts may draw more power, ...
- 21
2
votes
How many grams of CO2 are emitted to produce one paper napkin?
I found a few different references for this:
10 g CO2e per paper towel (from the Guardian, 2010)
10 g CO2 per paper napkin (from Treehugger, 2009)
7.3 g CO2e per virgin paper towel (from MIT/Dyson ...
- 12k
2
votes
How much energy does it take to store 1 Terabyte of data in the cloud?
The open-source project Cloud Carbon Footprint estimated the carbon footprint of storing 1TB in the Cloud. In their methodology they explain that they use the following numbers:
HDD average capacity ...
- 14.6k
2
votes
Accepted
Is an incrementalist approach to decarbonisation feasible?
tldr: yes, with sufficient political will, an incremental approach is sufficient - we could decarbonise our energy consumption in 20 years.
There are still a lot of unknowns (like just what we do ...
- 14.8k
2
votes
How to use solar power with grid backup without net metering
On the Enmax website they have a page that shows how to read your meter.
There is a link there "How to find your electric meter number"
This overlays a picture of the electricity meter
Is ...
2
votes
Why would the smallness of Alaska's population be a factor in its per-capita energy consumption ranking?
Energy consumption for transport
The problem actually is not the small population, but the population density.
This is an increasingly specialised society. Small settlements that contain the entire ...
- 161
1
vote
Why would the smallness of Alaska's population be a factor in its per-capita energy consumption ranking?
Considering the quote you posted in your question - "due to its small population, harsh winters, and energy-intensive industries".
In addition to harsh winters I'd add lengthy cold periods ...
- 3,517
1
vote
How to use solar power with grid backup without net metering
From Wikipedia:
This exported energy may be accounted for in the simplest case by the meter running backwards during periods of net export, thus reducing the customer's recorded energy usage by the ...
- 5,249
1
vote
What's the difference between a synthetics mode and a cotton mode of a washing machine?
Mine lacks any override controls for temperature and spin speed, so I have a range of preset temperatures for cottons, a slightly different range for synthetics, and a few other presets (delicates ×2, ...
- 2,126
1
vote
For electricity use, which is better: Turning all appliances on at the same time, or spread out?
Theoretically, if the charge is big enough for the electrical wiring the heat can also be a concern.
When everything turns on together a high current can make the cables hot and that increases its ...
- 11
1
vote
How to prepare my home for vacation to reduce energy use?
The biggest thing by far is turning off/down heating and air conditioning.
Note that in some climates/jurisdictions, your insurance may not pay out for damage from any cause (not just frozen pipes) if ...
- 2,126
1
vote
How to prepare my home for vacation to reduce energy use?
If the heating is turned off in wintertime, the water-heater might be enough to keep the water pipes from freezing. Otherwise, the water can be turned off, the pipes drained with open faucets, and ...
- 302
1
vote
How can I figure out what's using so much electricity in my home?
About the graph showing the changes along the week, I suggest you to take a list of the domestic appliances that consumes more eletricity (like this ), to sort them by energy consumption rate, and to ...
- 186
1
vote
Accepted
How much electric energy would a studio apartment use per month if everything inside is powered by electricity (heater, water, stove, etc.)
I went down a few rabbit holes to figure this one out -- ultimately the search that got me going the right direction was "estimate savings on heating bills from adding insulation". The first few ...
- 12k
1
vote
How much electric energy would a studio apartment use per month if everything inside is powered by electricity (heater, water, stove, etc.)
If you are currently living there then you can work it out based on your energy bill.
It is difficult to estimate how much energy would be used on ** heating** the house as it can vary widely, ...
- 311
1
vote
How much power does an idle PC use?
Now you'd think this question might have a tidy answer, but you'd be wrong.
The gamer community seems to care the most about PC power consumption, though not for energy purposes but heat removal. For ...
- 111
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