Why Are We Wasting Energy on Idiotic Practices?

[JaredJames]

And if you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the precipitate.


I saw somewhere on this prestigious intraweb of ours, a chart that showed the obscene amount of energy that is wasted through nothing more than "standby" currents through those transformer boxes, and TV/Computer monitors in standby mode. I heard a rumor that essentially two coal burning power plants are running full time, feeding into the grid electricity that ends up as heat due to standby "ghost" or "vampire" currents.

There was a tv programme (watchdog or something, one of the tidy UK ones) which plugged a Sony tv into a power monitor and then the mains. They tested it in the on position and standby, both pulled the same amount of power. Shocking. Seeing as that is what most people leave them on. They tested others as well, none as bad as the Sony but a lot using far more than 50% of 'on' power.

 

[Pengwuino]

I know that he did it for years. Granted, it couldn't be done in all neighborhoods, but for many people it may be a practical option. As for timing, that's were the cooperation part comes in. Also, it depends on the individual and the home, but there are probably dozens of tools that would be nice to have, but the expense is not justified because they are rarely used. If you spread the need among twenty or thirty homes, an abundance of nice tools makes sense.

Oh! Better idea! Have a coop with all tools period (aka stuff you'd see in a garage). Things like screw drivers, drills, levels, saws, pretty much anything home depot sells/rents . It's great because using stuff like that is far far more random and needed less often then garden equipment but you still always need to have that kind of stuff around. I know I've seen lots of tools I'd love to have but were too expensive for the one or two times I figure i'd really need it...

 

[turbo]

Oh! Better idea! Have a coop with all tools period (aka stuff you'd see in a garage). Things like screw drivers, drills, levels, saws, pretty much anything home depot sells/rents . It's great because using stuff like that is far far more random and needed less often then garden equipment but you still always need to have that kind of stuff around. I know I've seen lots of tools I'd love to have but were too expensive for the one or two times I figure i'd really need it...

My neighbors and I are pretty loose with tools. One guy has a well-equipped wood-working shop (planer, jointer, table saw, miter/chop saw, etc) and a very large band-saw-mill. Another guy has torches and welders, hoists, etc. I have lots of electronic tools and testers and can pitch in with residential wiring, vehicle wiring, etc. I also have a lot of experience troubleshooting and fixing older gas-powered equipment We not only allow free access to one anothers' tools, if the person who wants to borrow tools needs personal skills, we provide that too. Both of my other neighbors are experienced backhoe operators. Now, I have a smaller tractor (28 hp diesel) that is more appropriate to some of the stuff that they need done (with less damage to property) and there are already some projects on my slate that I can do to keep "square" with them. We don't have to rely on communal property, etc, as long as we have generous cooperation.

 

[bassplayer142]

What about the phone book. I would guess that the only people who use them use 1% of them in their lifespan and they are old people not in touch with technology whatsoever. Google is your friend!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Here are a few easy ones that make a big difference: Keep your autos up to date on maintenance; avoid carrying unnecessary cargo in the trunk; check the pressure in the tires regularly. Just doing these three things can improve your mileage dramatically.

One of the easiest things that companies can do is to utilize telecommuting whenever possible. In fact, I would like to see a campaign that strongly encourages companies to do this. Perhaps a tax credit could even be justified according to the reduced loads on the highways and freeways.

Also, something that was phenomenally successful during the 1984 LA summer Olympics was a concerted effort to stagger work shifts at large facilities in order to prevent surge loads on the freeways. One great source of waste, both from an energy point of view as well as a productivity pov, is the time spent in bumper-to-bumper traffic. If companies and municipal entities cooperatively staggered work shifts so that not everyone commutes at the same time, this problem can be significantly improved. While we were expecting the worst in 1984, and while a number of approaches were used including begging people to use mass transit systems, the fact is that the Los Angeles freeways were the best that I have ever seen them. This was while the Olympics were under way! It was supposed to have been a nightmare, but one could drive almost anywhere in LA without getting stuck in traffic. It was simply remarkable to see what good planning could accomplish!

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Here are a few easy ones that make a big difference: Keep your autos up to date on maintenance; avoid carrying unnecessary cargo in the trunk; check the pressure in the tires regularly. Just doing these three things can improve your mileage dramatically.

One of the easiest things that companies can do is to utilize telecommuting whenever possible. In fact, I would like to see a campaign that strongly encourages companies to do this. Perhaps a tax credit could even be justified according to the reduced loads on the highways and freeways.

Also, something that was phenomenally successful during the 1984 LA summer Olympics was a concerted effort to stagger work shifts at large facilities in order to prevent surge loads on the freeways. One great source of waste, both from an energy point of view as well as a productivity pov, is the time spent in bumper-to-bumper traffic. If companies and municipal entities cooperatively staggered work shifts so that not everyone commutes at the same time, this problem can be significantly improved. While we were expecting the worst in 1984, and while a number of approaches were used including begging people to use mass transit systems, the fact is that the Los Angeles freeways were the best that I have ever seen them. This was while the Olympics were under way! It was supposed to have been a nightmare, but one could drive almost anywhere in LA without getting stuck in traffic. It was simply remarkable to see what good planning could accomplish!

There was a radio host I heard saying that he thought it would be preferable to have a 24/7 society and stagger work shifts over the entire twenty four hour period. Apparently though he found a study that says people who work at night tend to have poor health and it is thought to be caused by an 'unnatural' sleep schedule messing with circadian rythmes and lack of exposure to the sun.
Which is too bad because I would love to be able to get things done at night instead of having to wake up early or stay awake late.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

There was a radio host I heard saying that he thought it would be preferable to have a 24/7 society and stagger work shifts over the entire twenty four hour period. Apparently though he found a study that says people who work at night tend to have poor health and it is thought to be caused by an 'unnatural' sleep schedule messing with circadian rythmes and lack of exposure to the sun.
Which is too bad because I would love to be able to get things done at night instead of having to wake up early or stay awake late.

24/7 may be impractical for one because many businesses need to operate at full strength during normal business hours. But even spreading things out by a couple of hours on either end of the day can make a big difference. As for health problems... I have to chuckle a bit as my wife and I have worked late schedules for most of our adult lives. But I think it is true that not everyone can adjust to swing or graveyard shifts. Also, many companies already run around the clock, so changing the shift times would often be inconsequential.

There is generally a definite direction of traffic flow as a function of the time of day. The efficiency of intelligent scheduling could be maximized by analyzing traffic patterns, inferring the typical points of origin, and the destinations, and setting shift times according to the location of the company, whenever possible.

 

[Moonbear]

There is generally a definite direction of traffic flow as a function of the time of day. The efficiency of intelligent scheduling could be maximized by analyzing traffic patterns, inferring the typical points of origin, and the destinations, and setting shift times according to the location of the company, whenever possible.

Some of the larger employers in Cincinnati already do something like that. Rush hour gets prolonged, but at least it's just slow rather than stopped. Basically, each of the large employers staggers their shift ends by a half hour each, so one ends at 4:00, another 4:30, another 5:00.

 

[turbo]

The regimentation imposed by rigid start and stop times for work-places contributes greatly to congestion. In the little mill-town to the south of here, ALL the production teams get out at 3:00 PM, and with tourists trying to navigate the main highway through town, there are stop-and-go backups that can stretch for well over a mile. If that factory would start and end the work-day for their production lines on a staggered basis, there would be a lot fewer frayed nerves and delays. When you have to navigate through these little river-towns, you'd better plan your trips if you can, because every bridge is a bottle-neck that can only be avoided with long detours to other bridges.