Thursday, August 14, 2008

Switch. But what to?

Our environmental concerns are on standby

Have to agree with (almost) all posters here, especially if the stats stand up, which makes it a very useful blog.

FWIW I charge my phone besides my desk and off it goes the moment it's 'done'.

Not for great enviro reasons, but a warm transformer is a penny-sucking transformer.

At current mobile usage, even if left on 24/7 (and with the alarm on - what's the carbon footprint of an additional, new bedside clock?) that's about 3hrs per week.

We also only do the washing at weekends and so that's off as soon as done (killed off the dryer years ago).

Even the dishwasher* is off before the 'drying' light goes out. At post wash heat opening the door and leaving a while seems to do as well.

A £5.99 gizmo on the TV/SKY/DVD combo plugs seems to kill 'em all pretty well without having to risk life and limb getting into the back-end spaghetti.

But I do totally agree that there is no excuse for these aspects not to be designed in.

ps: Having had a problem I had an eye-opening chat with my engineer. He reckoned the eco-setting was anything but. 5 degrees cooler but two hours longer. Plus the lower temp on appliances means the seals and pipes end up clogged more often and require him called out more often and bits being replaced.

If true, hardly seems very sensible ROI or enviROI even to me, more like another type of 'washing', if you know what I mean:)

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