putting a switch on the plugs in my house?

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by t-maxxracer32

i figured that at night when everything is plugged into the socket it is pulling some amps and using unneeded power. if i could mod a switch onto it and make it to where they can turn off the power then would that make it to where there is a lot less energy being used? or will it be so little that there will be no difference on the bill?

Are you saying that your power points don't have built in switches? Because I've never seen one without a switch.

In Western Australia there are ads saying to turn anything off at the wall that doesn't need to be on, because it can save a lot of electricity in the long run.

On tv here there is a show called the "New Inventors". One guy made a switch that you plug into the wall, then whatever you had plugged in before plugs into the back of the switch (piggyback). It had about 4ft or so of wire coming from it with a switch at the end to disconnect the power from the piggybacked appliance. The reason for the extended wire is so you don't have to climb around behind your tv and dvd player's to reach the switch, you just have the end of the switch sitting next to the tv.

[Hickoryhead]

Originally Posted by Patrick

On tv here there is a show called the "New Inventors". One guy made a switch that you plug into the wall, then whatever you had plugged in before plugs into the back of the switch (piggyback). It had about 4ft or so of wire coming from it with a switch at the end to disconnect the power from the piggybacked appliance. The reason for the extended wire is so you don't have to climb around behind your tv and dvd player's to reach the switch, you just have the end of the switch sitting next to the tv.

I saw something like this on TV here in the United States the other day. Except it had a wireless switch. It was used for lights. Instead of bending over to turn the switch on the light itself off you piggy backed it into a wall outlet. Then the wireless switch had double sided tape on it. You could put it any where you want. Presto, no need to touch the lamp ever again. It sounds to me like another reason not to get off my fat butt. Just like the people who search for hours for a remote to their TV or DVD player instead of walking over to the TV and using the buttons on it.

As for saving energy by turning things off by unpluging electronics you can save $20 to $30 a month. I got a flier in the mail not long ago from my power company. I don't know how they came up with their data but they had a list of savings next to the item disconected from the wall. IMO most of it was not worth it in the long run. For example a microwave oven could save $3 a month if you unpluged it every time you used it. $3 to run the digital clock on the face. In the long run it "could" save money but not enough for me to both bending over and pulling the plug.

Why use a circut breaker instead of a light switch? They perform the same job. Stop the flow of energy. One is made to be turned off and on regularly. The other is made to trip when the power spikes. Plus a breaker costs 2 to 3 times more than a switch anyways if you have to replace them.

If you want to help your parents power bill buy them energy efficient electronics. If you parents are like mine they still have a 1980 microwave. I have tried to explain this concept to them for years. (These are estimates) if their microwave costs them $30 a month to run and a new model costs $10 month to run, they could go out and buy a new one for $80. After 4 months they have broken even. Every month after that they save $20. That can add up. Energy efficient electronics will save more money in the long run. Just my opinion though.