OT - Going green and energy efficiency

I thought this might be of interest to some here.

I've finally got around to sorting through all my old gas and electrity
bills for the last five years and putting them into a spread***.

Step 1 of going green:
Checking in my records, I cancelled my car insurance effective 16/05/03
because I'd got rid of my car, I was never using it, cycling 8 miles
each way to work instead. (I've since changed jobs and now I cycle about
8 miles a day in total with another 18 miles or so each way by train)
(And this is the best link to cycling I can work in ;-)

Step 2:
As the next part of my going green initiative I turned down the heating
in my house from 20C to 17C. The primary effect on me of this is that,
about half of the time I'm wearing a pullover indoors. Even during the
winter it's surprising how often I'm not - but we'll come back to that.

Unfortunately, I don't remember exactly when I did this. It was in time
for last years winter. I also don't have an accurate meter reading for
April 2006 so I've taken the average of the 2007 and 2005 readings which
is why the 2006 and 2007 figures are identical.

April kWh Average Watts
2002-2003 14033 1602
-2004 13263 1514
-2005 12392 1415
-2006 8836 1009
-2007 8836 1009


So I've managed at least a 30% gas consumption reduction.

I had new windows 07/2004 although I already had double glazing which
might account for the 04-05 figure being as low as it is compared to the
two previous years. Even if I assume the windows saved me 2000kWh/year
and I'd bought the cheapest possible option it would still have taken 50
years for the windows to pay for themselves.


Step 3:
My next target is going to be electricity.

February kWh Average Watts
2002-2003 4600 525
-2004 4888 558
-2005 5138 586
-2006 4541 518
-2007 4654 531


Fortunately, instantaneous electricity usage is much easier to measure.

My first measurement today:
10 flashes (10Wh) on the meter 74s=486W

Now turn off all the computers in my office and the loft (actually they
are all on a UPS so this is just a case of pull out the plug)

5 flashes (5Wh) on the meter 71s=254W

So my computers are using 231W (and actually I have one more not
accounted for by this that is on all the time so guess another 50W).
Ouch! This is half my annual electricity consumption. And all these
computers run 24/7

I've also got one of those plug in power meters so I measure my
computers via that: 233W - so it looks like measuring the power by
timing flashes on the meter is remarkably accurate (or alternatively, my
(cheap) power meter is remarkably accurate ;-)

About 130W of that 230W is used in the loft so isn't even going to
heating my study. The remaining 100W (70W computer + 30W screen) does go
to heating my study which may be why I'm not wearing a pullover all of
the time)

So, turning your computer on and browsing usenet is remarkably ungreen.
Turn it off and get out on your bike instead ;-)


Hope this was interesting and hasn't bored you to tears.


Tim.

--
God said, "div D = rho, div B = 0, curl E = - @B/@t, curl H = J + @D/@t,"
and there was light.

http://tjw.hn.org/ http://www.locofungus.btinternet.co.uk/
.

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