Author Topic: How to save on your electric bill (Read 8092 times)

Catholic Samurai · « **Reply #5 on:** January 12, 2008, 06:12:00 PM »

I dont think getting fluorescent light bulbs is such a good idea. I've read that those things have mercury in them and that the light they give off is artificial and can lead to depression in some people. Personally I just think the light from fluorescents is nasty.

Im also wondering Chant, what do you think of LED lights? I know those are expensive ($90 and up) but they last up to 10 years! They take up less electricity than regular light bulbs and I hear that the lighting is pretty good.

JoanScholastica · « **Reply #6 on:** January 15, 2008, 12:15:37 AM »

Quote from: ChantCd

That way you can press the toggle switch and turn off everything COMPLETELY -- many items use electricity even when they're off.

I've heard that a dozen times but I still won't believe. Can anyone give me some source in the web where I can verify this?

John Steven · « **Reply #7 on:** January 15, 2008, 06:04:58 AM »

Quote from: ChantCd

(By suburban way of life, I mean the materialist, worldly culture that surrounds us -- that believes shopping is a hobby, vacations should be taken at least once a year, each child should have his/her own room with a TV and DVD player, PC, cell phone, iPod, and all kinds of other material things. Suburbanites tend to have WAY more car than necessary as well.)

I agree with all you say except the part about taking a vacation once a year. I think this is a good and healthy thing for a family to do. It was even recently recommended to me by a good traditional priest that I should make sure I take my future wife away on vacation for a weekend at least once a year while someone watches the children, save for a young nursing baby.

Matthew · « **Reply #8 on:** January 15, 2008, 07:37:43 AM »

Would you believe I had a feeling that someone would call me on the "vacation" item? I just knew it wasn't clear enough -- turns out I was right.

To clarify --

There are Catholic vacations, meant for recreation, whose cost is (easily) measured in twenty dollar bills. Packing up the kids in the van, loading up a cooler with sandwiches, etc., staying with family/putting up tents/staying in inexpensive motels, going to do something actually relaxing, educational, or somewhat edifying -- THAT is a Catholic vacation.

If you couldn't picture a seminary going on a vacation like the one in question (Las Vegas? Hawaii?) then it's probably not good for a Catholic. I can tell you that seminarians DO go on vacation -- but there is some good in them (culture, relaxation, education, edification) not just a worldly desire for "fun" and "letting loose".

People's yearly recreation often parallels their DAILY recreation -- TV. TV is NOT a good choice for 90% of one's recreation because it doesn't give part of your brain a rest, it's entirely passive, and can actually take a lot out of you if you're not watching something "boring".

So many worldly vacations are A) occasions of sin B) extremely dissipating/distracting to the point that meditation and/or THOUGHT is impossible, C) expensive, D) wasteful (of oil, gas, money), E) stressful -- with strict touring schedules, etc.

Vacations do not need to have any of these bad traits. That is not what vacations are meant to be -- it's not even what they USED to be.

In Christ,

Matthew

Matthew · « **Reply #9 on:** January 15, 2008, 07:47:31 AM »

Quote from: JoanScholastica

Quote from: ChantCd

That way you can press the toggle switch and turn off everything COMPLETELY -- many items use electricity even when they're off.

I've heard that a dozen times but I still won't believe. Can anyone give me some source in the web where I can verify this?

I know about electronics, Joan. If you don't have a mechanical (piece of metal inside) switch there to cut the flow of electricity -- such as a toggle switch (a light switch) -- but instead have a flat button that doesn't press in much to turn the device "on", then some electronics inside the device (a "circuit") is switching the power on/off. This circuit has to be drawing power all the time, or how can it decide whether or not the device should be on?

Also, feel the heavy, black cube -- the "adapter" that plugs into the wall on one of your devices. Is it warm/hot? If so, you need to think "how did this item get hot?"

There is no fire burning underneath it, or inside it.
Everything else in the immediate area is cool to the touch.
How could this item be warm?

Well, I'll tell you: It's the same principle behind an electric stove, heater, etc.: electricity can become heat when it passes through a substance of high resistance. Where there's heat, there's used-up electricity. If your stove burner was warm or hot, you'd KNOW that some electricity was used up to get it to that point. Same for the adapters in your house.

Now we're not talking a lot of electricity here, but I don't like to waste ANY. And it's true that if you had 50 devices drawing SOMETHING at all times, it would add up to quite a bit. And people have a lot of rechargers around these days (iPod, video game, cell phone, rechargeable batteries, cordless phone, cordless vacuum, and dozens of others)

Matthew