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Gothamist will admit it: We're afraid of a widespread power outage, given what happened in Queens two weeks ago and the unstable nature of what Con Ed's got going on. So we went to check the city's energy conservation tips:
- Set your air conditioner thermostat no lower than 78 degrees — a 75-degree setting uses 18 percent more electricity and a 72-degree setting uses 39 percent more electricity. This setting allows for sufficient cooling while still conserving electric power.The thing about adjusting the thermostat was interesting - but only if our AC units operated that way! And while we certainly do turn off all non essential appliances, appliances that aren't being used but are still plugged in (your TV, your hair dryer, your laptop) are still drawing electricity from the grid. Which is why Con Ed is asking everyone to conserve energy by unplugging TVs and printers when not in use! One good Con Ed tip is to keep shades, blinds and curtains closed: About 40 percent of unwanted heat comes through windows. Simply drawing blinds and curtains, which act as a layer of insulation, can reduce heat in your apartment or home.
- Only use an air conditioner when you are home. If you want to cool your room down before you arrive home, set a timer to have it switch on no more than one-half hour before you arrive
- Turn off all nonessential appliances.
- Turn off lights in unoccupied rooms.
- Only use appliances that have heavy electrical loads (dishwashers, washers, dryers) early in the morning or very late at night.
The NY Times has an article about people who do and don't have air-conditioning - or roommates and couples who disagree about AC use (“It’s either bake or freeze, and I choose freeze.”). While some people hate the heat, there are some who don't: Those who sell ice cream and other frozen treats. And now it looks like most Queens businesses affected by the blackout have losses that are more than the $7,000 Con Ed is reimburse - not that should be a surprise since the blackout lasted over a week.
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Good post!!
Good post!!
how is my hair dryer still drawing electricity? could someone explaine the science of this? how much money would I save if i unplugged all my appliances?
How about asking local businesses to practice better energy conservation techniques? I was walking around Soho during the Queens blackout and every store was blasting their AC with the doors open. I know this is supposed to attract customers, but what a waste! Made me ill to think about those customers without electricity suffering while these businesses blatantly waste energy.
Why would you leave your hairdryer plugged in if you aren't using it?
78? Really? That's nearly 80, so what's the point? If everything else (save one light after dark and maybe the TV) is off and unplugged, I think I should be able to swing 73–74.
Boy, this Cassidy sure likes all of these hot weather/conservation posts, doesn't she?
Seriously, "78" my ass.
With older a/c units, timers are the way to go. Our office and bedroom units now are set to switch on at 5, enough to cool the rooms down before we get home from work after 6. The timers are about $17 at Home Depot.
Constant Dater: I like to spend my summers in a blast freezer, but realistically We leave our A/C at 78 degrees and supplement it with a fan to increase total air circulation within the apt. A breeze across your skin will always feel cooler than the actual ambient temperature. Crazy but true. Try it!
jo: I'm not sure that hair dryers use electricity when they're plugged in, but appliances such as TVs, monitors speaker systems, and computers all draw current even when they're "off."
The truly curious can get a current meter (like this: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/7657/) to see how much electricity your various electrical gadgets use.
jo: a lot of appliances are not really "off" when you are not using them. They are in a standby mode where they are still drawing on electricity. Obvious examples would be DVD players/VCRs/microwaves/cable boxes all powering a clock...
a recent study suggests that appliance standby modes and things like constantly charging cell phones and ipods (bad for the batteries, no less..) can contribute anywhere from 6% to 26% of your electricity usage.
you should probably want to unplug that hair dryer anyway... just in case it falls into the toilet... *zap*
Stop being such whiners. 78 isn't bad. It's tolerable. My ACs are set to about 80. That's why the person in the article was complaining about "bake or freeze," because you can't seem to understand that there's something in between. There will always be some selfish people who think you should be able to lounge in a t-shirt and shorts in the dead of winter and have a brisk 70 degree room on the hottest day of the year. Would I like that? Sure. But sometimes you have to think about the community first. Besides avoiding blackouts, you should remember that every time you waste electricity, that's money in the pocket of the oil-rich middle eastern countries or at the very least more greenhouse gases from the power plants that didn't have to be released. Don't complain about the superhot days if you're excessively contributing to global warming.
As for the businesses wasting electricity, maybe what's necessary is for Con Ed to raise commercial electric rates
What if all the office buildings in Manhattan set the ac to 75, or 70 even, instead of 65? I have on a sweater right now because it's so cold. I know computers and other electronics need it cool and dry to function correctly, but if every business kept the thermostat just 5 degrees warmer it would save a hell of a lot of electricity during peak usage hours.
larrylee: but wouldn't supplementing AC with a fan negate the savings of setting the thermostat higher?
AC is one of my few energy indulgences. I keep the lights low, and turn shit off when I'm out of the room or not using it, and don't drive a car, etc. Anyway, my windows face north, so I never have to put AC to use until it gets really hot with no breeze.
It always astounds me when people "don't believe in AC." I had a roommate like that in college. But who's room did she always visit when it got over 90, I ask you?
My thoughts of the wastefulness of it always trumps the relief of the "store blasts" of cold air. And also if you work in one of those stores you end up freezing your ass off all day because the thermostat is set at like 65.
Constant Dater and MissPinkKate are the precise reason we have global warming...
unfortunately these people (i mean earth killers) are not going to be stopped
a nice fat blackout is exactly what this city needs
Constant Dater: In the grand scheme of things, sure, businesses and residents have to do their part. "Because someone else is doing it" is not a solid reason for doing it, though. If everyone were looting stores on your block, would you do it, too?
I've also wondered if the fan+AC combination uses less energy than AC-only, but my gut instinct is that compressors use considerably more energy than a fan by itself. Therefore, the combination of an AC running at 78 with a fan should still use considerably less energy than an AC running at, say 70 degrees.
What frustrated me in my previous apt (a high-rise) was that the AC had no real thermostat. It just had a knob.
Constant Dater: My last message was a bit of a grammatical mess, sorry about that. By the way, I am by no means a "no air conditioner" person. In fact, my desk chair at home is placed right in the air path from the AC. I also have no car, turn stuff off when I leave the apt, etc. The more I thought about the environmental impact I leave, the more I thought it would make sense to try alternatives. Things like the fan + AC, taking cool showers. It's not so bad. You should try it at least once.
A fan+AC combination absolutely uses less power than an AC turned on high. A small air conditioner eats several hundred watts when it's running. A bigger one, maybe 8000 BTU, can max out a 15 amp circuit as it starts up, although it comes down after a few minutes. When I installed new circuits for my ACs, an electrician friend recommended sizing the wiring and circuit breakers for 20 amps. A modern floor fan uses maybe 40 watts. Think about how much better it feels outside on a day like today when there's even a gentle, 10mph breeze. A small fan circulating air in your apartment can have the same effect. Don't forget that in tropical countries where ACs are rare, ceiling fans are in every room.
Sitting at a comfortable 78 degrees on energy saver mode. Lights in my apt. don't come on until late afternoon. I don't pay for electricity, but I don't waste it either.
Maybe our meddling mayor can pass a law that during heat emergencies air conditioned stores found with their doors wide open can be fined $5000. That would close doors all over the city quickly. Workers could also make anonymous complaints to 311 about offices that are too cold in the summer.
Don't forget that a large # of stores in Manhattan use steam instead of electricity for Air Conditioning. It is also supplied by Con Ed and reduces the installation of boilers for heat in the winter for large buildings. That is why hospitals have a/c when on backup generators.
Here are some interesting energy conservation tips for rental housing.