Do you turn off electricity right after using?

[Antony]

Just curious, I would like to know if SillyDog701 members conserve energy. Please vote.

Post here, if you want me to add new options.

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[James]

I'm not a tree-hugger, a green fanatic, a save-the-world loonie, Antony. I will grant you that I'm not about to leave my lights on all day long and that if I leave the room that the tv is on, I will turn it off. But I leave my computer in standby or sleep mode during the day and during the night. Sure... I may pay a few more pennies for that indiscretion but what of it.

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[beanboy89]

I completely shut my main computer off at night. It's way too loud and the case is way too bright to leave on all night. I do have a secondary computer that I primarily use for IRC which I do leave running 24 hours a day. If I'm going to be out of the room for extended periods of time, I'll shut off the lights.

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[Antony]

There are some lights that stay on almost 24/7. As for computers, I hardly power off the main desktop. Laptop is usually powered off when not in use, but usually stay on charger.

And no, I don't power off the appliances completely. TV, VCR, PS3... are all on standby when not using.
One thing I really hate is when someone turn off the microwave oven completely (turn off from power plug or unplug) because I will need to reset the time.

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[Don_HH2K]

Well, these are my general self-policies on keeping electronics on or off:

Computers get locked but remains on if I'm going to be away 15 minutes or less (e.g. phone call, taking a shower), put into standby if the amount of time will be less than a few hours (e.g. meals), or shut off completely if I'll be gone for an extended period (e.g. going to work). The exceptions are my two laptop-servers, which run 24/7, and computers that are doing something such as downloading/uploading a large file or installing updates.

The TV, radio, etc. go off straight after they're used. That's easy because most of my stuff has physical power switches rather than standby or soft power buttons.

Lights generally go off as soon as I leave the room or go to sleep, but typically I don't start turning lights on until it's late enough that the room can't be lit through windows.

Finally, I have things arranged such that everything that needs to stay on during the day (such as clocks) on one power strip, and the rest on others, so I turn off the power to all the nonessential ones when I leave the house every day.Well, these are my general self-policies on keeping electronics on or off:

Computers get locked but remains on if I'm going to be away 15 minutes or less (e.g. phone call, taking a shower), put into standby if the amount of time will be less than a few hours (e.g. meals), or shut off completely if I'll be gone for an extended period (e.g. going to work). The exceptions are my two laptop-servers, which run 24/7, and computers that are doing something such as downloading/uploading a large file or installing updates.

The TV, radio, etc. go off straight after they're used. That's easy because most of my stuff has physical power switches rather than standby or soft power buttons.

Lights generally go off as soon as I leave the room or go to sleep, but typically I don't start turning lights on until it's late enough that the room can't be lit through windows.

Finally, I have things arranged such that everything that needs to stay on during the day (such as clocks) on one power strip, and the rest on others, so I turn off the power to all the nonessential ones when I leave the house every day.

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[Antony]

Computers get locked but remains on if I'm going to be away 15 minutes or less (e.g. phone call, taking a shower),

Just curious, do you purposely lock your computer when you leave it for less than 15 minutes, or it get locked by itself?
And your shower is less than 15 minutes?

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[James]

Shower time is huge in terms of the electrical/gas costs. I try to keep mine just a little over five minutes but never exceeding ten.

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[Antony]

Unless in hurry, my shower time is usually more than 20 minutes, well, I know it's not a good habit, but hard to change it. To save water/time, I usually wash my wash at the same time while having shower.

Apart from that, I really hate those hotels/motels which have water saving shower heads fitted.

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[Don_HH2K]

Just curious, do you purposely lock your computer when you leave it for less than 15 minutes, or it get locked by itself?
And your shower is less than 15 minutes?

I lock it by myself using the Winkey+L shortcut, though if I wanted I could have it lock when the screensaver activates.

My shower is less than 15 minutes, yes. I wake up at 7:00 for work, take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, and get out the door by 7:30 every morning.

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[James]

Just curious, do you purposely lock your computer when you leave it for less than 15 minutes, or it get locked by itself?
And your shower is less than 15 minutes?

I lock it by myself using the Winkey+L shortcut, though if I wanted I could have it lock when the screensaver activates.

My shower is less than 15 minutes, yes. I wake up at 7:00 for work, take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, and get out the door by 7:30 every morning.

Geeze, Don (on two counts). First off... I thought you were still a student (sort of a perennial, on-going, never-stopping, student...LOL). You say you're working?

Secondly, you do all of this in 30 minutes? Impossible. We get up at 5:30 to leave at 7:30 (a full two friggin' hours to eat, shower and let my wife do her hair!). And yes... we have two bathrooms so go figure. Your routine will change when you have partner... trust me.

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[Amrad]

Hello Don,

I wake up at 7:00 for work, take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, and get out the door by 7:30 every morning.

How on Earth do you manage that?!

I'm single and, since my mother died in 1996, live on my own. Before I retired, it took me getting on for two hours between getting up and leaving for work!

Regards,

Dave.

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[James]

Well... if I were alone I'd imagine I could do the whole thing in about an hour. But there's no way under the sun I could do all of this in 30 minutes. Geeze: shower, shave, teeth, dress, eat... in 30 minutes?

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[Don_HH2K]

First off... I thought you were still a student (sort of a perennial, on-going, never-stopping, student...LOL). You say you're working?

I currently have a summer job downtown with a large energy management company (I'll refrain from stating the name for obvious reasons), however I'm currently a junior in college and will be back to full-time student status in September.

Anyway, here's a brief breakdown of my 30-minute morning:

• 7:00: alarm goes off
• 7:01: out of bed and ready to go take a shower
• 7:02-7:21: time spent in bathroom (e.g. showering, shaving, brushing teeth)
• 7:22-7:25: get dressed
• 7:25-7:28: pack laptop and phone, find wallet/keys/glasses, etc...
• 7:29: grab one of these for breakfast, which gets eaten while walking (I follow up with OJ when I get into work)
• 7:30: lock door and get walking

I then follow with a brisk-ish 0.7mi walk to the train.

For the first two weeks I used to get up at 7 and leave at 8, but having come from college where I typically woke up a mere 20 minutes before class started, I found that doing so actually made me bored and lethargic in the morning. The faster pace actually helps me wake up in the absence of caffeine, which I cut out of my diet last year.

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[James]

LOL... you've outlined it just as I'd imagined you would... a true geek, Don (in a complimentary way).

So... no bagels... no eggs and coffee... no toast and jam but rather an organic, high-powered bar, eh?! Okay.

If only I could follow suit but no way at my age. I've reached the much more sedate two hour ritual before I finally leave for work. I guess each stage of life has its routines. I suppose when I was your age I was pretty much doing the same thing with the exception of the power bar since there were none.

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[Antony]

Anyway, here's a brief breakdown of my 30-minute morning:

• 7:00: alarm goes off
• 7:01: out of bed and ready to go take a shower
• 7:02-7:21: time spent in bathroom (e.g. showering, shaving, brushing teeth)
• 7:22-7:25: get dressed
• 7:25-7:28: pack laptop and phone, find wallet/keys/glasses, etc...
• 7:29: grab one of these for breakfast, which gets eaten while walking (I follow up with OJ when I get into work)
• 7:30: lock door and get walking

That's very impressive. For me, the morning usually takes at least 1 hour during weekdays. You really shouldn't rush when you enjoy your coffee to start your day beautifully (particularly for those of us who do not live in beautiful Boston). (Don't worry, I make my own Nespresso coffee.)

How do you get dressed in merely 3 minutes? Do you forget to do your hair and face?

Although I like English style breakfast, but it is not possible for me to have it everyday. I usually have cereal, which can't be finished in 1 minute.

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