Monday 30 March 2009

I didn't turn one light off for Earth Hour

What a waste of energy.

All that Earth Hour achieved was an increase in C02 emissions around Cairns as all those people drove to Fogerty Park on the weekend, with their screaming kids to watch the free Council-sponsored movie. These good folk would have normally stayed home and had a low-energy emitting evening in. Maybe fish and chips on the beach would have been a better promotion?

So, no, I didn't turn any lights off on Saturday night. Mind you, my monthly energy bill doesn't represent any air conditioners buzzing away day and night, like all the wall to wall apartment dwellers seem to either enjoy or need to as they weren't designed with proper windows. I know street-facing apartments, like those delightful Stalin-like GlenCorp towers towers at Woree, were not allowed opening windows facing the highways.

Some Councillors have told me that the amount of apartments that have come for approval without sufficient street-facing windows is amazing. Never mind, they simply stack in a few extra hundred Air Con units all over the buildings.

I ripped mine out 6 years ago, and put in more window louvers to catch the breeze. I have no electric hot water heating - I use gas heated or tap temperature water for showers, which is collected for greywater garden watering. The two highest energy users in the home is your fridge - which can be around $65 a month on your bill, and up to $80 a month for your hot water cylinder, which traditionally bubbles away with steaming hot water continuously that you hardly ever use , nor need.

I've just booked in my $50 visit from ClimateSmart for a sparky visit to install a wireless energy monitor, provide a bunch of energy efficient bulbs and a new shower head, and check my fridge and other appliances for their outputs.

Suggest you jump online and book a visit in. It's far more pratical that turning off a couple of lights for one hour a year.

10 comments:

John, Kuranda said...

Mike
Have to support your comments re the ClimateSmart rebate - the promo deal is very competitive and needs to be encouraged. I guess with the wireless energy monitor I will now know (unfortuantely perhaps) what lifes little luxuries actually cost me!

Bryan Outlaw said...

"Earth Hour" is one big scam, it saves nothing.

Powerlink said today that they supplied 8% less electricity than normal. However they also admitted that POWERLINK actually saved nothing. You can't turn 8% of the generation "off" for an hour. It stays running, but offline, until the hour is up and consumption returns to normal.

Let's face it. Global warming? Scam.

Kasa said...

Hi everyone. I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.
I am from Greece and know bad English.

Thanks for the help :D, Kasa.

Shenest said...

As usual Bryan Outlaw is a font of information and great wisdom. I must put put my head in the sand also so I can see what he can see.

The Essence of Good Taste said...

Mike, hate to tell you - but the most costly electricity in your home is the swimming pool. Even without a wireless monitor I used my mental arithmatic (free) and know over $200 of my bill is the pool pump. But what cost is too much to provide at-home entertainment for my kids and their friends away from the streets and bad influences... The other thing a colleague worked out for me is your computer (even in sleep mode) uses 33c a day - now multiply that by 365days in a business with 50 employees... The only way to stop the power drain is to switch off at the wall. Here's to saving money :)

Michael P Moore said...

Well Essence, I don't have any swimming pool costs on my quarterly power bill.

I use Earth's natural pool, the beach!

Richie Rich, Westcourt said...

Where's Lance Royce's Flat Earth view when you need it?!

Bryan Law said...

Are my sunglasses in place? Wig firmly attached? Disguise-ometer set to full deception? Then I have to say I agree about 85% with Bryan Outlaw.

Earth Hour has very little actual impact on electricity generation or CO2 emission. The design of our electricity grid sees to that. Earth Hour’s main use is to raise consciousness about the potential for lifestyle change that could lead to increased energy efficiency, including switching appliances off at the wall when not using it. Against this is the possibility that folk will think that empty promotional gestures are enough, and will forget that structural change in things like transport are necessary and much harder to achieve.

For example we’ve failed in Cairns for 20 years to provide reasonable public transport options – while at the same time government has poured tens of billions of dollars into facilities for private car use. Such transport inefficiency is one of the key culprits in Carbon emission. It was clear during the election that the government is not able to deal with this problem. Nor is CRC, or any of the other “sponsors” of Earth Hour.

Over the past few years, our family has poured thousands of dollars into energy and water efficient appliances, solar generation, and sustainable use. On Saturday night I refused to sit in the dark and live without electricity – because that’s NOT a solution to anything.

I hope Bryan Outlaw doesn’t read this.

The Essence of Good Taste said...

Glad you're on the beach Mike. And you're right the ocean or a cool creek is a great option when within walking distance. Here's to diversity :)

KitchenSlut said...

Does a swimming Pool qualify as a carbon sink?