Mark & Juanita wrote in
:

Han wrote:

... snip

Renewables are simply stop gaps and niche products and often
expensive....

Not so. I signed up for electricity delivery from renewable sources,
and I hope I am not hoodwinked. The info and bills say I am getting
100% of my electricity from wind and water, all for ~$4/month more.
OK, on a $50/month electric bill it is by percentage a lot, perhaps,
but not much in impact on my pocketbook.


But are you really paying 100% of the cost of the difference for
those
renewables, or it this where you are paying for one of those "green
watts" programs where you donate a certain amount per month for so
development of so many kilowatt hours of wind or solar?

I am surcharged to pay for the difference in cost (or subsidy - what's
the difference?) between ordinary electricity and high-faluting
electricity. Thereby I believe I am doing something good, and I am happy
that I can afford it.

Conservation makes a good sound bite but no one ever
rationed themselves to prosperity. Possibly worthwhile for getting
through hard times but never for solving hard times. Rod

Conservation can be as easy as walking to the post office 200 yards
away, instead of starting up the car from cold,

Not sure that many people would actually drive that short a distance
and even those who do are using miniscule amounts of energy in so doing

I was making a point, and using close to an actual distance between my
home and the USPS office in 07410. At night, when getting a prescription
in the rain from the CVS 100 yards further, I have chosen to use the car.

just for getting a few stamps.
Or turning off the lights when not needed. Conservation need not be
a measure of last resort, but is just a showing of respect for
natural resources.


If you are doing it to save money, that's one thing. If you think
you are saving the planet, you've been hoodwinked.

One does not exclde the other. Do not demean the "rush" of realizing
you're doing something "good" grin.

All in my opinion, of course! And I do leave my computers on too
much grin.


One of the biggest wasters of resources is the idiotic "sleep mode"
on copiers and printers at places of business. It takes on the order
of minutes for those things to wake up while the person using them has
to wait. When you compute the cost of the person's time vs. the
electricity savings, the electricity savings pale in comparison.
That's a real drag on productivity and output

That's true for a gadget that is used every few minutes, or at least
every half hour on a 24/7 basis. I was more thinking of the TV being
really on while everyone is asleep or at work. Or the copier is on
during the long weekend. (Our copier at work goes into deep sleep when
not used in an hour or so, so then it is less of a factor).
--
Best regards
Han
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