In , Dave Garland wrote:
Bill wrote:

Seems to me someone wants everyone to be using more electricity!

It's not that no problem exists. You've said that you've *saved* over
$120/mo in electricity (more than twice as much as my entire electric
bill!). Clearly somewhere in your house there are things pulling
massive amounts of power.

What most of us are saying is that things like doorbell transformers and
wall warts don't consume enough electricity to be significant in this.
Now, unplugging unused wall warts isn't a bad idea. I've got most of
the ones I use to recharge batteries plugged into an outlet strip, and
only turn it on when I'm recharging something. But I don't know if I'm
recouping enough money to pay for the (cheap) outlet strip.

Most of those wallwarts when idling consume 1-2 watts of electricity,
..5-1 watt if they are more modern "switchmode" ones as opposed to ones
with iron core transformers. Modern cellphone chargers consume
about .5 watt unloaded. (There is a noticeable weight difference
between switchmode ones and iron core ones.)

1 watt costs close to $1 per year at average residential electric
billing rates in the USA. I think that the power strip will have a
payback rate exceeding that of a decent mutual fund experiencing a bhull
market.

Where you
need to look is

1) things that make heat (esp. electric heaters,
furnaces, stoves, and water heaters, for the most part stuff like hair
driers, coffee makers, waffle irons, etc. aren't turned on for long
enough to be of major significance if you're not living in a restaurant
or hair salon),

2) things with powerful electric motors (A/C, heat
pumps, dehumidifiers, blowers, refrigerators and freezers),

Blower motors don't consume nearly as much power as refrigeration/AC/
heatpump compressor motors. But some blowers are not nearly as efficient
as they can be now, and some refrigeration from 20 years ago still exists
now, while being something like 40-50% as efficient as the modern stuff.

and 3)
incandescent (including halogen) bulbs that are on for long periods.

Pretty much in that order.

That depends on the home. Some homes are in locations with lower
climate control needs. Some homes are occupied by occupants with
lower climate control needs. Also consider that (3) can add to load of
(2) since heat from incandescent bulbs adds to heat to be pumped out of
the home by air conditioning.

Those things are where your payback can be real, and large.

I would do everything where the payback rate exceeds that of long term
dividend-reinvested performance of the S&P 500 (and that exceeds long term
performance of value of a lot with a house on it).

- Don Klipstein )