Is this a waste of energy?
Question:My husband is driving me crazy by always getting mad at me if I leave a standing fan in our bedroom plugged it. I always turn it off, but usually don't take the time to bend over and unplug it. He says that we are wasting energy by leaving it plugged in. Is this true? I really can't imagine how this fan would dramatically affect our electric bill. We have lots of other appliances around the house (lamps, computers, etc.) that we do not unplug after each use. What's the deal?
Answers:
Well, Generally most a appliances use their max energy when they are on, but some electrical appliances such as microwaves and ranges use minimal energy when their off, due to the fact of their time displays. These however, only use about 5 watts when off. So in your case your husband is arguing over a measily nickle or dime a day. Here is a good website that you can use to save some energy..
http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/ho...
He is crazy, put him on some medication!
Not unless the fan has digital controls. There was just an insert in our electric bill about energy usage draws on electronics that are turned off. Anything that has a digital display or thermostatically controlled or at the ready appliances with standby mode (i.e.answering machines), continue to draw energy to power the digital display, including microwaves, coffee makers, computers, televisions, wall and free standing ovens, cable boxes, answering machines, etc. According to our utility provider, electric appliances with no digital displays generally do not continue to draw power when turned off. Electric fans, ceiling, freestanding, window fans or lamps, ceiling lights, were on their list of items that do not continue drawing power when turned off, except if they have digital temperature controls. In our area, it only costs 1 1/2 cents per kilowatt hour to operate a fan. Check your utility provider's website, they may have a useage calculator like ours does.
he's wrong
it just seems like he's over - dramatic.
its not a waste of energy
your husbands an idiot
Yes. Your question is a waste of energy.
Actually yes, unplugging things does cause for less energy used.
Even though it's not on, it's still using up energy for the next use.
EDIT--
It's fact.
I've read it, I've seen it on T.V...he's not crazy.
its not wasting any energy because its not turned on.
it is wasting energy but 1 thing will not waste enough energy to effect your electric bill. you would need to unplug a lot more of your electronics.
The fan is probably not wasting much energy by being plugged in, but many appliances do waste energy when they're turned off but plugged in. It's a good idea to unplug it, but that alone won't have much effect on your energy bill.
You can purchase items like the Kill-A-Watt (see link) that will measure how much energy something uses when it's plugged in, turned on, turned off, etc. Very useful for these kind of debates.
Sounds like your husband is just a control freak. He is trying to condition you that he is in control and you need to listen to him. A plugged in standing fan will not raise your bill if it is not on.
i don't really think a fan wastes that much electricity! tell him to show you proof that it does.
Anything plugged into an outlet is going to draw a certain amount of energy. Try unplugging everything you can reach for two weeks straight and see how much lower your energy bills will be. It is a bit annoying, but it does save some energy and some money to boot.
No, that's ridiculous. A fan that is not running uses no measurable electricity. Your TV, coffee maker, answering machine, etc all use electricity even when not in use, but a fan does not.
next time hang him at the fan and watch:)
Absolutely not.
According to your husband's theory, we all would have to unplug everything in our house to save money.
Actually leaving the fan on low/med during the hot summer months will actually save you money when you have the AC on.
Ceiling fans work best moving the air around.
Most electronic devices these days have what's called "standby" mode. It is very likely that your fan, even when its not on, is drawing some power from the outlet it is plugged into. Your TV, VCR, DVD player, cell phone charger and computer are also doing this. In ayear, you save a lot of electricity (and money) unplugging things while they are not in use.
no need to unplug appliances.
It may sound Kinda silly but it really does help save on bills.
Me and my wife did it for 8 weeks and we really save alot on our bill
Hubby needs to chill out~sounds like there is more going on than just the fan, and he's just looking for an excuse to jump you. If that fan is turned off~it isn't drawing any energy! Some things, like your t.v., computer, etc...will draw a small amount of energy even when they are turned off, but not a fan. Tell him to work some overtime if he's THAT worried about the electric bill!LOL
Best of Luck to You!!
I think he is wrong... There are better ways to save energy (and money!) than unplugging appliances... get fluorescents bulbs instead regular ones and you won't believe how much you will save!. Also change the AC filters (make sure they are good quality and that they fit correctly).
There are plenty of other things you can do. Here are some environmental friendly ideas from greenpeace:
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/...
*Edit*
Hey! that "Kill a Watt" seems like a pretty good idea!, but I wonder if the savings that it will provide justify the $22 + shipping it costs.
the table fan in my room is plugged in, i only off it when i dun use
The ONLY way the fan would still use energy while it is turned off is if it has digital controls that stay on all the time, like a microwave oven has a clock on it. Or if it has some kind of memory chip inside it to keep presets in memory like a car radio. If it is just a fan with a regular turn knob or the kind with three speed buttons, then there is no way.
If you recorded how much electricity that fan used you would see that it is a mute point. You can run a normal fan all year for under $10.
Point two is if the fan is off it is not using electricity unless it has digital controls.
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