Electricity saving tips!

If you don't use your wall oven (whether electric or gas) on a daily basis, then consider turning the power off at the wall (or the switchboard as applicable) when it is not in use. Turing off this redundant wall clock appears to have made a noticeable difference to the power bill for the last quarter. 

Turn off your microwave and any other appliances with a digital display when not in use. Also consider turning off your digital alarm clock and door bell during the day when you are not at home. 

Replace any power boards which have a standby light which is on even when none of the power points are being used. 

Being known as "Doctor Gadget" I also have a range of solar charging gizmos which can be used for charging your mobile phone and other small appliances. However, the only problem with this is that it is quite difficult to get them fully charged unless direct sunlight is falling on them regularly, so this isn't a regular option unless you have somewhere suitable and safe to leave them during the day. It is also something more likely to be successful during the summer months. However, even if it is only the occasional charge it will still be a small contribution to reducing your power bill.

Blackout - Life but not as we know it!

A week ago I had one of those wonderful retrospective experiences that reminds you just how dependent we are on technology.

Following the uplifting experience of singing at the Holy Thursday evening service, I returned homw looking forward to a hot meal and catching up on a few interesting shows on TV that I don't normally get to see on Thursday night due to choir practice.

The first sign that something was wrong was that the security light outside the front door did not go on. Already I was wondering if the power was off. Opening the front door confirmed this. No electricity and the main circuit breaker was still on. However, some of the adjacent properties appeared to have normal lighting and the street lights were on, so what was happening?

Like Boy Scouts, Ski Patrollers always aim to be well prepared, so with the aid of a trusty solar-powered torch candles and matches were rapidly located and lit.

However, things were looking a little grim. With no power, there was no telephone, no kettle, no stove and an overriding imperative to keep the refrigerator shut!

The good old mobile telephone saved the day as a means of contacting the power company, who promised to dispatch a truck.

Waiting was frustrating. It was too dark to read or to do any household tasks, no radio or music to listen to and dinner was definitely on hold.

It was fascinating to reflect that this was how our forebears lived until the advent of electrical power. I guess they didn't know any other way of living, and I suppose that we could adapt to it if we had to, but it certainly underlined how much we take our everyday tech nological aids for granted.

When you visit any outdoor activity and camping store, it is equally amazing just how many devices and pieces of equipment there are to help bring along the luxuries of home. Good old-fashioned simple camping with a gas stove, torch and mosquito net seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur!

Fortunately the repair truck arrived sooner rather than later, and it turned out that just a couple of wires on one of the power poles in the street had shorted out, only affecting a small number of properties. Soon all was back to normal, with power, light and hot food.

It only occurred to me later that it was not only our forebears who lived in a world bereft of power and conveniences - many people in the developing world are still in this situation. It is easy to forget how lucky we are that we happened to be born into a progressive Western society. It is the only life that we know, but we also know that we do not wish to live as they do, and in our hearts we understand why others might aspire to come here and live as we do.

This should persuade us all to be humanitarians, to do unto others as we would have done unto us. We might not be able to solve the problems of the developing world, but we can all do what we can to improve the quality of life for the other people who share the fragile spaceship Planet Earth. It doesn't cost anything to be nice and to "pay it forward".