For about a year now I’ve been paying close attention to my electric bill consumption. What I find fascinating is my power consumption compared to one year prior. For many months I’ve actually been using less power than the year before even though I’m continually adding gadgets, lighting, and other electricity consuming products. How can that be?
For most homes the single largest consumer of electricity is the refrigerator, so I replaced that with a new efficient model. I also converted every light to compact florescent bulbs. I got rid of old style CRT computer and television screens in favor of LCD. I also replaced my window air conditioners (I live in an old building without central air). All these changes have made a difference I can see. This makes me wonder how all these new technologies impact society as a whole. We have more electronics, but we have more efficient electronics. Do the gains in efficiency offset the addition of new gadgets? Are you using less power too?
