Are You Switching Off?

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

I dunno about this?
I'm not lighting my fire, instead

JohnGaul
NZThS

[Vertigo]

yep, ill be going a step further, and switching the mains off completely while i meditate and do some tai chi

[tgsnoopy]

Lights etc off and lie on the bed listening to the MP3 player I feel. Recharge AAA battery in MP3 player with solar panel later. That'll do

Give thought to the source of any alternative energy you may use during this period and where it comes from and how efficent/good for the environment etc it is.

Aka, stop using single use disposable batteries!

[gllitz]

In a word: no.

[Dale]

I switched off to the whole concept a long time ago. If everyone can do it for an hour then what is stopping them doing it every bloody night! The whole "earth hour" thing is just a big con if you ask me
Energy has been conserved to the max since moving into this ol farmhouse & it has reflected in our power bill which just came in but alas.. I wont get my view tonight of the skytower & all the flashy lights to the North.. damn them for doing it during MY hour!

[Vertigo]

i agree dale! but that doesnt mean that it isnt a good idea to raise awareness of energy conservation in general.

that said, it seems to be bringing the worst out of people. on another forum i frequent, people were saying theyll be running all their heaters and hairdryers for the full hour, using as much power as possible. sure, you dont have to participate, but theres no need to be a complete tool.

[Dale]

there is also the "anti" earth hour group getting around & a few of my more militant aussie friends are as bad as what you just posted.
Its a start anyway, certainly not against the idea of energy conservation.
That said, i'll do my bit and spin the HDD down for an hour

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

...well I got through from 8:30pm to 9:30pm without having to light the fire. Thank goodness for global warming

JohnGaul
NZThS

[tgsnoopy]

Doh, I completely forgot about it. Got a call from offshore on Skype and that was me distracted

I think it's a good idea to make people think a little more.

If we all turn off that un-necessary light, or change an incandescent lamp to a flourescent etc, it does add up and can't hurt.

As for deliberately using more... That's just sad.

[Andrew Massie]

I quite like seeing Orion's power consumption graph.. They get nervous about the inrush currents when everybody turns back on! There was an interesting lower spike tonight on it, wonder if it was the lights at AMI stadium shutting off?

Anyway, yes I did, like using our candles!

[MumCarrot]

Enjoyed the TWO hours we spent with a glass of wine each and two camping lights going - the ones you wind up to charge up!

[Storm Struck]

So everyone turns off thier lights in the house and then lights candles , hmm great idea burn more emissions who thought of this dumb idea .
It goes both ways really with this country, in the end the whole of New Zealand has to pay for Aucklands roading and transport systems apon increase in gas emissions while they only clock up 3% down turn in power on Saturday night.
This compared to the South Island which clocked up to 6-8% down turn, hmmm and isnt it funny that the higher population is in the NI cities.
Cheers
Jason.

[Nev]

Jasestrm, I think your figures may be somewhat misleading...

Earth Hour cuts power 'markedly' - Radio NZ
Transpower says that at 8.30pm electricity demand dropped by 39 megawatts in the North Island and 24 megawatts in the South Island, a fall of 3.5%, [although factors such as the weather also played a part].

EARTH HOUR ELECTRICITY SAVINGS - HOW THE REGIONS FARED: - Stuff
Christchurch's 8.1 per cent saving was just ahead of Auckland City's 8 per cent but well behind Hamilton's 10.2 per cent reduction.
In terms of regional figures, Canterbury's overall saving was 6 per cent, the same as Nelson-Marlborough but short of the West Coast, which achieved 8 per cent, and the central North Island, at 7 per cent. Other Earth Hour regional savings from the em6live website: Northland 1 per cent; Auckland 3 per cent; Waikato 3 per cent; Bay of Plenty 0 per cent; Hawke's Bay 3 per cent; Taranaki 5 per cent; Wellington 3 per cent; South Canterbury 1 per cent; and Otago-Southland 2 per cent.

Also, in the past, one third of the country's population has helped support our national transport infrastructure, much to the neglect and detriment of their own city. Don't you think it's about time the rest of nation gave a little back?

[Storm Struck]

Thats the media for ya, i heard those figures on the news last night go figure .
I still dont believe 3-4 hours of switching off will do anything, if we got into a power crisis then we would think about the power usage.
Maybe a months worth of people turning off the lights for an hour between 9-10pm would make a difference, but then you have to convince that large majority who disagree with it.
It would certainly be interesting to see how everyone copes in a blackout which lasted more than a week, everything we do we rely on electricity and alot of buisneses would feel it or be closed.
Cheers
Jason.

[jamie]

Its not ment to save the planet or save electricity.... its a "vote" by turning lights off. By turning lights off your saying you care for the planet and are willing to help keep it for our future generations... global warming is going to play sweet f all part on our lives and even a few generations after us. Its all about keeping the human race alive is it not?

I sit on the fence with global warming though... not sure what to think.. here of so many contrasting figures and findings.

[Andrew Massie]

I turned my hot water cylinder off too, just because I can! I'm not a believer of storage water heating..>!

[spwill]

Sounds like there has been more hype in Chch around earth hour so more people get involved.
Not much interest around here for it.

[Andrew Massie]

The smiley says it all.