PowerSwitch

Posted: **23 Mar 2009, 19:50**

I trust all PowerSwitchers are going to switch the power off on Saturday for Earth Hour?

Posted: **23 Mar 2009, 20:43**

Is there any point when my lights are PV powered ?

Posted: **23 Mar 2009, 21:15**

We won't be at home, so our lights will all be off.

Posted: **23 Mar 2009, 21:42**

I'll be out, under candlelight, but the lights will need to be on in the house.

Posted: **23 Mar 2009, 23:18**

Won't this destroy the grid when everyone switches back on again?!

Posted: **23 Mar 2009, 23:35**

Andy Hunt wrote:Won't this destroy the grid when everyone switches back on again?!

Now THAT certainly would raise a bit of awareness about energy issues, as millions of people sit in the dark waiting for somebody else to come along and sort the mess out.

Posted: **24 Mar 2009, 07:18**

We discussed this issue a year ago but in the event there was no discernable blip in the power demand graph. Less than the TV advert break put the kettle on luv effect.

And it's been well forecast so the balancing engineers should know about it.

Posted: **24 Mar 2009, 14:19**

I guess they envisage being more successful than E-DAY last year:
http://e-day.org.uk/index.thtml
(which increased consumption by 0.1%......)

Fellow PowerSwitchers, if we can't beat 'em, join 'em........
Lets join the masses, forget Earth Hour and take part in Energy Wasting Day:
http://www.energywastingday.com

Posted: **24 Mar 2009, 14:49**

Mark wrote:Fellow PowerSwitchers, if we can't beat 'em, join 'em........
Lets join the masses, forget Earth Hour and take part in Energy Wasting Day:
http://www.energywastingday.com

Am I alone in thinking it's mildly ridiculous posing with an electric keyboard?

Or is that part of the point, like the main protagonist's image?

Posted: **24 Mar 2009, 20:47**

If I'm on a camp site with electric hookup, can I just go off grid for an hour? And if I've got no hookup, can I just ignore Earth Hour altogether as I will be off grid anyway

Posted: **25 Mar 2009, 09:21**

Mark wrote:Fellow PowerSwitchers, if we can't beat 'em, join 'em........
Lets join the masses, forget Earth Hour and take part in Energy Wasting Day:
http://www.energywastingday.com

Isn't every day, energy wasting day?

Posted: **25 Mar 2009, 10:33**

Do you think the police would get upset by me turning the lights off on my car at 60MPH at 8:30PM?

Posted: **25 Mar 2009, 11:50**

Not if it's grid-connected.

Posted: **26 Mar 2009, 01:12**

nah.

call me sceptical but what difference is this transient gesture going to make?

for the likes of people who are actually bothered it won't make any difference as their houses are already very energy efficient and the inhabitants aware of such issues. for everyone else it'll be 'yeah there you go, done my bit' and back on with the xbox and down tesco for the dinner.

it seems to me that it just re-enforces the idea that saving energy is just about lowering electricity usage and that's it. not permanently changing behaviour / consumption patterns or considering embodied energy and so on.

sorry if i've completely got the wrong end of the stick here but it's just another good intention empty gesture... and as far as people honking boat horns etc. that's just disturbing people for the sake of it.

Posted: **26 Mar 2009, 07:19**

It's a gesture but far from empty. Last year our local Fair Trade group organised an Earth Hour concert at which the lights were dimmed, acoustic music played and people talked to others who had not previously met. Out of that, and other similar gestures, emerged our Transition Town initiative. A year later we are in discussion with the local authority and getting commitments on policy shifts which are very far from empty gestures.

This Saturday we'll be having another Earth Hour concert. Who knows what will emerge but it certainly won't be an empty gesture.