Give up electricity?

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clemencia2us
Posts: 11447
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 9:21 am

Re: Give up electricity?

Post by clemencia2us »

2dogs+someCats wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 11:26 am I have been without refrigeration before for months when there was an electrical problem in my old trailer that I couldn't afford to fix. Admittedly this is easier to deal with in a New York winter - ice and snow in coolers was the solution at the time. There are propane gas refrigerators but I don't like that option.

I already don't have fans in hot weather. My house is such that it stays relatively cool all year (read: freezing in winter!). I will admit to purchasing a box fan this year - we had an awful heat wave and I got it for my dogs - set it in front of a big pan of ice and the dogs got the "cool breeze". I only used it a few hours a day for 3 days - they heat wave broke and the fan went out in the garage to use for the next heat wave.

I already don't use lights during the day - even if it's dark and raining - other than I enjoy lighting a few candles.

Crazy or not, I really feel that is a challenge I would undertake if not for how scary other heat sources are to me.
I don't use lights during the day either. Plenty of sunlight here

It drives me crazy when i go to my sister's house and she has every light on in the living room and kitchen. I feel like i am being interrogated by the FBI! Must be some kind of phobia she has. Plenty of sunlight in the house.
Dgflorida
Posts: 4381
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:10 pm

Re: Give up electricity?

Post by Dgflorida »

As an earlier poster pointed out, oil pipelines and gas pipelines are not the same. It was probably a gas pipeline that the NY governor refused to approve, but the result was the same. Utilities are responsible for promising to provide energy to their customers. If they calculate that they can't, they have a responsibility to refuse the contract. The other option is rolling blackouts which generally are poorly received by customers. Also when they have to buy energy on the energy market, it is expensive regardless of its source, petroleum or hydro. Since utilities are regulated in terms of what they can charge customers, buying additional energy on the market will cut into their profits. Utilities don't like to do that because it annoys their shareholders and that can affect share prices and potentially evaluation. A domino effect utilities avoid. I am under the impression that utilities are business and therefore look to their bottom line.

For us frugal people, the problem is that once the utility gets a rate increase or fuel charge, it never goes away. We end up paying more for less. I wish it wasn't that way, but it is. Sad.
Last edited by Dgflorida on Sat Aug 31, 2019 1:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Dgflorida
Posts: 4381
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:10 pm

Re: Give up electricity?

Post by Dgflorida »

I have a slight knowledge of being without refrigeration since I was a backpacker in my earlier days. 2 dogs and some cats, the ice in front of the fan is called a swamp cooler by some. They really do work. When I would go Cajun dancing in some rural places, they would actually use them. The Cajuns are amazing people.
2dogs+someCats
Posts: 845
Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:46 pm

Re: Give up electricity?

Post by 2dogs+someCats »

Dgflorida wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 12:38 pm I have a slight knowledge of being without refrigeration since I was a backpacker in my earlier days. 2 dogs and some cats, the ice in front of the fan is called a swamp cooler by some. They really do work. When I would go Cajun dancing in some rural places, they would actually use them. The Cajuns are amazing people.
Wow DG, I didn't know that was called a swamp cooler, thanks for that info! I don't even know how I knew to try it - I must have read the idea someplace.

I was actually surprised at what a difference it made for the dogs. At first they were timid about the fan but when I put their favorite treats in front of it and they got that blast of cool air and they settled right down not far from it.
2dogs+someCats
Posts: 845
Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:46 pm

Re: Give up electricity?

Post by 2dogs+someCats »

clemencia2us wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 12:26 pm I don't use lights during the day either. Plenty of sunlight here

It drives me crazy when i go to my sister's house and she has every light on in the living room and kitchen. I feel like i am being interrogated by the FBI! Must be some kind of phobia she has. Plenty of sunlight in the house.
I hear ya sister! I know people who leave their lights on all day, all night, when they aren't home, etc., it's kind of maddening. This is more of a challenge for me in winter when it gets dark at 4:30. I really like candle light though - for doing dishes and what not (not for reading - I'd have to light a whole lot of candles, lol). And in winter I go to bed very early - so it's all good.
Dgflorida
Posts: 4381
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:10 pm

Re: Give up electricity?

Post by Dgflorida »

I go to bed early too. Often when the sun sets. Unfortunately, I get up before the sun rises usually, so then I have to use lights. Now that we don't watch any of the evening TV shows and in fact only watch local weather sometimes and the nightly business report. Some international news all clustered between 5-7 pm, early bed is easy. Hubs reads on his kindle and I do FB or google. So I think we use less electricity.
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