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I am a licensed electrician. All above are correct who tell you that unused outlets do not consume any power. Victim of GM is on target about ways to save energy.
Leave your outlets alone. You are asking for trouble with your ideas. If you attempt it yourself you may get hurt and/or kill power where you are using it. No electrician worth his salt would do it for you either.
Just to clarify something, just because something is is plugged into a switch doesn't mean it's drawing power. A switched lamp for example does not draw power. what does commonly draw power is when turned off is some electronics. Cable boxes are one example of something that typically bad for this. Computers, routers and modems will also draw power but they typically have a low footprint.
If you know the watts it can be calculated with this:
watts / 1000 * hours * kWh rate = $cost
If the watts is not listed you can calculate it if the amps are listed, typically the volts is 120.
amps * volts = watts
The box stores sell meters so you can see how much something may be drawing if its not listed or something like a computer where it may vary.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Your utility company will usually lend you an outlet meter... you can then test the consumption of devices that are plugged in.
For 'hardwired' usage (furnace / AC(?) / Range / dryer...) you can read your meter and validate consumption.
What region / climate are you in?
How many SF is your condo?
Does it have vaulted ceilings?
How old is your Ref?
How many hours / week for appliances and TV / home entertainment?
Do you have Elect chargers plugged in while not in use?
What type of blight bulbs? (LED preferred)
How many hours / day are your lights on ? Some leave flood lights on all night... $$$
(Heat devices suck power)
How long of showers do you take, how often? (2 min is plenty)
How often do you wash clothes on warm / hot temp?
How much do you use the cooktop and oven?
Hairdryer?
Toaster?
Don't do this. You've been told by multiple other posters that it won't save you any money, and unless you are planning on dying in place, it will DEFINITELY reduce the value of your condo when you want to sell. Frankly I wouldn't even look at a place where someone had gone in and removed or cut off outlets.
And given the lack of knowledge you are showing, seems likely you are liable to kill yourself trying it.
Power does NOT run through wiring unless there is a load somewhere. If that load is downstream of your outlets, you will just cut off power to that load. If you ARE using another outlet somewhere downstream of an outlet you think you don't need, removing the outlet you are not using will cut off power to the outlet or lights that you were using.
If there is nothing downstream of the outlet you plan to remove, then no power runs through those lines anyway. There is absolutely no reason to remove outlets thinking you're going to save money. You won't.
Think of it as if it were a water faucet. As long as you keep the spigot closed, no water flows. Water will only flow if you turn the spigot on. Plugging something into that outlet is like turning a spigot on. As long as you don't plug anything in to it, no current flows.
I am just trying to look for ways to reduce my energy usage so I don't pay to high.
It is still being used still because there is current being drawn even though nothing is plugged into it, other wise how am I getting power and instant power. I won't get instant power if I cut it of from the circuit box but the thing bout that is my circuit box that is connected to that outlet is also connected to the master bd outlet which makes no sense to me.
You should have taken Physics in high school. lol
You have electricity at the outlets instantly because of Voltage. Voltage is the potential energy of the electricity on a circuit. It is completely different from Current which is measured in Amperes. The Amperage of a circuit is the amount of current flowing through it when an electrical device is connected. If nothing is connected, you have no current and no amps are being used so you are not using electricity. You are billed by the electric company in watts. Watts is the amount of electric power consumed and it is calculated by multiplying the Voltage and the Amps. So if you don't connect anything and to flow current create Amps, you did not use any watts so you are billed nothing. Does that explain it well enough so it makes sense?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pyewackette
Don't do this. You've been told by multiple other posters that it won't save you any money, and unless you are planning on dying in place, it will DEFINITELY reduce the value of your condo when you want to sell. Frankly I wouldn't even look at a place where someone had gone in and removed or cut off outlets.
And given the lack of knowledge you are showing, seems likely you are liable to kill yourself trying it.
Power does NOT run through wiring unless there is a load somewhere. If that load is downstream of your outlets, you will just cut off power to that load. If you ARE using another outlet somewhere downstream of an outlet you think you don't need, removing the outlet you are not using will cut off power to the outlet or lights that you were using.
If there is nothing downstream of the outlet you plan to remove, then no power runs through those lines anyway. There is absolutely no reason to remove outlets thinking you're going to save money. You won't.
Think of it as if it were a water faucet. As long as you keep the spigot closed, no water flows. Water will only flow if you turn the spigot on. Plugging something into that outlet is like turning a spigot on. As long as you don't plug anything in to it, no current flows.
The water flow analogy is a very good example. A lot of the physics are similar in the way water flows through pressurized plumbing and the way electricity flows through electric lines. You can only force so many molecules of water through a certain size pipe before it will burst and you can only force so many electrons through a wire before it melts. Water won't flow unless you turn on the faucet and electricity doesn't flow unless you turn on the switch. They are fairly similar concepts.
Unplug your "ghost" energy draws.. If you have a second tv, cable box, DVD player that you rarely use, unplug them....they draw power 27/7. Don't use the timed brew on your coffee maker? Unplug it. Anything with a computer chip draws power 24/7 for the most part....
And you stated that your last bill was around $150? That is CHEAP for summer electric. I think our last one on our 950sf ranch was over $200 because of the window AC units....
I am just trying to look for ways to reduce my energy usage so I don't pay to high.
It is still being used still because there is current being drawn even though nothing is plugged into it, other wise how am I getting power and instant power. I won't get instant power if I cut it of from the circuit box but the thing bout that is my circuit box that is connected to that outlet is also connected to the master bd outlet which makes no sense to me.
I'll go out on a limb and guess that you do not have a STEM degree, nor do you work in a STEM field. Not trying to be harsh, just noting that you are clearly not understanding how electric power works.
Can somebody recommend a good book on basic electricity? Maybe even a "wire it yourself" type title, even if you don't intend to go hands-on, these can still have good explanations of how basic house wiring works, for educational purposes. Stuff like, what is a conductor, insulator, what is a Volt, an Amp, a Watt.
To give a partial answer to my own question, go to any good used book store, and look at the DIY section, look for books from Audel's and similar on house wiring.
Like everybody else has said, unused outlets don't draw power.
Don't just go randomly disconnecting outlets. If you have devices that you want to leave plugged in that you use infrequently (e.g. a guest bedroom with a television set, or a room with a computer system that is used maybe once a month or so) then install a GFCI outlet that you can shut off at will, or failing that, serial a light switch with the outlet. That way you can reach down and turn it on and off at will.
You should look into your outdoor electrical outlets. Verify if the breaker only turns off your outdoor electrical outlets. If the breaker only turns off the outdoor outlets then turn the breaker off. Though they don’t use electricity if not being used, some bad neighbors steal electricity from other homes this way. They know if you’re not home and connect an extension cord to a neighbor’s outside outlet. Electric trimmer, electric lawn mower, power tools, and many other items have been used off the neighbor’s outside outlets. If your condo is attached to another condo home then consider hiring an electrician to inspect the wiring. Though rare, it does happen that a neighbor with electrical skills has tapped into their neighbor’s electricity to help lower their own electric bill. Another possibility is poor electrical construction or renovations have caused some electrical circuits to serve an attached neighbor’s home electricity. If you truly know your home then unplug everything, turn off your central air, then check your electric meter to see if it’s turning. Does your attic have an electric thermostatically controller exhaust fan? If so remember to turn this off as well before checking the meter. If you’ve turned off everything and the meter is still turning then contact an electrician for help.
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