0
skymama

Turning the electricity off...is it ok?

Recommended Posts

My son will be leaving his apartment in Tallahassee today for about a month for winter break. He and his roommates are going to turn the electricity off during that time. It gets below freezing there during the winter. I don't know much about what to do in cold weather; do you foresee any problems with that? My suggestion was to leave the heat on, but at a low temp like 62 or so.

Help, cold weather people!
She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

at a low temp like 62 or so.



:D:D:D:D
Low? Mine never gets set any higher than 65 or 66 during the day when I'm home, and 62 is the "I'm bundled up in my bed at night" temp. (Granted I don't currently live in a particularly cold climate, but when I've lived in colder climates, and for the few weeks it is chilly here, those are the temps I use).
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
The only thing I can think of is if the water in the pipes freezes. He might want to shut the water off as well. Don't know if it would get THAT cold, but water that isn't flowing for a month straight in cold weather could freeze and cause damage to the plumbing, no?
PULL!! or DIE!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If the apartment complex is large enough then it might be ok to turn off the electricity but your idea is better... the temperature doesn't have to be very high and even 45-50 deg is more then enough to prevent pipes from freezing... and will substantially reduce the chance of pipes freezing...

They can reduce their electrical footprint by unplugging appliances while they're gone... but honestly the 10-15 dollars they might save by turning off the electric for a month is not worth the potential costs associated with repairing frozen pipes...
Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Low? Mine never gets set any higher than 65 or 66 during the day when I'm home, and 62 is the "I'm bundled up in my bed at night" temp.



LOL...last night in bed I had on pajamas, socks and gloves and was covered by a sheet, comforter and 2 blankets. The temp in the house was 69. I was fr-EEZ-ing! :ph34r:
She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Getting the power turned off and then back on is far more of a hassle than it's worth. Unless he is just planning on turning off the main switch, in which case he will still be paying the "service" charges (which are about 1/2 the bill anyway).

Unless it gets well below freezing, the chances of pipes freezing and bursting is low, but not zero.
The cost associated with burst pipes due to freezing is astronomical, especially if nobody is home to catch it right away.

Unplug everything (make sure there isn't anything in the fridge or freezer) and set the thermostat as low as it will go (that's usually about 50).

If the apartment is part of a larger complex, the heat from the surrounding apartments will help keep his warm and reduce the heating costs to practically zero.
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Remind him to leave the fridge door open after unplugging it , them things get ripe when the door is left shut!



I just asked him if the fridge was cleared out, he said no. Those dorks, I don't know what they're thinking! :ph34r:
She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

Low? Mine never gets set any higher than 65 or 66 during the day when I'm home, and 62 is the "I'm bundled up in my bed at night" temp.



LOL...last night in bed I had on pajamas, socks and gloves and was covered by a sheet, comforter and 2 blankets. The temp in the house was 69. I was fr-EEZ-ing! :ph34r:


I'm sure you can find volunteers here to help warm you.:ph34r:
My thermostat:
- When I am home and awake: 65F
- When I am in bed: 55F
"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I wouldn't even unplug the fridge, just empty out most of the stuff. It's not really an energy drain in the winter for an electrically heated space, since it puts 100% of the power it uses back into the room as heat. It basically does the same job as a baseboard heater.

Also, like the previous poster pointed out, much of your utility bill is service charges. Turn out the lights, turn down the heat, clean out the fridge, and save a few bucks. Other than that, it's not worth the possibility of plumbing damage. :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

Remind him to leave the fridge door open after unplugging it , them things get ripe when the door is left shut!



I just asked him if the fridge was cleared out, he said no. Those dorks, I don't know what they're thinking! :ph34r:


So for every buck they save in elec, they'll lose 2 bucks in spoiled food.
I don't know how I survived being that age.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
it depends on what kind of apt and where the pipes are located, stand alone, multi unit, first floor, second floor, etc.

most of the electric bill is for water heating and space conditioning, turn off the water heater at the breaker panel, set the heat on 50

if this is multi unit the adjacent units will keep it warmer

leave the fridge plugged in, it will cost $10-$15 to run it, not worth the hassle of empying and restocking

unplug everything else, depending on the exact power company, most in that area charge about $7 flat fee and then 12 cents per kWh

the real issue is what they do when they return, the apt probably has a heat pump, if they come in and move the T-stat to (let's say) 68 then the heat strips will come on and eliminate a weeks worth of savings

this is a pain but they need to move the T-stat 1-2 degrees at a time, let the temperature catch up, then move it again until they get to the desired set point

the walls, furniture, and everything else will take a couple days to reheat and the place will feel cold
Give one city to the thugs so they can all live together. I vote for Chicago where they have strict gun laws.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote


the real issue is what they do when they return, the apt probably has a heat pump, if they come in and move the T-stat to (let's say) 68 then the heat strips will come on and eliminate a weeks worth of savings

Probably no heat pump, just baseboard radiant. And I disagree with your basic tenet that the cost to reheat will exceed the savings. Direct baseboard heat is about 100% efficient, and any time spent not radiating excess heat out of the apartment will save some money. Reheating the environment will take less energy overall than keeping it heated, and losing energy to the outside, during the absence.

Good idea to shut off the water heater, though.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If it's a center unit, and is surrounded by other apartments, the pipes won't freeze. But generally they won't save any money due to the turnoff/turn on fees from the power company.

If you just turn off the heat, you'll get the same result. If the apt drops to (say) 50F, the refrig will use almost no power, and they will use almost nothing.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote




I just asked him if the fridge was cleared out, he said no. Those dorks, I don't know what they're thinking! :ph34r:



He's in college and the only thing in that fridge is BEER! Everybody knows that when you're in college, you will consume any beer, skunky or not!
It's called the Hillbilly Hop N Pop dude.
If you're gonna be stupid, you better be tough.
That's fucked up. Watermelons do not grow on trees! ~Skymama

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

...the real issue is what they do when they return, the apt probably has a heat pump, if they come in and move the T-stat to (let's say) 68 then the heat strips will come on and eliminate a weeks worth of savings

this is a pain but they need to move the T-stat 1-2 degrees at a time, let the temperature catch up, then move it again until they get to the desired set point

the walls, furniture, and everything else will take a couple days to reheat and the place will feel cold



I don't agree with that. I routinely put my T-stat at 50 when I'm gone for more than a couple days.

When I get back, I put it right to 64 (nomal daytime setting).

I have an oil-burner, and when I go from 50 to 64 it will fire up, run for a while, the burner will shut down while the fan keeps going (normal). But before the fan shuts down, the burner usually kicks back on due to the walls, furniture and everything else being cold.
It probably takes about 6-8 hours for everything to completely warm back up (getting into a bed with 2 blankets and a down comforter isn't a whole lot of fun, inuslation works both ways:o), but I burn considerable less fuel than I would if I left it up all the time I am gone. I've neglected to turn it down a couple times and the difference is pretty significant.
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
My parents have a condo in the mountains in Utah. They're not allowed to turn all the electricity off, because while the pipes are insulated and run through the center of the building, they will still freeze. Their association mandates that during the winter, thermostats are left at 55 degrees F.

My dad's got the breaker box very clearly labeled, and when we leave, we turn off everything except the stuff tagged red, which is the heater and whatever else Dad's decided is "Stuff Not To Be Disconnected", like the smoke alarms.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

The only thing I can think of is if the water in the pipes freezes. He might want to shut the water off as well. Don't know if it would get THAT cold, but water that isn't flowing for a month straight in cold weather could freeze and cause damage to the plumbing, no?



ACTUALLY

When it gets so cold that freezing of pipes is likely it is best to leave the water dripping so there is a tiny bit of flow in the pipes. ALSO if the bathroom or kitchen pipes are against an outside wall it is a good idea to open the cupboards where the pipes are to let in the warmth of the house.

Heater... yeah.. leave set about 55 F Unplug everything else.

Looking at the weather... it looks a tad chilly in FL about now... Might I suggest Seattle... lots warmer here right now... high overcast... totally jumpable:)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

Remind him to leave the fridge door open after unplugging it , them things get ripe when the door is left shut!



I just asked him if the fridge was cleared out, he said no. Those dorks, I don't know what they're thinking! :ph34r:



COOOOL Biology experiment in progress:ph34r:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0