Using Technology to Save Energy Causes Martial Conflct
I was away at a convention last week and my bride accompanied me to help out.
At the hotel, I encountered something new (at least to me). We were instructed about a new energy saving device in the room. Upon entering, we were to insert our keycard into this wall-mounted device, which would then activate the lights in the entryway and bathroom. Then, when we leave the room, we simply remove the keycard and those things are automatically shut off about 25 seconds later. (And yes, I really did verify that it works. It's kind of like wanting to know that the refrigerator light actually goes out when the door is shut.)
I mused aloud that as an added bonus, I would know exactly were my keycard was when I leave the room.
It's an ingenious system — except when you have two people sharing a room, but operating on different schedules.
You see, on the first morning, I shuffled off to breakfast while my wife was still in the bathroom. (She often skips breakfast and I seldom do.) Twenty-five seconds later, I am a safe distance away and she suddenly finds herself in the dark.
Oops!
Isn't technology great?
At the hotel, I encountered something new (at least to me). We were instructed about a new energy saving device in the room. Upon entering, we were to insert our keycard into this wall-mounted device, which would then activate the lights in the entryway and bathroom. Then, when we leave the room, we simply remove the keycard and those things are automatically shut off about 25 seconds later. (And yes, I really did verify that it works. It's kind of like wanting to know that the refrigerator light actually goes out when the door is shut.)
I mused aloud that as an added bonus, I would know exactly were my keycard was when I leave the room.
It's an ingenious system — except when you have two people sharing a room, but operating on different schedules.
You see, on the first morning, I shuffled off to breakfast while my wife was still in the bathroom. (She often skips breakfast and I seldom do.) Twenty-five seconds later, I am a safe distance away and she suddenly finds herself in the dark.
Oops!
Isn't technology great?
Posted by Peter DeHaan at 6/22/2009 4:01 PM 
Categories: Travel, Ecology
Tags: energy savings Peter DeHaan blog author Peter DeHaan Peter DeHaan Musings Musings of Peter DeHaan
Categories: Travel, Ecology
Tags: energy savings Peter DeHaan blog author Peter DeHaan Peter DeHaan Musings Musings of Peter DeHaan
I ran into these devices a lot in Europe when traveling around. Generally they were in what I would consider to be the better hotels (all of which were at least equal to our Motel 8 or higher) and when we first encountered it, our whole group was confused as well, because they didn't tell us about it before we went up to our rooms, so we couldn't get our lights to turn on. Everyone was confused, all 15 rooms. Even the professors.
We did eventually figure it out, rather quickly, really, but it was a cool idea, and nice to know where your card is. Until you leave your card in your suitcase, grab the one in the switch by the door, and then your roommate doesn't have a key (cause he doesn't know where you left your in your suitcase).
It is interesting to see the delay between Europe and here, especially when it comes to these resource-saving ideas. Europe was doing it and had been doing it in Spring 2007. It's now Spring 2009 and the "normal" US finally got it (I wonder if there is a bridge from Europe-US stopping in the higher-end or larger-city hotels).
Either way, I enjoyed the new device, once I got the hang of using it.
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One may not know where his own keycard is if, when he leaves it is not his card he pulls out of the slot. Now he has left his roommate, not only in the dark, but without without a key too.
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Hey Peter, glad to have found you out here in the blogging world! So, what hotel is this? I've never seen anything like this!
In regard to your post below about twitter - i love to tweet! you can find me at 'gracebiskie' God bless & see you soon!
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