This question has nothing to do with the horrible economy or having to cut back on expenses. It's just a hypothetical situation, like a "Would you rather..." or "What if..." game.
What if you could only use electricity to power 5 things in your house? What 5 things would you choose? To make it more interesting, let's pretend you have to remain in your house for one month (this isn't for just a day!), the month is January, and your utilities are all electric, not gas.
That's a pretty tough one. There are definitely more than 5 things I use every single day which require electricity.
Here are my picks:
1. Hot water heater
I cannot tolerate taking a cold shower in the winter. Heck no. I'm not going to power the heater because I have a real fireplace. And I'm not going to power the air conditioner because it is January in St. Louis! However, during the summer, the water heater would go bye-bye and I'd power the A/C. I can't stay in a cold, dark basement.
2. TV
Call me a lazy TV-addict, but I'm putting my TV on the list. There are shows I really like to watch, and I'm not a big fan of watching TV shows on my computer. Plus, I like to have the news on while I get ready in the morning. I don't have the time to check traffic online. Sorry Netflix, the DVD player isn't making it on the list. I can get movies right on the TV if I really want to watch them at home.
3. Refrigerator
I'm not going to go out to eat everyday (expensive, lazy, potentially unhealthy) or live entirely off of dry foods (boring), so I need my fridge. Luckily almost all refrigerators have a freezer, too!
4. Computer
I'm not even that concerned about checking my personal email or any entertainment purposes. I just can't deal without having a quick way to get directions, buy plane tickets, or look up anything. Besides, if I really needed a different appliance, I could take TV off of the list and watch TV and movies online. This also eliminates the need for a radio, iPod, or CD player.
5. Stove
That's right, the stove, not the microwave. Sure, it'd be more convenient to use the microwave, but there are some things I wouldn't want to not eat that can't exactly be cooked in the microwave. Mainly, I want to be able to cook pasta and meats. Also, I figure it's healthier to cook on a stove than in a microwave and that I'd eat more fresh foods this way. I can deal without having the oven, even though the stove and oven are usually one appliance. Let's face it, I'm not baking cakes and biscuits all day.
I didn't put any lights or lamps on the list. I've got daylight, the light from my TV or computer, and a ridiculous amount of candles to burn. Maybe one of the 5 things should be a smoke detector! My cell phone charger works in my car, and my digital camera can be charged through my computer. I'd really miss my blow dryer, but it just isn't worth one of the 5 spots. Lots of things can be powered by batteries, so I think I could actually manage to still live pretty comfortably while restricted to powering just 5 things with electricity.
What five things would you power?
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