Environment & Energy
In reply to the discussion: 60 Minutes on this bicycle can power your home for 24 hours [View all]D Gary Grady
(133 posts)You of course mean "50 watts" rather than "50 watts an hour." Watts indicate the rate at which energy is produced or consumed; the total amount of energy is given in watt-hours. If pedaling can produce power at a rate of 50 watts, then pedaling for an hour generates 50 watt-hours of energy and pedaling for two hours generates 100 watt-hours (not 100 watts as the second paragraph implies). From your correct use of watt-hours elsewhere I suspect you know all this and I'm just being a pain in the ass, but so many people don't understand it that I thought it was probably worth pointing out. Also, I just like being a pain in the ass.
Reducing the water heater temperature indeed does save energy and also reduces health risks of very hot water. (It can also motivate quicker showers!)