To neon or not

[stem]

What determines wether FCU's, DP isolators etc., should have neons? personal choice or what they are controlling?

It appears that showers and water heaters should have a neon, but what about things that are left on permanently, ie cookers, boilers and fused spurs feeding fridges or freezers?

In these days of energy conservation where we are all encouraged not to leave our TV's, etc on standby to save enough power to run a small town, what is the effect of millions of neons countrywide?

 

[JohnD]

The neon is a useful way of indicating when the supply is on.

However, it can't be relied upon to show when the power is off (neon is not lit) as there is a possibility that the neon may have failed.

Current used is insignificant.

The lit neon may sometimes prompt you to turn the appliance off.

 

[SparkyMarky]

I'd only use them to indicate when something which is normally turned off is actually switched on (such as immersion heaters, outside lights etc.), more as a memory jogger than anything else. Apart from that I can't think of any reason to use them. Having them on circuits where they'd always be lit (supplying under worktop kitchen appliances for example) would probably just irritate me after a while if I had to live with them.