Standby power consumption

wild666

Cardew said:

I have lost count of the number of posters on MSE complaining about their massive consumption of xx thousand kWh pa that state 'and I always unplug my TV when not in use.'

Just unplgging the TV will not save a massive amount it's all the other appliances like surround sound, games consoles, smart speakers, Stereos, cooker, microwave, washer, smart bulbs, shower & charging leads. All those will draw power if the switch is in the on position at the socket. 

coffeehound

Ultrasonic said:

coffeehound said:

I wasn't intending to imply that it's a useful way to supplement home heating (though Phlik has given an example of where it does), more that it's not really wasted energy for 10 months of the year.  And if it reduces wear and tear on the electronics at the same time, then it strengthens the argument for leaving some items switched on

My point was that a large part of it is wasted energy.

Ah I see your point.  Yes I suppose if you are out of the house a lot and allow the house to go cold, then it is basically wasted

Astria

The thing is, providers of electrical items will typically design products that waste energy so that the item itself can be made cheaper. Products could be made to run cooler and waste less energy but they would then cost more, and if you are competing in a particular market you typically want things as cheap as possible as nobody is going to buy the more expensive item if, to them, it looks like it does the same job.

The other problem is convenience, for example some smoke alarms run off mains power and use a stupid amount of energy to run 24/7 compared to a 9V battery, but it saves people having to change the battery.

Ultrasonic

Astria said:

The thing is, providers of electrical items will typically design products that waste energy so that the item itself can be made cheaper. Products could be made to run cooler and waste less energy but they would then cost more, and if you are competing in a particular market you typically want things as cheap as possible as nobody is going to buy the more expensive item if, to them, it looks like it does the same job.

This is precisely why the EU legislation on standby power exists, which has been very effective.

double_dutchy

wild666 said:

The figures quoted in manuals are not what the true figures are. I turn the TV, surround sound amp, PS4, Xbox and DVD player off at the socket when not in use. My weekly usage when I didn't turn them off it was around 40 kWh per week but since I started turning them off at the socket it's dropped to between 23 kWh and 26 kWh per week. A large drop fron 40 kWh previously used and a saving of around £170 per year on the electric bill.

Hello wild666, even assuming "only" a weekly reduction from 40 to 26 kwh per week that means that you are saving 14kwh per week (or 35% of your previous usage) just by not keeping appliances on standby.

26 kwh per week = 1352 kwh per year which is quite low, about 45% of average usage, do you live on your own or in a flat?

Coffeekup

wild666 said:

Coffeekup said:

Since October I've turned my tv and sky box (which for me is a freeview box) at the wall at night for the next 18-20 hour's.. for the last 4 months I've used 35-50kwh's less a month over the the previous 3 year's.

The sky box I have saved 20kwh's a month.
The tv says' 0.3 standby power consumption, but with 15-30kwh's unaccounted for It looks like it uses more than it's states. 
Either way I'm saving 45 kWh a month which is £7.50 a month on my current tarriff or £12.50 if I was on April's price cap tarriff... For me a significant saving....also 130kg c02 released bringing down my 👣

The figures quoted in manuals are not what the true figures are. I turn the TV, surround sound amp, PS4, Xbox and DVD player off at the socket when not in use. My weekly usage when I didn't turn them off it was around 40 kWh per week but since I started turning them off at the socket it's dropped to between 23 kWh and 26 kWh per week. A large drop fron 40 kWh previously used and a saving of around £170 per year on the electric bill.

Nice result!

Shedman

double_dutchy said:

wild666 said:

The figures quoted in manuals are not what the true figures are. I turn the TV, surround sound amp, PS4, Xbox and DVD player off at the socket when not in use. My weekly usage when I didn't turn them off it was around 40 kWh per week but since I started turning them off at the socket it's dropped to between 23 kWh and 26 kWh per week. A large drop fron 40 kWh previously used and a saving of around £170 per year on the electric bill.

Hello wild666, even assuming "only" a weekly reduction from 40 to 26 kwh per week that means that you are saving 14kwh per week (or 35% of your previous usage) just by not keeping appliances on standby.

26 kwh per week = 1352 kwh per year which is quite low, about 45% of average usage, do you live on your own or in a flat?

I must say I find wild666's frequently repeated claims of saving 2+ kWh a day by switching things off at the socket a bit hard to believe. In order to achieve that they must either have the oldest most energy inefficient devices going or have had them on 24/7 previously and now only switch them on for 30 mins a day or something equally extreme (like switching the fridge and freezer off).   I've got loads of electrical and smart home gadgets (incl 7 Echos, numerous smart bulbs, dvds, freeview HD box, AV surround system, TVs etc etc) and use several energy measuring devices to check consumption. If I were to turn absolutely everything off (excluding fridges, freezers and the like) at the socket I might get up to a reduction of 60-75 watts so if I left them off all the time then I could possibly get up to 2kWh in total but not much point in having them if they are always off....

Still if that's wild666's empirical findings then fine and good luck to them but I remain skeptical.

Coffeekup

Shedman said:

double_dutchy said:

wild666 said:

The figures quoted in manuals are not what the true figures are. I turn the TV, surround sound amp, PS4, Xbox and DVD player off at the socket when not in use. My weekly usage when I didn't turn them off it was around 40 kWh per week but since I started turning them off at the socket it's dropped to between 23 kWh and 26 kWh per week. A large drop fron 40 kWh previously used and a saving of around £170 per year on the electric bill.

Hello wild666, even assuming "only" a weekly reduction from 40 to 26 kwh per week that means that you are saving 14kwh per week (or 35% of your previous usage) just by not keeping appliances on standby.

26 kwh per week = 1352 kwh per year which is quite low, about 45% of average usage, do you live on your own or in a flat?

I must say I find wild666's frequently repeated claims of saving 2+ kWh a day by switching things off at the socket a bit hard to believe. In order to achieve that they must either have the oldest most energy inefficient devices going or have had them on 24/7 previously and now only switch them on for 30 mins a day or something equally extreme (like switching the fridge and freezer off).   I've got loads of electrical and smart home gadgets (incl 7 Echos, numerous smart bulbs, dvds, freeview HD box, AV surround system, TVs etc etc) and use several energy measuring devices to check consumption. If I were to turn absolutely everything off (excluding fridges, freezers and the like) at the socket I might get up to a reduction of 60-75 watts so if I left them off all the time then I could possibly get up to 2kWh in total but not much point in having them if they are always off....

Still if that's wild666's empirical findings then fine and good luck to them but I remain skeptical.

If you read back a bit I save/d 30-50kwh's a month turning TV/dvd/TV box off at the wall. I too found my usage kWh savings hard to believe, however my reduced meter readings are proof.

How much energy do you use on a normal/average day? Challenge yourself of turning all your gizmo's off at night for a week of even a night and see the difference?

I feel some if the statement's regarding what a item uses in standby mode are a bit foggy or tall.

Coffeekup

[Deleted User] said:

Petriix said:

While items on standby do add up, it's such a negligible saving that it's mostly not worth bothering to turn them off. 

Sometimes the cost of the wear and tear of using the socket switch out ways the cost of leaving devices turned on. 

Going back to an earlier post I made here if I was on the price cap come april 1st, I would be saving £12.50 a month for my 30-50kwh's saved a month by turning stuff at the wall. That £150 a year saving will buy me a couple of sockets.

For me that saving is quite significant, however the standing charge increase's has eaten up most of that.

Coffeekup

MouldyOldDough said:

So let's all agree that the advice not to leave things on standby is incorrect and out of date ?

Modern equipment is so efficient on low power that it makes NO sense to switch it off completely ?

For me it was worth it. The only concern for "low user's" like for me is the prices going up and so little appliances using so little energy  its harder to make cut backs on them.