??do plug in timers save money ???

Section62

Astria said:

Gerry1 said:

Mstty said:

Roughly speaking a mechanical timer uses 1w an hour 24w a day and an electronic one 2w an hour 48w per day.

@fly-catchers an iPad charger generally uses 8-10w per hour.

No such thing as a watt per hour.  Ever seen a lightbulb marked '100W per hour'?

No, but if you tell someone it's a 100W bulb and I've had people ask me "So how much does it use in a day?", if you tell them it uses 100w per hour, then they'll instead say "So it uses 2400W per day or 72p?" (assuming 30p/unit)

Curiously, if you google "How much electricity does a plug in timer use" the first result says mechanical "about 1 Watt per hour. That means 24 Watt per day." and digital "about 2 Watt per hour".

Seems to be a common error in terminology.

More importantly, the 1W and 2W figures are rather misleading.  In principle it should be possible to make a solid state electronic timer which consumes less power than a mechanical timer, albeit the use of a relay for switching could tip the balance the other way.

Further googling gives a whole range of power consumptions for different makes/models of timer, with some sources claiming digital/electronic ones need less power than mechanical.

So the factual answer to the OP's question is.... it depends on the make/model of timer you use, the consumption of the equipment, the time 'on' vs time 'off', and whether you also switch the timer off when not in use.

[Deleted User]

I use TP Link smart sockets as timers. My home office is on smart sockets that save me routing about under the desks to turn the switches on and off. Also have them on lamps. 

Alexa runs a routine at midnight to shut them down so nothing gets left on over night. 

They are a god send at Xmas as all my lights come on and go off a set times. Again, Alexa shuts them down at Midnight. 

Not sure how much the smart sockets cost to run, they are always listening for a signal so I guess they use a few watts a day. I probably use them more for convenience than money saving.

DaveLevy

I asked my timer vendor how much their analogue switch drew when not passing current, they said less than 0.5 watts.

For me, the answer to do they save money, is, it depends. 

The decision as to whether these save money depend on the draw of the managed devices on standby (or on permanent use) and how long you permit the devices to draw power.

I was investigating for a BT web extender which is rated at 0.5 watts. I decided not to use the timer on this device, but I shall have a think about what to do with my "always on" laptops.

Qyburn

The Tapo P110 uses around 0.5W when the relay's off, just under 1W when it's on. I would guess a pure timer could be lower power without all the Internet and wireless requirements.

dunstonh

Care - early 2022 thread revival.

Spoonie_Turtle

DaveLevy said:

I asked my timer vendor how much their analogue switch drew when not passing current, they said less than 0.5 watts.

That's an unusual occupation!

Smells like a bot to me.