Thread: Energy Vampires in Your Home

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_cons...s-fiction.html

It's well-known that most electronic devices in our homes are sucking up energy even while they are turned off. But for all the information out there, many questions remain. I got hundreds of reader questions after writing the post What's wasting energy in your home right now. Below are answers to the five most common inquiries:

Which electronic devices waste the most energy when they are turned off but still plugged in?

Set-top cable boxes and digital video recorders are some of the biggest energy hogs. Unfortunately, there's little consumers can do since television shows can't be taped if boxes are unplugged. It also typically takes a long time to reboot boxes.

However, some of the other major consumers of standby power are more easily dealt with: computers, multifunction printers, flat-screen TVs, DVDs, VCRs, CD players, power tools, and hand-held vacuums. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) measured standby power for a long list of products.

While it's true each individual product draws relatively little standby power, the LBNL says that when added together, standby power can amount to 10% of residential energy use.

Why do electronic devices use energy when they are switched off?

Electronics consume standby power for one of two reasons, says Chris Kielich of the Department of Energy. They either have an adapter that will continue to draw electricity, or they have devices (such as clocks and touchpads) that draw power. Anything with a remote control will also draw standby power, she says, since the device needs to be able to detect the remote when it's pushed.

Does everything suck energy when it's plugged in and turned off?

No. If your coffeemaker or toaster doesn't have a clock, then it's probably not using standby power, says Kielich. Chances are your hair dryer and lamps (although they may have a power adapter for the dimmer) are not drawing standby power either, she says. Devices with a switch that physically breaks the circuit don't consume standby power.

Will switching things on and off shorten their life?

Probably not, says Kielich. You'd have to turn devices on and off thousands of times to shorten their lives. The real downside, she says, to unplugging electronics is that clocks and remotes will not work, and you do have to reset everything.

Can you ruin batteries by unplugging battery chargers and causing batteries to completely discharge?

It could be a possibility, says Kielich. Her advice: Don't let batteries get completely drained. But you don't need to have things like hand-held power vacuums and drills plugged into the charger when it's 100% charged, or even 50% charged.

Power Strip FAQs

Plugging electronics into a power strip and turning it off when you're not using it is a widely prescribed solution for curbing vampire power. Here are answers to common questions:
Power strips draw energy when they are turned on, but not when they are switched off.
Any decent power strip should have surge protection, according to Kielich. Flicking your power strip on and off will not create a power surge capable of damaging electronic devices. In fact, it will protect devices from other surges.
Several readers were worried about the possibility of fires caused by plugging too many things in at once. If you plug in the allowed number of devices, then power strips are safe, says Kielich. Just don't plug your power strip into another power strip, or you run the risk of creating an overload.

A link given within the article, gives a list of what uses the most energy http://standby.lbl.gov/summary-table.html

I've been doing what they are saying since our power bill was over $200 a few months back. The only things I don't unplug is the TV and the DVR. My wife is really bad about unplugging things. I go around the house and unplug everything and come back it's plugged back in.

Man, almost everything plugged in at my house has either a clock or a remote to it. It may save money but would be a pain unplugging all these things and plugging them back in everyday. When I go on vacation I do turn off all products plugged into surge protectors and unplug as much as I can. Plus make sure the A/C or Heater control is turned all the way off. I will only leave a a couple of lights on inside and that's usually it. Still things like the built in the wall stove which has a clock in it can not be unplugged so these things will still be running.

If someone could show me the numbers where unplugging all this shit saved a considerable amount of money per month ($10 to $50 or more) I might consider going around unplugging everything. There are some things you simply can't or won't unplug such as devices with clocks. It seems to me that the overall monthly savings are minute and not really worth all the trouble. I take the charger out of the plug when I'm done charging the cell phone, but I'm not going to unplug every tv, stereo, monitor, etc... In my garage I have a television and stereo setup to enjoy while working or exercising and I do shut off the power strip when I am done using it. Other than turning off lights, that's about the extent of my energy saving habits.

I didn't think it was true...