My gut feeling is that the statement of standby power usage is over stated. The people who write these things tend to sensationalize quite a bit.
Regards. Max. K 4 O D S. Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ray Boyce" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 3:18 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Save Energy, Eliminate Phantom Loads > Save Energy, Eliminate Phantom Loads > > Many home electronics and appliances consume power anytime they're plugged > in, even when they're turned off. > > Did you know that your TV is consuming energy even when you're not using > it? > In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, > 75 percent > of the electricity that powers home electronics is consumed while these > devices are turned off! If that sounds like a high figure, consider that > most home > electronics - including stereos, computers, televisions and DVD players - > are using > standby power > anytime they're switched off, and that adds up quickly when these devices > are plugged in 24 hours a day. > > Electricity consumed when the power is turned off is called a phantom > load, > ghost load or vampire load, and they're common not only in home > electronics, > but in many home appliances as well, such as stoves, washers and dryers. > > That electricity shows up on your bill just the same as if you were using > it > for something more rewarding, and it makes the same contribution to air > pollution, > global warming and other environmental problems. The good news is that if > you're looking for ways to save energy, reducing phantom loads is an easy, > painless > way to start. Here are a couple of strategies to try. > > Turn it off, then unplug it. For any electrical device you would like to > turn completely off, this is the foolproof way to do it. Take that phantom > loads! > > Consolidate your cords with power strips. It can be a hassle to unplug > multiple cords, so many energy experts recommend plugging all those cords > into power > strips to make it easy to turn off all the devices at once. A newer type > of > power strip called the > smart strip > can make this even easier. Use one with your computer or TV, and it turns > off all the peripheral devices automatically. > > Measure and target phantom loads. In many cases you can guess which > appliances are most likely to have phantom loads - start with anything > with > a remote > control or a digital display. Look around and you may be surprised at how > many you have. But there's a simple way to find out exactly how much power > each > gadget uses. An inexpensive home meter such as the > Kill-a-Watt > can help you measure the electrical use of all your appliances and > electronics. It's an easy way to find which devices are burning a lot of > power whether > they're turned on or off. > > Find energy-efficient products. Another way to avoid phantom loads is to > look for energy-efficient products whenever you're shopping. A good place > to > start > is by looking for an > Energy Star > label. You also can check out the Department of Energy's > recommendations > for buying products that use minimal standby power, and use this > database > to check how much standby power certain products use. > The Smart Strip monitors power consumption and can sense the difference > between when computers and other devices are on or off. Upon figuring this > out, > it shuts off the power, eliminating the idle current drawn from them. > There > are a couple different models and options (including fax/modem and > something > called "extended sensing") and they run from US $32 to $35; Smart Strip > claims it will pay for itself in as little as six weeks, > Anyone tried one of these, and your opinion please > > > > To listen to the show archives go to link > http://acbradio.org/handyman.html > or > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > > Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various > List Members At The Following address: > http://www.jaws-users.com/JAWS/handyman/ > > Visit the archives page at the following address > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > If you would like to join the JAWS Users List, then visit the following > address for more information: > http://www.jaws-users.com/ > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > list just send a blank message to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.7/1232 - Release Date: 1/18/2008 > 7:32 PM > >
