I have a couple of radios up stairs which, if I listen really carefully have a quiet hum when turned off. This is probably the power transformer or some part of the power supply but if I can hear it then energy is being used to generate the sound. Might be a very small amount but it is there.
So far though I am prepared to pay that price. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. ----- Original Message ----- From: Art Rizzino To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 11:35 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Save Energy, Eliminate Phantom Loads Dale, I just asked the below question at work the other day. I wonder how much electricity would be saved if there was a way to stop all those AC to DC adapters from running when they are not needed. Yes many of them we can unplug when they are not in use. But I guess there even are devices that have that kind of stuff built in to the device and we as end users don't even know it is in there. Even many TVs are drawing some power when they are turned off. Art ----- Original Message ----- From: Dale Leavens To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 9:33 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Save Energy, Eliminate Phantom Loads The washing machine while standing idle isn't using electricity unless it is keeping a clock alive. Same with a dryer. Your kitchen range will use some power for the timer or if you have a light on. Many fridges have an internal timer and the new ones also have a computer albeit a small one. Those wall warts that run your wireless router or your DSL modem or charge your cell phone are all drawing a little power even if the device is off, you can hear them quietly humming if you listen carefully enough and usually can feel a little warmth, usually more when a device is connected and in use but a little heat when apparently standing idle. I suppose a lithium ion battery could be included in a lot of these units to keep timers and clocks alive and some might run a very long time that way but there would be a certain additional load while the device is operating to charge up that battery. I couldn't say either if the additional disposal cost to the environment would exceed the environmental cost of the fantom load. Of course how badly do we need most of the junk in the first place? 80 or 90% of the world would prefer food to our satellite radios or high definition televisions. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. ----- Original Message ----- From: Scott Howell To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 9:16 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Save Energy, Eliminate Phantom Loads I suspect why most people won't do this is they like their clocks etc. all connected and keeping time and add that to the fact they'd have to turn the strip on or plug the device back in, its a bother. I imagine then if your hvac system is off, and will be for a while, maybe throw the breaker? Seriously, if this would really help save electricity, then what would be nice is if manufacturers would come up with creative ways like having batteries that replace the standby power. WIth the advances in battery technology, maybe this would be a good approach and the battery could be recharged while the unit is in use. Kind of makes sense and it would be nice to know really how much electricity is being used while these things are in standb y mode or not being used at all. Like a washing machine, would it really use anything while just sitting there idle? I guess its possible since what I imagine is being said, by being connected to the circuit, electricity is still flowing through the motor even while idle? This is a very interesting topic. Maybe its something to try for a month or so. On Jan 18, 2008, at 4:18 PM, Ray Boyce wrote: > 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 > > > Scott Howell [EMAIL PROTECTED] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
