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111 Comments
- kenyan, on 04/09/2009, -0/+37The light inside the fridge must be taking up a lot of power, it being on all the time and all....
- riverrunner, on 04/09/2009, -1/+27Thank god they didn't mention the fridge.
- trisweb, on 04/09/2009, -0/+14"Ceiling fan: About .09 kWh per hour on approx. average."
Um... that's a unit of accelerating power usage at a rate of 90 watts per hour per hour. Don't leave it on for too long! After six hours it's eating up over 500 watts!
But I jest, I jest. Seriously though, 0.09 kWh = 90 Watts, to be consistent with everything else, which is interesting.
I switched all my light bulbs to CFL's, and all my computers to a laptop, which I believe is a much greater benefit than all of these devices combined. However, I think it's more a systematic problem. We can't expect people, who are statistically ignorant, to always remember to do everything right, or take it upon themselves to install direct cut-switches to all of their vampire electronics. Manufacturers should minimize this stuff as much as possible, especially for say the DVD player which uses almost half the power when off as it does when on. Isn't there a better way, or does it really need that much to listen for the RF 'on' signal? - 0biKwiet, on 04/09/2009, -1/+12Holy hell, what kind of units are those? Watts per hour? According to this, the modem they are talking about will be using about 113kW after it's been left on for a year, or in English units, 150 horse power. I hope they get really good bandwidth.
Then, half way through the article they inexplicably switch to kWh/h which is just a stupidly convoluted way of saying kW. - BossKey, on 04/09/2009, -0/+10As a kid it didn't take long to discover the switch by the door that got pressed when the door closes. I pressed it a couple times with my finger, observed how it worked, and moved on to other things...
- gaqua, on 04/09/2009, -0/+9Wilst is a perfectly cromulent word.
- chriswastaken, on 10/27/2009, -0/+8I once tried to figure out if it really does stay on while you shut it, but I had blacked out and woke up a few minutes later and the light was on.
- thatspsychotic, on 04/09/2009, -0/+8Terribly written though. "watts per hour?" "kWh per hour"? Really?
Watts is already a rate. Leave it at that. - Haoie, on 04/08/2009, -0/+7Switch off at the wall or unplug.
Get rid of little red lights for good. - Brak710101, on 04/09/2009, -0/+7#1 should be cable boxes, to be honest. People forget that more than TVs.
- coheedcollapse, on 04/09/2009, -0/+7This list doesn't deserve to be on the front page. Not only did some magazine do an infographic on it a while ago that does this but in a much prettier fashion, but they have to be confused about something. I have no idea how a space heater could use less than a ceiling fan (they say a space heater uses .09 kWh, while a ceiling fan uses .1 kWh. That can't be right, can it?)
Here's that infographic: http://awesome.goodmagazine.com/transparency/008/i ... - Your4Father, on 04/09/2009, -0/+6I am guessing he means flipping the switch off on the surge protector strip. I am guessing that would open the loop for the energy so there should be no power being used at all.
- kdawg1012, on 04/08/2009, -1/+7Good ideas.
- K4Lic0, on 04/09/2009, -1/+7#1 TV
A TV on standby mode burns 10 watts in standby and 100 watts while on per hour.
#2 DVD player
DVD uses 7 watts in standby. (Is it blinking 12:00 all day?) It uses 12 while turned on.
#3 Modem
Your modem uses 14 watts an hour whether you are using it or not.
#4 Computer
Your PC, including all the peripheries, drinks 15 watts on standby and 130 when left on. The monitor is the largest energy-gulper, scarfing down 11 in standby and 70 when in use. (Turn them off.)
#5 Laptop
Laptops are a bit better. 2 watts in standby and 29 while in use.
#6 Phone Charger
A phone charger takes one watt an hour whilst in standby, 5 when in use.
#7 Ceiling Fan
A small-to-medium ceiling fan uses .1 kWh per hour.
#8 Space Heater
About .09 kWh per hour on approx. average. - NathanielJ, on 04/09/2009, -0/+5Well, you're right in that the hours cancel each other out so there's no acceleration happening, but how on earth did you get that 0.09 * 1000 = 88.7?
- Brak710101, on 04/09/2009, -1/+6No. Either way is exactly the same, give or take a minimal amount of electricity for any LEDs or something.
- mksap3, on 04/09/2009, -0/+5Space heater is off by an order of magnitude. Should be 900 watts not 90.
also reminds me of my favorite infomercial line, "and uses less than power than this small hairdryer" yeah I hope so, 1500 watts. - fatejudger, on 04/09/2009, -0/+5Thanks, but I'll take the $1 hit a year it takes to keep my microwave plugged in.
- leckig, on 04/09/2009, -0/+4geeez, this numbers are really made up plus the author has no idea about electricity - what is 5 watt per hour? check this dude's profile, he studies at 4 or 5 different colleges, for sure he was kicked out
- idc5, on 04/09/2009, -0/+4Does turning off your surge protector but leaving it plugged make a difference?
- necromancer, on 04/09/2009, -0/+4I like the environment, but I am not going around crawling under my desk/behind my TV stand to plug and unplug everything every time I enter/leave a room.
- failedpimp, on 04/09/2009, -0/+3Whoa.....
- inactive, on 04/09/2009, -0/+3i don't know what you guys are talking about, but yes, it makes a difference. Maybe it doesn't get it down to zero, but think about it logically for a second...many of htese energy drainers are things like the clock, or being in standby mode. Well, when you turn your power strip off, does the clock stay on the DVD player? Nope. Does you TV start up quicker if the power strip is turned off? Nope. Because it is not in standby mode. Will a cell phone charger lugged into a turned off powerstrip charge your phone? Nope. Not even if you leave it hooked up for days.
- inactive, on 04/09/2009, -0/+3Um. if you turn off your space heater when you are not using it, then how will the thermostat work?
- DrLeePhD, on 04/09/2009, -1/+4I turned off my external modem years ago!
- Xenon2434, on 04/09/2009, -0/+3"About .09 kWh per hour on approx. average"
Ahh yes. the approximate average. One of the most precise ways to measure something. - DrLeePhD, on 04/09/2009, -0/+3the main problem is the car uses Direct Current, while the dvd player needs a transformer to convert AC to DC, even though a remote-on circuit for a dvd player may only require 15ma, the large transformer feeding the neccessary voltage for that circuit can easily draw 5 watts all the time.
inefficient transformers are cheaper, and most people won't know the difference.
Ideally we should be wiring homes with a different type of AC+DC outlet (or separate 12v outlet) for always-on phantom power requirements, with one central highly efficient transformer that can provide maybe 12v, 10a for a whole house.
Circuits inside the DVD player, Cordless phone, cell charger etc would do simple, more efficient DC-DC conversion to get the necessary current for their always-on logic circuits. Or just be built to run off 12v. - elnerdo, on 04/09/2009, -0/+3"A TV on standby mode burns 10 watts in standby and 100 watts while on per hour."
A sentence that's redundant is redundant when it's redundant per word. - trisweb, on 04/09/2009, -0/+3He's actually right, I f'd up the units. kWh is kW*h, so 0.09 kWh/h is indeed just 90W. But then, it's definitely not 88.7 W.....
Anyway, I got the final result, but my work doesn't lead to it... just like my math class in college! - directedition, on 04/09/2009, -0/+3I dunno. I'm pretty much a slave to Newegg. I guarantee my computer uses way more than 130W.
Also, don't necessarily turn your computer off. That idle power can be put to good use with Boinc, simulating medical treatments and finding aliens. - Sebach, on 04/09/2009, -1/+4I remember when I was young, I would try to open the door really quickly to see if the light CAME on or if it was always on. I look back and I'm torn between thinking "damn, I was stupid" or "meh, I was just a kid." That debate keeps me up at night sometimes.
- KLowD9x, on 04/09/2009, -0/+2"Isn't there a better way, or does it really need that much to listen for the RF 'on' signal?"
If auto makers can build a vehicle that has multiple networks, over one hundred computer modules, be remote controlled, and use only 30mA (about .4 watts) when switched off; I don't see why manufacturers of other products can't do the same. - Biscuitz, on 04/09/2009, -0/+2I will tell you the same, trisweb, my bill is never over 90 dollars per month, so I think I'm doing quite well. My AC/Heat unit takes up more electricity than my PC.
- dasunst3r, on 04/09/2009, -0/+2Wires have inductances, capacitances, and resistances, so if you count those, it will make a very, very, very negligible difference.
- Biscuitz, on 04/09/2009, -0/+2It only takes my PC like 1 minute to boot, that's not even close to my issue. And considering my electric bill is NEVER over 90 dollars... I think I'm doing quite well. =)
- Volatile36, on 04/09/2009, -0/+2Somewhere, someone would have unplugged the fridge...
- NoDitchDigging, on 04/09/2009, -0/+2Wait, now we can't use ceiling fans? I thought they were supposed to be the 'green' alternative to the energy-guzzling air conditioners.
Also, when's the last time you saw a DVD player with a flashing "12:00"?
Neither of my phone chargers register on my watt meter when the phone's not attached. - trisweb, on 04/09/2009, -1/+3Learn about S4 sleep mode. I promise you it's better than always leaving it on if you're away for more than 5 minutes at a time, and it still wakes up right away if you have everything configured correctly.
And consider making your next machine a laptop. So much more efficient in so many ways, and you don't lose any capabilities these days unless you absolutely have to have the latest in graphics chips every 6 months. - beersnob, on 04/09/2009, -0/+2mmmkay...".1 kWh per hour"....redundant much? That's like saying kilowatthour per hour, or maybe kWh squared? Why not say 100 watts per hour like the rest of the entries? BTW, rest of the article is just as useless!
- BossKey, on 04/09/2009, -0/+2since you apparently don't believe me...
http://batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm - sheeats, on 04/09/2009, -0/+2We switch off at the wall, too. Easiest thing to do, by far.
- ChinezePanda, on 04/09/2009, -0/+1Samsung LCD HDTV's
- ricksite, on 04/09/2009, -0/+1Not really. It is still a drop in the bucket. It would make a difference if everyone got a programmable thermostat.
- say592, on 04/09/2009, -0/+1My computer uses 130 watts? I wish!
When I run full load, I hit about 700 watts (that does include monitor and speakers). I idle at like 130 watts. - synmoo, on 04/09/2009, -0/+1Pretty inaccurate article. Buy yourself a Kill-a-watt and see for yourself. I highly doubt the majority of DVD players consume that much while off.
- TreatsTheBear, on 04/09/2009, -0/+1This was covered earlier.
They switch from Watts (W) to Kilowatt Hours per Hour (kWh per hour) which is retarded, but not technically wrong. Watts are a measure of power, which is energy over time, or the rate at which energy is used. A kWh is a measure of total energy, like a Joule or a calorie, but bigger and therefore more useful when talking about things like home appliances.
If something used 1000 watts of power (like, say 20 light bulbs) and you use it for an hour, you have used 1 kWh of energy. So that's 1 kWh per hour or 1 kW. - BossKey, on 04/09/2009, -1/+2Gunshock - not true about the batteries. Lithium-ion batteries like shallow charge cycles and the circuitry manages charging as effectively as possble. You only need to deep cycle once a month for battery meter calibration.
- BossKey, on 04/09/2009, -0/+1European immigrants in America...who knew?
- BossKey, on 04/09/2009, -0/+1It's not about you you you, it's about everybody doing it. Multiply by 200 million and yeah, there's your "large amount."
- bonerfide, on 04/09/2009, -0/+1All these things seem minor. I'm cutting back so I hang my clothes on a clothes line instead of using the electric dryer. Replaced light bulbs with the new curly ones. Burn wood instead of using oil. Every buck helps
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