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power saving? - 7/24/2012 8:48:08 AM   
GreedyTop


Posts: 52100
Joined: 5/2/2007
From: Savannah, GA
Status: offline 		Can someone please explain to me how this following statement makes any sense? I've read it a dozen times, and I am still baffled...

"Battery chargers

Your mobile devices doesn't take up that much power on their own, but if they are left plugged into electric outlets, even when the charger isn't connected, they continue to draw power. Add up that most households use more than one charger, and across the country, they could consume the energy of several power plants."

ETA: this in reference to reducing your home energy cost...

< Message edited by GreedyTop -- 7/24/2012 8:49:07 AM >

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RE: power saving? - 7/24/2012 8:50:57 AM   
kalikshama


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quote:

Your mobile devices doesn't take up that much power on their own, but if they are left plugged into electric outlets, even when the charger isn't connected, they continue to draw power. Add up that most households use more than one charger, and across the country, they could consume the energy of several power plants."


Perhaps that should read "even when the charger isn't connected to the device."

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/everyday-tech/penny-pinching-save-energy-by.htm

Though it's known by a laundry list of names-phantom load, idle current, vampire power and wall wart are the most common-this "phantom energy" all does the same thing: sucks extra energy from the grid into your home when you aren't looking and you don't need it. Many gadgets, electronic devices and appliances draw power even when they're switched off or not in use, just by being plugged in, and though it may seem trivial, it can add up over time.

Chargers for cell phones, digital cameras, power tools and other gadgets draw energy even when they're not in use. Appliances like televisions, computer monitors, and DVD players can also draw power whenever they're plugged into an outlet. All together, phantom energy can account for about 10 percent of an individual home's electricity use. It might not sound like much, until you consider that cutting out that 10 percent will get you over a month of free electricity every year.Taking quick action, like unplugging your devices when they aren't use, will cut back on phantom power, though it can definitely be a hassle to crawl behind the TV every time you're done watching. There are a handful of devices designed specifically to combat phantom energy (and that's another post), but plugging bundled devices-think TV, DVD player, and DVR, or computer, monitor, and printer- into the same power strip and then turning off the power strip will do the job.

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RE: power saving? - 7/24/2012 8:56:12 AM   
kalikshama


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Status: offline 		Our electric bill went down $6 after M plugged his entertainment system into one of these. That's $72/year just from one power strip.

(He was a bit annoyed that it takes a while for the TV guide to come back on after the cable box is powered back on, but one can get the TV Guide online.)

Our electric company had a deal where we could get a discount on stuff like this.

http://www.buy.com/prod/belkin-conserve-smart-av-energy-saving-power-strip/217183487.html



The Belkin Conserve Smart AV Energy Saving Power Strip lets you control power to your whole entertainment system with the push of a button--your TV's power button. The green colored Master Outlet senses when your TV is on or off and controls power to five peripheral outlets for your AV components. When you turn your TV off, power to the peripheral components goes off too--including standby power--so no energy is wasted.

Home electronics consume energy even when they're turned off. Leaving home entertainment system peripheral devices on when not in use can add up to an average cost of $75 a year.* The Smart AV helps you reduce these costs by cutting down on wasted power.

Saves Energy Automatically

The green-colored Master Outlet features detection technology that senses the power state of your device for maximum compatibility with a range of products. The Smart AV lets you control up to six different devices with your TV's on/off power. It automatically shuts down Master-Controlled Outlets when the master device (e.g. your TV) is turned off, and then automatically powers up Master-Controlled Outlets when master device is turned on. This helps reduce wasted power to cut down on overall energy consumption in your home.

The Smart AV automatically turns off DVD players, VCRs, game consoles, receivers, subwoofers, and more when you turn your TV off, and it protects sensitive electronics from power spikes or surges with 1000 joules of surge protection.

Fast, Simple Set-Up

The Smart AV is quick to set up. Simply plug a "master" device--most likely a television or stereo amplifier-- into the green Master Outlet. This master device will then control the five Master-Controlled Outlets, which are suitable for those devices, like DVD players VCRs and game consoles that do not require constant round-the-clock power. Cable/Satellite boxes, and DVRs, which need 24-hour power, should be plugged into one of the two dark gray Not-Controlled Outlets.

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RE: power saving? - 7/24/2012 11:06:29 AM   
Hillwilliam


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Status: offline 		Put your hand on that charger. Even if it isn't charging a device, it's warm isn't it?
It takes power to make that heat. You pay for that wasted power.

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RE: power saving? - 7/24/2012 11:14:36 AM   
ARIES83


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Status: offline 		Very informative kali! Thanks

-ARIES

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RE: power saving? - 7/24/2012 11:37:10 AM   
ChatteParfaitt


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From: The t'aint of the Midwest -- Indiana
Status: offline 		I read this a few years back and went through the house counting all the chargers or stand by electrical devices we have in a not huge 3 bedroom house.

It's scary -- and pricey.



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RE: power saving? - 7/24/2012 11:53:36 AM   
DaNewAgeViking


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Status: offline 		Those device power supplies are small transformers. Even when the device isn't drawing power off the low voltage side, the high voltage (wall plug) side is still drawing power on 'stand by'. These things can be insidious power drains, since there are so many of them in the average household.

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RE: power saving? - 7/24/2012 12:41:45 PM   
DomKen


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From: Chicago, IL
Status: offline 		Virtually every electrical device draws "phantom power." Anything that uses electronic components does, radios, TV's, stereos, computers etc., About the only things you can be sure don't are lamps/light bubs.

Putting everything like that on power strips and turning off the strip(s) when not in use will save a bunch of electricity.

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RE: power saving? - 7/24/2012 1:38:25 PM   
Muttling


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Status: offline 		If you want to save some REAL power, call me up for a visit instead of using that Hitachi.

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RE: power saving? - 7/24/2012 5:38:41 PM   
LookieNoNookie


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quote:

ORIGINAL: GreedyTop

Can someone please explain to me how this following statement makes any sense? I've read it a dozen times, and I am still baffled...

"Battery chargers

Your mobile devices doesn't take up that much power on their own, but if they are left plugged into electric outlets, even when the charger isn't connected, they continue to draw power. Add up that most households use more than one charger, and across the country, they could consume the energy of several power plants."

ETA: this in reference to reducing your home energy cost...


First of all Hon if " if they are left plugged into electric outlets, even when the charger isn't connected, they continue to draw power....if they're still plugged into electrical outlets"...they are indeed plugged in...ergo....they are charging.

Now...there's all kinds of info on TV's, ovens and other appliances that remain "plugged in" which are drawing an incredible amount of energy.

I've read about devices that, if your device is not "on"...it shuts off all source. Add on device.

And some of these new devices, if you're not watching them, cooking hotdogs, etc., know to shut themselves off.

I think I read once (may not be accurate) that if you turn your flat screen off....it still draws 70% of the energy used to show you a movie.

(I could be wrong).


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RE: power saving? - 7/24/2012 7:13:02 PM   
kalikshama


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quote:

I think I read once (may not be accurate) that if you turn your flat screen off....it still draws 70% of the energy used to show you a movie.


I couldn't find anything on point, but did find this:



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RE: power saving? - 7/24/2012 7:17:12 PM   
MalcolmNathaniel


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quote:

ORIGINAL: LookieNoNookie

I think I read once (may not be accurate) that if you turn your flat screen off....it still draws 70% of the energy used to show you a movie.

(I could be wrong).




You are wrong, but not by a significant margin.

Anything that has a remote leaves, at the very least, a circuit to recognize the 'power on' feature of the remote. It's the only way it can react to the remote.

You are free to turn off the power entirely using power strips. I will not be doing that because I have some sensitive equipment. The one thing I have that draws extra power is my TV and I don't feel like rebooting it every day.

Bear in mind that I only have that one device that requires a trickle charge and it's fairly minor. If you have a large family with a dozen phone chargers always plugged in it's well worth it to unplug those things.

I normally disagree with kalikshama, but in this case she is right.

GreedyTop: It's really simple to understand why they continue to draw power: The devices need to know when to provide power so they still have a circuit active to determine that. Spread out over 400 million Americans, I am sure that it's several _small _ power plants worth of electricity. I don't feel like running the numbers to prove it right.

Do what you feel like. It really isn't that much juice on an individual scale, but it's not nothing.

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RE: power saving? - 7/24/2012 7:26:46 PM   
kalikshama


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quote:

I normally disagree with kalikshama, but in this case she is right.


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RE: power saving? - 7/24/2012 8:01:53 PM   
GreedyTop


Posts: 52100
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From: Savannah, GA
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quote:

ORIGINAL: kalikshama

quote:

Your mobile devices doesn't take up that much power on their own, but if they are left plugged into electric outlets, even when the charger isn't connected, they continue to draw power. Add up that most households use more than one charger, and across the country, they could consume the energy of several power plants."


Perhaps that should read "even when the charger isn't connected to the device."





that would explain the disconnect (no pun intended) I was having.

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RE: power saving? - 7/24/2012 9:53:24 PM   
MalcolmNathaniel


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Status: offline 		And this is helpful how?

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