Reply to: Saving electricity

[DealorNoDeal]

Unplug chargers when not in use: Chargers for smartphones, laptops, and other devices can continue to consume power even when not charging a device, so unplug them when not in use to save energy.

I've found that's only the case with old chargers. The tiny modern ones consume negligible power when not in use.

Leaving a router running, when not in use, may use a bit of power. Our mobile broadband wifi router consumes about 1.5W in standby (but that's only £5/year).

[_V_]

My AI says:

Here are some other suggestions for making modest savings on your energy consumption:

1. Use energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances: Switching to LED light bulbs and Energy Star certified appliances can save significant amounts of energy and reduce your energy bills.
2. Install a programmable thermostat: A programmable thermostat allows you to set different temperatures for different times of the day, so you can reduce heating and cooling when you are not home or sleeping.
3. Use a power strip: A power strip allows you to turn off multiple devices at once, reducing standby power consumption.
4. Unplug chargers when not in use: Chargers for smartphones, laptops, and other devices can continue to consume power even when not charging a device, so unplug them when not in use to save energy.
5. Use a low-flow showerhead: A low-flow showerhead reduces the amount of water used during showers, which can save energy and water.
6. Use a clothesline or drying rack: Drying clothes in a clothesline or drying rack instead of a dryer can save energy and reduce wear and tear on your clothes.
7. Use a pressure cooker: A pressure cooker can cook food faster, using less energy than a conventional stove or oven.
8. Insulate your home: Proper insulation can keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, reducing heating and cooling costs.
9. Use a reusable water bottle: Using a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water can save energy and reduce waste.
10. Plant trees or install shading devices: Planting trees or installing shading devices can block the sun's rays and reduce the need for air conditioning in the summer.

[DealorNoDeal]

The watt meter has proven quite useful. It revealed that my old laptop was using about 0.5 unit per day (17p/day or £60/year). The charger was consuming 3W even when the laptop was asleep/hibernated. It was well overdue replacing anyway but this was the kick up the butt I needed. In comparison, the new one only consumes about 5W when in use, and zero when asleep.

[DealorNoDeal]

I bought a plug in Watt meter for 10 quid off eBay to do some testing. (I had tried knocking up a DIY one but it's hard to measure Wattage when many appliances contain motors, transformers or switch-mode PSUs which have a power factor < 1)

Findings so far:

(1) Contrary to what's out there on the internet, early 2000s Nokia phone chargers don't use much electricity when not charging a phone. The measured wattage was barely even detectable.

(2) I was slightly concerned that my DIY car battery trickle charger, which is on 24x7, might be using quite a bit of electricity. However, it was only drawing 2W which works out at 1.5kWh/month or just 50p/month.

(3) The one thing I did find is that there's quite a big difference between my 10-year old laptop and my wife's 2-year old laptop; 30W vs 10W. I expected this was probably the case because the fan runs quite fast and you can feel warm air. The charger also gets significantly warmer than the one on her's.

(4) Laptop chargers use negligible power when connected to a sleeping/hibernated/shut-down laptop with a fully charged battery.

(5) We have a mobile WIFI router which we leave on 24x7. When not in use, it only draws about 1W.

[darmstadt]

Still haven't found a culprit, and I'm starting to think it's just the cumulative effect of having a bunch of stuff switched on at the mains all the time.

Either that or the house has been bugged.

You probably have a neighbour like me who has run an extension cord over the fence :-)

[DealorNoDeal]

Based on what I'm seeing, I can believe that. We haven't got that many appliances/devices on all the time (on standby) but they still account for about 5% of our total consumption.

And, as I'm discovering, trying to identify the worst "parasites" is not easy with only a single meter covering the whole house.

[mallisarealperson]

Remember reading but cannot find the article that America (on average) uses for appliances on standby, in total as much as the total electricity usage of Argentina.

Equates to 8 or so power stations.

There is supposed to be a patent for a power cable that uses a capacitor in the cord to then cut the power from the wall, when in standby. Would stop the trickle of electric powering nothing, but a red light.

I reckon Europe including UK would be about the same as USA.

[DealorNoDeal]

Still haven't found a culprit, and I'm starting to think it's just the cumulative effect of having a bunch of stuff switched on at the mains all the time.

Either that or the house has been bugged.

[DealorNoDeal]

The only other stealth users of leccy can be if you have those mains sockets with usb charging ports built in (we have those in our house).

Pond pump?
RCD on external sockets or even on the fuse board? (no idea if they use power)
Aerial booster in the loft (had one of these in previous house)

None of the above.

One thing I have discovered though is that not all sockets are on the ring main they should be. For example, some of the downstairs kitchen sockets are on the 1st floor ring. So, even though I've narrowed it down to the ground floor ring, it doesn't necessarily mean the electricity "thief" is on the ground floor.

[_V_]

The only other stealth users of leccy can be if you have those mains sockets with usb charging ports built in (we have those in our house).

Pond pump?
RCD on external sockets or even on the fuse board? (no idea if they use power)
Aerial booster in the loft (had one of these in previous house)

[DealorNoDeal]

I just got a Flir thermal imager. I was interested to note my router, Mesh Wifi units, heating control panel, etc, are all pretty warm.

That may be normal if they are in use.

You don't have any sort of security lighting type things on your circuit do you? Extractor fans?

No, nothing like that

Are you in an old house?

The house was originally built in the 60s but it was extended/renovated, including a total rewiring, in 2007.

[d000hg]

From what I've read, the efficiency of small transformers used in consumer electronics can be as low as 85%.

The ones in old mobile phone chargers were particularly bad. I've got an old Nokia charger. When charging the phone, it gets hot but it even gets pretty warm when not connected to the phone.

I just got a Flir thermal imager. I was interested to note my router, Mesh Wifi units, heating control panel, etc, are all pretty warm.

You don't have any sort of security lighting type things on your circuit do you? Extractor fans?

It could just be a fault though. Are you in an old house?

[DealorNoDeal]

Something in the background is still consuming about 10W (0.25kWh/day).

I've narrowed it down to the ground floor socket ring main. If I turn this off at the consumer unit, the electricity meter stops moving.

AFAIK, I've turned everything off.
Fridge freezer
Router PSU
Car trickle charger
TV
Laptop chargers
Oil level monitor

The C/H controller and boiler are on a separate circuit, so it's not them. I did wonder if it could be the 3 smoke detectors but it turns out they're on the lighting ring main.

Currently stumped as to what it could be. I'm wondering if there may be a wiring fault somewhere.

[DealorNoDeal]

From what I've read, the efficiency of small transformers used in consumer electronics can be as low as 85%.

The ones in old mobile phone chargers were particularly bad. I've got an old Nokia charger. When charging the phone, it gets hot but it even gets pretty warm when not connected to the phone.

The US Govt and EU made manufacturers change them due to the power that was being wasted because people were leaving them plugged in all the time. The transformers were replaced with solid state PSUs.

[DoctorStrangelove]

I'd be amazed if it was as much as that.

Bought my LED alarm clock in 1978.

It's been "fixed" two or three times since IIRC.

The LEDs are a bit dim now but just right for night time time checks.

Small iron transformers are much less efficient* than larger ones, I forget why, it's sommat to do with core losses and magnetising current or something.

*That's 98% against 99.5% for really big transformers. I'd guess the really little ones are even worse. If I could be arsed I'd do some measurements but that ain't going to happen.