Saving electricity

[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.

[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.

[_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]

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).