The power consumed by appliances that are switched off or in standby mode is often referred to as standby power, vampire power, vampire draw, leaking electricity, or phantom load. A power adaptor, such as those used by laptop computers, with no power off switch of its own is a common source of vampire draw. Another is devices that have remote controls or inbuilt digital clocks.
Although the amount of electricity wasted by an individual device when in standby mode is comparatively small, when there are a number of devices in the home that are just sitting there wasting energy in this way then it can add up to quite a large amount. An energy review undertaken by the UK government in 2006 found that over eight percent of all the energy used in the UK could be attributed to devices in standby mode.
The power used by a typical appliance in standby mode is around ten to fifteen watts, and sometimes more. Though it does not take a huge amount of energy to power typical standby functions such as status LEDs, remote control receivers, and small displays, when a number of devices of this sort are plugged in and left on all the time, it can account for more than twenty percent of all the power used by appliances in the home.
An American study in 1998 estimated that vampire power consumption was responsible for around a twentieth of all the residential electricity usage in America, costing around three billion dollars annually. The sheer amount of energy wasted in this way is equivalent to the combined output of nearly twenty power stations operating at or near full capacity.
It is also estimated that, in the average home, around three quarters of the energy used by home electronics devices, such as VCRs, hi-fis, toasters, and televisions, is consumed when those appliances are in standby mode. The only way to make sure that you are not wasting energy in this way is by unplugging the devices or using power strips with separate switches for each appliance.
Modern appliances tend to be far more energy efficient than older ones, partly due to advances in technology, and partly due to legislation. In 2006, the UK government outlawed the sale of audio visual equipment - such as televisions and DVD players - that exceeded a power draw of more than one watt in standby mode. Even stricter rules came into play in California in 2005, which limited the amount of standby power that could be drawn by external power supplies to just half a watt.
Links to our advertisers;
<a href="http://www.sodprices.org">sod prices</a>