Happy Guru 017 - Standby
January 18th, 2008
On today’s Global Good Soul Vibration Podcast let’s switch off appliances that don’t need to be left on. Standby power supplies are an incredible waste of energy resource. By turning off appliances at the power point before we go to bed - we save the earth.
Many appliances these days are actually using electricity when they are switched ‘off’. This is more commonly known as standby power, where the appliance consumes energy when it is in on standby or OFF mode. These “standby loads” occur in most appliances that use electricity, such as VCRs, televisions, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances. These appliances continue to draw a small amount of power when they are switched “off”.
Although we know we can’t switch off fridges and freezers, unless we want to defrost them, it is important to switch off appliances once they have been finished with. To avoid the standby mode and help stop wasting money we need to change the way we behave. Hopefully today’s podcast will help demonstrate the problem and illustrate where changes could be made and how much money the homeowner could save.
The problem of standby power consumption is essentially a technological concern; more should be done by the appliance industry to help reduce the power consumption by equipment in standby mode. However, switching the appliance off at the correct place, or unplugging the appliance can help avoid paying for standby electricity. Alternatively using a multi-socket power bar can make it easier to turn off several appliances at once.
The idea of paying for something that we are not using is not very encouraging. Consider switching appliances of properly in a bid to save electricity, this is not only saving you money but also helping the environment. If you want to find out how much money you could save by reducing standby electricity consumption in your own house please go online to your local electricity suppliers web-site where you should be able to conduct a few easy calculations.
From our calculations the current average household standby power consumption is 60W, however this amount could increase further with the growing number of electronic appliances in the average house.
60W = 0.060 kW x 8760 hrs = 525.6 kWh / year
Taking the average household electricity consumption as 3,880 kWh per year this indicates that standby power is responsible for 13% of home power consumption. The associated costs for a three bedroom flat are estimated at AUS $78.70 per year.
Today’s show was proudly brought to you by www.happyguru.com. Your auditory stimulation is our pleasure. Thanks for listening to the show that has you and the health of the global village at heart.
