Reducing Standby Power Usage

01/02/10 - There are a couple of devices available that will show you how much electricity you are using in your home.
1. energy monitoring device (previous blog item)
2. whole house meter
Using these tools on a regular basis, enables a home owner to determine where exactly the power eaters are. 
Now, if the libraries would allow borrowing the whole house monitor (as they do with the energy monitor), instead of the $150 to buy, it might be more attractive to home owners. 


Part of the energy usage equation relates to standby power of household appliances.
As per a BC Hydro article, the power saved could run 400,000 homes, here in Canada. 






Use of surge protectors (and turning them off when not in use) would go a long way in reducing our standby power utilization. The surge protector uses very little electricity and your appliances are protected when the protector is turned off.
Were you aware how beneficial it is to buy Energy Star appliances for reducing standby power? 




 


California is leading the way in this standby reduction by demanding new appliances use a maximum of 1W standby power by 2011 - just for TV sets. 


This is a result of a test showing up to 26% of total household electricity usage could be related to standby power. By reducing power required to run stanby function to 1W, would reduce standby power use by 68% and overall electricity usage by 7% annually.