How Much Money Can You Really Save by Turning Off Your Appliances?
You obviously know that turning off lights and electronics is one way to reduce your electricity consumption and, as a result, money. But what about leaving your phone on charge overnight, or leaving devices plugged in when they’re asleep or turned off? Should I turn them off when not in use?
Many consumer electronic devices and appliances continue to consume power when they are turned off or in standby mode, in “sleep mode” and when they are turned on but not in use. Any energy used when a device is not performing its primary function is referred to as standby power, and the sources consumed are sometimes referred to as “energy vampires”.
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California measured the standby power consumption of a long list of home devices while they were on, idle, and off (but still plugged in) and found a huge range. For example, your laptop can draw between 0.82 watts and 54.8 watts in sleep mode, and much more when it is fully on and charging, or even fully charged.
So what does this translate into in dollars?
The United States Department of Energy estimates that the cost of standby electricity can cost the average household $100 per year, while data from the Natural Resources Defense Council puts the cost at about $165 per year.
It’s hard to say exactly how much energy vampires will cost you, since power consumption depends on the number of connected devices, how power-hungry those devices are in different modes, and your usage habits. In addition, the cost of electricity fluctuates. Berkeley Lab offers the following simple calculation to give you a rough idea:
If a device consumes 1 watt continuously for a year, it consumes about 9 kWh during that time for a total cost of $1.00. So, if your microwave consumes an average of 3 watts on standby, that’s 27 kWh per year, or $3.
It doesn’t sound like much, but if you add up all of your devices that stay online when not in use – NRDC estimates there are as many as 65 – you can see how that $100 is being spent. Consumer electronics such as computers, game consoles and TVs account for more than half of continuous energy consumption.
How to save on backup power
You may be wondering: Do I have to walk around the house every evening (or before leaving for work) to turn off the toaster, microwave, coffee maker, TV, etc.?
Not necessary.
Obviously, you need to turn off electronics and devices that are not in use or are fully charged. Please note that you should not disconnect and reconnect devices that you use frequently (for example, daily or several times a day). Not only is this annoying, but it can also damage plugs, wires, and sockets over time. But if you have countertop kitchen appliances you don’t need often, or a TV in a guest bedroom, or a printer that’s rarely used, unplug it.
Similarly, walk around the house and look for devices that are plugged into the outlet but are no longer used frequently: lamps, stereos, telephones, etc. desired; this works well with computers or audio/video devices you share.
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