Power off or leave on Standby

Samson77 said:
Ok..
I live with a guy who powers off everything in the hosue going to bed.
Including the toaster and kettle!!

It is my theory that it uses more electricity to power up the 36" Plasma HD TV and the UPC box, twice a day sometimes, than it does to leave them on standby between the hours of 12.30am and 18.00pm.

Would anyone have any ideas/proof/suggestions to confirm or deny my theory?

Many thanks

K
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You may be confusing the old rule-of-thumb about power used by the old "starters" on flourescent lights - vs - the relatively light usage of the lights when in use.

I think these have been improved and there is no study I am aware of that shows plug-in appliances use enormous power on start-up.

Turning everything off when not needed sounds like good advice.
 
Firstly thank you all for your contributions.

The main reason the housemate plugs appliances out is energy savings.
But according to ESB appliance calculator a 42" plasma TV on standby 24 hours a day 7 days a week will cost €3.88 per 2 months, €1.94 a month!
Wattage in use: 350
Wattage on standby: 18
I'm thinking i'll gladly pay an extra 4 euro a month to avoid bending around the back of the TV every day to plug it in. Physios aint cheap in this country!

On a seperate note i'd always try to plug out laptop or mobile chargers as they do have tendancy to over heat!
 
Billo said:
Is there a danger that phone chargers would overheat and catch fire if left plugged in for a longish period of time after use. I always tell my children (without much success ) to plug them out because of this.
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There's probably some risk but I would imagine that it would normally be extremely small. Especially when there is no load (phone being charged) attached to the charger.

http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/sustainable/charger/ :)


But if it's easy to switch off/unplug things when they are not in use then probably no harm in doing so.

By the way my TV has no "off" switch - it only goes into standby so these days I leave it (and many other devices) plugged in and on standby where there is no "master" off option and plugging out is not convenient. Another habit of a lifetime gone by the wayside... ;)
 
Samson77 said:
But according to ESB appliance calculator a 42" plasma TV on standby 24 hours a day 7 days a week will cost €3.88 per 2 months, €1.94 a month!
Wattage in use: 350
Wattage on standby: 18
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That's way off the mark. A plasma of that size will typically use ~0.5W in standby. It will take 2000 hours on standby to use a single unit. So being on standby 24 hours 7 days a week example will set you back less than 7c a month.
Leo
 
Leo said:
That's way off the mark. A plasma of that size will typically use ~0.5W in standby. It will take 2000 hours on standby to use a single unit. So being on standby 24 hours 7 days a week example will set you back less than 7c a month.
Leo
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Thats a lot closer to the mark, Leo.
 
Thanks Leo
That's better again. Should i be able to calculate the wattage usage from the information on the back of the TV or from the manual?
I'd rather not have to buy a plug in monitor!!

Form a power saving point of view i see very little point in plugging out 'stand-by' appliances at all.
And it's debatable if these appliances are a fire hazard.
I've heard horror stories of bad wiring/loose plugs causing fires but i've never heard of an appliance spontaneously combusting because it was on standby!!
 
Samson77 said:
Should i be able to calculate the wattage usage from the information on the back of the TV or from the manual?
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Yes, the manual should detail the normal use and standby power requirements. Both figures will be the maximums, actual usage is likely to be lower still.

Samson77 said:
Form a power saving point of view i see very little point in plugging out 'stand-by' appliances at all.
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For the individual, the savings are negligible. It's only when you start looking at a national scale you can see any significance.

Samson77 said:
And it's debatable if these appliances are a fire hazard. I've heard horror stories of bad wiring/loose plugs causing fires but i've never heard of an appliance spontaneously combusting because it was on standby!!
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True, vast majority of electrical house fires are down to wiring issues, overloaded light fittings or sockets, or overloaded/damaged extention cords. There is a recall in place for certain Sony Bravia TV models due to overheating, but no reports of any damage beyond that done to the set itself.
Leo
 
Samson77 said:
Thanks Leo
That's better again. Should i be able to calculate the wattage usage from the information on the back of the TV or from the manual?
I'd rather not have to buy a plug in monitor!!
Click to expand...

Unless its quoted, (I'm assuming you are referring to standby power) either on the device itself or in the manual you generally cannot "work it out" from other data that is usually provided.
 
TVs aside, some set top boxes are notorious for using almost the same power in standby that they do when they are on. Google for "stb standby".
 
selfassessed said:
TVs aside, some set top boxes are notorious for using almost the same power in standby that they do when they are on. Google for "stb standby".
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If they have a DVR/PVR facility then you don't have much option but to leave them on standby when recording stuff as a matter of course...
 
And can anyone tell me the benefits of plugging out a toaster, kettle and a switched off lamp in the corner of the sitting room, every night, from a power saving point of view?
Or is he purposefully trying to wind me up?!?!
 
Samson77 said:
And can anyone tell me the benefits of plugging out a toaster, kettle and a switched off lamp in the corner of the sitting room, every night, from a power saving point of view?
Or is he purposefully trying to wind me up?!?!
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From a power saving point of view almost certainly none. From a (fire) safety point of view maybe some.
 
I have some of them remote controlled sockets that I switch of on a night. There is usually 3 socket supplied with 1 remote.
Do you switch your modem/router off on a night? Some laptops have had a history of recall due to the batteries overheating
 
This is the type of gadget you are looking for ### Can't post the url as I haven't made 15 posts. What a nuisance. Been signed up here for many years, but I'm mostly a lurker! Lets try this .... theowlireland dot com Then click on ... Power Saver Strips
 
Could someone do a proper link to the above ..... (3 more posts to go)

[broken link removed]

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A further thought ...... Plugging plugtops (the correct term) in and out of sockets, thousands of times will very gradually wear them out. Better to just switch them off at the switched sockets.
 
eirman said:
A further thought ...... Plugging plugtops (the correct term) in and out of sockets, thousands of times will very gradually wear them out. Better to just switch them off at the switched sockets.
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I used to think that but over the years have had no end of problems with socket switches not working or only half working i.e. hit and miss like.
 
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