Power drain on standby

General Chat Tech & Gaming
1

I saw this article in my news feed this morning and it struck a chord as I have been thinking about smart plugs to switch off the kit that currently stays on standby overnight. I currently have the TP-Link system [which seem to be a bit dearer than others] but would rather expand that than start another system such as Humax.

Seems a bit of a delicate balance costwise as to how long it would take to recoup the cost of say 2/3 more smart switches versus the cost of standby.

Easy enough to work it out from the figures in the article but do we believe them? How else would I be able to check the true cost of standby per item?

R-

1 Like
2

image
image1212Ɨ1096 183 KB

Somehow managed to make my post a poll and submitted it before adding image. Could a moderator sort that please?

R-

1 Like
3

Not a mod but have moved the topic ā€“ hope this is the place you wanted to start the thread in?

1 Like
4

Spot on- Thanks. R-

5

The standby figures seem quite high to me.

3 Likes
6

I need to make time to go sort all our plugs out as I could switch the tv lot downstairs fully off as thereā€™s two sockets with extensions anyway.

Same goes for his desk set up, he donā€™t need it on over night and it must be costing us a fortune.

I switch most other bits off that I can. Anything top level in the kitchen is a no.

2 Likes
7

Trouble is there are so many figures around, mostly lower than this article gives, that you donā€™t know who to trust.

R-

8

The TV off argument is tricky with regard to recording schedule and software updates.

R-

9

I think I already turn the biggest offenders off overnight: tv, smart speakers, games consoles etc. (only a couple of sockets to turn off). Just the microwave remains on standby but reprogramming the clock all the time would annoy me :laughing:

1 Like
10

Wouldnā€™t a smart plug just shift where the power drain comes from? It needs to be active and stay connected to a network in order to work properly so it will drain power even if it is ā€œoffā€

5 Likes
11

Depends on how old the figures are. The EU changed the rules for standby power usage some time ago, so that newer devices (Iā€™m not sure of the exact date) have to use considerably less energy when in standby. The big change was for TVs; they currently (no pun intended) use a small fraction of the energy when in standby mode than older models.

There was a radio programme debunking the figures produced by Which? some years ago. I donā€™t know if these figures are a rehash, or whether they have been updated.

4 Likes
12

That is true. I imagined a scenario where several items on an extension would be switched off thereby reducing several ā€˜drainsā€ to one. R-

13

We only use on demand, Netflix, Prime and Disney, so doesnā€™t make difference to us.

Could also link tv recorder to another plug such as where router is set, and switch the majority off.

2 Likes
14

A quick win to find things that would save the most money when switched off rather than on standby - if itā€™s warm then itā€™s using a significant amount of power. Check devices and particularly any ā€œbrickā€ transformers plugged into sockets. Applies particularly to older devices with ā€œdumbā€ chargers, I found a decade+ old Pure DAB radio transformer that was acting as a very inefficient room heater.

3 Likes
15

Just to add, that the Energy Savings Trust puts the average saving at Ā£55 per year.

image
image2436Ɨ928 113 KB

2 Likes
16

Thanks @Anarchist - that is helpful. Might forward that to our landlord. Might not! R-

17

Thatā€™s what I thought too. I donā€™t know what they are using to get these figures but I just thought it was too high for something like a modern TV or microwave.

18

Came home to find someone debunked the efficacy of turning off your standby devices last year:

Itā€™s even been updated today, with the following Twitter thread:

tl;dr, vampire drain is highly exaggerated, and chances are youā€™ll actually make next to no savings.

7 Likes
19

This was always my understanding, that itā€™s a myth based on older technology.

Note it is something measured in the energy rating certificates, so a better approach is just to buy things with good energy ratings.

1 Like
20

Not just older technology, but technology in California! Thatā€™s the part that really blows my mind.

2 Likes