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With the cost of electricity continuing to remain high, many people are doing what they can to save in different ways, such as switching to fluorescent light bulbs, drying clothes on a clothesline, or the much more involved methods of using wind or solar power. One thing that is often overlooked though, can be found in the so called "vampire power; used by consumer electronic products when they are in standby mode. Many stereos, TVs, cable boxes, and especially computers use a small amount of electrical energy even after the power switch is turned off, which can add up over a year’s time.
Though some of this power is critical to function for these items, it is estimated that 5% of all power used in the U.S. is for standby power with some European countries coming in at 10% and Japan at 12%. The state of California has even addressed this issue with a bill under the name of "Vampire Slayer Act of 2006;
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Kill-A-Watt by PowerPointSamurai :: NR0 :: Show
Incidentally, the dude over at the Watt Podcast used to talk about that effect a lot, and had an one on his promotions (scroll down a little and it’s one the left, or click this link for the Kill-A-Watt; to credit him via Amazon).
Computer World also had an article on an Extreme Office Makeover where they discussed this effect and used the good ’ol Kill-A-Watt to measure the power consumption of every device and weighed the consequences of turning them off when un-used, changing settings, or replacing them with more energy efficient devices.
Total Energy Usage? by gnifyus :: NR8 :: Show
Does anybody know…?
I’m starting to wonder something about electrical power usage and generation in general. Let’s pretend everybody was able to cut their power usage by 10%. This would translate into savings for individual users and businesses; but would the total energy usage by the power company to generate the electricity change all that much? Do all the turbines still have to be turning when at 70% capacity as much as they are at 80% capacity; or do some shut off or turn on depending on load? If they do all have to be turning, are they using more or less the same amount of oil or coal to keep running?
The question is, does 10% less energy usage on the consumer end translate into 10% less total generation on the supplier end?