Calculating Standby Power Consumption

Want to know how much electricity your home appliances waste while on standby? We'll show you how to calculate the standby electricity consumption of your home appliances, including how to look up standby power consumption, how to estimate the amount of time they spend on standby, and how to convert this into electricity bills. We'll also share some useful energy-saving tips to help you reduce your hidden electricity bills.

Why bother to calculate standby power consumption?

Many people think that when an electrical appliance is turned off, it stops using electricity. In fact, most of the time they are still "stealing electricity"! For example, set-top boxes, air-conditioner remote controls, and mobile-phone chargers that are plugged in but not in use-these small actions, accumulated over the course of a year, can add up to hundreds of dollars in wasted electricity.You have to know where your money is going before you can start saving it.

Three steps to calculate standby power consumption.

Step 1: Find out the standby power consumption of the appliance.

The simplest way to find out is to look at the label or instructions, which should indicate the standby power consumption in watts (W).If you can't find it, you can buy a "power consumption detection socket" on the Internet and plug your equipment into it to read the data.Common standby wattages: 2-5W for a router, 10-15W for an air conditioner, and 1-3W for a TV.

Step two: Calculate the waiting time.

For example, routers are always on, while air conditioners are on for only six months a year (assuming 24 hours a day).Some equipment has different standby modes, such as a computer's "sleep mode" and "off." The difference in electricity consumption is quite large. It is best to use the highest estimate.

Step 3: Plug in the formula.

The formula for calculating this is: electricity charges = standby power (kilowatts) × time (hours) × electricity rate (NT $ / kwh).

For example, a 12-watt air conditioner, left on standby for 180 days a year, costs NT $ 1 per kilowatt-hour.

The calculation goes like this: 0.012 kilowatts x (180 days x 24 hours) x NT $ 1 = NT $ 51.84.

It turned out that even when the air conditioner was just sitting there doing nothing, it was still costing him over NT $ 50 a year in electricity.

Saving electricity.

Use a power strip with an on / off switch, and turn it off when you're not using it.

• Prioritize appliances with standby power consumption of 1 watt or less (look for the energy-saving label).

• Unplug your cell phone charger as soon as the phone is fully charged.

• For long periods of non-use, pull the plug on your TV and video game machine.

Frequently Asked Questions.

Is the standby power detection plug accurate?

The error rate of the NT $ 20 or so simple models is within 5 %, which is more than enough for home use.For more accuracy, you can choose a mid- to high-end model with a data recording function.

Do you have to calculate the standby power consumption of all electrical appliances?

Don't include appliances that need to run continuously, such as refrigerators and fish tank pumps.The main focus is on air conditioners, TVs, sound systems, and kitchen small appliances, which are the "biggest standby power users.

How are the various rates calculated?

You can first estimate the average electricity price of your own home, and if you want to be more precise, you can separately calculate the standby power consumption and enter it in the second or third tier.