Eddy Current
Senior Member
Why would the local power board suggest keeping certain appliances unplugged?
Keeping appliances unplugged
- Thread starter Eddy Current
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- Massachusetts
Eddy Current
Senior Member
jumper
Senior Member
- Location
- 3 Hr 2 Min from Winged Horses
Is your area prone to a lot of lightning strikes?
If it has a mains switch, yes.
A lot of appliances don't.
Our television doesn't but goes into standby mode.
There it uses 0.9W so we don't turn it off as a rule.
Even then, we could do so at the receptacle rather than unplugging it.
I'm in UK and most recpticles (sockets) come with a mains switch.
Here's one I installed in a cupboard at home recently.
- Location
- Massachusetts
Pretty much anything made today that has electronic controls does not really turn off, it goes into standby mode which does use much less but still uses some.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
Less risk of fire if the appliance would have some malfunction also.
Anything that uses/can use a wireless remote for turning it on will need to have the remote receiver powered in order for it to be able to respond to an "on" command.
Sure it doesn't draw much power but how many millions of them are there, they will add up to a significant amount.
A couple items we have had for a long time are control transformers in heating and cooling systems, garage door opener control circuit, and doorbell transformers. They are some of the oldest 'standby' loads we have but they are never mentioned when this topic comes up.
Anything that uses/can use a wireless remote for turning it on will need to have the remote receiver powered in order for it to be able to respond to an "on" command.
Sure it doesn't draw much power but how many millions of them are there, they will add up to a significant amount.
A couple items we have had for a long time are control transformers in heating and cooling systems, garage door opener control circuit, and doorbell transformers. They are some of the oldest 'standby' loads we have but they are never mentioned when this topic comes up.
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hurk27
Senior Member
- Location
- Portage, Indiana NEC: 2008
Wall warts all use some power if left plugged in also, but it's so little I don't unplug mine.
I agree. If there was significant power wasted they would get warm. Having just checked a couple here in my office I can't tell by touch that they are above ambient.
I suppose they must be some.....
stickboy1375
Senior Member
- Location
- Litchfield, CT
Since I pay the bill, i don't see any issue. 
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
And that is your choice, and you pay for what energy it does use. POCO's and the energy conservation people bring this up for the simple fact that there are millions of them out there and they do add up. I don't unplug many devices myself when not in use. It is just some information to consider.
I will add: if we truly want to save energy there would be more people that turn off lights when not needed, adjust heating and cooling setpoints when they are not home, and turn off things like TV's or radios when no one is using them. We also have swimming pool heaters and hot tubs that we keep at normal operating temperature 24/7 yet many of us are too busy to use them and may only see a few hours a month of actual use with them.
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gar
Senior Member
- Location
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Occupation
- EE
120101-1026 EST
This is an area where common sense needs to apply rather than blindly following the ignorant comments of ignorant politicians.
There is a tremendous amount of energy wasted by moderate and high power loads being left on when not needed. But not sufficient attention is given to this area where huge savings are possible.
In the past there were substantial residual loads from devices, many associated with entertainment centers, that were in the 30 W or more range for a device or system of devices when the device was apparently off. Tube type TVs were a major culprit with the heaters partially on to provide quicker startup.
Computers are another high load area. If not needed thru the night turn them off. Only leave on the devices that were badly designed and and have time or parameter problems with loss of power.
Many of the old devices are gone, scraped. My Sony LCD TV has a residual load of less than 0.3 W and this is enough power to allow remote turn on.
Older wall supplies might have had a residual of 3 W with no external load, just transformer losses. These are now banned. New units use switching supplies and are more efficient under load, and have a much lower residual load of maybe a few tenths of a watt.
When does it make common sense to go around unplugging many little devices to save 10 W of continuous load, 88 kWh per year (maybe $10). Put your emphasis on something realistic like turning lights and TVs off when not needed. Change from high level overall lighting to localized spot lighting. Use lower heating temperatures, and higher cooling temperatures.
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This is an area where common sense needs to apply rather than blindly following the ignorant comments of ignorant politicians.
There is a tremendous amount of energy wasted by moderate and high power loads being left on when not needed. But not sufficient attention is given to this area where huge savings are possible.
In the past there were substantial residual loads from devices, many associated with entertainment centers, that were in the 30 W or more range for a device or system of devices when the device was apparently off. Tube type TVs were a major culprit with the heaters partially on to provide quicker startup.
Computers are another high load area. If not needed thru the night turn them off. Only leave on the devices that were badly designed and and have time or parameter problems with loss of power.
Many of the old devices are gone, scraped. My Sony LCD TV has a residual load of less than 0.3 W and this is enough power to allow remote turn on.
Older wall supplies might have had a residual of 3 W with no external load, just transformer losses. These are now banned. New units use switching supplies and are more efficient under load, and have a much lower residual load of maybe a few tenths of a watt.
When does it make common sense to go around unplugging many little devices to save 10 W of continuous load, 88 kWh per year (maybe $10). Put your emphasis on something realistic like turning lights and TVs off when not needed. Change from high level overall lighting to localized spot lighting. Use lower heating temperatures, and higher cooling temperatures.
.
K8MHZ
Senior Member
- Occupation
- Electrician
Some do switch off. Check each one with a Kill-a-Watt. Most laptop power supplies also turn off if the load side is opened.
K8MHZ
Senior Member
- Occupation
- Electrician
I have done a couple energy audits for people looking for ways to lower their electric bill. The first thing done is to check to see if the amount billed is equal to the amount used. This fills up a page and shows what each device is costing per month. Adding up all the devices has, every time, been equal to the amount billed.
When I explained that the only way to reduce the bill was to turn things off, that was the end of the visit as people won't make a lifestyle change to reduce their bills. Instead, they are looking for something like a defective meter so they can still waste as much as they want and not pay for it.
K8MHZ
Senior Member
- Occupation
- Electrician
Are receptacles designed to be used as a daily disconnect?
How many times can they be plugged in and unplugged before the metal contacts start to fatigue or wear to the point of creating a bad connection?
How many times can they be plugged in and unplugged before the metal contacts start to fatigue or wear to the point of creating a bad connection?
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
A sudden increase in usage can be something wrong, but yes most of the time it is "my bill has been high for a long time". You can drive by these peoples house at night and swear every single light in the house is on. You can show up during the day to repair something - nobody is home and many lights are on, the heat is cranked way up, a coffee pot is on, or other things like that. I wonder why the bill is so high??
switching off items like lights and high power loads should bea no-brainer, but the forgotten loads like some mentioned here are the loads that need to be switched off with a strip control or unplugged. Thinking of the savings on a personal level can be selfish. Sure, $10 per year doesn't sound like much, but multiply that by the 60+ million occupied homes in America, the savings add up.
Power companies are mandated to inform consumers of the benefits of conserving energy, much like tobacco companies have to tell you to quit smoking.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/09/020926065912.htm
Power companies are mandated to inform consumers of the benefits of conserving energy, much like tobacco companies have to tell you to quit smoking.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/09/020926065912.htm
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
I am guilty of leaving my truck needlessly idle a lot. Everybody complains about fuel prices - except the oil pumpers and refiners of course.
It would get stolen here if you did that.
I never leave the keys in my car. I even lock it at a gas station when I go to pay the bill.
Car's just been fueled - what better time to nick it....
gar
Senior Member
- Location
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Occupation
- EE
120101-1240 EST
Hv&Lv:
$10 is 0.6% of my bill. If I eliminated all of that cost by going around and unplugging all sorts of small devices I would accomplish nothing of major value. I would have wasted time, and caused deterioration of the plug components. The costs would be greater than the gain.
I have encountered a number persons that have fallen for this unplugging advise and think that their effort is saving the planet, but at the same time they are unaware of more significant changes they could make that really would save a lot of energy.
Some of these same people are opposed to electronic meters that are remotely read because of the RF radiation. They probably receive many times more background radiation from all sources, than from one of these new electric meters.
.
Hv&Lv:
$10 is 0.6% of my bill. If I eliminated all of that cost by going around and unplugging all sorts of small devices I would accomplish nothing of major value. I would have wasted time, and caused deterioration of the plug components. The costs would be greater than the gain.
I have encountered a number persons that have fallen for this unplugging advise and think that their effort is saving the planet, but at the same time they are unaware of more significant changes they could make that really would save a lot of energy.
Some of these same people are opposed to electronic meters that are remotely read because of the RF radiation. They probably receive many times more background radiation from all sources, than from one of these new electric meters.
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- Status