kWhr usage

[Phisherman]

There was a thread on TVs and how they use electricity when turned off. DOE is researching the issue of appliances using energy when in "standy mode." You might think this is minimal, but when you add up the TV, game consoles, stereos, DSL/cable routers, computers, etc. DOE says it can be 10% of your energy usage. There are ways to reduce energy usage anyway by unplugging less used appliances. Putting computers in hyberate mode is better than a screen saver. Not sure if all appliances are energy-star compliant.

[ransley]

Only testing what you have will tell you what you can save, standby varies to much and is less every year. A Kill-A-Watt meter or clamp on amp meter is what you want.

[Pete C.]

I think that 10% from "phantom loads" would be a pretty extreme case,

1-2% is probably more typical. Yes, there is standby power used by a lot of stuff, in particular anything with a remote control.

You can reduce some of it, like putting chargers for cell phones and whatnot on power strips and turning them off when you're away. You could put stuff on a timer to automate that, but the timer also uses standby power. If you can cluster all your phantom loads to one power strip on a timer you could still save while minimizing the hassle.

Stuff like cable and satellite boxes don't handle full power off well and you loosed program guides and settings which can be an issue in many cases.

Many people run servers of one sort of another so a computer and router are on 24x7 which is a sizable power draw. Just changing the computer used as the server to an old laptop can cut the power consumption quite a bit. A regular desktop machine running as a server (no monitor on) runs around $15-$20/mo in power while a laptop should be more like $5-$10/mo.

[Bill]

Here ya go. Starting on page 8, it lists how much electricity various home electrical things use when "off'. Of course these all add up.

Leaking Electricity: Individual Field Measurement of Consumer Electronics...

[Phisherman]