TV on standby?

[Dead_Parrot]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4620350.stm

Britons waste the equivalent of around two power stations' worth of electricity each year by leaving TV sets and other gadgets on standby.

Last June Environment Minister Elliot Morley, responding to an MP's question, revealed that electrical equipment in sleep mode used roughly 7TWh of energy and emitted around 800,000 tonnes of carbon.

The government is currently reviewing the options of how to keep the UK's lights on in the future, at the same time as reducing the amount of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere.

Energy efficiency groups are urging people to carry out their own personal energy review because homes are set to place an ever increasing demand on power supplies.

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C'mon, 'fess up. Regardless of what you're supposed to do, do you use 'standy mode' on anything? don't forget the video, DVD, stereo, PC...

[maxsolomon]

1. you're not supposed to turn your Mark Levinson amp off

i'm not sure why, but it sure sounds suh weet.

[phantom power]

2. I am guilty. Soooooo guilty.

Although I'm in the habit of using the "suspend" function for laptops. They should really supply that for desktop computers too. I'd use it every night.

[BlueEyedSon]

3. I got a lot of gear that is On or Standby only. Pulling the plug is the

only alternative.....

[jpak]

4. I've ID'ed all my potential phantom loads

and unplug them when not in use.

I am pure....

[Wickerman]

5. mostly guilty

but have some stuff on a power bar so's I can make it right easily.

[phantom power]

6. Here's a pet peeve of mine.

In this age of "smart" devices (I use that term very loosely), it seems like everything has a configuration. Like clock settings, pre-sets, etc. If you unplug these devices, you usually lose your settings. Now, in this age of memory card technology, why in the hell don't these things use memory that maintains it's state if the device is unplugged?? Unplugging my $!@$#@ coffee-maker shouldn't require me to re-program the clock, autostart settings, etc. We lost power a couple weeks ago, and it took two days before I'd found and fixed all the pre-sets on our AV system.

[Dead_Parrot]

8. Annoying, isn't it?

If I was buying a $99 video player, I'd happily pay $99.75 to have a 3v button cell included. :(

Make that $100.75 for them to actually include a f---ing 'off' switch. Half these things can't be switched off without pulling the plug, and back's getting too old for that shit. :)

[phantom power]

10. Yeah. Some people solve the "plug" problem by...

connecting everything to a surge-protector, and just shutting off the surge protector. Still stupid, though. The "off" button on our DVD player still leaves a few lights on. This is obviously some new definition of "off" that I'm not up to speed on :-)

[Dead_Parrot]

7. Well, I DO switch the TV off...

...But I confess it's mainly down to losing the remote. :D The video lives in standby or on, and I sometimes remember to switch my PC monitor off. I shall ritualisty flog myself with a scart cable as punishment.

[skids]

9. Not this again.

Folks, while it's a nice thing to do, your effort would probably be better spent on upgrading your refrigerator or washing machine. Or even just switching to compact flourescent lightbulbs. Or putting a $30 motion sensor or $10 timer on lights that tend to get left on. Sure, add up all that standby power and it looks like a horrible figure -- but if you add up all the power wasted by 10-year-old non-energy-star appliances it would dwarf this figure.

So do it if you like, but don't feel like you're making that much of a difference unless you've looked at the non-gadget part of your electricity (and heat) budget.

But since this thread is for the gadget-obsessed, here's a $30 gadget that's worth every penny:

http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/kill_a_watt_electric_usage_monitor_review

[MADem]

11. I recently got an ENERGY STAR refrigerator

...and wow, what a doozy it is! Food stays fresher for much longer, and though it is much larger than my last one, it uses less juice than the old one.

[Dead_Parrot]

12. Effort is one thing...

...resouces are another. As it happens, my fridge, washing machine and monitors are ES compliant, but then they are the only electrical items I've brought new in at least 10 years: I'm not sure how sticking my TV in a landfill and buying a new one really cuts down the enviromental impact - especially since ES televisions invariably come with a "standby" mode that uses power when they're switched 'off'.

Personally, I am equiped with a finger to work a light switch (it doesn't take long), rather than blow $30 on a PIR than will doubtless wind up in a landfill itself in 10 years time. I'm sure using more resources can indeed help you use less in the long-term, but using less can also help you use less.