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PUBLISHER’S LETTER
www.siliconchip.com.au
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD
Production Manager
Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.)
Technical Staff
John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.)
Peter Smith
Ross Tester
Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc, VK2ZLO
Reader Services
Ann Jenkinson
Advertising Enquiries
Leo Simpson
Phone (02) 9979 5644
Fax (02) 9979 6503
Regular Contributors
Brendan Akhurst
Rodney Champness, VK3UG
Julian Edgar, Dip.T.(Sec.), B.Ed
Mike Sheriff, B.Sc, VK2YFK
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Standby power is a large
hidden cost
Our articles on the Energy Meter in this
month’s issue and the review of the “Power-Mate”
energy monitor in last month’s issue have highlighted the problem of standby power. On any
assessment, standby power is wasted power. It
is continuously consumed by appliances merely
so that they will be ready to do their intended
task, at any time, as soon as we press a button
or whatever.
Most people are probably aware that their TV,
VCR and microwave ovens all draw standby
power of about 5W each and they think, “Oh, well that’s only 15W and I
can live with that.” But standby power in the average household is far more
pervasive and if you go from room to room you will probably be surprised
to find how much gear you’ve got which is always pulling power.
In the kitchen, as well as the microwave oven, there is probably the dishwasher, oven (clock), refrigerator, portable vacuum cleaner charger, cordless
phone base station and a small audio system and perhaps a TV.
In your home office, you probably have a computer with an ATX power
supply, a mobile phone charger, another small audio system, maybe a fax
machine and perhaps a few plugpacks to power computer peripherals which
are permanently plugged in.
In the family living room there is usually a plethora of electronic gear
(TV, VCR, DVD, CD, home theatre system, etc), all with remote controls
and all as a result, usually permanently powered up. There may also be
an air-conditioner (with remote control) or perhaps you have under-floor
heating (again, with stand-by power being drawn). Elsewhere in the home,
you may have a door-bell, burglar alarm, perhaps an electric clock and some
PIR-controlled lights.
In the bedrooms, the story will be repeated, especially if you have teenage
children: TV, audio system, games box, mobile phone charger and so on.
In your garage, you may have one or two door openers (both with remote
controls) and you may have the odd power tool charger plugged in as well.
Possibly, you can add a few more to this list in your household. Tot them
all up and you could easily find that you have a permanent standby power
draw of 150 watts or more. Over a year, that could cost you well over $200,
depending on the state in which you live. For people who are well off, that’s
not a big burden. And if you have cold winters, you might argue that it’s
giving you heating that you would otherwise pay for. But for people on low
incomes, standby power is a real issue.
What to do? It’s pretty easy really. Just make a habit of turning off or unplugging all appliances which are not being used. Not only will you save
power but you may prevent damage to appliances which could happen if
you have a power surge or a nearby lightning strike.
And next time you are about to purchase an appliance, consider the
standby power it draws. You could save quite a lot of money over the life
of the appliance, perhaps even more than the initial purchase price.
Leo Simpson
ISSN 1030-2662
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