save energy

[gedr]

Watching a programme on tv about energy conservation and was told that
any equipment, tv's ect. when on standby would use just as much energy as
when running, I'm no expert, but that's not what I've always understood.

Have I missed something?

gedr.

[bopdude]

Originally Posted by gedr

Watching a programme on tv about energy conservation and was told that
any equipment, tv's ect. when on standby would use just as much energy as
when running, I'm no expert, but that's not what I've always understood.

Have I missed something?

gedr.

Hi there, the simple answer is, yes, they do use power, but not as much, here is a rough guide to various appliances.

HTH

[gedr]

Thanks, bopdude,
I think the idea is to get people to switch rather than go into standby, thus
saving as much energy as possible.

cheers, gedr.

[bopdude]

Originally Posted by gedr

Thanks, bopdude,
I think the idea is to get people to switch rather than go into standby, thus
saving as much energy as possible.

cheers, gedr.

Yeah, I'm a sucker for it, I know I'm using / wasting energy but it's way to easy to reach for the remote at the end of a night, I mean, walk 5 paces to the t.v. are you mad

[Halcyon]

Good post this.
I was actually thinking the same thing the other day.
I use two Pc's and all my music equipment is always on as it needs to be on to work at it's best.....and also things like amplifiers too.
If only electricity was free.

[Goes to google solar panels]

[Chris]

Our TV, VCR, stereo and Sky box are all left on overnight. We used to switch the telly off by the button on the front of it but our son took to playing with it, so we had to get a childproof clear perspex cover to stop him.

We could switch everything off from a single switch at the wall, as they are all on an extension lead, but I have often wondered whether modern equipment such as a Sky box, which is designed to remain on, can be damaged or have its working life shortened by repeated switching on and off. Does anyone know anything about this? I would prefer to switch everything off completely if it's safe.

[Maggy J]

I saw some expert on Breakfast news last year put it into the perspective of barrels of oil(it was the time of Katrina and other weather related shortages of oil).Each appliance left on standby is equal to just under one barrel of oil per year.

Ever since I've been turning everything off at night apart from the fridge and STB of course.If you turn off the lights why not other electrical appliances?

[bopdude]

Originally Posted by Chris T

I have often wondered whether modern equipment such as a Sky box, which is designed to remain on, can be damaged or have its working life shortened by repeated switching on and off. Does anyone know anything about this? I would prefer to switch everything off completely if it's safe.

It's an on going argument AFAIK, it could be argued that the constant switching on and off could cause stress / fatigue on certain parts with the constant heating and cooling of components, truth is, I don't know for sure with modern equipment but old stye re-wireable fuses used to 'blow' for this reason, hot / cold / hot / cold...boom

Originally Posted by Chris T

We could switch everything off from a single switch at the wall, as they are all on an extension lead,

How much loading do you have on the single 13A socket that's plugged into?

Originally Posted by Chris T

but I have often wondered whether modern equipment such as a Sky box, which is designed to remain on, can be damaged or have its working life shortened by repeated switching on and off.

All electronic equipment suffers most at switch on (and switch off.) If a piece of equipment is going to fail, it'll be more likely as not when you switch it on. If left switched on most of the time, it'll probably last longer.

Also, most of these devices require setup when switched on - do you really want to redo the setup for your TV, DVD player, VCR and STB every day?

Originally Posted by Chris T

Does anyone know anything about this? I would prefer to switch everything off completely if it's safe.

Yes, if they're off then they're safer than if they are on. But the more they're switched, the sooner you'll be replacing them...

---------- Post added at 11:52 ---------- Previous post was at 11:45 ----------

Originally Posted by bopdude

I don't know for sure with modern equipment but old stye re-wireable fuses used to 'blow' for this reason, hot / cold / hot / cold...boom

Modern electronics are also sensitive to this.

Look at your PC - the CPU is operating at something approaching 50oC, and it reaches that temperature in seconds after switch on.

So when your PC has been off all night (and maybe your heating too) then in the morning your CPU will be sitting at no more than 20oC and then suddenly heat up. That IS going to stress it. The same is happening to other, convection cooled devices on the board.

If it stays switched on, it'll keep to a much smaller temperature band. In standby it will be a bit cooler, but this temperature transition is much more gradual, and hence less stressful to the components.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by ScaredWebWarrior

How much loading do you have on the single 13A socket that's plugged into?

Less than 13A ... it's been set up that way for years and has never tripped, blown or so much as warmed up the socket. There is a TV, Sky box, four-piece Hi Fi and a VCR. There is a playstation which we use as a DVD player but that is fully off unless in use.

According to the data here:

http://www.wiltshirefirebrigade.com/...cal_safety.htm

A very generous over-estimate would be about 2A, so I don't think I'm in too much danger of setting fire to the house.

[Taf]

NTLs analogue box gets hot... and stays hot, even on standby.... so a fair few watts of power are being wasted there... but it doesn't like being switched off at the socket....

Has anybody any power figures for NTL's boxes?

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Taf

NTLs analogue box gets hot... and stays hot, even on standby.... so a fair few watts of power are being wasted there... but it doesn't like being switched off at the socket....

Has anybody any power figures for NTL's boxes?

Yours will have a rating plate on it somewhere, but from what I've Googled this morning on the back of this topic, it is going to be somewhere between 20 and 30 watts, and will be the same whether it's 'on' or in 'standby'. An incandescent light bulb of that wattage would get too hot to touch fairly quickly.

[Taf]

Yup... it certainly gets hot...it was smelling of "hot insulation" so I had an engineer visit... he just said to keep it well-aired as all of them run that hot....

[danielf]

Originally Posted by ScaredWebWarrior

<snip>

Also, most of these devices require setup when switched on - do you really want to redo the setup for your TV, DVD player, VCR and STB every day?

You do not have to redo the setup for TV/VCR after switching it off for a day. After a couple of months maybe, but not after a day.

So when your PC has been off all night (and maybe your heating too) then in the morning your CPU will be sitting at no more than 20oC and then suddenly heat up. That IS going to stress it. The same is happening to other, convection cooled devices on the board.

If it stays switched on, it'll keep to a much smaller temperature band. In standby it will be a bit cooler, but this temperature transition is much more gradual, and hence less stressful to the components.

Possibly/probably true, but in the case of pcs, they are more likely to be replaced for being obsolete rather than being broken. Leaving the pc on may give it a few? more years in life, but in my house pcs tend to be replaced after 3-4 years anyway. Better safe the electricity imo...

[Chris]

Originally Posted by danielf

You do not have to redo the setup for TV/VCR after switching it off for a day. After a couple of months maybe, but not after a day.

My VCR loses its time settings after a couple of hours. But then it's not very good and is fairly old.