When you turn off a light, it no longer consumes electricity. But when you turn off some household electrical devices, such as VCRs or DVD players, they continue to draw small amounts of electricity known as ‘standby power’.
For example, even when turned off, a DVD player can consume up to 10 watts of standby power, a TV up to 12 watts, and a VCR up to 13 watts.
Such devices could be drawing standby power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Unplugging them would shave up to 10 per cent off the average Canadian household's annual electricity bill.
To eliminate wasteful standby power, consider unplugging battery chargers as soon as they have finished charging. Plug computers, monitors, printers, and scanners into a power bar that you can turn off instead of having to unplug each device separately. Power bars also protect electronic devices against power surges and spikes.
It may not always be practical to unplug certain devices. Some microwaves won't work unless the clock is set, and built-in microwaves are not convenient to unplug. In all cases, check the instruction manual before unplugging something to eliminate standby power losses.
Electronics and appliances that use standby power add heat to your home in the winter and make air conditioners work harder in the summer. Overall, unplugging electronics that use standby power – or replacing them with ENERGY STAR qualified products that use up to 50 per cent less power in standby mode than conventional models – will reduce your energy use.
Energy savings from reducing your standby power consumption will vary depending on:
If you are planning on upgrading your equipment, look for ENERGY STAR models. They use up to 50 per cent less power than conventional models in standby mode.
Standby power is estimated to waste more than five billion kilowatt hours each year in Canada. Do your part to reduce waste, lower your electricity bill and spare the environment by lowering emissions of greenhouse gases.
