Question
What happens if we leave lights on or
appliances on standby?
Standby For Switch Off!
(No, we don’t mean stop listening to your teacher and gaze out the window...)
There is a great reason to switch off lights and power when they’re not in use. Some
small items use a LOT of power, and large items use even more. Others don’t use a lot
each hour, but it adds up to be a lot by the end of the year.
Average households waste approximately 10% of their energy use on standby loads.
Just think of the number of appliances that you have at home which continuously use
standby power. This number can be surprisingly large - as can the total energy used.
What uses standby power?
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Cordless
telephones
Anything with a
remote control
Fax ma
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Computers
Televisions
Microwave ovens
Switching off makes a difference
 You can’t switch most electronic goods off just with the remote control
 To turn off an appliance completely, use the power switch on the appliance itself
or turn it off at the plug
 If a charger or power pack is warm or has a light on, it’s probably using power
 Unplug seldom-used appliances. You may save around $10 every month on your
electricity bill
 Unplug your chargers when you’re not charging. Every house is full of little plastic
power supplies to charge mobile phones, PDA’s, digital cameras, cordless tools
and other personal gadgets. Keep them unplugged until you need them
 Use power boards to switch off televisions, home theatre equipment, and stereos
when you’re not using them. Together, their “standby” consumption can be
equivalent to that of a 75 or 100 watt light bulb running continuously
www.solarsets.com.au
Question
What happens if we leave lights on or
appliances on standby?
How Many Watts
Using the table below, cover up the second Watts columns and then try to guess the
number of Watts that each appliance uses when on.
Write down your guesses and then compare. Are you surprised by any of the results?
Watts
Watts
Watts
Watts
Kettle
2000
T5 double fluoro
62
Microwave
1500
Incandescent lamp
60
Toaster
1000
Medium printer
60
Sandwich toaster
1000
Dishwasher
57
Smartboard
700
Fax machine
50
Data projector
600
Small printer
40
TV and VCR (small)
200
Small copier
40
Overhead projector
200
Laptop computer
30
PC with monitor
130
Exit light
21
Copier/Large printer
100
Single compact fluoro
18
Double fluorescent
82
Bubble Jet printer
10
Hot water unit
80
Charger
8
Halogen downlight
65
Computer speakers
5
Standby Challenges
1
Make your computer efficient - Enable the “sleep mode” feature on your
computer, allowing it to use less power during periods of inactivity.
Configure your computer to “hibernate” automatically after 30
minutes or so of inactivity. The “hibernate mode” turns the computer
off in a way that doesn’t require you to reload everything when you
switch it back on. Allowing your computer to hibernate saves energy and is more
time-efficient than shutting down and restarting your computer from scratch.
2
Make your fridge efficient - Set your fridge temperature at 3 to 5 degrees Celsius;
your freezer should be set between -18 and -15 degrees Celsius. Use the power-save
switch if your fridge has one, and make sure the door seals tightly. You can check
this by making sure that a 10 dollar note closed in between the door gaskets is
difficult to pull out. If it slides easily between the gaskets, replace them.
www.solarsets.com.au