Denise's Blog Spot

Unplugging — the Ultimate Power Smart Strategy

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% 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.