Standby Power
Standby for more savings
- Many appliances now use electricity even when they’re doing little or nothing.
- When appliances are switched off at the powerpoint, they use NO energy.
Over the whole year, some microwave ovens
generate more greenhouse gas running the
digital clock than cooking food.
- When appliances are switched off at the appliance, but left on at the wall, they may use some energy called ‘standby’ power. Typically this is between 1 and 20 watts, with most appliances using less than 5 watts—that’s around 45 kilograms of greenhouse gas each year for each item.
- An average Australian home has many items of equipment on standby power, together generating over 750 kilograms of greenhouse gas each year.
- Switch appliances off at the powerpoint (or use a powerboard with switches) to avoid this waste. You will lose the digital clock on that appliance, but do you really need every one of them?
- When some appliances, such as VCRs, DVDs, CD players are left on after use, they remain in ‘active standby’ mode, often using more than twice as much energy as they do when switched off at the appliance and in normal ‘standby’ mode. Switch them off at the appliance to save some energy, switch them off at the powerpoint to save even more!
- The Australian Government announced in November 2006 that it would work with industry and other governments to reduce standby power wastage of electrical appliances sold in Australia. By 2012 all electrical appliances will need to meet the 'one watt target' before they can be sold in Australia. This measure has the potential to save more than 2.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and about $350 million per year.