Energy cost of devices on standby in my home [Updated inc oct price cap]

[thomask]

@haneul2 Wait. Why would they cut speeds to deal with a fault in the line?

 

[haneul2]

@thomask If they detect an 'issue' on the line, they will cut the speeds back to basics to see if that 'fixes' the issue and then over the next few days they will up it bit by bit.

The idea is they are testing the line to see what the maximum it can support is without fault.

The issue is if you keep turning it off this will imply there is an ongoing issue and they will either keep resetting the speeds or settle for a lower than ideal standard.

for the cost of leaving it on vs the issues it could cause i would leave it be and look at some of the others highlighted

 

[zuzurh]

@haneul2 Surely only on ADSL lines? Virgin Fibre to the Home or FTTH from the likes of Hyperoptic wouldn’t behave like this.

 

[xsmnthu7]

@zuzurh How come?

 

[lemons2lemonade]

@haneul2 Same applies to the network switches, they really aren't designed to be turned on and off regularly.

 

[daiphucka]

@basharg A really easy guide to this is how much heat a device puts out - everything electrical/electronic puts out waste energy as heat, and almost all the energy they use ends up as heat.

The fact stuff like routers and Sky boxes will have fans running even when "off" tells you a lot of energy is being burnt.

On the flipside, these days it's hardly worth worrying about turning LED lights off as they're so efficient.

 

[shiercs]

@basharg Awesome post. I started worrying about my phone charger being left on when not in use but if it's only going to cost me 30p / year to keep it on. It's more hassle than it's worth turning it on and off.
Plus I've forgotten to turn it on again and woke up with low battery as my phone didn't charge!

 

[perseverancethroughfaith]

@shiercs Apple chargers are also much less than 0.1W as well. I can’t get a reading on my power reader. This is even with a wire plugged in but not connected to the phone/tablet/laptop.

 

[arich62]

@shiercs Clicking the switch 2+ times a day would wear it out quicker and a new socket would cost a fiver, imagine scuppering yourself like that

 

[dlinkered]

@arich62 A similar thread on HUKD recently where someone was putting a bucket in the shower every day while it was warming up and collecting water for their plants to save money.

Someone did the maths and IIRC the cost of the bucket offset about three years worth of savings on the water.

 

[sarahjeanne98]

@basharg Buy a microwave for £40 and you can save £20 each year

 

[innakissie]

@basharg I should pay you for this. Thank you for the list

 

[vvshinedownvv]

@basharg Our microwave won't work unless the clock is set, so turning it off at the wall then on again whem we want to use it is a right faff.

 

[cqbchase]

@vvshinedownvv Ours has no clock (it has a display but reading 0:00 that doesn't increment if left alone) so I'm curious as to how much it's drawing - assuming the light isn't on from the door being left open as I know its bulb isn't energy-saving. Will report back.

edit: 1 watt. /@basharg - I agree with /@sarahjeanne98 that a new microwave might not take long to pay for itself! Thanks for the list, very interesting.

 

[garrett001001]

@basharg Thank you so much for this. I see the case made a lot for people struggling to pay for energy to unplug things etc. but as someone who is on a relatively low income (and therefore doesn't have much tech), the accumulative cost of everything in my household (not inc. fridge-freezer and internet hub which have to be on), is only £24 a year. I guess for people on the bottom line that will still make a difference but it does feel like a drop of water in the scheme of things.

 

[kmbeam1]

@basharg I recently invested in energy monitoring smart plugs to test something similar. I now turn my TV/sky box/sound bar off at the plug for about 18 hours a day when I know I won't use them. Every little helps!

 

[lizelle]

@basharg Jeez, I really need to work out what sort of power my network gear is using.

Three APs on PoE, switch, modem, router. Bet that's not insignificant. I've powered off all my network storage as it wasn't being used enough to justify the cost.

 

[basharg]

@lizelle Worth checking for sure, I'm looking to reduce my switch power usage with a lower powered option now that I've seen what it's going to cost!

 

[lizelle]

@basharg I had a 1U commercial Netgear switch that I got from work for free that I downgraded last year cause it was just stupid for my needs. Switched to this 8 port TP-link gigabit thing with 4 PoE ports and it's so so good for the price and size. Not sure how many ports you're using but worth considering. Also you won't be able to rack mount it easily but mine is just sat on the (now defunct) 1U switch in my LackRack

I'm actually using Ruckus APs off of that. I've got a real frankenstein setup but it's working really nicely.

Edit: just realised you're running multiple switches. 8 isn't going to cut it

 

[basharg]

@lizelle I'm soon to be changing over to a Ruckus ICX7150-C12P as my main managed switch which should be ~12w instead of 55w and still provide enough PoE/10G ports for cameras/aps, the rest will just be low power unmanaged