Turning off v Plugging out

Wishiwasa Littlebitaller · 15-05-2014 9:38am

seamus wrote: »

I'm skeptical about how much power phone chargers may or may not use, and wonder is that an old belief about old chargers. If the charger has no lights or anything, then how is it consuming power while plugged in?

I have a Pay As You Go meter and leave everything plugged in (LCD TV, 4G Wifi Modem, S3 Mini on charge, 15" laptop, extension lead that has little lights, oven clock) and all these costs me 2c to 3c for around eight hours of standby use during the night.

kneemos · 15-05-2014 9:43am

Zebra3 wrote: »

Unplug.

If you leave your tv on standby, it is using something like 30-40% of the power that would if it was turned on.

Waste of money and really bad for the environment.

For people that don't care, read up on what happened in West Antarctica earlier this week.

Don't believe a word of that,must have been dreamed up by the green party or something.Actually checked it at the meter one time and
it never budged.

jiltloop · 15-05-2014 9:43am

Macy0161 wrote: »

No, we don't. Where do you draw the line? Do you plug out the big appliances like the fridge or freezer? What about the dishwasher and washing machine which often have inaccessable plugs? The Modem? Satellite and Cable TV recievers are supposed to be left on - the likes of Sky send updates overnight. Our phones and tablets are plugged in overnight to charge - if you were concerned about the chargers going on fire, I would've thought at night when the household was asleep was the main time of concern, but that's when you want to use the chargers.

Well of course you wouldn't plug out your fridge/freezer

Dishwasher and washing machines you don't need to plug out because they don't have a standby mode. They are either running/on or not/off.

I think we can restrict discussion to TVs/DVD players/Satelite receivers/Sky boxes/Chargers etc. Personally I would have a multi adapter with everything pugged into it except the sky box. I switch off the one switch on the wall for the multi adapter and leave the sky box plugged in. Simples.

15-05-2014 9:51am

kneemos wrote: »

A lot of people do this,it ensures nothing is left on.Better than having the grill catching fire.

And all those people are wrong kneemos old pal. Why? Because an isolator is exactly what it says on the tin. Its for isolating power for maintenance. Not for switching appliances on and off. The knobs/switches on your oven/hob/boiler/shower are designed to switch the product on and off. The constant flipping of the isolator switch wears down/burns out the contacts inside the isolator over time. Especially when the switches on the appliance itself are constantly left on. That can cause fires.

If I had a euro for thr amount of shower/cooker isolators I've changed over the years because of peoples ignorance, I'd be able to pay for a week away in the sun (cheap last minute holiday mind you). Also, most modern cookers keep the fan going to cool down after you've switched them off at the knobs. A lot of people just skip that part and hit the big red button on the wall and assume all is good.

SEPT 23 1989 · 15-05-2014 9:52am

Watched a programme about the Fire Brigade on RTE and one of the chief fire putter outers said the main sources of fire starting in houses was tv's and mobile phone charges left plugged in

SteelyDanJalapeno · 15-05-2014 10:00am

Zebra3 wrote: »

Unplug.

If you leave your tv on standby, it is using something like 30-40% of the power that would if it was turned on.

Waste of money and really bad for the environment.

For people that don't care, read up on what happened in West Antarctica earlier this week.

Have those figures as facts anywhere?

Didn't think so....

SteelyDanJalapeno · 15-05-2014 10:01am

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Watched a programme about the Fire Brigade on RTE and one of the chief fire putter outers said the main sources of fire starting in houses was tv's and mobile phone charges left plugged in

Very flammable alright

MRnotlob606 · 15-05-2014 10:04am

I Always take out the plugs before I go to bed.

fonda · 15-05-2014 10:05am

jiltloop wrote: »

Well of course you wouldn't plug out your fridge/freezer

Dishwasher and washing machines you don't need to plug out because they don't have a standby mode. They are either running/on or not/off.

I think we can restrict discussion to TVs/DVD players/Satelite receivers/Sky boxes/Chargers etc. Personally I would have a multi adapter with everything pugged into it except the sky box. I switch off the one switch on the wall for the multi adapter and leave the sky box plugged in. Simples.

Chargers don't have a standby mode???

danniemcq · 15-05-2014 10:06am

FTA69 wrote: »

I would turn off chargers alright. Apparently once they're plugged in, energy p*sses out of them. Which is a bit of a waste.

turnikett1 wrote: »

Yep, chargers eat a stupid amount of electricity. That is one thing you shouldn't leave plugged in.

nope sorry

at current rates on Electric ireland its roughly 19.31c per kwh.

Mobile phone chargers use 2-6 watts an hour charging and .1 -.5 when on standby.

with that you can get the price

6 hours a night full Charge
cost per hour 0.001
per 6 hours 0.0057
A month € 0.17
Every billing period € 0.34

18 hours standby
cost per hour 0.0001
per 6 hours 0.0017
A month € 0.05
Every billing period € 0.10

so leaving it in is 44c a billing period

now if you wanna go mental and always have your phone charging thats when you hit the big money

24 hours ALWAYS CHARGING
cost per hour 0.001
full day 0.0228
A month € 0.69
Every billing period € 1.38

yup 24 hours a day every day will give you a cost €1.38

jimgoose · 15-05-2014 10:15am

Uriel. wrote: »

...Well worth the investment... About 18euro for a pack of three and I'm sure they'd be cheaper online

Mmm. At current per-unit prices each unit will pay for itself in about six months. I take the view that if your time is worth nothing, unplug away and knock yourself out. Personally I have better things to do.

jimgoose · 15-05-2014 10:17am

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Watched a programme about the Fire Brigade on RTE and one of the chief fire putter outers said the main sources of fire starting in houses was tv's and mobile phone charges left plugged in

I would hazard an educated guess that these cases have more to do with faulty/poor connections within bockety old power outlets than the devices plugged into them, that and overloading.

eamonnq · 15-05-2014 10:21am

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

chief fire putter outers

Excellent!!

Wossack · 15-05-2014 10:22am

much like the scene from die hard 2 (die harder), I run a chainsaw through the bundle of wires at the back of my telly every evening

Macy0161 · 15-05-2014 10:23am

jiltloop wrote: »

Well of course you wouldn't plug out your fridge/freezer

Dishwasher and washing machines you don't need to plug out because they don't have a standby mode. They are either running/on or not/off.

I think we can restrict discussion to TVs/DVD players/Satelite receivers/Sky boxes/Chargers etc. Personally I would have a multi adapter with everything pugged into it except the sky box. I switch off the one switch on the wall for the multi adapter and leave the sky box plugged in. Simples.

Our dishwasher and washing machine do in effect go into standby. You have to push a button to turn then off at the end of a cycle. There's more in a fridge or freezer or fridge freezer to go wrong than there is on a TV or DVD player.

We have (multiple in our house) smoke/ fire alarms to protect us from the threat of fire. We have fused plugs, and a fuse board, to protect us from electrical faults.

jimgoose · 15-05-2014 10:23am

Wossack wrote: »

much like the scene from die hard 2 (die harder), I run a chainsaw through the bundle of wires at the back of my telly every evening

Nice technique, but I prefer three rounds from a 1911 Colt ACP through the screen.

ironclaw · 15-05-2014 10:23am

Snotaul Goodman wrote: »

And all those people are wrong kneemos old pal. Why? Because an isolator is exactly what it says on the tin. Its for isolating power for maintenance. Not for switching appliances on and off. The knobs/switches on your oven/hob/boiler/shower are designed to switch the product on and off. The constant flipping of the isolator switch wears down/burns out the contacts inside the isolator over time. Especially when the switches on the appliance itself are constantly left on. That can cause fires.

If I had a euro for thr amount of shower/cooker isolators I've changed over the years because of peoples ignorance, I'd be able to pay for a week away in the sun (cheap last minute holiday mind you). Also, most modern cookers keep the fan going to cool down after you've switched them off at the knobs. A lot of people just skip that part and hit the big red button on the wall and assume all is good.

Respectfully disagree with that advice. If it was merely a maintenance switch, why bother having it in the kitchen? You could just mount it directly on the fuse board as your going to have it on a larger fuse anyway for the cooker ring circuit. Also, just checked my catalogue there, the average switch is good for 10,000 to 100,000 operations. Thats anywhere between 7 and 10+ years of 4 uses per day. Its not going to wear out all that quick and given the construction of an isolator switch, arcing and fires are unlikely.

Personally, I'd rather spend €50 replacing a switch (A 10 minute job) than repairing a burnt down house. Leave the cooker / hob on to cool down by fan but if its not being used its safer off. Its terrifyingly easy on some hobs / grills to knock them on to even a low heat and not noticed. Also if kids are in the house.

eamonnq · 15-05-2014 10:24am

Wossack wrote: »

much like the scene from die hard 2 (die harder), I run a chainsaw through the bundle of wires at the back of my telly every evening

Hope it is not an electric chainsaw, think of the cost of doing that every night.

hardCopy · 15-05-2014 10:28am

Snotaul Goodman wrote: »

My housemate keeps flicking the cooker and heating off at the isolators on the wall straight after shes finished with them. She won't even turn off the knobs on the oven. Being an electrician by trade, I know this is not good despite me telling her.

I may have to kill her

This does my nut, my girlfriend and her flatmates used to do this and I had to set the time on the oven every time I turned it on, this was one of the first things we fought about when we moved in together.

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

For some bizarre reason, our kitchen is set up so that the kettle, the toaster and the steriliser (i.e. the three most-used appliances) are sharing the same two sockets. So almost every time you go to use one of them, it's plugged out. Drives me mad ... must really sort that out!

This pisses me off too, scabby developers fitting a house with half the number of sockets you actually need.

Snotaul Goodman wrote: »

And all those people are wrong kneemos old pal. Why? Because an isolator is exactly what it says on the tin. Its for isolating power for maintenance. Not for switching appliances on and off. The knobs/switches on your oven/hob/boiler/shower are designed to switch the product on and off. The constant flipping of the isolator switch wears down/burns out the contacts inside the isolator over time. Especially when the switches on the appliance itself are constantly left on. That can cause fires.

If I had a euro for thr amount of shower/cooker isolators I've changed over the years because of peoples ignorance, I'd be able to pay for a week away in the sun (cheap last minute holiday mind you). Also, most modern cookers keep the fan going to cool down after you've switched them off at the knobs. A lot of people just skip that part and hit the big red button on the wall and assume all is good.

You'd want to charge more than a euro

danniemcq · 15-05-2014 10:30am

eamonnq wrote: »

Hope it is not an electric chainsaw, think of the cost of doing that every night.

Last wire cut is the chainsaws

Blowfish · 15-05-2014 10:32am

I have 16 things plugged in in my bedroom alone, I really couldn't be arsed unplugging them all every night. I'll turn off the ones likely to be a bit power hungry (pc monitor, speakers etc.) but that's about it.

ironclaw wrote: »

Respectfully disagree with that advice. If it was merely a maintenance switch, why bother having it in the kitchen?

I'd imagine it's for safety in case of emergencies. It's far far easier to flip a switch in the kitchen then have to go to the fuse box to kill something.

Barely There · 15-05-2014 10:32am

Never unplug, and I'm yet to be convinced that there are significant advantages in doing so.

Wossack · 15-05-2014 10:33am

danniemcq wrote: »

Last wire cut is the chainsaws

but then I'd need to rewire the chainsaw every evening - madness!

SpaceTime · 15-05-2014 10:34am

My dad has a habit of switching off the cooker isolator switch.

They got a new oven and it had just finished its pyroclean (500+C) self cleaning cycle.
He flicked switch during its cool down phase.

Oven circuitry was overheated as the fans were off and it needed a repair job done.

Two fans blow air through the electronics until the oven is cool.

Also never regularly switch off an induction hob's power while the cooling fans are still running as you'll eventually wreck the coils.

Also with central heating systems, many of them use a pump overrun to cool the boiler after its stopped heating. Cutting the power isolator (rather then just selecting off at the timer) can result in overheating and potentially thermally damaging a very expensive boiler.

danniemcq · 15-05-2014 10:35am

Wossack wrote: »

but then I'd need to rewire the chainsaw every evening - madness!

sure you'd be able to buy a new chainsaw every day with the savings you'd be making

Lisha · 15-05-2014 10:37am

Snotaul Goodman wrote: »

And all those people are wrong kneemos old pal. Why? Because an isolator is exactly what it says on the tin. Its for isolating power for maintenance. Not for switching appliances on and off. The knobs/switches on your oven/hob/boiler/shower are designed to switch the product on and off. The constant flipping of the isolator switch wears down/burns out the contacts inside the isolator over time. Especially when the switches on the appliance itself are constantly left on. That can cause fires.

If I had a euro for thr amount of shower/cooker isolators I've changed over the years because of peoples ignorance, I'd be able to pay for a week away in the sun (cheap last minute holiday mind you). Also, most modern cookers keep the fan going to cool down after you've switched them off at the knobs. A lot of people just skip that part and hit the big red button on the wall and assume all is good.

I always turn cooker rings/grill/oven off on cooker and then once oven has stopped making noise (I assume fan cools oven ) I turn off the big red switch on wall.
Why, ?, because once my toddler turned on an oven ring which had a plastic container on top of it which melted in a bit and was hell to clean. Ignoring fire risk if we had gone upstairs it could have been a lot worse!

Is turning of red switch really that bad??
Most people I know do it thinking it's safer . (Genuine query)

Cantona's Collars · 15-05-2014 10:39am

Simply too impractical to go plugging out everything such as tv's etc.The amount of power they use on standby is minimal despite all the scaremongering about them leaching power.

A neighbour of mine is OCD about plugging stuff out (main reason is scabiness) I set up their Skybox so they could record ITV/Channel 5 etc. and told them NOT to plug the box out as they'd lose the function (a Skybox goes into eco mode when not in use anyway).Got a call the next day asking me could I program the box again as yer man's missus plugged the box out,I said no & asked what happens if he wants to record stuff when they are in bed,he said "I can't,she plugs it out every night to save money).

danniemcq · 15-05-2014 10:44am

Appliance Hours of use (weekly) Cost every 2 months
Instant shower 1 € 13.62
32" LCD TV 42 (126 on standby) € 9.02
32" LCD TV 42 (powered off) € 8.26
Washing Machine 40c 5 loads € 6.81
Kettle 1 € 3.40
Sky Box 42 (126 on standby) € 1.65
Sky Box 42 (powered off) € 1.08

All data for this comes from https://www.electricireland.ie/ei/residential-energy-services/reduce-your-costs/web-calculator.jsp

they have an app too which is quite handy and has more stuff on it (couldn't find phone/charger data on here but it was on the app)

SpaceTime · 15-05-2014 10:46am

I think though it's a particularly Irish and British thing.

We seem to have a Victorian fear of all things electrical.

Also the amount of electricity used by items on standby is absolutely tiny. There's a lot of total bunkum about it from some people who don't understand much about maths and Watts.

You might save maybe €5 per year.

You'll save far more energy by things like fixing your windows and insulation or investing in a properly factory insulated hot water tank. That stuff wastes hundreds of Euro a year.

Swapping spots for LEDs etc can have a big impact too.

smoking_kills · 15-05-2014 10:50am

zerks wrote: »

Simply too impractical to go plugging out everything such as tv's etc.The amount of power they use on standby is minimal despite all the scaremongering about them leaching power.

A neighbour of mine is OCD about plugging stuff out (main reason is scabiness) I set up their Skybox so they could record ITV/Channel 5 etc. and told them NOT to plug the box out as they'd lose the function (a Skybox goes into eco mode when not in use anyway).Got a call the next day asking me could I program the box again as yer man's missus plugged the box out,I said no & asked what happens if he wants to record stuff when they are in bed,he said "I can't,she plugs it out every night to save money).

Heres a link.....http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/power-consumption-how-much-are-your-gadgets-costing-you/

A 42 inch tv will cost you about $30 a year on standby
A HDTV box will cost about $10 a year on standby.

So she's saving about a tenner a year :eek:

Turning off v Plugging out

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