Vampire Energy
Even when household appliances are turned off, most are still using some electricity. Appliances are either in passive standby mode (the clock on the microwave is still ticking) or active standby mode (the VCR is off, but programmed to record something).
Our Vampire Energy transparency will show you how much money these energy-sucking appliances leech.
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Nice data, but...
I know at least some of these must vary significantly w/ the utility one happens to get one's electricity from, but can anyone contribute data re: fossil carbon emitted per kW-hr? Nuclear waste produced per kW-hr? Salmon habitat degraded per kW-hr? Nitrates released to rivers/forest acreage converted (in the case of biomass) per kW-hr? Acreage consumed (in the case of wind and solar) per kW-hr? You can see where I'm going w/ this...
Posted on December 14, 2007 — by dgoldsmith
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A False Economy
I need to correct this article!
You will not save the planet by turning off appliances completely! In fact you will do quite the opposite whilst costing yourself even more money.
Every time you completely turn your appliance off and back on when you want to use it you are burning out the components more quickly than if you leave it on standby!
Think about a light bulb, if you constantly flick it off and on it burns out much more quickly than if you leave it on. I'm not saying we should leave light bulbs on constantly it is merely by way of an analogy. So every time you turn your appliance fully off and then back on you are damaging it more than if you would just leave it on standby.
Therefore, the more you fully power off and on your appliance the sooner it will need replaced. Therefore you have to buy a new TV sooner than if you would just leave it on standby.
Also, the environmental cost of producing a new TV for you to buy far outweighs the environmental cost of you leaving your TV on standby mode!
So in summary, if you think you are saving money and the environment by stopping using "vampire energy", you are not!
Posted on December 15, 2007 — by andrewrennie
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Living Green, Living Well
Great analysis, and good points. I will be highlighting your Vampire Energy transparency on livinggreenlivingwell.com
peace,
jlw
Posted on January 3, 2008 — by jameslivingwell
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Questionable source for this article
I'm an environmentalist, but the numbers on the chart don't add up. Consumer Reports estimates the average household uses about $100/year for standby energy, but then again, when I searched the source for this article, "2005 Intrusive Residential Standby Service Report: Energy Department", it turned up as an Australian study, not an American one. And my call to the magazine was met with less than enthusiasm. I was told I would get a call back, as the person I need to talk to was " just now going in a meeting"...holding breath......
Posted on January 10, 2008 — by glutenfreegirl
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