I measured the standby power consumption of my electronic devices, the result will surprise you

news devices I measured the standby power consumption of my electronic devices, the result will surprise you

The energy crisis has been a omnipresent topic for several months in France and Europe, which can lead consumers (myself included) to new considerations – even if I sometimes regret that I didn’t pay attention to it much earlier. Basically anything but a new question in this context – But to be honest, I didn’t push it any further – It is the total standby power consumption in my apartment.

In order to get the most convincing result, I have had my best measuring tool to check the consumption of the sockets currently occupied in my apartment. I put it here for you, but know that to reduce your consumption you can use WLAN sockets.

On behalf of these measurements, you should know that none of my devices were in real working condition. To give you an idea, my internet box was working, but not actively used at the time of measurement. The computers were turned off, but the power sources were connected to the mains.

What are my devices and what is their consumption in standby mode

Except for some products, Connected devices are mostly common objects that should be found in most homesas shown in the following overview, also including depreciation values:

Major appliances such as refrigerator, dishwasher, oven and microwave are not included in the measurements.

What is my total standby consumption? With all the devices together, I get a consumption of about 20 watts. Assuming, for example, an electricity price of €0.17 per kWh, this translates into the following costs over a year if all appliances are in this state permanently:

20 Watts * 24 hours of operation per day * 365 days per year = 175,200 Watt hours = 175.1 kWh * 0.17 euros per kWh = 29.77 euros Electricity costs per year

This is a very low amount even though I didn’t use any of my equipment during the measurements. However, consumption varies greatly depending on the models of the device and the configuration of the house.

We must also take into account the current price of kilowatt-hours which is very low at the momentbut it could rise significantly in the coming months for the reasons we know. I could also run into the problem of unplugging all of my hardware to cut costs further, but you have to admit that’s not very practical. Also, several devices are running simultaneously at different times of the day, and while this only increases my power consumption, it can’t be avoided, because sometimes I really need it.

Moreover, I live in a modest space of 27 square meters and So I don’t have the same needs as a large family or even as someone who lives in a larger apartment.

What devices consume the most power in standby mode?

If we take a closer look at the table above, we quickly realize that my computer and my Wi-Fi router are the most consuming Without active use.

My desktop computer consumes a total of 2.1 watts (3.4 if you add the two monitors and speakers) even when turned off (not in sleep mode in Windows), mainly due to the motherboard having a built in display and RGB LEDs. On the other hand, we can notice that some devices do not consume any power at all, even in standby mode, such as lamps, toaster, coffee machine or fan.

What did you learn from these measurements?

In the future, I want to try to convert as many sockets as possible in a smart and practical way so that I can reduce their standby consumption to zero in no time. The easiest solution is to invest in power strips or inverters that can be turned off completely with a switch.

Another less viable solution, the Wi-Fi router only turns on when I really need the Internet – which is very annoying on a daily basis. However, I can at least use this trick at night when no one is using a connection.

However, turning the device on and off can be more difficult if the plugs are difficult to reach. – That’s not really the case with me. I’m also sure that many of you have already come up with workable strategies through your own experience, so you will definitely have more advice for me.