Many appliances use electricity even when they aren’t powered on. This property is known as standby power, which is used to perform functions that must operate continuously. Energy saving measures often include unplugging electrical devices to eliminate the cost of keeping them in standby mode. This strategy requires you to estimate the cost of standby power for each appliance since it may not be worthwhile to unplug a device when it is not in use.
Calculations
A year is about 8,766 hours long, so a month has an average duration of about 730.5 hours. This means you can multiply an appliance’s standby power in watts by 0.73 to obtain the kilowatts of energy it consumes each month, assuming it is always plugged in. A typical cost of electricity in the United States is 10 cents per kilowatt-hour. You can therefore estimate the standby cost of an appliance in dollars by multiplying its standby power consumption in watts by 0.0731.
- Satellite Decoder
A satellite decoder draws about 12 watts in standby mode. It costs 12 x 0.0731 = $0.88 per month to keep a satellite decoder plugged in. - Cable TV Converter
A cable TV converter decoder draws about 11 watts in standby mode. It costs 11 x 0.0731 = $0.80 per month to keep a cable TV converter plugged in. - Compact Audio System
A compact audio system draws about 9 watts in standby mode. It costs 9 x 0.0731 = $0.66 per month to keep a compact audio system plugged in. - Video Recorder
A video recorder draws about 6 watts in standby mode. It costs 6 x 0.0731 = $0.44 per month to keep a video recorder plugged in. - Television Set
A television set draws about 5 watts in standby mode. It costs 5 x 0.0731 = $0.37 per month to keep a television set plugged in. - Inkjet Printer
An inkjet printer draws about 5 watts in standby mode. It costs 12 x 0.0731 = $0.37 per month to keep an inkjet printer plugged in. - DVD player
A DVD player draws about 4 watts in standby mode. It costs 4 x 0.0731 = $0.29 per month to keep a DVD player plugged in. - Microwave Oven
A microwave oven draws about 3 watts in standby mode. It costs 3 x 0.0731 = $0.22 per month to keep a microwave oven plugged in. - Power Tool
A power tool draws about 2 watts in standby mode. It costs 2 x 0.0731 = $0.15 per month to keep a power tool plugged in. - Video Game Console
A video game console draws about 1 watt in standby mode. It costs 1 x 0.0731 = $0.07 per month to keep a video game console plugged in.
