Standby power, also called vampire power, vampire draw, phantom load, or leaking electricity ("phantom load" and "leaking electricity" are actually well-defined technical terms with other meanings, adopted for this different purpose), refers to the electric power consumed by electronic and electrical appliances while they are switched off (but are designed to draw some power) or in a standby mode. Some such devices offer remote controls and digital clock features to the user, while other devices, such as power adapters for disconnected electronic devices, consume power without offering any features (sometimes called no-load power).
In the past standby power was largely a non-issue for users, electricity providers, manufacturers, and government regulators. In the first decade of the twenty-first century awareness of the issue grew and it became an important consideration for all parties. Up to the middle of the decade, standby power was often several watts or even tens of watts per appliance, and amounted typically to 10% of the electrical energy usage of the average household. By 2010 regulations were in place in most developed countries restricting standby power of devices sold to one watt (and half that from 2013).
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Most experts agree informally that standby power is electrical power used by appliances and equipment while switched off or not performing their primary function, often waiting to be activated by a remote controller. That power is consumed by internal or external power supplies, remote control receivers, text or light displays, circuits energized when the device is plugged in even when switched off, etc.[1] Power can be saved by disconnecting such devices, causing at worst only inconvenience.
While this definition is inadequate for technical purposes, there is as yet no formal definition; an international standards committee is developing a definition and test procedure.[1]
The term is often used more loosely for any device that continuously must use a small amount of power even when not active; for example a telephone answering machine must be available at all times to receive calls, switching off to save power is not an option. Timers, powered thermostats, and the like are other examples. An uninterruptible power supply could be considered to be wasting standby power only when the computer it protects is off. Disconnecting standby power proper is at worst inconvenient; powering down completely, for example an answering machine not dealing with a call, renders it useless.
Standby power is often consumed for a purpose, although in the past there was little effort to minimise power used.
The disadvantages of standby power all relate to the energy used. As standby power is reduced, the disadvantages become less. Older devices often used ten watts or more; with the adoption of the One Watt Initiative by many countries, standby energy use is much diminished.
Standby power makes up a portion of homes' miscellaneous electric load, which also includes small appliances, security systems, and other small power draws. The U.S. Department of Energy said in 2008:
"Many appliances continue to draw a small amount of power when they are switched off. These "phantom" loads occur in most appliances that use electricity, such as VCRs, televisions, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances. This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance."[2]
Standby power used by older devices can be as high as 10 to 15 watts per device, and occasionally more.[3] Regulations coming into force in many countries following the One Watt Initiative restrict standby power of new equipment to not more than one watt from 2010, 0.5 watts from 2013.
Although the power needed for functions such as displays, indicators, and remote control functions is relatively small, the large number of such devices and their being continuously plugged in resulted in energy usage before the One Watt regulations of 8 to 22 percent of all appliance consumption in different countries, 32 to 87W,[4] and around 10 percent of total residential consumption. In Britain in 2006 standby modes on electronic devices accounted for 8% of all British domestic power consumption.[5] A similar study in France in 2000 found that standby power accounted for 7% of total residential consumption.[6] Similar findings were made in other developed countries, including the Netherlands, Australia and Japan, with some estimates of the share of standby power consumption over 10%, the highest approaching 13%.[7]
A report produced in 2004 for the California Energy Commission has a very large list of the standby and operational power consumed by a great many devices (typical examples, there is no general rule), down to a baby monitor and toothbrush charger.[8]
Many household appliances are never fully switched off, but spend most of the time in a standby mode.[7] A 1998 study estimated that devices on standby accounted for about 5% of U.S. residential electricity consumption, "adding up to more than $3 billion in annual energy costs".[7] A 2000 study said standby power accounted for around 10% of household power-consumption.[7] A 2004 United States Department of Energy report found that national residential electricity consumption was 1.29 billion megawatt hours (MWh).[7] 5% of that equals 64 million MWh, about the output of 18 x 400MW power stations running 24 hours per day/365 days per year.
In the US the average home used an average of 11,040 kWh of electricity per year in 2010.[9] Each watt of power consumed by a device running continuously consumes about 9kWh (1W × 365.25 days/year × 24 hours/day) per year, a little less than one thousandth of the annual US household consumption. Unplugging a device constantly consuming standby power saves a yearly 9kWh for each watt of continuous consumption. More energy can be saved by replacing incandescent lamps by fluorescent or LED lamps; standard and compact fluorescent lamps use a third to a fifth as much electricity for the same light, LEDs less.
Continuous low power consumption is needed for some devices, such as security systems, fire alarms, and many digital video recorders on standby, to operate properly. Some such consumption, such as low power used by timers to switch off devices which would otherwise waste energy, can reduce total energy usage. The Reducing Consumption section below provides information on reducing standby power.
There is a risk of fire from devices in standby mode. There are reports of televisions, in particular, catching fire in standby mode.[10]
Before the development of modern semiconductor electronics it was not uncommon for devices, typically television receivers, to catch fire when plugged in but switched off,[11] sometimes when fully switched off rather than on standby. This is much less likely with modern equipment, but not impossible. Older cathode-ray tube display equipment (television and computer displays) had high voltages and currents, and was far more of a fire risk than thin panel LCD and other displays.
Contributing factors for electrical fires include:
A modern HD LCD television may use 1 W or less in standby mode, and 80–125 W, depending on size and circuit design, during operation.
The One Watt Initiative was launched by the IEA in 1999 to ensure through international cooperation that by 2010 all new appliances sold in the world only use one watt in standby mode. This would reduce CO2 emissions by 50 million tons in the OECD countries alone by 2010.
In July 2001 U.S. President George W. Bush signed an Executive Order directing federal agencies to "purchase products that use no more than one watt in their standby power consuming mode".[12]
In July 2007 California's 2005 appliance standards came into effect, limiting external power supply standby power to 0.5 watts.[13]
On 6 January 2010 the European Commission (EC) Regulation No 1275/2008 came into force. The regulations mandate that from 6 January 2010 "off mode" and standby power for electrical and electronic household and office equipment shall not exceed 1W, "standby plus" power (providing information or status display in addition to possible reactivation function) shall not exceed 2W. Equipment must where appropriate provide off mode and/or standby mode when the equipment is connected to the mains power source. These figures are halved on 6 January 2013.[14]
The following types of devices consume standby power.
Other devices consume standby power which is required for normal functioning that cannot be saved by switching off when not in use. For these devices electricity can only be saved by choosing units with minimal permanent power consumption:
Standby power consumption can be estimated using tables of standby power used by typical devices,[15] although standby power used by appliances of the same class vary extremely widely (for a CRT computer display standby power is listed at a minimum of 1.6 W, maximum 74.5 W). Total standby power can be estimated by measuring total house power with all devices standing by, then disconnected,[15][16] but this method is inaccurate and subject to large errors and uncertainties.[8]
The power wasted in standby must go somewhere; it is dissipated as heat. The temperature, or simply perceived warmth, of a device on standby long enough to reach a stable temperature gives some idea of power wasted.
For most home applications, wattmeters give a good indication of energy used, and some indication of standby consumption.
A wattmeter is used to measure electrical power. Inexpensive plugin wattmeters, sometimes described as energy monitors, are available from prices of around US$10. Some more expensive models for home use have remote display units. In the USA wattmeters can often also be borrowed from local power authorities[17] or a local public library.[18][19] Although accuracy of measurement of low AC current and quantities derived from it, such as power, is often poor, these devices are nevertheless indicative of standby power,[20] if sensitive enough to register it. Some home power monitors simply specify an error figure such as 0.2%, without specifying the parameter subject to this error (e.g., voltage, easy to measure), and without qualification.[21] Errors of measurement at the low standby powers used from about 2010 (i.e., less than a few watts) may be a very large percentage of the actual value—accuracy is poor.[20] Professional equipment capable of but not specifically designed for low-power measurements clarifies typically that the error is a percentage of full-scale value, or a percentage of reading plus a fixed amount, and valid only within certain limits.
In practice, accuracy of measurements by meters with poor performance at low power levels can be improved by measuring the power drawn by a fixed load such as an incandescent light bulb, adding the standby device, and calculating the difference in power consumption.[20]
Less expensive wattmeters may be subject to significant inaccuracy at low current (power). They are often subject to other errors due to their mode of operation:
Laboratory-grade equipment designed for low power measurement, which costs from several hundreds of US dollars and is much larger than simple domestic meters, can measure power down to very low values without any of these effects. The US IEC 62301 recommendation for measurements of active power is that power of 0.5W or greater shall be made with an uncertainty of 2%. Measurements of less than 0.5W shall be made with an uncertainty of 0.01W. The power measurement instrument shall have a resolution of 0.01W or better.[8][22]
Even with laboratory-grade equipment measurement of standby power has its problems. There are two basic ways of connecting equipment to measure power; one measures the correct voltage, but the current is wrong; the error is negligibly small for relatively high currents, but becomes large for the small currents typical of standby—in a typical case a standby power of 100 mW would be overestimated by over 50%. The other connection gives a small error in the voltage but accurate current, and reduces the error at low power by a factor of 5000. A laboratory meter intended for measurement of higher powers may be susceptible to this error.[23] Another issue is the possibility of measuring equipment damage if in a very sensitive range capable of measuring a few milliamps; if the device being measured comes out of standby and draws several amps, the meter can be damaged unless it is protected.[23]
Power waste can be reduced by setting computers and computerized devices to power-saving mode, rather than leaving them running when not in use. Most computers have power schemes that allow the computer to go into a system standby mode after a predetermined time without activity (by keyboard, mouse, communications, etc.). (Screen savers are designed to prevent screen burn, and do not save power.)
Some equipment has a quick-start mode; standby power is eliminated if this mode is not used. Video game consoles often use power when they are turned off, but the standby power can be further reduced if the correct options are set. For example, a Wii console can go from 18 watts to 8 watts to 1 watt by turning off the WiiConnect24 and Standby Connection options.[24][25]
Devices that have rechargeable batteries and are always plugged in use standby power even if the battery is fully charged. Corded appliances such as vacuum cleaners, electric razors, and simple telephones do not need a standby mode and do not consume the standby power that cordless equivalents do.
Older devices with power adapters that are large and are warm to the touch use several watts of power. Newer power adapters that are lightweight and are not warm to the touch may use less than one watt.
Standby power consumption can be reduced by unplugging or totally switching off, if possible, devices with a standby mode not currently in use; if several devices are used together or only when a room is occupied, they can be connected to a single power strip which is switched off when not needed. This may cause some electronic devices, particularly older ones, to lose their configuration settings.
Timers can be used to turn off standby power to devices that are unused on a regular schedule. Switches that turn the power off when the connected device goes into standby,[26] or that turn other outlets on or off when a device is turned on or off are also available. Switches can be activated by sensors. Home automation sensors, switches and controllers can be used to handle more complex sensing and switching. This produces a net saving of power so long as the control devices themselves use less power than the controlled equipment in standby mode.[27][28]
Standby power consumption of some computers can be reduced by turning off components that use power in standby mode. For instance, disabling Wake-on-LAN (WoL),[29] "wake on modem", "wake on keyboard" or "wake on USB" may reduce power when in standby. Unused features may be disabled in the computer's BIOS setup to save power.
Devices were introduced in 2010 which allows the remote controller for equipment to be used to totally switch off power to everything plugged into a power strip. It was claimed in the UK that this could save £30, more than the price of the device, in one year.[30]
As users of energy and government authorities have become aware of the need not to waste energy, more attention is being paid to the electrical efficiency of devices (fraction of power consumed which achieves functionality, rather than waste heat); this affects all aspects of equipment, including standby power. Efficiency is increasing and standby power decreasing, both by attention to circuit design and by improved technology. Programs directed at consumer electronics have stimulated manufacturers to cut standby power use in many products. It is probably technically feasible to reduce standby power by 75% overall; most savings will be less than a watt, but other cases will be as large as 10 watts.[31]
For example, a commercially available computer in Wake on LAN standby typically consumed 2 to 8 watts of standby power as of 2011[update], but it was possible to design much more efficient circuitry: a purpose-designed microcontroller can reduce total system power to under 0.5W, with the microcontroller itself contributing 42 mW.[32]