Recently, we covered preliminary findings of an Energy Center of Wisconsin study examining the significant cost-and energy-savings benefits of enabling computer sleep mode settings.
The final report was released this week and has some interesting and useful insights about how to minimize electricity consumption of common electronics and save money on energy bills. (Electronics and office equipment account for at least 15% of home electricity use, the study notes, and probably more in many businesses.)
Among the most fascinating parts of the report is a chart comparing the average watts used by various electronics when turned on. Knowing this information can help business and home owners see where the biggest opportunities lie for energy savings by and where to target their attention by turning off this equipment whenever possible.
The chart also includes the “phantom energy” consumed by these various electronics when turned off — which is why it’s important to unplug equipment when not in use. Many of the biggest phantom energy culprits are not the ones that use the most energy when turned on. We will focus on phantom energy use in the next blog post.
Here, then, are the findings for average watts per hour used for common electronics when they are turned on (from least to most watts used):
External hard drive – 1.2
Radio – 4.3
Wireless Internet receiver – 4.7
Battery charger – 7.4
DVD player – 7.9
Scanner – 10
CD player – 13.3
Wii gaming system – 16.4
Cable box – 26.3
Laptop computer – 29.7
Compact stereo – 31.6
Record turntable – 32.6
Humidifier – 33.9
Computer monitor – 43.3
TV, CRT (18 – 25”) — 53.7
Desktop computer – 68.9
TV, CRT (32”+) – 79.9
TV, LCD (32”+) – 122.8
Hair dryer – 172.8
TV, plasma (32”+) – 328.5
Coffee maker – 331.6
Dehumidifier – 449.3
Microwave – 758.8
Paper shredder – 904.7
Toaster oven – 1,051.0
Space heater – 1,319.8
What equipment uses the most energy in your home or business? Do you always turn it off?
