A question about electricity...?

Question

Does having an appliance (e.g. tv, microwave) plugged in but not on use electricity.
Basically I am wondering if I have my tv, dvd & vcr plugged into a power bar but turned off, will it still use energy? Trying to cut down the power bill.

Answer 1

Most appliances that seem to be "off" when you turn them off will continue to use a small amount of electricity to maintain a memory, or to be ready to respond to a remote control. If you have these appliances plugged into a power bar, however, turning the power bar off cuts off all electricity to those appliances. The amount of power used by leaving them on "idle", however, is very low. Other things like cordless phones, hand vacuums, etc. that connect to a charger will also use some electricity if you leave the charger plugged in (to a wall socket), but after the device is fully charged, very little power is used. The things you could do to significantly reduce your power bill would be to change all your incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescents, to use a toaster oven in place of your regular oven for baking, and use a microwave oven instead of a regular oven or stove top for other cooking and heating-up jobs. Also, set your computer up so that it goes into sleep mode if you're not using it.

Answer 2

Most televisions are "instant on." This means current keeps the tube warm so that the picture springs to life faster, even when the TV is off.

Microwaves usually have a digital clock built in. These diodes consume very little power. Same is true with DVDs and VCRs. I unplug these appliances during electrical storms and whenever I leave on vacation for more than a few days at a time.

Turning the power bar off prevents any current flow to these devices--it is a good way to make sure no juice flows through them. However, turning your television set on and off that way is hard on it. If you have an expensive set, it will last longer if you just leave the bar on. For the other devices, it should be ok to turn them off at the bar.

You should NOT place a microwave on the same bar you use for a TV, VCR, or DVD player. Also do not plug a heater or vacuum cleaner or other heavy appliance into a bar shared by delicate electronics.

Finally, if you leave for a week or more, you should unplug these devices from the wall. A power surge can blow out the equipment even if they are turned off.

Answer 3

If you have cut the appliances'/devices' source of current--i.e. the power bar--then the only thing drawing power will be the strip itself, if it has some sort of ground indicator or surge suppression circuitry. If it is just an extension strip, then flipping its switch will stop current flow completely. For a better way to cut the power bill, change the type of lightbulbs you use. There is a wide variety of fluorescent bulbs available that can be used in incandescent light sockets. The new bulbs use less than half the energy that incandescent ones do while giving off same amount of light. The best new types of lights to use are LEDs. They use the least amount of energy of all.

Answer 4

It depends on the appliance. Most electronic appliances, especially those with remote controls, will draw electricity even though they are "off". Heavy appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers with mechanical controls do not. Basically, some circuitry must be kept active to sense when (non-mechanical) buttons are pushed or remote control signals are sent. The amount is very small for each unit, but it can add up if you have many such appliances. It is a concern to electric utilities and conservationists as it does make a significant overall effect on electricity consumption. They even have a name for it: it is called "leakage".

I have arranged to remove power from many of my appliances when I am not using them. I use what is called X-10 controls to turn off the power. Now even these use some power, but it is much less than the appliance.

Answer 5

Yes. they actually still consume power even if they're "OFF".

A poor electric grounding system and power switching techniques make some components in electronics still consume electric power.

If you want to make some savings from electric power, make sure the grounding 100% neutralize the current. or install a reliable power switch which will cut off all electric current to the electronic appliance

Or you can easily unplug the power connector (cable) from the power switch whenever you're finish using the electronic appliance

Answer 6

Be careful in this respect, as certain devices will use electricity even if they are turned off. For instance, a transformer (found in the humble mobile phone charger) will continue to consume electricity even when a phone is not plugged into it. I won't go into the details, but just to be sure it is best to switch your appliance off at the wall socket.

Answer 7

short and simply?

Yes, appliances plugged in can still be costing you energy.

While your appliances are plugged in.. little sparks can continue to pass through and you could still be wasting electricity.

it is recommended that you unplug appliances when not in use.. where you can.. such as mobile phones.

and with televisions..
when you switch it off.. say with a remote its only on STAND-BY so its still DEFINITELY wasting power..

so remember to switch it off at the OFF button (some tv's have two buttons.. one for standby the other for off.. check your manual)

OH AND ONE MORE THING its clever that its on ONE power board/bar so you can unplug it all at the one time.

TAKE CARE
:)

Answer 8

All the devices you have named will use power when 'off'.

Most TV's have a sort of standby, for faster turn-on. And microwaves and VCR's generally have clocks that draw a small current.

Not a lot, but some.

Answer 9

Some of appliance are still in use electricity by the way with small LED or indicator light or alarm clock or watches.unplug them.

Answer 10

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