Tackling Phantom Loads – An argument for taking the easy way, at times
I heard a conversation the other evening between two solar system salesmen who were venting about the difficulty in selling solar PV systems. Many potential clients are hesitant to purchase due to initial cost, environmental feasibility issues – even HOA covenants in some cases. But the reason for this particular conte was a customer of theirs who actually had their heart set on purchasing a full PV system and due to their home’s location, a PV system would not have been the best choice for them. Being straightforward about that, they had offered to install a solar hot water system instead – which would have performed better and offered a quicker return. The customers were hesitant and in the end declined to purchase anything. Logically, it might not add up. But being a stubborn person myself, I often over look the most simple solutions. I want to go for the glory, come in first place, in this case, install the larger system. Anything to avoid a dreaded compromise. In reality, sometimes I just end up ordering more than I can eat and missing some really easy solutions in life that can make a large impact. I’ve only just lately come to grasp the difference that unplugging unused devices can make on my electric bills and overall energy consumption.
What is Phantom Load?
Even though an electric device may be turned off, most still consume some energy as long as they are plugged in. The energy ‘leaked’ to devices that are plugged in but not in use is often referred to as ‘phantom load’. I learned from a reading for the “Introduction to Renewable Energy” that I am taking with Solar Energy International that a normal DVD player uses around 40 watt-hours of energy to play a 2 hour movie. If left on stand-by for the remaining 22 hours in a day, it will use 66 watt-hours of energy. So throughout it’s life, it will consume most of its energy in the off position. All of the energy consumed by phantom loads in the United States is now equal to the same amount of energy used by the entire continent of Australia. Sobering to consider isn’t it? An article sourced from USNews.com states that phantom loads account for somewhere between 5 to 10 percent of the energy used in US homes each year. To put that in perspective, that equates to the amount of power generated annually by 17 coal fired power plants.
What is it costing you?
I found the calculator below after looking through several online and I am choosing to share it because it is really simple to use. Being outside of Kansas, the overall total probably will not be accurate because we no doubt pay different amounts per kilowatt-hour but the principle remains the same. I calculated the loss in my household of two to be around $40 per year. Minimal, but in my mind still worth the effort to reduce it. I could easily see where it could be more for a household with more people. We only have one small TV and we don’t have cable. No desktop computers. We already unplug most of our devices when not in use but I’m bad about unplugging unused chargers and I could reduce it even further by putting the router and the printer on a power strip and cutting them both off when we’re gone.
Calculating load -
http://www.kcplsave.com/residential/tools_and_calculators/phantom_load_calculator.html
What can you do?
The solution is straightforward – unplug everything that you can. Utilize power strips to make turning them off easier, especially if the outlet is hard to reach. A relatively new item on the market are ‘smart power strips’ which will turn off peripheral devices when the main item is turned off. For instance if your TV is turned off, the smart strip will detect it and cut power to your DVD player/etc as well if plugged in accordingly.
The choice to conserve energy is one that we can all make a difference in through some small and relatively easy steps, such as doing what you can to reduce the phantom loads at home, school, and work. In the end it will put money back into your pocket and can make your other energy conserving choices and home upgrades even more effective.
By: Andrew Smith – Sundogs Solutions
