Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
In Germany, an average three-person household consumes around 3900 kilowatt
hours of electricity at a cost of about 750 euros per year. More than 10% of the
carbon dioxide emissions from energy use in Germany come from the electricity
needs of private households (Umweltbundesamt, 2007). Furthermore, ineffi cient
electrical equipment accounts for a considerable percentage of electricity consump-
tion. Anyone looking for ways to cut back on consumption can quickly fi nd ways
to save up to 30% of their outlay on energy, which equates to more than 200 euros
a year. Therefore, protecting the climate can also pay off fi nancially. An average
US household consumes even more than 10 000 kilowatt hours per year. Hence, the
saving potential is much higher there.
Standby Losses - Power Destruction Par Excellence
Many electrical devices work at low voltages. A transformer transforms
down the mains voltage for this purpose. Most devices have a switchoff
mechanism, but it usually only switches off part of the electronics in the lower voltage
area. A transformer and often also major parts of the device electronics remain connected
to the grid and continuously consume electricity, even when in a switched-off state. In
this state they cause standby or open-circuit losses. As a result, over the course of a year
a considerable amount of power can be consumed even though the appliance is not used
very often. Power wasters like this can actually be identifi ed using an energy consump-
tion measuring device.
There are very few cases where, for technical reasons, a device should not be completely
unplugged from the mains. Mains switches are a few cents more expensive than switches
for the lower voltage area. When large numbers of devices are involved, a manufacturer
can easily save thousands of euros without fearing a loss of sales by installing the
cheaper switches. Open-circuit loss is currently not a major consideration in purchase
decisions.
Computers and communication and entertainment electronics currently account for
around one - fi fth of electricity consumption in Germany and one-tenth in the USA.
This kind of equipment often wastes obscene amounts of electricity. Many devices
have high standby consumption, which means they consume electricity even when
turned off. A device with standby consumption of only 5 watts uses a total of 43.8
kilowatt hours and costs 8 euros for electricity per year - just for the period when
it is switched off and not being used at all. Some, usually older, devices even have
standby losses of over 30 watts. On average each household in Germany wastes
around 85 euros per year due to standby losses. The German federal environment
offi ce estimates that open-circuit losses in Germany cost about 4 billion euros per
year and produce 14 million tons of carbon dioxide. This is more than seven times
the amount of carbon dioxide emitted through energy use by the 20 million inhabit-
ants of Mozambique.
This is something that is very easy to remedy. By using a switchable multipoint
plug for their computer, television and stereo system, consumers can reduce their
open-circuit losses in a switched-off state to zero. When buying new devices
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