How much energy do you save by unplugging things for the night?

Question

Like unplugging the TV for the night or computer, or things like that, does it really save you money and save the world energy?

Answer 1

if its things like your T.V you dont really save a lot of energy because the electrical goods will be on stand by  

Answer 2

If you really want to turn off appliances that have warm up/stand-by functions on them use a Surge Suppressor (see picture at site below). that way you just flip a switch. It can be dangerous to unplug wiring over and over everyday for years.You can cause wear on the electrical outlet and the cord. plus it's one big pain in the A-**

Answer 3

compare you bills last month with this month

Answer 4

every little bit helps - turn off your power strips and remember to unplug adapters not in use.  it does help:)

Answer 5

visit http://ecofriendlyvibes.blogspot.com

Answer 6

It does save money but sometimes it isn't practical to do so, like if you have tivo. Just unplug small appliances like coffee makers ( unless they are set to turn on at a specific time ) , computers etc.

Answer 7

google search "vampire power" and you will find a shocking 7-10% of your power is used just keeping things on "standby"....computers, TVs, VCR, CD, phone, I-pod chargers, microwaves, TiVos ......it all adds up.

example: you have 10 appliances that each draw 5 watts on standby; 50 watts  x 24 hours x 365 days is 438,000 watts a year or 438kWh. Times 200,000,000 households is 87,600,000,000.00 watt hours burned a year for nothing.

And the suggestion to put everything on a switchable power strip is right on the money.....one switch instead of a dozen power cords to unplug and there you go.

Answer 8

Appliances built to California standards do not save much energy by unplugging. But otherwise they may use as much as 5% of your total energy.

In particular, any device powered by an ac adaptor will use somewhere between 4 and 9% of maximum power when left plugged in. Best to have them on a power bar that switches off.

In many homes is a UPS. Uninteruptible power supply for a computer that is almost always left on 7/24. It is the single largest waste of energy for these devices.

Answer 9

One night one time not much. But if you always do it it will amount to a nice amount. Also NEVER EVER leave you computer on stand by or on over night or when your not using it for a while TURN IT OFF just because stand by uses less power doesn't mean it uses none and that little amount can add up to alot. Plus leaving a computer on for days at a time is really bad for it. GO GREEN!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 10

It saves a lot of energy. A small TV needs about 15 W when it's on stand-by, a stereo about 10 W. Depending on your electricity tariff and how many of those devices you have, unplugging them can save you more than 50 dollars a year and if everybody did this it would really be good for the environment. Unplugging the TV isn't a lot of work, but it gets even easier if you have outlets you can just switch off, those are really useful. I think some electric devices need almost as much energy when they are in stand-by mode as they do when they are on so it's better to unplug.

Answer 11

It does save some energy but if you can afford to have all those things it's unlikely to be enough to save you enough money to matter.

To actually go around unplugging everything would probably indicate Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (a far better way to solve global warming is to replace fossil fuelled power plants by nuclear power plants).

Also you should know that computers draw power whether they are plugged in or not, just that they draw their power from a battery which either needs recharging (with laptops) or eventual replacement (with desktops).

Answer 12

Actually not much..

Not only is it a hassle to plug them all in again but some devices actually use MORE electricity when they power up. For example: your computer... not only is shutting it down and restarting it all the time BAD for it but you can set it to save power when your not using it to prevent you from having to power it up and down constantly.

I never turn my PC off at night.

Answer 13

3 or 4 watts, times 6 billion people, not worth staying up at night.

Answer 14

about a penny

Answer 15

Not so much, but if everyone do it, your country would save a huge amount of energy.

I have heard that for a tv, you save 7$ each year.

Answer 16

I am actually expending more energy when I lean over to unplug my appliances .... oh wait, you mean - nevermind.

Answer 17

I'm saving about $50 a month by unplugging things. I put my tv, vcr, stereo and game system on a power strip with a switch, when the tv isn't inuse they all get flipped off, no more stand by electricity. I also began unplugging all my chargers when they aren't inuse, including my laptop and toothbrush (now it charges over night). I also turn off the desktop down to the battery backup when not in use.

So, it will depend on how many appliances use standby electricity and how much they use. I apparently had a lot. You can buy this niffty gadget that you plug into a wall then plug an appliance into it, it will tell you how much electricity the item is using.  

Answer 18

On things such as tvs, you actually use MORE energy when it is on standby, for some odd reason. I can't remember where I heard this, I think on NPR, but I know it is from a reliable source, maybe History Channel?