Vampire Power
What is it? Electricity sucked by your appliances and electronics when not being used (even when turned off!) Power wasted without doing anything useful aka: Phantom Power Standby Power Parasite Power
Examples Radio Cordless Phone LCD Monitor 13.1 kw / $1.57 28.9 kw / $3.47 22.8 kw / $2.74 Desktop Laptop 311.0 kw / $37.32 144.5 kw / $17.34 Laser Printer Plasma TV DVD player Game console Microwave Electric Toothbrush 1452.4 kw / $174.29 78.8 kw / $9.46 35.0 kw / $4.20 12.3 kw / $1.48 113.0 kw / $13.56 233.9 kw / $28.07
How big a problem is it? 5 to 10% of a home s electricity use Avg. US household spends $57.41 - $114.82 / year Costs US consumers ~ $3 to $4 billion annually That is more than charitable contributions by all U.S. businesses ($2.8 billion) Annual Dollars US Business Charitable Contributions Vampire Power Costs
How big a problem is it? US vampire power is 43 billion kilowatt hours per year enough to completely power the countries of
How big a problem is it? Vampire power produces 50 million tons of CO2 annually Equivalent to 10 to 12.5 million cars
How big a problem is it? Problem is growing
What can you do? FOR FREE Unplug your electronics Anything with a transformer or AC adaptor sucks power "According to Future Forests, only 5% of the power drawn by cell phone chargers are actually used to charge phones. The other 95% is wasted when you leave it plugged into the wall, but not into your phone.
What can you do? FOR FREE Kill electricity with a power strip Flip the red switch off and all electronics connected to it will use zero standby power
What can you do? FOR CHEAP Find out what are the biggest vampire power consumers in your home & concentrate on those Devices measure how much power your appliances are drawing Kill-a-watt available for ~$15 at Amazon
What can you do? FOR CHEAP Get a smart power strip Will turn off accessories when the master electronic is off e.g. automatically turn off printer, speakers, monitor, scanner, etc. when the computer is off Surge Smart ~$16 Smart Strip ~$30 Mini Power Minder ~$15
What can you do? LONG RUN Look for Energy Star label as you replace appliances & electronics Will use less energy than standard appliances Support legislation forcing manufacturers to reduce vampire power Manufacturers could build power supplies for electronic devices that draw as little as 0.25 watts at no additional cost, or at most 25 cents per unit. Look into a device that automatically turns off all non-essential power when you leave the home http://www.greenswitch.tv/
Solar Computing Catherine Venturini Sept. 18, 2008
Solar Computing Use to charge electronic accessories like mp3 players, cell phones, radios, and even laptops. Useful if camping, hiking, traveling in remote areas, or as part of an emergency kit.
Solar Power Options Variety of products to charge handheld devices Include messenger bags, backpacks, camera bags, purses, handheld chargers, and even jackets. Solar modules provide between 2-7+ Watts of power depending on model and manufacturer. Some include battery pack to store power until you need it. Come with adaptors or use cigarette lighter adapters.
Charging your laptop Cases - Coming Soon Voltaic Generator Solar panel generates up to 17 watts, powerful enough to fully charge a typical laptop from a day of direct sunlight. Includes battery pack Common adaptors are included Eclipse Solar Gear Hybrid Laptop Case Rugged, sealed laptop case designed to protect, charge, and keep a laptop computer cool. Includes battery pack Solar Module providing 6 Watts of power More options
To find out more Eclipse Solar Gear http://www.eclipsesolargear.com/ Voltaic Systems http://www.voltaicsystems.com/ Reware http://www.rewarestore.com/ Solio http://www.solio.com/ Solar Style Inc. http://www.solarstyle.com/ Scottevest/SeV http://www.scottevest.com/
Lighting Your Space Catherine Venturini Sept. 18, 2008
Alternatives to the Incandescent Light Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy (electricity) than incandescent light Bulbs, last up to 10 times longer, cost little up front, and provide a quick return on investment. Light-emitting Diode (LED) Lights Less than half the energy of halogen or standard incandescent Expensive More details visit http://www.energystar.gov/
CFL Lighting Popular Mechanics tested seven common CFLs in May 2007 issue: http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/home_improvemen t/4215199.html From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/compact_fluorescent_lamp
Optimal lighting conditions for working on a computer Ambient lighting should be low or glare free Task lighting on either side of your work area is easier on the eyes Adjust window blinds so sunlight does not fall directly onto monitor Avoid working in a dark room For an office, lighting color temperature depends on space. Normally use white or bright white which is roughly 3500 K A designer's office may need the color of daylight, which is roughly 5000 K. More information: http://www.healthycomputing.com/ http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/ http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ergonomics/
Buying an Energy Efficient Monitor Ann Mazuk Sept. 18, 2008
LCD vs CRT vs LED Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) use a cold-cathode fluorescent bulb to provide light Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are used on some newer displays and reduce the amount of electricity Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun (a source of electrons) and a fluorescent screen, with internal or external means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam, used to form images in the form of light emitted from the fluorescent screen.
LCD Pro s & Con s Pro s Less heat generation, lower power consumption Less eye strain Lighter weight Better image contrast Small footprint Con s Fluorescent bulbs used for backlighting contain mercury Larger LCDs tend to lose their color saturation Some can t be seen well in bright lights Fewer resolution modes Limited viewing angels More expensive
CRT Pro s & Con s Pro s Great for gaming, more choices in resolution Can be viewed from almost any angle Inexpensive Con s May contain contains toxic phosphurs The glass envelopes of modern CRTs may be made from heavily leaded glass Indirectly heated vacuum tubes (including CRTs) use barium compounds and other reactive materials in the construction of the cathode and getter assemblies Uses over 40W more than equivalent LCD Prone to screen flicker More deskspace required and heavier
LED Pro s & Con s Pro s Contains no mercury Very energy efficient Render colors more accurately Highest contrast ratio Target consumer high-end 3D modeling, scientists, astronomers and graphic designers, medical, broadcast and digital film markets Con s Very expensive
Efficiency Recommendations Product Type 14-15 Color Recommended Sleep Mode 15 watts or less Best Available Sleep Mode 1 watt 17 Color 15 watts or less 1 watt 19-21 Color 15 watts or less 2 watt
Monitor Cost-Effectiveness Example (17 Color) Performance Base Model Recommended Level Best Available Annual Energy Use 370 kwh 100 kwh 70 kwh Annual Energy Cost $22 $6 $4 Lifetime Energy Costs $75 $20 $15 Lifetime Energy Cost Savings - $55 $60
How to Maximize Efficiency Buy EnergyStar qualified computer monitors use from 25 60% less electricity than standard models, depending on how they are used Use computer OS power management (on Mac, System Preferences -> Energy Saver) Set the idle time delay to shortest period consistent with your needs) Even for monitors with low-power sleep mode, you can save more energy and extend monitor lifetime if you manually shut it off at night and on weekends. Buy monitor with easy access to Power On/Off button Screen-savers do not significantly reduce power consumption. Blank screen-savers use less CPU time, thus less energy.
Swedish NUTEK Spec Monitor power-down has more rigorous energy criteria than does the ENERGY STAR program. Includes standards for radiation and other health and environmental factors. The standby level is 15 W, with a 3 second maximum recovery time, though standby is not required if the monitor uses less than 30 W when active. A lower power mode of 8 W is required after at most 70 minutes of inactivity
For More Information DOE s Federal Energy Management Program http://www.enren.doe.gov/femp/procurement EPA has Energy Star product listings and purchasing specifications http://www.energystar.gov Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory s User Guide to Power Management for PCs and Monitors http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/reports/39466/