Standby power
If every household in Queensland turned off their standby power, the savings would be enough to power the homes in Ipswich.
Standby power uses unnecessary energy, which means more greenhouse gases and more money spent on your power bill.
Turning off your standby power can be very easy. You just need to follow a few simple steps:
- Count how many little red dots of light you can see around your home when your appliances are turned off. Each one is using standby power.
- Count electric clocks and timers around your home and consider if they really need to be turned on all the time.
- Figure out what appliances you want to turn off – keep in mind, even if there is no light on, appliances may still be using standby power if they are turned on at the wall.
- Turn off at the wall those items that don’t need power continuously, especially if the switch is in an easy to reach location.
- For multiple appliances (e.g. TV, Stereo, DVD player), move them to the one powerboard, and you can turn them all off with one flick of a switch.
- And most importantly, whenever you leave the house or get ready for bed, remember to switch off all you standby power.
Just a couple of seconds of your time can save you money and reduce your impact on the environment!
Appliances
Examples of common appliances that use standby power are:
- Microwaves, which often have a display clock
- Televisions, Stereos, Video and DVD players, which await a signal from a remote to begin operating
- Video games, scanners and computers, which enter sleep mode while the computer is inactive or waiting for the computer to power up
- Cordless phones, which are constantly sending radio waves to the phone to see if it is being used
- Air conditioners, which are awaiting input from a remote before operating
- Washing machines and clothes dryers, keeping circuits warm so they are ready for the next load of washing.
You can easily reduce your electricity bill by cutting down on the amount of standby power you use. It’s simple – turn it off at the wall.
If you’d like to further reduce you carbon footprint, buy green energy. It’s one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions
