These standby losses are particularly unnecessary as it is usually easy to test whether a piece of equipment is consuming power even though it is not in operation. Example: if a mobile phone power adaptor is plugged in and stays warm after the phone has been disconnected there is a current flow. If four such adaptors stay plugged into the mains for one year, they consume up to 175 kilowatt hours of power – at a cost of about 51 euros.
Mobile phone chargers are not the only ones to cause standby losses: TVs, printers and stereo equipment do too. An old stereo system on non-stop standby can easily run to 53 euros in electricity costs per year. Multiple socket strips with an 'on/off' switch make it even easier to turn off unused equipment completely. All it takes is a flip of the switch and the hidden power gluttons are 'off'. By the way: the UBA's energy cost meter, which can be borrowed from many libraries throughout Germany, can help to detect which devices are using how much energy.
The energy efficiency of many electrical and electronic devices has increased in recent years. They require less power to do their job. The power consumption of dishwashers, for example, has been halved, and their water consumption has gone down by about 70 per cent. The technology in lighting has also made great progress in the past years. The power costs of an energy-saving lamp which is in use for 8,000 hours is 34 euros, compared to a standard light bulb which would cost 137 euros. This is one reason why standard light bulbs have been slowly disappearing from the market since 2009.
As concerns TVs: an LED TV set uses about half the power of a plasma set. Clothes driers are especially high power consumers. Drying laundry on the rotary clothesline or drying rack is free. If drying occurs indoors one must take care that rooms are well-aired to prevent mould formation. For anyone who cannot do without the clothes dryer, there are gas-fired and heat-pump driers in efficiency class A++ or higher which are relatively efficient.
One important point to remember about saving energy: keep your personal needs in mind when purchasing new equipment. Buying over-sized goods will cost more electricity. Energy labelling helps to make buying decisions. Energy classes A++ and A+++ are now the most efficient and are marked on the most efficient devices in their product size group. Consumer goods that have the Blue Angel ecolabel are the most environmentally friendly in that product group.
Click to enlarge