Ben X Posted April 1, 2009 I generally try and turn things off at the plug. Is there any energy-saving benefit in doing this? Will my toaster be using up a little power simply by being plugged into an 'on' plug socket? Are there some items, like tellies or computers (assuming they're not on standby or hibernate, but properly off) that do even if most don't? And does it reduce fire-hazard in general? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nachimir Posted April 1, 2009 The fire hazard is really minimal anyway, but I nonetheless obsessively switch things off at the wall if I'm going to be away for a week or more. I've been told that any charger or wall wart plugged in will be using a bit of power. This made no sense to me since I assumed that, say, a phone charger would only use power if a phone was connected to complete the circuit, but apparently not. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanJW Posted April 2, 2009 It's one of those mysteries. It seems that phone chargers, at least, do still grow warm when plugged in without the phone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SignorSuperdouche Posted April 2, 2009 I haven't done this sort of thing since high school, but I think it's anything with a transformer in the power supply. If the voltage your device runs on is different to the mains supply you'd need a transformer to change it so you'd have two circuits running at different voltages connected by the transformer. The circuit that runs from the mains to the transformer and back again will always be on irrespective of whether a phone or laptop etc is attached to the other circuit. It may be that if there is nothing drawing power on the second circuit the energy has to dissipate as heat which would be where the fire risk comes from. I don't know any of that for sure, it's just semi-educated guessing. Modern power supplies may well be more sophisticated anyways. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elmuerte Posted April 2, 2009 Pretty much everything that consumes electricity will leak electricity, even when turned off. Unless it has a switch that really breaks the "loop", which are used less and less these days. Pulling the plug is the best solution. The fire hazard issue is quite overrated in most cases. Most of the sophisticated devices which don't completely shut down have have a power supply with an internal fuse which will kill itself in case of a short circuit. Coffee machines and toasters often don't have that (and they usually consume a shit load of energy). Also, quite some electric devices have been shielded with burn proof materials, just in case. Of course, Greenpeace doesn't like that, because these burn proof materials are bad for the environment when you burn them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scrobbs Posted April 2, 2009 The only way to stop power usage is to remove the plug entirely, as said above. Your supply box at the point of ingress to the house should have appropriate RCD breakers for each circuit which should stop fires. You should test the break ability every three months or so. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wrestlevania Posted April 2, 2009 I make a point of switching my 360 off at the wall whenever I'm not using it. It's plugged into a 4-socket adaptor block, which also powers the separate 2.1 sound system I use for console audio, as well as my HD monitor. The 360's known to snaffle power whilst it's "off" but still plugged in, and you can hear the amp in my 2.1 bass speaker still buzzing when that's supposedly switched off too. So I just switch the adaptor off at the socket every time now. It's a pain in the arse somewhat, because the 360 has no BIOS battery and so the clock resets when you do this. Which, in turn, means your save games can get horribly out of sync for stuff like GTA IV (which organises saves by real-world date and time). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miffy495 Posted April 2, 2009 Is that right? Mine's never lost the date and time, and I'm unplugging it all the time... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted April 2, 2009 Here's a little tip for those who use wireless on their 360: If you unplug the console from the wall, the next time you use it, the console won't "see" the Wireless USB Adaptor until the adaptor has been removed and plugged in again... Bloody annoying, but at least you'll know why it's not finding XBoxLive. Here's how much power our consoles consume while left plugged in and switched off (not much): http://www.hardcoreware.net/reviews/review-356-4.htm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wrestlevania Posted April 2, 2009 Is that right? Mine's never lost the date and time, and I'm unplugging it all the time... If it's for only a short while, I guess the system might possibly hold some charge in case of a power cut. If not, my "new" Xbox 360's BIOS battery was dead before it left the factory. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben X Posted April 2, 2009 The only way to stop power usage is to remove the plug entirely, as said above. Shit. I'm not sure if even I am that OCD. Does turning it off at wall help a bit still, or is it remove plug or nothing? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wrestlevania Posted April 2, 2009 Don't forget that it's only(?) the UK that typically has a kill switch for each domestic electricity socket. I think flipping the switch should kill the circuit completely, meaning you don't get any power leak. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nachimir Posted April 2, 2009 Here's a little tip for those who use wireless on their 360: If you unplug the console from the wall, the next time you use it, the console won't "see" the Wireless USB Adaptor until the adaptor has been removed and plugged in again... Bloody annoying, but at least you'll know why it's not finding XBoxLive. Ah, mystery solved! Thank you. Had that happen a couple of times, didn't realise it was to do with unplugging power. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanJW Posted April 2, 2009 The danger of fire is really only there with old appliances and sockets. Since the plastic wire insulation can degrade over time, and dust and bits of fluff get inside, old appliances (even ones with modern safety features) have an increased risk of going wrong. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted April 2, 2009 (edited) If you turn it off at the wall, I'm pretty sure you're fine. The horror stories of stand-by are hopefully a thing of the past, I think...? (Although I'm sure someone more ecologically aware might tell me I'm talking out of my arse.) A lot of modern appliances, like the 360/PS3 etc, go into an "ultra-low" stand-by state (as encouraged by the One Watt Initiative), meaning they only use about 1.5/2 watts (about $0.20/0.10p a month) instead of the usual 10-15 watts. If every appliance did this in stand-by mode it would be the equivalent of removing 18 million cars from the roads. Anyways, I was just going to make the point that leaving your computer in "Sleep/Standby" mode is a far worse abuse of electricity (about 85 watts). (Note: "Hybrid Sleep" (in Vista) and "Hibernate" mode only use about 3 watts, supposedly.) Edited April 2, 2009 by ThunderPeel2001 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gdf Posted April 2, 2009 If it's for only a short while, I guess the system might possibly hold some charge in case of a power cut.If not, my "new" Xbox 360's BIOS battery was dead before it left the factory. It fixes the time automatically if it's plugged into Xbox Live. I turn off everything at the plug, just on principle. My PC makes an almost inaudible buzzing when the plug is on, and obviously the 360 has the light in the power brick. I like the PS3, because it's like you can properly turn it off without getting to the plug, but most of the stuff is in the same area anyway so I felt that I should just get into the habit of turning them all off. The Wii's little red light pisses me off too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scrobbs Posted April 2, 2009 Don't forget that it's only(?) the UK that typically has a kill switch for each domestic electricity socket. I think flipping the switch should kill the circuit completely, meaning you don't get any power leak. Nope. It doesn't completely kill it. I know this because of recent minor electrical problems in my house. The electrician was saying that although live carries the current, neutral does too. The switch doesn't break the circuit totally Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
syntheticgerbil Posted April 2, 2009 Don't forget that it's only(?) the UK that typically has a kill switch for each domestic electricity socket. I think flipping the switch should kill the circuit completely, meaning you don't get any power leak. My parents house (in the US) has two bathrooms, each with an outlet next to the countertop, which both can be turned on and off. But I don't think I've really seen them anywhere else around here, or I don't remember. It's definitely not common, which sort of sucks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SiN Posted April 3, 2009 Yep, North American wall sockets don't have the switches. Threw me off when I moved here. There are switches in the bathrooms though. Mo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toblix Posted April 3, 2009 Sorry to be the one to tell you guys, but switches on the sockets is for fags. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
n0wak Posted April 3, 2009 Sorry to be the one to tell you guys, but switches on the sockets is for fags. You're the one that has promiscuous sockets with both male and female inputs in one. Perv. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
