| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| hayles62 |
Get rid of standby option!It's a simple thing, why don't they just ban the Standby option on any electricle things from now on? I can handle getting up to push a button and it would save lots of energy, so many of my friends leave stuff on lazy beggers. |
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| Rob R |
It's always puzzled me what was the point of standby- either you want it on or not. Half-on seems a silly option, using half the power to do nothing. | ||||||
| AnneandMike |
Re: Get rid of standby option!
I'm with you there. Might help a bit on childhood obesity as well. |
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| Simon |
I don't think that most "standby" modes use half the power.
IIRC in most cases the standby mode uses very little power indeed - a minute fraction of when a system/TV etc. is switched on. It serves only to assist you in not having to get off your butt next time you want it back on (and in this scenario I am with you 100%). It isn't usually a long walk to the TV set 
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| hayles62 |
And some adult obesity too...
I have written to my MP  and council reps about this using http://www.writetothem.com/ can't hurt to bring it up.
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| 2steps |
yep, I with you, get off your lazy butts 
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| Milo |
If there were no standby option, would the lazy butted be inclined to not switch off at all, except for last thing at night? |
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| wishus |
I heard (but don't know if in any way true) that it keeps the electronics warm, which is apparently a good thing for them. | ||||||
| alisjs |
When I last did a comparison with a Joule meter in a physics lesson at school, there was very little difference between energy used with tv on compared to on standby. Admittedly it was an old tv, but still astounding waste. | ||||||
| Simon |
Never heard of that one before Wishus (and I spent many years working in "electronics"). I suppose that if you could consider the heat emmited from a 3mm (50 milliwatt) L.E.D. would keep the electronics of a system warm - even though it is directed outside of the system casing - then maybe this is a valid point but not in my book. Sorry 
I am assuming here, of course that we are talking "standby" of common household equipment such as TV/Hifi/Video (ref: getting off one's butt and switching it off) and not computer equipment which is a different ball-game as one can choose which specific bits of apparatus should be put into standby mode. The monitor (in my case) being the most energy consumming). Well we can't all afford low powered LCD display. |
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| wishus |
I heard it the other day somewhere - can't think for the life of me where, but have a sneaking suspicion it was BBC News 24...
... doesn't stop me switching things off at the wall when I've finished using them, you'll be glad to hear! |
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| Simon |
Good for you 
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| Ben W |
You need stand-by so that remote controls can work.
I think this is justifiable for the elderly or less able (what is the PC term for this now a days I have lost track of all the changes?) But if you were to say "only elderly or less able can buy this type" how do you go about enforcing it? It seems to me that the only way forward would be for stand-by to be socially unacceptable, and for its use to be limited to certain types of appliance where shutting off completely is not so good, such as computers with "sleep" mode, or where you need a timer to stay "live" for correct operation. "I suppose that if you could consider the heat emmited from a 3mm (50 milliwatt) L.E.D. would keep the electronics of a system warm - even though it is directed outside of the system casing - then maybe this is a valid point but not in my book. Sorry Sad " the LED is only to indicate stand-by, not do the heating ? 
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| Simon |
OK, so to generate the power for the LED then the main transformer would still have to be running which might generate a little heat and keep the system warmer but I still don't see how this compares to the power consumed by the tube of a TV. (just in case Dougal drops in )
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| Simon |
On-board backup batteries can (and usually do) last many years. Take the PC CMOS battery for example. I have had them go flat and lose track of time but rarely and only in very old PCs. |
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| RichardW |
I ran my power meter on my tv system (dvd video digi box & tv). The tv video & digi box used very little (less than10w total) on standby but the dvd used (80w) nearly as much as when on (90w) (but just thought dint try whilst actualy playing).
Justme |
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| 2steps |
most likely!
same here so my monitor is set to turn off if not used for 3 minutes |
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| Simon |
3 mins 
I take the liberty of 30 mins. I will have my wrists slapped by the first available slapper. 
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| dpack |
im fairly thourough but the digibox does do standby 
my main waste of electricity is forgetting the water heater is on very oops indeed , |
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| 2steps |
the dvd player we have doesn't even turn off - just has on and standby  so has to be turned off at the plug
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| alisjs |
I think that's not usual....my vcr is the same | ||||||
| Paul F |
I turned our DVD player off to save energy. When I switched it on again it took about 2 hours to reset the damn thing, setting the clock, linking it in with the TV etc.
I'd be interested to know if a TV does use 60% of its energy whilst on 'stand by.' Does it use that much? 
Likewise, does a plugged in DAB radio use much more energy than a conventional one? I gather that the BBC want to move all their radio frequencies to digital in a few years time. This is going to have an environmental impact isn't it?
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| Pea |
Blimey it makes me feel glad that I have no items with stand-by or a remote control......mind you I don't have main electric either
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| marigold |
I've got a stupid cheap stereo system which, judging by the display, uses more power on "standby" than it does when switched on and doing nothing . On standby a message saying something like "superduper stereo on standby" scrolls continuously (and irritatingly) across the display. When it is in inactive "tape" mode it just displays a static "tape 1" or "tape 2".
I just switch it off at the mains, but that means the clock is effectively useless and if I want to do a timed recording from the radio I have to set the whole darned thing up every time.... |