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Old 01-07-13, 08:22 AM   #1
Daox
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Default List of common phantom loads and their power consumption

I found this list of common phantom loads and how much power those loads consume. The report seems a bit old (don't know many people with tape decks anymore). But, it does give you a good idea of where to start looking for phantom loads in your house. It also tells you how to calculate the monthly expense for leaving that stuff plugged in.

Phantom Electrical Loads

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Old 01-07-13, 09:18 AM   #2
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One that I never see listed is the furnace, mine draws around 16 watts all summer long, the guy that serviced it said it would flipping the breaker off in the summer should reduce stress on the electronic control board and will save that 16 watts, saving me $1.38 per month in the summer.
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Old 01-07-13, 09:23 AM   #3
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I think I tested mine with my killawatt and it didn't pull much. However, I still do this just to eliminate any small loads and extend the furnace circuitry life.
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Old 01-07-13, 09:53 AM   #4
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If you guys think it would be useful, we could make our own list of phantom loads.

I believe I even have a spreadsheet already for all the stuff plugged into my house... Yep, found it. It even has columns for inputting killawatt data to calculate the actual daily/monthly usage based upon what the killawatt logs. I've attached it if anyone wants to use it.

My actual base load is higher (per my TED), but these are the things I've been able to measure. Its also a bit out of date too it seems. I leave a bunch of stuff on the list unplugged now.

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Last edited by Daox; 01-07-13 at 09:55 AM..
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Old 01-07-13, 10:44 AM   #5
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Refrigerator phantom load 2.4 watts
Toaster uses a few watts but I keep that unplugged now, not sure what it is doing in standby and came at a surprise to me when I metered it.
Used to have a coffee maker with a phantom load of a few watts, replaced it with a unit that didn't have a built in timer/clock.
Laptop power supply, cell phone chargers, shaver charger when units are off show zero watts.
Furnace 0 watts at standby and 0.1 amps(12 watts) with the burner going prior to the blower kicking on but that is the lowest resolution that my clamp-on will read and I think it is probably less because the difference with the blower going with the furnace off or on is the same when on the same speed tap, otherwise 324 watts at the furnace speed and 396 watts at air conditioning speed.
Air conditioner doesn't have a heating element on its compressor so that is zero but I still flip its breaker off for sanity.
Printer is energy star and when it is off shows no power use.
I have a set of cheap speakers that use a few watts(sorry don't have the numbers) but that is irrelevant since I switch off the power strip when not using the system.
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Old 01-08-13, 08:25 AM   #6
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Popular Mechanics had a phantom load detector that you build with an Arduino, it's of course in one of the issues that I no longer have, did anyone else see this? it's hand held and beeps when it gets close to something that it using electricity.
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Old 01-08-13, 08:28 AM   #7
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Is this it?

Build Your Own Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Detector - Popular Mechanics
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Old 02-09-13, 12:44 PM   #8
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A big one that I did not see listed is the cable TV set top box, especially with DVR. Can anyone put a kilawatt on theirs: I don't have a kilawatt. Digital TVs are probably all over the place, depending on size.
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Old 02-10-13, 02:46 PM   #9
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People still watch cable TV?
Cable boxes tend to be 20 to 35 watts 24/7
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Old 04-24-13, 12:49 AM   #10
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Default Vampire Hunting

It is really quite amazing how much electricity a home can waste doing nothing. Between devices on for remote control sensing, to powering built-in electronics, it is pretty easy to waste 50 - 200 watts 24/7. Every always on watt works out to be about 0.73 kwh a month.

I thought I had slayed all the vamps in my house years ago, but when I took a closer look last week with the help of an electrician we found more. These were the lurkers in my house:

1. The furnace -- now turned off until winter
2. The doorbell transformer -- now ripped out. People can knock
3. Garage door openers -- unplugged, since we park outside
4. Microwave - 4 watts. Now on a switch


I reluctantly agree to put up with these mosquitoes:
5. iMac during sleep -- 1.7 watts
6. Light in the garage for our cats -- 3 watts
7. Wi-fi router and modem -- 6 watts. It can be much more
8. Fan with remote control -- left alone (for now) since summer is approaching. Perhaps 2 - 3 watts.
9. Stove LCD clock -- 3 watts

Here is a list of common vampires for people new to slaying.

Happy hunting! Let us know how things go

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