Electricity consumption of audio and video gear

[Doodski]

Though it may be VOIP its likely digital. Our cable provider offered the same thing.

Don't digital telecom systems have a battery backup in the digital modem? They do in Canada. It gives about 20 to 25 minutes of network time where the phone still works.

 

[NiagaraPete]

Heating tapwater electrically will make quite a difference. We use gas.

We switched to tankless "to help save the word" cost wise it was a mistake.

 

[NiagaraPete]

Don't digital telecom systems have a battery backup in the digital modem? They do in Canada. It gives about 20 to 25 minutes of network time where the phone still works.

Yes but if the cable goes down your phone dies as well.

 

[Doodski]

Yes but if the cable goes down your phone dies as well.

I thought the battery(s) are to power the cable telephone network for awhile. I had a Shaw Cable digital phone for years and I never used that feature so I'm not absolutely sure.

 

[FrantzM]

I live in a city of ~one million and all I see at night is skyscrapers lit up like they are all working the nightshift. All the lights inside are ON. Then as you say all those advertising signs outside businesses are illuminated all night every night. I wonder if their networks and computers and are ON too. It's madness.

O.T.

Hi

I live in a country where we lack electricity, we have on average less than 6 hours a day of commercial electricity. I am generous, it is my country after all. I have learned from this , that energy has a cost and that it must be used with parsimony ... So , yes .. We must try to save as much as we can but .. it is not turning all the lights off that would be the solution, at least the way our societies are currently structured... Networks of all kind must ...work, and so must some people, for us to enjoy, what we have come to call civilization which at this point, is global and a 365/24/7 endeavor. That means, lights, everywhere, almost all the time...

I believe that the solution lies in using alternative sources of energy. It is sobering to realize that most of the energy we use is derived from ICE engines, those that are limited by the Carnot Cycle , thus are at best 30% efficient (again I am generous). Put simply at least, 70% of all the energy the World produces is wasted as heat... . Energy discussions are clouded by politics and inertia, i-e much is invested in the old ways... Doing it differently rattle, even threatens people with considerable means... We'll see...

Peace.

 

[Willem]

I would argue it works at both ends of the equation: reduce consumption/increase efficiency and invest in alternative and more durable ways to generate energy. For me, this thread is about reducing consumption, and particularly by audio etc gear, while not sacrificing performance.

 

[Waxx]

I would argue it works at both ends of the equation: reduce consumption/increase efficiency and invest in alternative and more durable ways to generate energy. For me, this thread is about reducing consumption, and particularly by audio etc gear, while not sacrificing performance.

On that i think you also need to look at the size of your setup and if it fits the room. Some people (not necesairly here) have setups thousands of watts in their home setup to listen alone in a relative small room. So they are waisting a lot of power. That is one of the reasons i don't like those low sensitive speakers that are popular now. My medium to high sensitive speakrs only need a few watts, so i can get away with small amps (my most powerfull amp is 2x45w). Off course the headroom argument is valid, but if your drivers are above 85dB on 2.83v/1m you don't need kilowatts to have headroom. My speakers are between 87dB and 98dB sensitive, and that helps a lot.

And switch your gear totally off when you're not using it (what many don't do). I got 5 audio systems in my home of which some are not that efficient on power (tube amps and so), and 5 computers and a NAS, and they all got used a lot, and i still got lower current use than most report here. It's partly also due to other factors, but i think my switching of when not used policy also plays a role. The only thing that is always on in my house is the fridge/freezer combo and the internet router of my ISP.

 

[thenamelessone7]

My wife accidentally left the oven on yesterday after cooking our meal; we didn't notice until 3 hours later.

Estimates:
Fan over: 2500W x 3h = 7500Wh
Large OLED TV: 150W

So to waste the same amount of energy as that little slip-up I'd have to keep the TV on for 5 hours a day, for 10 days!

Things with heaters or motors waste the most energy. A good excuse to forget about the hoovering and order a takeaway!

I would like to point out that is the max possible consumption if the heat was absorbed by something, say frozen food. Since the oven was preheated and there is a thermostat it was basically idling, only boosting to cover the heat losses via the glass panels, etc. I would go as far as say it did not consume more than 0.6 - 0.8 kWh in those 3 hours.

 

[Dal1as]

I do my best to save money. The pool motor, server running the house, and such doesnt help. When it comes to theater gear I don't care much as it's minimal.

I wonder who will come up with a ban on amplifiers over 100 watts?

 

[Vacceo]

Don't forget that the vast majority of power used for audio equipment is eventually turned into heat! Most speakers are less than 1% efficient, and all the excess would go towards reducing your heating bill by the same amount (if you use electrical heating and not gas or a heat pump, that is). If you have a very efficient system, such as a high-efficiency class D amplifier and speakers with enormous woofers and compression drivers, then you're not using much either way.

The amount of acoustical power put out by a system is in almost all cases fractions of a percent of what you've put in. And since we all need some heating for our homes in winter time, I suggest simply enjoying your setup and not thinking too hard about the precious 0.3kWh of acoustical energy you're wasting per year.

With the PC and the sound system going in a room, I have directly cut off the heating there. It does not feel remotely cold, so go guess...

 

[Vacceo]

What am I missing in the energy cost (crisis) in Europe? Admittedly I'm out of the loop, not caught up with the situation. Everything I'm seeing from a quick search talks about a range of around €0.1-0.3/kwh. This isn't out of line with electricity cost* range across the US. The overall prices a few quoted here seem to be closer to €1/kwhr, which does seem crazy high.

Add fees, taxes and elements such as paying for power delivery (not just consumption). Those prices do not reflect the actual total cost in several countries.

 

[Willem]

The EU introduced new labeling standards for energy consumption by a multitude of appliances, including televisions. Since appliances had become increasingly efficient, the old labels had become meaningless. These labels have to be stuck to appliances in shops, and have to be used in advertising. New tough maximum permitted electricity consumption levels were also mandated.

The new EU energy label for televisions – Everything you need to know – Homecinema Magazine

I don't know if these labels are also used in e.g. the US, but given the size of the EU market no manufacturer can ignore this.

 

[Vacceo]

We switched to tankless "to help save the word" cost wise it was a mistake.

Hybrid pannels that produce both electricity and heated water are, imo, the way to go.

For those interested, take a look at what companies like France's Dualsun have developed.

 

[Dal1as]

The EU introduced new labeling standards for energy consumption by a multitude of appliances, including televisions. Since appliances had become increasingly efficient, the old labels had become meaningless. These labels have to be stuck to appliances in shops, and have to be used in advertising. New tough maximum permitted electricity consumption levels were also mandated.

The new EU energy label for televisions – Everything you need to know – Homecinema Magazine

I don't know if these labels are also used in e.g. the US, but given the size of the EU market no manufacturer can ignore this.

Soon we will be forced to listen to headphones in dark cold run down theaters that can never be used again.

 

[Willem]

By no means. The efficiency gains from technological innovation have been monumental. A good example that I happen to have just looked into are refrigerators. Modern ones only consume about a quarter of those from 15 years ago. I dread looking up the electricity consumption of our plasma TV. Standardized labeling creates a more transparent market for consumers, and mandatory standards push the technological envelope.