Electricity consumption of audio and video gear

[Trouble Maker]

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.

 

[Inner Space]

We also turn off the rest of the gear, but if I do that with the set top box it takes ages to restart.

One time I knew I would be away from home (NYC) for months, so I unplugged everything including the cable box. Apparently this was detected from the provider's end. They concluded I had skipped town, and they canceled my account. It took a lot of hassle to get back on line. Now I leave it in standby. There's always some dumb obstacle in the way of doing the right thing.

 

[fpitas]

One time I knew I would be away from home (NYC) for months, so I unplugged everything including the cable box. Apparently this was detected from the provider's end. They concluded I had skipped town, and they canceled my account. It took a lot of hassle to get back on line. Now I leave it in standby. There's always some dumb obstacle in the way of doing the right thing.

"Use it or lose it!"

 

[Willem]

What am I missing in the energy cost (crisis) in Europe?

What you may see are wholesale prices as traded on the EU market. Consumer prices are invariably much higher, due to distribition costs, and also taxation. Equally, some countries have much lower prices because their governments control the energy markets more than in other more free market countries like the Netherlands. Here it just depends on your contract. Ours is still at 22 cents, but only until mid February. Fortunately for me our PV panels produce about as much as we consume so we only have to worry about gas, until our heat pump arrives next summer and our electricity consumption will exceed the production of our PV panels. Anyway, the Netherlands have announced a price cap starting on 1 November, if at all possible. On top of that, the market is extremely volatile.

 

[Tom Ace]

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).

The efficiency of a speaker has no bearing on what percentage of the electrical energy consumed turns into heat. Whatever energy comes out of the speakers as acoustic energy is only in that form temporarily; it is quickly converted into heat in the room when the sound is absorbed by carpet, walls and so on.

 

[RandomEar]

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.

Due to the recent turbulence on the gas markets, the electricity prices have risen steeply for those who have to renew or switch their contract now. Prices vary by country (e.g. france always had a limit in place) but range from 0.3 to 0.8 €/kWh in the more expensive EU countries. In some cases, that's triple the 2021 rate. There are big differences between countries, too: In Hungary or Poland, prices are closer to 50% of the EU average, whereas Denmark or Belgium are about 30% above that average.

 

[RandomEar]

I'm a 'turn off when not in use' person.

Recently my UK internet service provider, Virgin, who also provide a conventional telephone line service (yes, I'm the person that still uses a landline!) have 'upgraded' my service which will involve my telephone line going through the router. I was checking out my router costs. It seems when it's on it runs at 12 watts.

Until now I've just been turning the router on when I want to use the internet, I estimate about three hours a day. For a year that's (12x3x365) 13kWh. On my current tariff that's about £5. If I have the router on all day it's (12 x 24 x 365) 104 kWh. That equates to £38.

In other words if I want the telephone to be available all day it will cost me £33 more per year. My guess is that Virgin will save some money by not having to power up the old telephone system - or hire it from BT - and I'm paying the cost.

What I'll probably do is only use or listen to the phone when I need the router for the internet or wish to make a phone call. People can leave messages!

In some routers, you can turn off features like WiFi individually, sometimes even on a schedule. You might be able to save a couple of watts there. Also, 12 W is rather high for a router - mine typically sits at 7 W and WiFi is turned off at night, which saves around 1 W.

 

[Eetu]

Maybe someone more knowledgeable can correct me if necessary, but from what i understand, devices sold in EU since a few years must have a standby mode that uses <0,5W but one exception to that are tv and devices that connect to a network, in that case the limits are much higher (3 to 12w currently). I believe bluetooth capabilities make a device qualify for this category.
Another example taken from the legislation:
"A wireless speaker to which audio can be streamed over a wired and/or a wireless connection is considered to be networked equipment."

A good advice is to check out devices that have network connections and don't assume they are only using 0,5 W

Thanks, good point about Bluetooth/networked device but still a bit disappointing..

 

[617]

i am quite disappointed with this. my flex draws so much current the sensing power strip doesn't detect when it's in standby. my buckeye/hypex is better (i'm probably exaggerating but you know what i mean)

That's pretty bad for a line level device.

@amirm I would suggest you measure power draw in the future. I would avoid a DAC which draws that much power when it's not doing anything.

 

[Willem]

Prices vary by country

In the Netherlands the price of electricity is determined by the marginal cost of the most expensive fuel, and right now that is gas. Of course, this produces windfall profits for producers of renewable energy who can produce far more cheaply, but can sell at rates that reflect the current market price of natural gas. There is a discussion whether such windfall profits should be taxed or allowed as an incentive to increase investments in renewables.

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

This is a subject of great importance for me. We get less than 5 hours of commecial lectricty a day... When we're lucky... It could go for a few days with no eletricity at all... We rely on Solar Panels, Generator and to a lesser extent wind power. ... I intend to use Solar for my Air Conditioning . The project is a few months away... cost is rather high, Energy efficient AC units are very expensive... And the room must be very well insulated, windows must provide excellent insulation but should be able to open wide for when there is no AC and the in-room temp is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit ...
Here is my breakdown. I got these information from the Kasa, and Smartthings Apps. I use Apple's HomeKit Automation. It is regardless of what you read half-baked, products that are supposedly Homekit compliant, disappear randomly from the HomeKit App while working well, from their own APP. Apple is tight-lipped about this, and is reportedly, working feverishly to solve this. At his point in time January 2023, Home Automation is not there yet, be it from Apple , Google (poor), or Amazon (meh)) ... They talk a lot about a Matter Standard, that would be the equivalent of WIFI for Home Automation, i-e , Matter-compliant devices would work across brands and ecosystems... So far a bit fail.

My energy consumption

Item	Model And Description	Qty	Idle	75 dB Avg SPL
1	JBL LSR308 Active Monitors	3​	5​	5​
2	JBL LSR305 Active Monitors	2​	5​	5​
3	Dayton Audio SUB-1500 Powered Subwoofers	2​	5​	10​
4	Denon AVR-3400H	1​	3.8​	65​
5	Apple TV4K	1​	2​	3​
6	Benq HT2050A Projector	1​	1.2​	250​
7	miniDSP 2x4	1​	2​	2​
8	Samsung BD Player	1​	2​	6​
9
	Total At Idle	​	46 W
	Total in 2-Channel Playing Average 75 dB	​		102 Watts
	Total in HT-7Channel Playing Average 75 dB + Projector	​		355 Watts

The most surprising consumption was from the Denon AVR which draws 65 watts, just doing Preamp and (some) DSP. You turn it on, it already draws 45 watts.. None of the inside amplifers run in 2-channels, as I use active monitors and powered subwoofers. In comparison, the Dayton Subwoofers playing music and even HT, rarely draw over 20 watts each. In 2-channel, for the total consumption of the 2 LSR 308 plus 2-Sub 1500, rarely goes over 30 watts, even with bass-heavy tracks at spirited levels .. Class D rules!!!

I now use smart outlets on everything active, not on the Denon, it needs to be seen on the Network and its 3.8 watts of idle draw is not that bad. The Turn On sequence is controlled by a Raspberry Pi running Hoobs ( A Homebridge-based UI, if you will) and these are fronted by the excellent but, sadly defunct Logitech Harmony Remote system. The Logitech servers still run and most surprisingly, so does the Logitech Harmony Remote support team, but for how long? since the product line is no longer manufactured. These smart outlets pull each less than 0.5 watts, negligible, ... I use 5 for the entire system...
Peace.

Edited for clarification on January 12, 2023

 

[Hipper]

My UK energy costs, as at September 2022:

Gas usage: 8.28p/kWh (last year 5.15) Standing Charge: 31.29p/day (29.0)

Electricity usage: 36.09p/kWh (last year 21.11) Standing Charge: 32.3p/day (29.48)

Then add 5% VAT.

My overall usage per year is:

Gas: 264kWh. I only have a gas cooker.

Electricity: 1,614 kWh. TV, internet, Hi-Fi, usual stuff plus individual room heating (no central heating).

This is in a two bedroom first floor flat.

Overall at these prices I would pay for gas, £143 and for electric, £736, Total energy costs (inc VAT) - £880.

However, as an old fart, I get all sorts of help, not that I've asked for or need it. Total help this year is, I think, £1,050.

Big energy companies are not the only ones making a profit on energy!!!

 

[MCH]

Hi

This is a subject of great importance for me. We get less than 5 hours of commecial lectricty a day... When we're lucky... It could go for a few days with no eletricity at all... We rely on Solar Panels, Generator and to a lesser extent wind power. ... I intend to use Solar for my Air Conditioning . The project is a few months away... cost is rather high, Energy efficient AC units are very expensive... And the room must be very well insulated. Windows must bwe well insualted but need to be able to open for when there is no AC and the in-room temp is above 90 degrees Farenheit ...
Here is my breakdown. I got these information from the Kasa, and Smartthings App. I use Apple's HomeKit Automation to cur everything off when not in use...

Item	Model And Description	Qty	Idle	75 dB Avg
1	JBL LSR308 Active Monitors	3​	5​	5​
2	JBL LSR305 Active Monitors	2​	5​	5​
3	Dayton Audio SUB-1500 Powered Subwoofers	2​	5​	10​
4	Denon AVR-3400H	1​	3.8​	65​
5	Apple TV4K	1​	2​	3​
6	Benq HT2050A Projector	1​	1.2​	250​
7	miniDSP 2x4	1​	2​	2​
8	Samsung BD Player	1​	2​	6​
9
	Total At Idle	46​
	Total in 2-Channel Playing Average 75 dB	102​
	Total in HT-Channel Playing Average 75 dB	355​

The most surprising thing was the Denon AVR which was drawing 65 watts just doing Preamp and (some) DSP. You turn it on, it already draws 45 watts.. None of the inside amplifers run in 2-channels, as I use active monitors and powered subwoofers. In comparison, the Dayton Subwoofers playing music and even HT, rarely draw over 20 watts each. In 2-channel. 2 LSR 308 and 2-Sub 1500 rarely consume more than a total of 30 watts, even with bass-heavy tracks at spirited levels .. Class D rules!!!

I now use smart outlets on everything active, not on the Denon, it needs to be seen on the Networks and its 3.8 watts of idle draw is not that bad. The Turn On sequence is controlled by a Raspberry Pi running Hoobs ( AA Homebridge-based UI, if you will) and these are fronted by the excellent but .. sadly defunct Harmony Remote system. Their servers still run but .. the product line is no longer produced. These plugs pull each less than 0.5 watts... I use 5 outlets for the entire system...
Peace.

Seeing your numbers, for HT is really worth energywise AVR with real standby and passive speakers!

 

[Digby]

We also turn off the rest of the gear, but if I do that with the set top box it takes ages to restart.

If you only watch at specific times (say 8am-12pm), then you can buy a manual/digital timer plug that will turn the box off when you aren't watching. You can factor the loading time into the settings, so you don't have to wait around for it to load.

We only watch telly in the evenings, so the set and box are only on then (we put up with the several minute box boot-up time.

As above.

 

[NiagaraPete]

One time I knew I would be away from home (NYC) for months, so I unplugged everything including the cable box. Apparently this was detected from the provider's end. They concluded I had skipped town, and they canceled my account. It took a lot of hassle to get back on line. Now I leave it in standby. There's always some dumb obstacle in the way of doing the right thing.

I had a similar thing happen with our natural gas account. They came and replaced our meter only to find we still used zero gas during the summer. Idiots.

 

[Digby]

Recently my UK internet service provider, Virgin, who also provide a conventional telephone line service (yes, I'm the person that still uses a landline!) have 'upgraded' my service which will involve my telephone line going through the router. I was checking out my router costs. It seems when it's on it runs at 12 watts.

Sounds like a VOIP service, if you internet dies you'll have no phoneline, so make sure you have a mobile too.

 

[Balle Clorin]

That amounts to about 135 kW a year, and to provide some kind of benchmark, it equals to roughly 6% of the electricity consumption of an average Dutch household. So this is already quite a lot,

Well it is 131,4 kWh. If that is 6% of a Dutch houshold that means an annual household consumption of 2190kWh. Interesting to see as the average electricity consumption in my country, Norway, is about 10 times higher than that.Yes we use not oil or gas, but electricity to heatour homes. And we need heating 8-9 months of the year. Not a problem as the kWh price used to be 0.03 Euro. But since our stupid politicians connected Norways electrical system to Europe we imported European marketprices also, and now we pay 0.5euro/kWh while the domestic production cost for our hydroelectric power (95% of all electric power in Norway is hydroelectic) is 0.008Euro/kWh.

Yes I am not happy to pay such prices. But 8 months of the year the energy used in Hifi or AV is not lost at all, it is just converted to heat that supplements to the needed heating of the home. Nothing is lost or wasted. If you live in a country warmer than Norway the added heat may be wasted energy that even demands more energy if you use air conditioning.


My amplifier is class A by the way

 

[Balle Clorin]

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.

That is correct peak prices are 1euro/kWh, average this month where I live is 0.5€/kWh,,,thanks to Putin and countries like Germany who made themselves dependent on Russian gas supply

 

[FrantzM]

Well it is 131,4 kWh. If that is 6% of a Dutch houshold that means an annual household consumption of 2190kWh. Interesting to see as the average electricity consumption in my country, Norway, is about 10 times higher than that.Yes we use not oil or gas, but electricity to heatour homes. And we need heating 8-9 months of the year. Not a problem as the kWh price used to be 0.03 Euro. But since our stupid politicians connected Norways electrical system to Europe we imported European marketprices also, and now we pay 0.5euro/kWh while the domestic production cost for our hydroelectric power (95% of all electric power in Norway is hydroelectic) is 0.008Euro/kWh.

Yes I am not happy to pay such prices. But 8 months of the year the energy used in Hifi or AV is not lost at all, it is just converted to heat that supplements to the needed heating of the home. Nothing is lost or wasted. If you live in a country warmer than Norway the added heat may be wasted energy that even demands more energy if you use air conditioning.


My amplifier is class A by the way

Very instructive post. One of the rare use- case for Class A amplifiers .

 

[kipman725]

The Extron XPA amps have very low power (<1w standby feature) and good audio performance: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/.../extron-xpa-1002-plus-amplifier-review.35557/

I run 8 amp channels at home and have recently got the XPA 2004 XTRA models to reduce my systems power consumption. They will replace Yamaha P series amplifiers Idle power consumption (datasheet) should be reduced from ~120W to ~60W with auto standby if I forget to turn them off when I'm not using them. For home use with efficient speakers I expect power consumption in use to be essentially idle.

I also have some numbers for one of our larger PA systems... 500-600W idle, 2kW at 'normal' output and a maximum of 5kW (hitting sub-woofer limiting). This system is fully horn loaded from >100Hz and uses 10*18" reflex subwoofers for sub bass (probobly where almost all the power consumption is).