[Discuss] Power consumption

[tmetro-blu at vl.com (Tom Metro)]

Scott Ehrlich wrote:
> The [stb from Verizon], surprisingly, whether Powered "on"
> or "off" maintained 15 watts continuous.

Were you inspired by one of the articles on this that made the rounds a
few months ago?

Our Set-Top Boxes Suck Up $3 Billion In Energy Every Year
http://gizmodo.com/5812142/our-dvrs-and-cable-boxes-suck-up-3-billion-in-energy-every-year

  ...the 160 million set-top boxes installed in 80% of American homes
  consume more than $3 billion in annual power costs. Mostly from after
  we turn them off.

  [Natural Resources Defense Council study said,] "In 2010, set-top
  boxes in the United States consumed approximately 27 billion
  kilowatt-hours of electricity, which is equivalent to the annual
  output of nine average (500 MW) coal-fired power plants."

  ..consider that a recent model HD-DVR consumes more power than an
  Energy Star-certified 42" LCD screen and consumes more than half the
  power of your new household refrigerator.


Jack Coats wrote:
> My guess is that the strip really contains a GFI.  They normally consume
> 1 to 3 watts.

Leakage through the line filter[1] used to suppress transient voltages
is more probable than a GFI on a common power strip.  (Most mid-range
power strips contain some sort of filtering. Rarely do they have a GFI.)
The filtering circuit contains components like capacitors that are
placed across the line.

1. http://www.cor.com/Series/PEM/C/ (see Electrical Schematics)

 -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/