Electric usage

[hammerman]

I have one of those electric monitors that show how mucg electricity is being used in my home at any one time and i'm a bit concerned with the readings i'm getting.

Now i've just been round and checked what's running and made sure i turned the fridge and freezer off. Apart from a few alarm clocks, the lap top, my fish tank (heaters and lights off but about 80 watts of pumps are being used), The unit says i'm using 0.35 KW...or 350 watts.

I've scratched my head and i can't see for the life of me where i have 350 watts being used. Even with the fish tank taking up 100 watts say, that's still 250 watts not accounted for. take away the lap top and odds and sods here and there and you've probably got another 50 watts so that's 200 unaccounted for.

Any suggestions....i really can't find anything running. I can't turn all the sockets off because it turns the electricity monitor off and i can't see what's running !!!

TIA

[hammerman]

It went from 0.76 to 0.71 so 50 watts.

[Chickadee]

T V

DVD Player

Recorder or sky box

Kettle

Microwave

Just a few ideas

[buildersmate]

... err, no! To the back of the class

[buildersmate]

TV aerial amplifier in the loft?
PIR control sensors on external lights?
Cooker clock display?
Measurement error in a gadget designed to show larger currents?

[mollykins]

Laptops use a tiny amount of power. We tested various stuff in the science room and was suprised at how tiny the laptops consumption was compared to the pc. Yeah that's it, you're using the computer . . . .

[hammerman]

We have the TV, sky, DVD, microwave, land line phones, stereo, cooker clock all on standby.....but surely they can't add up to 200 watts !!!!!

Incidently, my leccy bill is £160 pcm !!!! although i've reduced the leccy being used since that was set up (got rid of my koi pond, changed a few lights to low wattage etc)

[buildersmate]

I wouldn't want one, though wouldn't dissuade anyone else from trying to understand where the electricity goes. I do feel they are better employed trying to understand what the big appliances use, as an education - oh, and the difference between appliances that are off and those on stand-by.
I assumed the OP had already turned all devices off at the 13A sockets before embarking on this hunt.

[buildersmate]

Ah! I see. I think you are close to having cracked it - yes, you can probably say goodbye to around 25W per device on standby.

[carlton23]

If the price worries you, don`t buy the gadgets.

[hammerman]

There's always one isn't there but thank you for the wise words of inspiration carlton.

Thanks everyone for your input, i shall have a good look at what i leave on and see if it makes a difference.

i do wonder how much actual electricity an item uses whilst on standby....let's face it, all it has to do is light a tiny red light at <1watt ?

[ferferksake]

£160pcm!!! I thought mine was bad, now I'm relieved. Has your neighbour wired in through the back of your meter?

[lucca]

I was given one by the elec co. but it's rubbish. I regularly checked and it constantly told me I was using about £35's worth a month, which I thought was miraculous, and bingo! the actual reading bore no relation to it. Waste of time and my blood pressure. Don't rely on them.

[buildersmate]

When on standby, all you can SEE is a little red LED illuminated. However much of the electronic gubbins is on consuming the juice.

[hammerman]

Thanks everybody.

One thing i was told was not to switch my sky box off.....anyone know if this has legs ?

[Buenchico]

A lot of devices which are in 'standby' mode don't show a red light because they actually appear to be off. For example, many people don't realise that pressing the power button on their printer only puts into into 'standby'. (If there's anyone who doesn't believe me, I invite them to place a radio set right next to their printer when it's theoretically 'off'. The interference heard on the radio will show that there's plenty of electrical activity going on inside the printer).

This table indicates how much power appliances might really be using when you think that they're 'off':
http://standby.lbl.gov/summary-table.html

Chris