Electricity usage seems high

Anyone with a killawatt want to measure their DStv -- they don't seem to go into standby properly. Those things bad and are always left on, but hardly anyone mentions them (I only have an old one with a small 12v never normally plug it in, but will measure tonight...)
The problem with DSTV decoders is that your service is badly affected if you do not leave the thing activated, plugged in and at least on STBY. Even the STBY setting means nothing because the thing will and does start up whenever MC fiddles with something anyway, and, they fiddle all the time.
 
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Some TV's have a lower power/green/eco option - use it or manually turn down brightness.

Yes realised that myself. My old batteries weren't making it through load shedding, and I realised the TV (older 42" Samsung, not LED) was pulling 120-200W. Knock down the brightness a couple of notches and that was down to 50W!

Not highly significant for monthly consumption for an hour or two a day, but meant my old lead acids made it through load shedding in an evening!

So again, small loads are worth considering if they are on for many hours a day...
 
If you're already paying R1000 a month for that thing, what's another couple of bucks for the electricity?
I don't... That's why it's off :)

Going to test the openview box as well (also off as not used since Netflix!)
 
Actually, I recently found I have an AV Receiver ( from the year 2012) with sub, which on standby pulls 60w :oops:

After moving said AV Receiver to the braai room where there is a smart plug turning if off most of the time, and using a soundbar at the main tv instead, house idle usage dropped by, you guessed it, 58w or so.

Doesn't sound like much, but that constant 60w counts up over a month. I mean thats 1440Wh/~1.45kWh just for a day. So you end up with about 43kWh by the end of the month just having that sound equipment on standby. The soundbar seems to be much better. Now the solar system's batteries also last longer overnight.

Basically what I am saying, its not really a myth. Some idle devices still do use too much energy. It is worth investigating any device using power in your house to figure out what it is using.
OK so I plugged in the thingy.
22w at idle - that includes:
50" hisense tv
denon avr
sky Q box
unifi poe switch
raspberry pi 4 with SSD
unifi controller
unifi mesh AP
harmony hub

not included - the powered sub, harmony remote charger.

A lot better than I expected TBH with the unifi kit included
When I turn the kit on it jumps to 200w
 
OK so I plugged in the thingy.
22w at idle - that includes:
50" hisense tv
denon avr
sky Q box
unifi poe switch
raspberry pi 4 with SSD
unifi controller
unifi mesh AP
harmony hub

not included - the powered sub, harmony remote charger.

A lot better than I expected TBH with the unifi kit included
When I turn the kit on it jumps to 200w
Nice thats really low. Maybe I just had bad AVRs.
 
Nice thats really low. Maybe I just had bad AVRs.
Pulled the PoE stats
1664520297548.png

So without that (pi+SSD, controller and AP) it would be at 10-11w. I'm really impressed, I'd heard horror stories about satellite TV PVRs
 
Looks like you can insulate geysers outside:
1664556673586.png
 
Please advise.. How much electricity pm this aircon would cost if it was run two hours a day :) this is the best Pic I could take due to position
 

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Please advise.. How much electricity pm this aircon would cost if it was run two hours a day :) this is the best Pic I could take due to position
2 hours per day worst case is 3.5kwh
Times 30 = 105kwh per month

Multiply by your unit rate.
 
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