What is the IEA's 1-watt Plan?
In 1999, the IEA1 proposed that all countries harmonise energy policies to reduce standby power use to no more than one watt per device. The proposal contained 3 elements:
- Participating countries would seek to lower standby to below 1 watt in all products by 2010
- Each country would use measures and policies appropriate to its own circumstances
- All countries would adopt the same definition and test procedure
We investigated the variation in standby power consumption in ten California homes. Total standby power in the homes ranged from 14-169 W, with an average of 67 W. This corresponded to 5%-26% of the homes' annual electricity use. The appliances with the largest standby losses were televisions, set-top boxes and printers. The large variation in the standby power of appliances providing the same service demonstrates that manufacturers are able to reduce standby losses without degrading performance. Replacing existing units with appliances with 1 W or less of standby power would reduce standby losses by 68%.
http://eetd.lbl.gov/EA/Reports/45967.pdf
http://europe.theoildrum.com/story/2006/7/1/1033/23099
