Power consumption

Speedster

Speedster

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I'm having a look at the power consumption of all the appliances in my house to see if there are any obvious ways to cut down on my monthly power bill.

My entertainment system currently consists of a Sammy E450, Pace 4 tuner PVR, Samsung C350 DVD player anda Yamaha HTR-5930 AV receiver. Their stated power consumption is as follows
  • E450: 180W / 0.3W (standby)
  • PVR: 30-35W
  • DVD player: 6W
  • AVR: 240W / 0.7W (standby)
As an example (to check that my maths is correct), running the PVR for 10 hours uses around 300Wh or 0.3kWh. At R1.35/kWh that equates to 40c. That correct?

If my calculations are correct watching DSTV uses 450W (180+30+240), which costs around 60c/hour.
 
Your calculations for the PVR are correct, yes (maybe 41c, because I get R0.405). Your figures are only correct for maximum power consumption, though. If your TV isn't set at full brightness it will use less power... same with your receiver and using it at low to average volume.

Your calculations basically show that you won't pay more than 61c/hour when watching DStv on your setup.
 
I'd keep to the maximum consumption for appliances and see where that brings me vs what my bill says.

Just keep in mind that all plugged in appliances (even if they don't appear to use any power) would use power unless you physically plug them out of the socket. Those small trickles of standby power or power leeched off can add up quite quickly since it's on 24/7
 
AcidRaZor said:
I'd keep to the maximum consumption for appliances and see where that brings me vs what my bill says.

Just keep in mind that all plugged in appliances (even if they don't appear to use any power) would use power unless you physically plug them out of the socket. Those small trickles of standby power or power leeched off can add up quite quickly since it's on 24/7
Click to expand...

I'm guessing that would be the standby usage which, apart from the PVR, is virtually negligible?

I've been switching off the whole entertainment area at the plug overnight but at, say, less than a combined 35W in standby mode (the PVR is responsible for 30-35W, the rest amount to about 1W) I'm wondering if it's even worth the effort. I mean saving 35W for 10 hours is not even a 50c per night saving.

I'm curious as to the actual usage of the AVR - how would one go about measuring this? Its stated at 240W in the manual - how much of this would be volume dependent and how much simply for its functioning?

I think I've come to the conclusion that, although worthwhile having a look at these smaller appliances, it's the real power guzzlers (heaters, geysers, stoves, pool pump etc) that need attention.
 
As a precaution against any Highveld summer lightning storms, I am unplugging my multiplug for my entertainment system from the wall socket (even though I have surge protection) to prevent any accidental damage to my equipment, whenever I go out or am away from home.

I am also now switching the geyser off during the day and only turning it on between 22h00 & 06h00 and will see how much the electricity bill comes down as a result of these power savings at the end of this month.
 
Ivan Leon said:
I am also now switching the geyser off during the day and only turning it on between 22h00 & 06h00 and will see how much the electricity bill comes down as a result of these power savings at the end of this month.
Click to expand...

Provided your thermostat is not set too high, you'll see a saving.
 
Ivan Leon said:
As a precaution against any Highveld summer lightning storms, I am unplugging my multiplug for my entertainment system from the wall socket (even though I have surge protection) to prevent any accidental damage to my equipment, whenever I go out or am away from home.

I am also now switching the geyser off during the day and only turning it on between 22h00 & 06h00 and will see how much the electricity bill comes down as a result of these power savings at the end of this month.
Click to expand...

We've been doing the geyser thing for a while - turn it on at around 6 am and off again before we leave for work and then on between 16h00 and 18h00 for the children again.
 
Not actually sure you are saving a lot but turning your geyser off, unless the thermostat is on high. Remember it struggles time to bring the water back up to temp and that's when the geyser is doing the most work, using the most power. Instead of every one in awhile kicking in for a min to regulate the temp. You also can end up causing damage to the unit costing a lot more then you've saved over years.
 
I switched to a 300L solar geyser about a year ago. My bill has dropped by around R1,000 PM!!!

Next on the list is coverting the HOB to gas.

Think I will also analyse all the tech in the house as you are. Good idea. I was only concentrating on the big juice suckers.
 
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