Federal committee gets in standby power mode
Last Updated: Monday, June 18, 2007 | 10:45 AM CT
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
External Links
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window)
They sit in your home, red lights flashing, awaiting your command. Your electrical appliances may be consuming more power than you think — even when not in use, says a federal agency examining the issue.
Many televisions, cellphone chargers, computers, VCRs and DVD players have a standby mode that uses electricity, even when the item itself is not in use.
A national committee on standby power that was set up by the Office of Energy Efficiency will hold its first official meeting by conference call on Tuesday.
"For example, your television could be off, but it's always at the ready to be turned on with a converter," says Anne Wilkins, spokeswoman for the office. "It's using power in standby to be ready to be turned on."
While standby mode might only use a few watts of electricity, it all adds up, Wilkins says.
"It really doesn't have an impact when you look at one product, but the impact is when you look at all the products in your home — 16, 17, 18 products … could be using energy in standby," she said.
"When you compound it for the number of hours that they're on in a day and then multiply that by 365 [days in a year], that number can get quite big."
The use of standby power has been identified as an emerging issue by the Group of Eight, the world's wealthiest nations.
Japan, Australia and California have started to regulate the amount of power a device can use in standby mode, Wilkins said.
Canada may follow suit, starting with consumer electronics in 2012, she added.
Share Tools
Latest Manitoba News Headlines
- Prisoner dies at Stony Mountain
- A 56-year-old man who spent most of his adult life in prison, has died at the Stony Mountain Institution, corrections officials say. more »
- Winnipeg WWE wrestler Chris Jericho suspended after flag incident
- Winnipeg native Chris Jericho has been suspended by the WWE after he crumpled and kicked a Brazilian flag at the WWE's debut show in Brazil. more »
- Missing boater may have struck reef, police say
- A boater who has been missing since Tuesday may have struck a reef, police say, adding a search for the man is continuing. more »
- Crime spree ends with 46 break-in charges
- Police in Winnipeg think they have caught the person behind a string of early-morning break-ins, where a vehicle was used to smash into businesses. more »
Top News Headlines
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- Bad weather has hampered the recovery team that is attempting to bring down the body of a Toronto woman who died trying to climb Mt. Everest. more »
- 32 Syrian children die in artillery attack, says UN
- More than 90 people have been killed by regime forces in a district of central Syria, with the head of the UN team in the country confirming at least 32 children and 60 adults were killed the attack. more »
- Woman's remains found in hockey bag on Cape Breton river
- Police in Nova Scotia are investigating after a woman's remains were found in a hockey bag floating on a Cape Breton river Friday night. more »
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges

- The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday. more »
- Winnipeg WWE wrestler Chris Jericho suspended after flag incident
- Crime spree ends with 46 break-in charges
- Missing boater may have struck reef, police say
- Outhouse bear attack survivor was grabbed from 'throne'
- First-time homebuyers find frustration in Winnipeg
- Winnipeg's Union Station to get facelift
- Kelvin High School celebrates 100 years
- RCMP to close labs in Halifax, Winnipeg, Regina
- MPI asked to cover tab for officers' overtime

