What is standby power consumption?
When electrical devices such as digital TV set-top boxes, IPADs, LCD displays, and smartphone chargers are plugged into wall sockets, even if these products are idle, they are still consuming electricity if the socket switch is not turned off. Consumers usually think that their device has been turned off, but in reality, the device is only in standby mode and still consuming power.
For example, when you use the remote control to turn off the LCD TV, the internal power supply of the LCD TV is still on and supplying power to the remote receiver, so the LCD TV is still consuming electricity in standby or sleep mode. Although the power consumption of the remote control receiver is minimal (approximately 0.1W), the switch power supply inside the LCD TV is still in standby mode, and there will be power consumption in standby mode, resulting in a waste of several watts of power. This is what we call standby power consumption.
What is the no-load power consumption of a switching power supply?
The no-load power consumption of switching power supplies is a subcategory of standby power consumption. No-load power refers to the electrical energy used by a switching power supply when disconnected from a load device and not performing any functions. For example, a mobile phone charger plugged into a wall socket, although not connected to the phone, still consumes power. At present, the energy efficiency of mobile phone chargers is mostly at the V and VI levels, and even when disconnected from the phone, they can still consume 0.5 W of power.
Which devices use standby power?
All electronic devices with external power adapters, chargers, and switching power supplies require standby power. Strictly speaking, all electronic products need to be plugged into the wall socket, such as TV, IPAD, air conditioner, washing machine, mobile phone charger, lighting lamp, Cordless telephone, refrigerator, cable TV set-top box, satellite TV decoder, radio, computer, printer, monitor, fax machine, copier, modem, audio amplifier, industrial control device, motor control device, etc.
Why is standby power consumption a problem that needs to be addressed?
Although the standby loss of a single device may seem insignificant, if you multiply the number of homes by the number of appliances in the home and the amount of standby consumption per appliance, the problem quickly becomes apparent. According to the International Energy Agency, 5-15% of global household appliance consumption is generated in standby mode. In the United States, the cost per watt of electricity is approximately $1 to $1.5 per year. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates that in the annual electricity bill of American households, standby losses will exceed 5 billion. According to the report of the United States Department of Energy, the annual standby power used in the United States is equivalent to the power generation of 26 power stations with an average size!
With the popularization of household appliances and the increase of new devices with electronic controls and multiple functions, this problem will also become increasingly prominent.
How to reduce standby power consumption?
Up to 90% of standby power consumption is caused by low conversion efficiency power supply design. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab estimates that if new technology equipment is adopted, standby power consumption may be reduced by 75%, and Almost all standby functions can be performed with equipment with a total standby power consumption of 0.3 watts or less. To achieve this goal, improved switching power technology and design can be adopted, that is, using more intelligent switching power adapters to replace inefficient linear power adapters; At present, it is difficult to see linear power adapters in the surrounding areas where we live; Linear power adapters have gradually been phased out.