Editor: Jan Weaver

422 Tucker Hall, MU Campus

Stuck on Standby: The Cost of Convenience

Guest Editorial: by Jim Carrel

It's 6 a.m. The house is cool and quiet as dawn breaks. Nothing is running and everyone else is still asleep. As I slip out the back door to feed the dogs, I glance at the electrical meter. The aluminum wheel inside is turning at a pretty good clip. This seems odd. To my way of thinking, in the calm of daybreak, the meter should be almost motionless since everything electrical in the house is turned off. Only when the refrigerator cycles on again should there be a significant load. Yet the wheel in the meter turns relentlessly, setting up an alarm in me.

As I soon learn, all across the nation, no matter what time of day or night, and despite one's best conservation measures, electrical energy is constantly used to keep our homes "alert and ready". We live on "standby power", a hidden cost o of a hi-tech society that provides "instant on" TV's and digital clocks on microwaves. As this lifestyle intensifies locally and spreads globally, billions of people are consuming and, in a sense, wasting valuable energy.

To understand where standby power is used in our house, I decide to inventory the energy use of everything other than lights plugged into outlets. After visiting each room in the house, I tally six digital clocks and clock radios, two cordless telephones, one cell phone charger, an electrical toothbrush and shaver, a computer with monitor and printer, a microwave, a range, TV, VCR/CD player, and a washer and dryer with electronic controls. When they are all completely unplugged, the meter comes almost to a standstill. I am impressed. All of these appliances, each constantly sucking at least a watt of electricity an hour, really do add up to a significant load. Unlike Ben Franklin's "A penny saved is a penny earned." each watt burned means a penny lost, nearly 10 cents a kilowatt hour (kwh). I want to know how much power, how much money.

I use two approaches to determine our standby power usage. The direct measure is to read the meter before and after a reasonable period of time, say 6 hours, while only the appliances with standby power are plugged in, figure out how many watt-hours (wh) of power were used, and divide by the hours covered. The indirect method is to calculate the load rating (wh) used by each appliance from on-line information, and then add up the total for the entire house. My two methods yield similar results. Meter readings taken 6 hours apart show about 300 watt-hours used by appliances while they were not being used, or 50 watts per hour. Paper calculations indicate our house draws 40-50 watts of standby power per hour, the same result. This 50 watts per hour add up to around 1.2 kwh per day.

In a month it amounts to 36 kwh. In a year, 438 kwh. This is the equivalent of 12% of our annual electrical usage, costing us $45 a year. Recent studies show it costs the average American household about $50-200. Similar results have been found in Australia, Japan, and other developed countries. This also means that one power plant in ten worldwide makes electricity and emits pollutant Carbon Dioxide, Sulfur, Nitrogen Oxides and Mercury just for standby power.

What can a person do to lower use of standby power? Right now you can unplug battery chargers once a shaver, cell phone, or other small appliance or tool is charged. You can take portable phones off their cradles and recharge the internal batteries only as needed. Plug the TV, DVD/CD player, video games, and computer systems into power-strips and then turn off the master rocker switches when the units are not in use. Unplug the microwave until it is needed [If the flashing clock drives you nuts, tape paper over its face.] In the long run, while remodeling a room or entire house, you can install on/off switches for wall outlets, as one now finds in many European homes.

Nationally there is a move afoot to lower standby power requirements to one watt or less. In 2001 President Bush issued an Executive Order mandating that every government agency should attempt to adhere to a "one-watt standard" when purchasing devices that use standby power. In January 2006, California imposed standards that limit standby power consumption for many consumer electronic devices sold in the state. As California leads the way, the rest of the nation and the world at large should benefit as the wastage of electricity for standby power is curbed.

Sources:

1. Anonymous, 2006 March 11. Pulling the plug on standby power. The Economist, Vol. 378, issue 8468, p. 32,http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1002072421&Fmt=3&clientId=45247&RQT=309&VName=PQD

2. J. P. Ross and A. Meier. 2000. Whole-house measurements of standby power consumption. LBNL-45967.,http://rael.berkeley.edu/rossmeiernaples.pdf

3. The White House. 2001 June 31. Executive Order 13221: Energy efficient standby power devices.,http://whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/07/20010731-14.html

4. Standby Power Home Page, website maintained by Lawrence Berkeley Labs;http://standby.lbl.gov/

5. U.S. DOE-Fed Energy Management Program (FEMP). 2005. How to buy products with low standby power. http://www.eere.energy.gov/femp/procurement/eep_standby_power.cfm

BioRegional Quiz: What will be Columbia's Peak Load need in 2008?

Job of the Month: County Inventory Ecologist. Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Full-time, contract funded opening for an ecologist. Conduct County Natural Heritage Inventories in Pennsylvania based in Pittsburgh or in Middletown (Harrisburg). Duties will include interpretation of remote imagery; compiling information sources; conducting field surveys of significant sites; recording and analyzing information from site visits; mapping site locations, writing final reports and presenting findings to the public. Minimum: Bachelor's in ecology, field biology, conservation, botany or related field, plus experience; (Master's preferred). Demonstrated familiarity with Pennsylvania and/or mid-Atlantic/Midwest regions' flora and fauna and experience in natural community classification. Experience involving intensive field studies, and ecological research techniques. Facility with GIS and experience in the use of databases needed. Ability to traverse rugged terrain, spend long hours out-of-doors on extended field excursions, and travel to work in remote locations within Pennsylvania. Able to work well independently and with others. competitive salary and excellent fringe benefits.To Apply please send your résumé, a cover letter indicating which base office is preferred, and salary expectations to: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Senior Director, Human Resources, PO Box R, Mill Run PA 15464-0167, Electronic mail: nbassett@paconserve.org. Please indicate in your correspondence that you are responding to our announcement in www.EcoEmploy.com. An Equal Opportunity Employer.

Special Events/Programs/Classes/Talks

BATS ON PARADE: June 1, pick up and decorate bat cards at the library or at Twilight Festival at the Friends of Rock Bridge Booth on Courthouse Square or decorate on June 10, 10am&endash;1pm: at the Library. Great Bat Hangout -July 1 - 31 at Library ; Portable Cave & Storytelling - July 13, 6:30-7:30 pm Library, Ages 4-7, Register: 573-443-3161 June 28. Bat Viewing and Cave Tours - July 22, Jul 29 (7:30 pm) or Aug 19 (7:00 pm)Ages 8 to adult, Register: 573-449-7402

TRAIL SIDE EXPO/ FAMILY WALK AND RUN: June 3 at the Forum Nature Area adjacent to the Forum parking area of the MKT trail. 9 am. Columbia Parks and Rec. Displays about plants, animals, streams, treekeeper program

TWILIGHT FESTIVAL: Thursdays in June from 6 - 8 pm, Downtown Columbia

MOVIE WITH A MESSAGE: Friday June 2, 6:30 pm, Unitarian Universalist Church, 2615 Shepard Blvd. June: Broken Limbs, an emmy nominated documentary about family apple orchards, "Big Ag" and the New American Farmers

FLAT BRANCH OUTDOOR CINEMA SERIES:Thursday June 1, 8:45 pm Chronicles of Narnia; July 7, 9 pm , Raiders of the Lost Ark; Aug 4, 8:45 pm , Madagascar.

PLANTING AT NORBURY HILL HABITAT SITE: Saturday June 10, 10 am. Route B north of I-&), turn west on Vandiver, take the first right (north) onto Oakland Gravel Rd., take Thomas Drive to the west. Bring shovels, mulch, water. Wild Ones - call Scott at 573 - 882-9909 ext. 3257 for more information

HIKE THE GANS: Saturday June 17, 1 - 3 pm, Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, meet at Devil's Icebox Parking lot. Hike Gans creek to collect baseline information on its depth, width and meanders. Wear creek shoes and be prepared to get wet and even muddy. Call 874-0171 for more information. (Friends of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park

LUNCH WITH NATIVE PLANT ENTHUSIASTS: June 29, 11:30 am, Uprise Bakery.

Organization Meetings and Contact Information

AUDUBON SOCIETY: 874-3904 / columbia-audubon.missouri.org Meet 3rd Wed 7:30 pm, Unitarian Church, 2615 Shepard Blvd.

BOONE COUNTY SMART GROWTH COALITION: http://smartgrowth.missouri.org/, 1st Weds 7:15 Boone Co Govt Ctr.

CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING: 875-0539 or http://peaceworks.missouri.org/

CHOUTEAU GROTTO: http://chouteau.missouri.org/, Meet 1st Wed, 7 pm, The Casteel Building, 1518 Business Loop 70 East

COLUMBIA FOOD CIRCLE: 882-7463 or email hendricksonm@missouri.edu for information.

COLUMBIA PUBLIC WORKS VOL. PROGRAMS: 874-6271 or http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/Volunteer/Opportunities/#PW

CITIZENS WATERSHED COMMITTEE: (573) 526-8916, Third Tuesdays, 6:30 pm, Daniel Boone Bldg

COMMUNITY GARDEN COALITION: 875-5995 or cgardenc@yahoo.com or http://cgc.missouri.org

ENV EDUCATION WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES: http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/teacher/workshops/

FRIENDS OF BIG MUDDY: friends@friendsofbigmuddy.org or www.friendsofbigmuddy.org

FRIENDS OF ROCK BRIDGE M. S. P.: 815-9255 or http://rockbridge.missouri.org/ Outdoors Bldg, 200 Old 63 S.

GREENBELT COALITION: 442-4789, gbelt@coin.org or http://greenbelt.missouri.org

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY RESTORE: 815-9836, drop off or buy gently used doors, windows, hardware, tools, cabinets, appliances, unopened paint, fixtures - Mon to Fri 8:30 to 3:30, Saturday 8:00 to 1:00 pm, 1906 Monroe St. Columbia

MISSOURI ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION: www.meea.org

MO NATIVE PLANT SOC.: http://columbianativeplants.missouri.org/, 2nd Mon, odd months, 7 p.m., UU Church, 2615 Shepard

MISSOURI RIVER COMMUNITIES NETWORK: 573-256-2602 or www.moriver.org or moriver@coin.org

PEDNET COALITION: email: pednet@pednet.org or http://www.pednet.org

RIVER RELIEF: http://www.riverrelief.org/

ROCK BRIDGE MEMORIAL STATE PARK: 449-7402 or http://rockbridge.missouri.org

SHOW ME CLEAN STREAMS COALITION: (573) 751-4115 ext 3169 or www.mostreamteam.org

SIERRA CLUB: 875-2916 or http://sierra.osage.missouri.org Meet 3rd Tuesdays 7:30 pm Hillel Foundation, 1107 University Ave

WILD ONES: 573 882-9909, ext 3257 or email wildonesmo@yahoo.com, http://wildones.missouri.org Meetings 2nd Saturdays.

Answer to BioRegional Quiz - 278 Mega Watts - Peak load is the highest electrical load experienced by a system. In Columbia, that happens in the summer when air conditioning needs peak in the afternoon. Utilities have to plan for peak loads (+15% for emergencies), so they either have to build more plant capacity than they need on average or trade for power on expensive short term energy markets. Reduce peak load by not having any other electrical appliances on when the AC is on, and not using things, like ovens and stoves.

Feedback - Got an opinion? If we have space, we will consider publishing it. Submit it by email (envstudy@missouri.edu), snail mail (Environmental Studies, 211 Lowry , MU, Columbia MO 65211), or call Jan Weaver to talk about it (882-7116). MU Environmental Network News is published by MU's Environmental Studies Initiative. All opinions expressed are the responsibility of the editor. Any part of this newsletter may be copied for distribution but please give us credit.