This is for those who often leave their TV sets and other electronics on standby, instead of shutting them down or putting them hibernate. I shamefully count myself among these guys from time to time, but I’m trying to recover.
For those who want to recover but don’t have the time, a device has been invented. A team of researchers from Spain designed a power management device and called it “100% Off”. What this gizmo does, is that it measures the electricity consumption of a certain consumer attached to it, and when its 8 bit micro-controller detects a standby mode, it shuts it off.
Over the course of a year, the relative cost of running an appliance is higher in stand-by than when it is switched on, as it spends more time in stand-by mode. According to a study carried out by the European Commission in 2005, household appliances in stand-by mode consume 50 TWh (terawatt-hours) per year in the EU alone.
This figure, which is equivalent to the annual consumption of a country like Greece or Portugal, represents a total energy cost of 7000 million euros per year and the emission of 20 million tons of CO2.
Turning the devices back on is more annoying, but if you make it a habit, I guess you’ll get over this difficulty. 100% Off has a green button to turn it on, and you have to push it every time you want to power your TV, for example.
Nice gadget, anyway. It would be still be a lot more practical if it were more intelligent in knowing when you’re around, and put the devices back on a low power mode. I guess most of the energy is consumed when you’re not home and not using your TV for many hours.
wow, nice article about gadget.keep it rock dude.don