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Watt the fμck?

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Kjelt:
I had this moment when I measured one of my over 30 Hue lights.
In off they still use 10-25mA @230V = 2 to 3W  each.
So I shut them off hard with the wall switch.

Nice all the home automation but if each "smart" device has to be listening over "radio" be it BT, or zigbee or wifi or have an active ethernet stack running they aren't that smart anymore to use.
My electricity price has gone up from €0,22/kWh in july 2021 to €0,81/kWh for coming month.
For gas and electricity I have to pay €5000 more per year, which hurts.

The problem I like to solve is how to switch off dozens of devices (like networkswitches, APs, etc.) off at night without using a clockswitch which also consumes electricity per device.
If someone has an elegant ultra low power solution preferably with a latching relay I would be very interested. Otherwise I have to build it my own.

themadhippy:

--- Quote ---The problem I like to solve is how to switch off dozens of devices (like networkswitches, APs, etc.) off at night without using a clockswitch which also consumes electricity per device.
--- End quote ---
clockwork timeclock?

paulca:

--- Quote from: Kjelt on September 29, 2022, 10:02:55 am ---Nice all the home automation but if each "smart" device has to be listening over "radio" be it BT, or zigbee or wifi or have an active ethernet stack running they aren't that smart anymore to use.

--- End quote ---

I think you need to revisit the low power device market.  Most Zigbee devices run on battery.  My hallway motion sensors are well over a year on the coin cell they came with.  They still show 55% battery.

Gas meters here, the pre-pay card type run 24/7/365 for 10 years on a single battery.

So while, yes, there are lazy people who use cheap dropper power supplies and use a few watts.   But still, all of them house wide (mains powered smart devices) adds up to less than 30W.

The advances in MCU low power mode in the last 10 years has been amazing.  Most zigbee MCUs have a deep sleep power requirement of micro-amps.  Their radio sleep power draw is also in micro-amps.  When they need to wake up and send data, they can do that in a millisecond at 30mA and go back to sleep at 2uA for 55 seconds.

If you are mains powering things you can be a lot more lazy.  When I made my sensors I didn't even put the MCU to sleep and left the Wifi radio on constantly.  They still only consumed 40mA at 5V.

GlennSprigg:
My father in-law, many years ago, (who I found out had figure-8 speaker wire strung between trees to get 240v power
out to his pigeon sheds from the house!), told me that you have to save power by turning off ALL appliances at the power-
point to save wastage. Even a Lamp or Toaster etc...  I couldn't make him understand, so I gave up!  Yes, as a technician, I
could have mentioned the likes of a 'Corona Discharge' to the atmosphere!!!, but I think that the concern for the likes of an
increase in your bill of say 1c or 2c over a 10 year period for the whole house, was not worth debating!!!   8) :-*
(And yes... I re-wired his sheds!, with the correct wiring/catenarie's  :-+)

snarkysparky:
I have a different point of view on it.
Forget about all the tiny consuming devices.   If you include them in your thinking then you are distracted from where the real problems are.

Hot water heater !!!!
Put an insulating blanket on your electric hot water heater.
When you shower turn the flow rate of water down to a trickle. Don't  reduce water temp ( that just miserable )  but the flow rate.  At full on most of the hot water misses the body anyway.


Refrigerator !!
Other than making sure the seals are good and air flow is good around the unit not much you can do.

Run the heat pump mainly when outside temp is favorable.  In summer that is at night.   In winter that is when the sun is on it.

Favor microwave instead of oven of possible  ( unless you heat with electric resistance heat ).

More ideas ??




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