No Big Draw on TV, But a BIG Draw From It!

Having tested my bedroom entertainment set-up, I learned the total amount of standby power was relatively small. It was time to set my sights elsewhere in the house. I connected my Kill-A-Watt to the home entertainment components we currently have in our living room. These include a large-screen television, surround-sound system, signal amplifier, game system, and VCR (for all you young 'uns, that's a "video cassette recorder.")

Over the next twenty-four hours, the Kill-A-Watt logged the total amount of wattage drawn by the system. When I got home and took a peek, I almost fell over backwards! The unit had logged 0.61 kWh. Meaning that, while doing absolutely NOTHING, the system draws approximately 223 kWh/yr. To put that in perspective, that's enough energy to light a 40-watt bulb for about seven-and-a-half months STRAIGHT!

Clearly, we need to drive a technological stake through the heart of this vampire, so out come the power tools once again...