Daft Logic > Information > Appliance Power Consumption Turn that TV off if you're not watching it! How much electricity is it really wasting?, and would it not be better to switch off the 4 lights in the room? The best way to compare the cost of running different appliances is to look at their power consumption, which is measure of how much power they use in Watts. The following list points out typical values for the wattage of some devices you would find in your home so that you can compare them. An important point is also to bear in mind the length of time for which the device will be used. For example an electric blanket may be used for 2 hours, but a hair drier for 5 minutes. Therefore the blanket uses 200W * 2 hours = 0.4kWh. The hair drier uses 2KW * 0.0833hours = 0.1666kWh. So using the blanket costs roughly 2.5 times as much as the hair drier. All values reported here are estimates, you should check the appliance labels or literature to find out the correct power consumption.

We all know that outfitting a house with solar panels is not cheap right now. Harnessing enough sun to be able to live completely off-grid costs many thousands of dollars, up to many tens of thousands depending on how much electricity is needed. But do we really need to go from 0% to 100% clean energy in one go? That's not usually the way things are done; we usually do incremental changes. The idealist will say that it's not fast enough (and might be right), but the realist will say that the mainstream has more chances of going for it if it's not too radical and expensive, and that the power of numbers is hard to deny. So the question is: Do we really need to go 100% solar at once? What is the least you could pay and still end up with enough solar juice to run some things around the house? The Off-Grid weblog answers that question.Update: How to Make Inexpensive DIY Home-Built Solar Panels with Damaged Solar Cells from EbayFor $600, you could get yourself enough solar power each week (about 1KWh) to:run a 20-inch tv for 20 hours, a portable stereo for 100 hours, a laptop computer for 40 hours, or a 12-watt compact-fluorescent light bulb for 80 hours.

The 800-watt inverter (with a 2,000-watt surge capacity) will run a small vacuum cleaner, a drill or a small drill press, a sander, a jigsaw or small band saw, but not a large circular saw. It will handle many toasters and coffee makers, but not all. A blender would be child's play for this inverter, a microwave an impossibility. A hair dryer on low, yes; on high, forget it.Here's what the "$600 kit" consists of:One Uni-Solar 32-watt amorphous-silicon PV module, 12 volts: $180.00One Morningstar 6-amp charge controller, 12 volts: $40.00Two Deka 92 amp-hour sealed batteries, 12 volts: ($130.00 each) $260.00One Aims 800-watt modified sine wave inverter, 12 volts: $65.00This leaves you with $55 for wire, battery cables, mounting hardware, fuses between components, and the miscellaneous odds and ends that are always needed for any project of moderate complexity.Most of these can probably be found online at some of the alternative energy stores we've covered in the past.But the beauty is that once you've go the "starter" solar system, it is relatively easy to expand it as your needs or wallet grow.

With the exception of the inverter, this system can be easily expanded. Any number of similar modules can be wired together in parallel, so long as the modules are of the same wattage. The 6-amp charge controller can manage up to three 32-watt modules, and extra charge controllers can be wired into the system, in parallel, as your lust for power begins to swell.vacuum cleaner robot ukBatteries, of course, are always happy to see their numbers multiply.cheap vacuum cleaners tescoBut alas, the inverter is what it is. vacuum cleaner dyson problemsIt cannot be connected to another inverter to provide more power (though more expensive models can be), nor can it be configured to operate at a higher input voltage, should you ever get ambitious and change the system voltage to 24 or 48 volts.

On the other hand, at $65, does it really matter? A slightly-used 800-watt AC power source that can draw power right off the battery is a handy accessory any vehicle would be proud to have tucked away next to the spare tire.So, while you're saving up to buy the deluxe 4000-watt pure sine-wave inverter with battery charging capabilities, enjoy the little $600 starter system that got your foot in the solar-energy door, and try to imagine where it all might lead.This project is Do-It-Yourself only if you know what you are doing, and as usual when electricity is involved, a qualified electrician should approve your setup before you power it on.(Before anyone asks: No, the pictures are not the exact pieces of hardware recommended in the Off-Grid weblog's list.)::$600 gets your house on solar power, via ::WorldChangingSee also: How to Make Inexpensive DIY Home-Built Solar Panels with Damaged Solar Cells from EbayMore on Alternative Energy & Solar PowerGoogle Invests $280M in Residential Solar Power!

Google Invests $55 Million in California's Massive 1,550MW Alta Wind FarmGoogle Invests $168 Million in 392MW Mojave Desert Solar Thermal PlantGoogle Invests $100m in What Will be the World's Largest Wind Farm (845 MW)In 2014 Brand View reviewed the range of vacuum cleaners available to shoppers in the UK, following the introduction of EU legislation which banned the manufacture or import of vacuum cleaners that exceeded 1600 watts. Now, a year on, we have re-analysed the Vacuum Cleaner category in major UK retailers to see how it has evolved since the legislation was introduced and created an infographic which summarises the key changes. Despite the legislation, retailers can still sell vacuum cleaners with a wattage over 1600W, providing manufacturers can prove that they have not been imported or made in the UK after the 1 September 2014 deadline. Vacuum cleaner wattage changes since EU legislation was introduced , Argos, Co-operative Electrical, Currys and John Lewis.

, Co-operative Electrical, Currys and John Lewis – each retailer delisted high wattage vacuum cleaners and replaced them with lower wattage alternatives. Argos’ average vacuum cleaner wattage did not drop as drastically, as it already listed a large number of low wattage vacuum cleaners. On 1 September 2014 just 8.6 percent of the vacuum range in Argos was over 1600W. In contrast, Currys had the greatest percentage of its range above 1600W at 36.4 percent. Therefore, in the last 12 months, Currys has seen the greatest decrease in average vacuum wattage, falling 41.6 percent from 1539W to 899W. One year on, on 31 August 2015, John Lewis was the retailer with the highest average wattage at 1032W, having fallen 26.3 percent from 1400W on 1 September 2014. Retailers continue to list 1600W+ vacuums In all retailers analysed there were just five products listed that exceeded 1600W on 31 August 2015. Co-operative Electrical listed the Hoover TSBU2000 Sprint Evo which has a motor power of 2000W.

listed the Hoover Whirlwind Bagless TSPW2100 and the Samsung F600G Power Hygiene Sensor Easy which both have a motor power of 2100W. Finally, John Lewis listed two Vax vacuum cleaners, the Vax C88-AM-P Air Mini Pet and the Vax C89-P6N-P Power 6 Pet, which have motor powers of 2000W and 2200W respectively. Future of the vacuum cleaner market On 1 September 2017 further restrictions will be imposed on manufacturers, limiting the permitted wattage for manufacture and import further, to just 900W. Brand View has reviewed the top 10 most-listed vacuum cleaner brands, in the aforementioned retailers, to identify the proportion of each brand’s range which conforms to this new limit. On 31 August 2015 Bosch and Hoover had over 93 percent of their range below the new 900W threshold. Bosch had just one listing above 900W and Hoover had four. Zanussi will be most affected by the new legislation; all but one of its 15 listings exceeded the 900W limit. Dyson will also have to review its range, as 29 of its 44 listings had a motor power greater than 900W.

Percentage of range less than 900W by retailer On 31 August 2015 Currys had the greatest percentage of its range less than or equal to 900W at 71.9 percent. The majority of its vacuum cleaners above 900W were Dyson and Miele. Currys and John Lewis were the only retailers analysed that did not stock Zanussi vacuum cleaners. Following the legislation, John Lewis will need to make the most changes in terms of range; it had the smallest percentage of range less than or equal to 900W with 50.6 percent. The worst offending brand was Sebo – two thirds of Sebo listings in John Lewis were above 900W. We can expect retailers to gradually delist higher power vacuum cleaners over the next two years as manufacturers introduce new, lower wattage machines. However, taking into account the large sales uplift of high power vacuum cleaners seen in August 2014, retailers could witness a similar uplift in sales of 1600W vacuums before the 1 September 2017 enforcement date. Not already using Brand View products?