Electrical – What’s the minimum amount of electricity used by an appliance

electricalenergy efficiency

My Kill A Watt P4400 by P3 International shows 3 watts electricity usage if anything is plugged in. Do things plugged in, regardless of whether they are ON or OFF, really use a minimum of 3 watts or is it an inaccuracy on the part of the Kill A Watt?

Pardon me if I misuse terminology; I'm not too familiar with electrical terminology, only electronics.

Best Answer

To test, plug a non-electronic lamp in, and turn the lamp off. Your P3 should show zero watts, or it is clearly defective.

Many electronic devices have "parasitic" or "phantom" or "vampire" power usage: I have a toothbrush charger that shows about four watts, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There's a radio that when off shows about ten watts. And several Apple chargers that show a big zero when charging is done, due to better technology.

Note with the P3 you'll have to measure over a period of a few days, to accurately measure devices that draw less than one watt.

Here's an example study on the topic: http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&context=eesp See also: How do you determine how much electricity is used by a device?