One Watt Initiative
Encyclopedia
The One Watt Initiative (or the proper One-Watt Initiative) is an energy-saving initiative by the International Energy Agency
(IEA) to reduce standby power
-use by any appliance to not more than one watt
in 2010, and 0.5 watts in 2013, which has given rise to regulations in many countries and regions.
, standby power before the One Watt Initiative proposals were implemented as regulations accounted for as much as 10% of household power consumption. A study in France found that standby power accounted for 7% of total residential consumption, and other studies put the proportion of consumption due to standby power at 13%.
The IEA estimated in 2007 that standby produced 1% of the world's carbon dioxide
(CO2) emissions. To put the figure into context, total air travel contributes less than 3% of global CO2 emissions.
Standby power can be reduced by technological means, reducing power used without affecting functionality, and by changing users' operating procedures; this is discussed in the relevant article
.
In 2001 US President George W. Bush
issued Executive Order 13221, which states that every government agency, “when it purchases commercially available, off-the-shelf products that use external standby power devices, or that contain an internal standby power function, shall purchase products that use no more than one watt in their standby power consuming mode.”
By 2005 South Korea and Australia had introduced the one watt benchmark in all new electrical devices, and according to the IEA other countries, notably Japan and China, had undertaken "strong measures" to reduce standby power use.
In July 2007 California's 2005 appliance standards came into effect, limiting external power supply standby power to 0.5 watts.
On 6 January 2010, the European Commission
's EC Regulation 1275/2008
came into force regulating requirements for standby and "off mode" electric power consumption of electrical and electronic household and office equipment. The regulations mandate that from 6 January 2010 "off mode" and standby power shall not exceed 1W, "standby-plus" power (providing information or status display in addition to possible reactivation function) shall not exceed 2W (these figures are halved on 6 January 2013). Equipment must where appropriate provide off mode and/or standby mode when the equipment is connected to the mains power source.
International Energy Agency
The International Energy Agency is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization established in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 1974 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis...
(IEA) to reduce standby power
Standby power
Standby power, also called vampire power, vampire draw, phantom load, or leaking electricity , refers to the electric power consumed by electronic and electrical appliances while they are switched off Standby power, also called vampire power, vampire draw, phantom load, or leaking electricity...
-use by any appliance to not more than one watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
in 2010, and 0.5 watts in 2013, which has given rise to regulations in many countries and regions.
Standby power
Standby power, informally called vampire or phantom power, refers to the electricity consumed by many appliances when they are switched off or in standby mode. The typical standby power per appliance is low (typically from less than 1 to 25 W), but, when multiplied by the billions of appliances in houses and in commercial buildings, standby losses represent a significant fraction of total world electricity use. According to Alan Meier, a staff scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory conducting unclassified scientific research. It is located on the grounds of the University of California, Berkeley, in the Berkeley Hills above the central campus...
, standby power before the One Watt Initiative proposals were implemented as regulations accounted for as much as 10% of household power consumption. A study in France found that standby power accounted for 7% of total residential consumption, and other studies put the proportion of consumption due to standby power at 13%.
The IEA estimated in 2007 that standby produced 1% of the world's carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
(CO2) emissions. To put the figure into context, total air travel contributes less than 3% of global CO2 emissions.
Standby power can be reduced by technological means, reducing power used without affecting functionality, and by changing users' operating procedures; this is discussed in the relevant article
Standby power
Standby power, also called vampire power, vampire draw, phantom load, or leaking electricity , refers to the electric power consumed by electronic and electrical appliances while they are switched off Standby power, also called vampire power, vampire draw, phantom load, or leaking electricity...
.
Policy
The One Watt Initiative was launched by the IEA in 1999 to ensure through international cooperation that by 2010 all new appliances sold in the world use only one watt in standby mode. This would reduce CO2 emissions by 50 million tons in the OECD countries alone by 2010; the equivalent to removing 18 million cars from the roads.In 2001 US President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
issued Executive Order 13221, which states that every government agency, “when it purchases commercially available, off-the-shelf products that use external standby power devices, or that contain an internal standby power function, shall purchase products that use no more than one watt in their standby power consuming mode.”
By 2005 South Korea and Australia had introduced the one watt benchmark in all new electrical devices, and according to the IEA other countries, notably Japan and China, had undertaken "strong measures" to reduce standby power use.
In July 2007 California's 2005 appliance standards came into effect, limiting external power supply standby power to 0.5 watts.
On 6 January 2010, the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
's EC Regulation 1275/2008
EC Regulation 1275/2008
On 6 January 2010 the European Commission Regulation 1275/2008 came into force regulating requirements for standby and off mode electric power consumption of electrical and electronic household and office equipment...
came into force regulating requirements for standby and "off mode" electric power consumption of electrical and electronic household and office equipment. The regulations mandate that from 6 January 2010 "off mode" and standby power shall not exceed 1W, "standby-plus" power (providing information or status display in addition to possible reactivation function) shall not exceed 2W (these figures are halved on 6 January 2013). Equipment must where appropriate provide off mode and/or standby mode when the equipment is connected to the mains power source.
See also
- Low-carbon economyLow-carbon economyA Low-Carbon Economy or Low-Fossil-Fuel Economy is an economy that has a minimal output of greenhouse gas emissions into the environment biosphere, but specifically refers to the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide...
- Carbon footprintCarbon footprintA carbon footprint has historically been defined as "the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.". However, calculating a carbon footprint which conforms to this definition is often impracticable due to the large amount of data required, which is...
- Energy conservationEnergy conservationEnergy conservation refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption. Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decreased energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources...
- Energy policyEnergy policyEnergy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
- Energy-Efficient EthernetEnergy Efficient EthernetEnergy-Efficient Ethernet is a set of enhancements to the twisted-pair and backplane Ethernet family of computer networking standards that will allow for less power consumption during periods of low data activity. The intention was to reduce power consumption by 50% or more, while retaining full...
- Standby powerStandby powerStandby power, also called vampire power, vampire draw, phantom load, or leaking electricity , refers to the electric power consumed by electronic and electrical appliances while they are switched off Standby power, also called vampire power, vampire draw, phantom load, or leaking electricity...
External links
- Things that go blip in the night, Standby power and how to limit it, International Energy Agency/Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris, 2001
- International Energy Agency
- Standby Power Home Page, Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryLawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryThe Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory conducting unclassified scientific research. It is located on the grounds of the University of California, Berkeley, in the Berkeley Hills above the central campus...
California