What is Standby?

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In 2005 a study showed that standby power accounted for 10.7% of Australia's residential electricity consumption

• This cost consumers over $950 million per annum
• This generated more than 6.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions

But what is standby?

Definition of Standby Power and Standby Energy
Standby operating modes exist in order to reduce energy consumption for equipment left switched on for long periods of time. Devices are typically able to be 'woken' from standby mode in a very short period of time.

• Standby power = the instantaneous power drawn by an item of electronic equipment whilst in standby mode (measured in watts).
• Standby energy = the total energy consumed over a period of time (measured in kWh).
• Standby energy = standby power multiplied by time spent in standby mode.

The various standby operating modes are defined as follows, in order of increasing power consumption:

Off Mode
The item of equipment is connected to the mains electricity supply, but is switched off by a switch or button located on the item, and generally cannot be woken by a remote control or other remote signal. If no off switch or button exists, off mode is generally defined as the lowest possible power state possible for that item.

Passive Standby Mode
The item of equipment is switched on, but is either waiting to be activated by a remote control, or has entered a 'deep sleep' state.

Active Standby Mode
The item of equipment is switched on but is not performing its primary function, such as printing documents, processing significant data, playing sound or video, etc.

On Mode
The item of equipment is performing its primary function, such as printing documents, processing significant data, playing sound or video, etc. This mode is not a standby mode and does not contribute to standby energy consumption, but has been defined here for the sake of completeness.

Download Useful Articles

	Evidence of Accelerated Climate Change 2007 (pdf)
	Key World Energy Statistics 2007 (pdf)
	Energy Australia – Reduce your Footprint 2007 (pdf)
	Standby Current Status 2006 (pdf)
	School Energy Shutdown Guide 2005 (pdf)
	Standby Power Consumption 2002 (pdf)
	Residential Power Consumption 2001 (pdf)
	Accounting for Greenhouse Gases (pdf)