Bye Bye Standby

[the.fee.fairy]

Got this from GrownUpGreen yesterday:

On 6 March grownupgreen reported on the launch of a new device to deal with standby buttons on electrical appliances and help reduce a household’s carbon footprint.

If you are interested, we’ve got a small number of these devices to give away, FREE, to gug supporters in the UK.

To find out how to claim a free Bye Bye Standby visit the news report here http://www.grownupgreen.org.uk/news/?id=1102 and follow the Stop Press instructions.

There is a slight catch: if you’re lucky enough to be one of the first people to apply for, and receive a Bye Bye Standby from us, we’d like you to let us know how you get on with it…

Thank you for supporting grownupgreen
I read the report and e-mailed and have one coming in the post.
I'll keep you all updated on how it works, what it does etc.

[revdode]

My first impression is WHY?

Electrical sockets in the UK come complete with a switch which achieves the same and it's usually easier to find than a wee remote control.

More seriously though, this uses energy, it is basically a standby device, just (hopefully - I've asked for details) more efficient than the normal appliance standby.

It's basically a remote controlled socket, there are others on the market, only the eco-spin is new.

The questions I've asked the company

1. How much energy is consumed by the device itself?
2. How is the remote powered? How often do we need to change the battery.
3. How is the power to the powered devices switched off, is it electronic / solid state or a relay?
4. What is the expected life of the BBSB
5. Finally a tough one, what is the embodied energy in a BBSB unit. Please also identify place of manufacture, not all embodied energy is equal due to the methods of power generation used in different countries.

I'll let you know the answers.

[Shirley]

I tried for one but was too late

Looking forward to hearing how you get on with yours Fee!

Mind you, we don't usually leave things on standby anyway. On or off!

[Shirley]

My first impression is WHY?

Electrical sockets in the UK come complete with a switch which achieves the same and it's usually easier to find than a wee remote control.

More seriously though, this uses energy, it is basically a standby device, just (hopefully - I've asked for details) more efficient than the normal appliance standby.

It's basically a remote controlled socket, there are others on the market, only the eco-spin is new.

The questions I've asked the company

1. How much energy is consumed by the device itself?
2. How is the remote powered? How often do we need to change the battery.
3. How is the power to the powered devices switched off, is it electronic / solid state or a relay?
4. What is the expected life of the BBSB
5. Finally a tough one, what is the embodied energy in a BBSB unit. Please also identify place of manufacture, not all embodied energy is equal due to the methods of power generation used in different countries.

I'll let you know the answers.

Good thinking! Looking forward to their answers.

[Wombat]

Ditto

Nev

( i like the new avatar Shirl!)

[Shirley]

Cheers Nev!! It's the new Neeps! logo... inspired by a design started by WellyS.... (she posts on here too!!) and then as a group effort... and finalised and made all shiney and perfect by Diana!! It's great to be surrounded by such talent.

[the.fee.fairy]

I'm interested in how it works.

The tv in the living room at home is usually left on standby when i'm not there, so i'm interested in how much energy the thing can save.

I'll keep you all updated on how it works and all that kind if stuff. I'm going to get Dad to have a good look at the electricity meter and stuff to see if i can make out a discernible difference whilst using it.

If it doesn't take off in my house, i'll happily post it to someone else to try.
We'll see when it gets here what happens.

[Thomzo]

I must confess that I leave my freeview box on standby but only cos if you switch it off at the wall (there's no on/off switch, only standby) you have to set it all up again each time.

That's what really needs to be addressed, the fact that some electrical items don't even have an on/off switch and some products lose their settings if you do switch off at the wall.

Cheers
Zoe

[the.fee.fairy]

i think that's what this box is for - so that the electrical thing thinks its only on standby, when its not.

I don't know for definite though, so don't quote me on that one.

i'll let you know when it gets here!

[colhut]

My first impression is WHY?
Electrical sockets in the UK come complete with a switch which achieves the same...

I mostly agree, although a system where the individual units needed to be turned on by a button on them (not remote control) so they'd use no power at all when off, but all the units could be turned off simultaneously from one remote I can see being usefull. It is a psychological thing, if you want something on you will go and turn it on, turning it off is far easier to forget, but if you could do it all from one place with one push of a button then it would be forgotten far less.

[the.fee.fairy]

I got it the other day. not taken it out of the box yet. There are 3 plug thingys in the box.

When i get round to opening it and plugging it all in, i'll keep you informed about how they work, etc, etc.

[the.fee.fairy]

Well...
I've been using the things for about 2 weeks. They are there for convienience sake. That's all these things are for it seems.

They're made of plastic, and have a light that's on when the plug is off, so i debate how much energy is actually saved.

hoepfully - here's a copy of the survey GUG sent me, with my answers on it.

1. Please rate each of the following benefits in order of importance to you (ratings out of 5, 1 being most important, 5 being least important):

Money saving …2……….

Fire Prevention ……3…….

Convenience ……4…….

Saving the Environment ……1…….

2. Do you currently have any other energy saving devices within your home- yes or no?

Yes - we regularly use energy saving light bulbs, and we have a energy efficient boiler.


3. How many appliances do you typically have on standby within your home/ office?

TV, video, DVD - 3!

4. If you have appliances on standby, why don’t you switch them off when not in use?

(eg:forget to, too difficult, time pressure)


They're up at about eye height, and the off switch is at the top. I was interested in the Standby bye Bye to see whether it did make life easier to switch off hard-to-switch off things

5. How simple was it to install Bye Bye Standby?

Really easy. You need to have a couple of inches between the plug point and the appliance/any firniture though, it fits in about as much space as a timer plug/double plug does.


The instructions were easy to understand too.

6. Since installation how often have you used Bye Bye Standby?

(eg: frequently, daily; weekly; occasionally never)

Daily. I watch TV before i go to bed at night, so i turn it off using the Standby bye Bye. It makes it easier for me - i don't have to get out of bed to turn the TV off!!

7. How easy do you find Bye Bye Standby to use?

(eg: - easy, quite easy, difficult or very difficult)

Easy - point and click!


8. Where have you installed Bye Bye Standby ?


I have installed it in my bedroom, one of the plugs has the TV attached to it, another has the DVD and another has the video.


9. Do you feel confident that Bye Bye Standby will save you money?

(eg: yes, no; uncertain)


Uncertain - there is a red light on the SBB, and i do wonder whether it takes as much energy to run that light as it does to run a stand-by light on an appliance. And there's batteries to consider.


10. Does Bye Bye Standby make your life easier when it comes to controlling devices?

(eg: yes, no; uncertain)


Yes. For me, personally, it is easier. My 'off' switches are high up, so it does make it easier to point a remote at the plug and see the appliances go off, rather than having to reach for the switch.

11. Do you feel that Bye Bye Standby helps reduce your risk of fire within the home?

(eg: yes, no; uncertain)

Uncertain - I think it reduces fire risk as much as a timer plug would, but it is still hitched to the elelctricity system, and it is still plugged in making contact. how many fires start from a TV which is completely switched off at the appliance?


12. Do you feel you are doing something to help the environment by using Bye Bye Standby?

(eg: yes, no; uncertain)


Uncertain. I feel that i'm not havng the standby light on all night - but there is still a pilot light on the plugs that are on, so its a toss-up really. The SBB is also made of plastic, and therefore not recyclable when it has exhausetd its life. It doesn't say on the packaging that it is made from recycled plastic either. So, it is debatable.


13. Would you recommend Bye Bye Standby as an energy saving product?

(eg: yes, no; uncertain)

Uncertain again - i'd like to know how much power the little red light on it uses!

14. Any other comments/observations?

Easy to use, but i'm not convinced about it. I understand that it stops things being on standby, with the light all the time, but it has a light of its own.

It is very simple to use, but i'm not convinced of its green credentials.

If anyone else wants to try it, i am only too happy to package it up and send it.

[Cornelian]

Interesting device - but months ago I trained myself to turn off everything at the power switch - every electrical device in the house and office. I've yet to get a power bill but it will be interesting to see how much I have saved.

[revdode]

I've had no reply from them yet to my questions, I guess I should ask again. I suspect the.fee.fairy is right, convenient but really not a "green" product whatever that is.

Regarding recycling of the product, for what it's worth this should be covered by the WEEE directive. There should have been instructions on how to dispose the product at end of life in the instruction or on the product. Somewhere there should be a WEEE logo (small picture of a wheelie bin with a cross over it).

[revdode]

Looks like a spoke to soon. A prompt reply to my questions regarding the device.

Dear George

Thank you for your questions.

Unfortunately we do not release this level of information to the general public. If your question is in relation to a governmental or other official directive then please provide more details of your official capacity and nature of the enquiry, otherwise could I direct you to our website where further information is available.

A wee reminder I didn't ask anything which I would consider to be top secret just the following relatively simple questions.

1. How much energy is consumed by the device itself?
2. How is the remote powered? How often do we need to change the battery.
3. How is the power to the powered devices switched off, is it electronic / solid state or a relay?
4. What is the expected life of the BBSB switching unit.
5. Finally a tough one, what is the embodied energy in a BBSB unit. Please also identify place of manufacture, not all embodied energy is equal due to the methods of power generation used in different countries.

And one more I hadn't thought of before.

6. Is the BBSB covered by the WEEE regulations?

To be honest I think they now answer question 2 in the FAQ on the website. I wouldn't buy anything that claimed to be a energy saving device where I can't get an answer to questions 1.
Questions 3 & 4 were perhaps a little cheeky, but I'd like to know I won't have to replace the thing everytime it goes out of warranty. If you have ever wondered why that happens it's called reliability engineering.
Question 5 is again something that I think a business selling a "green" product should be able to answer.

I'm pretty sure that the device is covered by WEEE but will check up. The.fee.fairy, could you have a quick look on the product (there should be a rating label) to see if it displays a wee WEEE logo. (crossed out wheelie bin).