[Gllug] Energy consumption puzzlement

[Anthony Newman]

M.Blackmore wrote:
> Heres' a puzzlement: borrowed a lekky measuring machine from the local
> environmental group and stuck it onto the multipoint socket that feeds
> the server, firewall, eth switch, wireless access point, adsl modem,
> printer.
<snip>
> BUT why should turning it off INCREASE the consumption?

Electronic "switched-mode" power supplies are rather non-linear, and 
your basic power measuring device is probably only designed with the 
simple case of coping with well-behaved equipment.

Whether or not you are seeing a true increase in power consumption, the 
likely cause of the indicated change is the power factor of your 
equipment, or the non-sinusoidal current demand the equipment imposes. 
Non-specialist measuring equipment will probably report it incorrectly.


 > If it isn't worth scrapping an average European motor car of its era
 > for 25 yrs for a less fuel consuming one, how long does it take to
 > nullify the embedded total environmental costs of using up old
 > computer kit until it actually irretrievably expires?

If you consider it useful unless it has expired, then the answer is 
surely never :)



Ant
-- 
Gllug mailing list  -  Gllug at gllug.org.uk
http://lists.gllug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/gllug