Electricity usage?

Current cannot & will not flow as there is no circuit between phase & neutral.

Current is measured by the meter so the meter will not register anything. If the socket has a neon light which glows when the switch is operated, then a very small current will flow & this will register on the meter. However the cost would be negligible.

Current through a neon indicator is approx 0.5mA. It perfectly possible to get leakage between line and neutral, or line and earth of more than this, and in fact a typical domestic RCD trips at 30mA leakage current.

So that bit of leakage might be costing upwards of 30p a year....

That's good - I have many socket outlets with no switch on them :-)

 

I once worked out the cost of leaving the cooker neon light glowing. It's horrifically expensive - as much as 3p a year!

You really need a hobby.

You really need a hobby.

Spending thirty seconds doing the sums in your head is hardly a hobby. Maybe you need to learn these useful skills.

You really need a hobby.

Saving electric should be everyone's hobby, then we won't need as many new power stations.

Saving electric should be everyone's hobby, then we won't need as many new power stations.

I read an article in the Daily Mail about saving electric. Such as switching lights off and using the washing machine over night to save a few pounds a year, mainly common sense stuff. I am guilty of wasting electric so is my family by not turning plugs off at night or leaving tvs on to play to themselves etc. But arnt we all wasting energy as i cant see everyone turning off everything bar the fridge in the house at night or when out.

Electricity costs the same at night as it does in the day on most tariffs.

What do you leave on?

I turn lights off when I leave the room, and the same with the TV. (Onto standby of course).

Electricity costs the same at night as it does in the day on most tariffs.

Yea Day/Night (energy 7 is it?) tariffs have really fallen out of favour, probably with the decline in electric storage heaters and the fact no-one can be arsed to organise things to go on during the night.

(Who wants their washing machine making a racket at 3am???)

Now energy companies have been forced to stick to a low number of tariffs I think some have dropped day/night due to low demand.

As above, any little "power on" lights will consume a little power. At the cooker itself, there may be additional lights (which, if on, will consume a little power) as well as a clock which will use a little. Assuming that all the heater elements are switched off, there will be no other circuit consuming any power.

Thank you.

Saving electric should be everyone's hobby, then we won't need as many new power stations.

What, and put all those people out of work. Where's your social conscience?

If there isn't any current using appliance plugged into the S/O then there will not be any power used.

Out of interest, how did your measure the power used by the neon ?

---------- Post added 13-03-2016 at 16:50 ----------

Current through a neon indicator is approx 0.5mA. It perfectly possible to get leakage between line and neutral, or line and earth of more than this, and in fact a typical domestic RCD trips at 30mA leakage current.

 

So that bit of leakage might be costing upwards of 30p a year....

B,

I get your point about the neon. It should only come on when the switched socket outlet is switched on. Spot on as far as the RCD is concerned. A lot of modern installations use RCBOs (30mA, 30 milliseconds response time, less than one complete cycle of a 50Hz mains supply).

If the socket outlet is clean there shouldn't be any " Tracking". Tracking between phase and neutral ,or phase a CPC (earth) can cause intermittent tripping. Like you indicate. The leakage current has to be at least 30mA. If the socket outlets are in top condition and all the conductors are fully insulated from each other there shouldn't be any leakage.

B , If I can trouble you. Can you confirm for the lay reader, that the leakage is not current leaking out of the S/O onto the carpet .

It used to happen in the past, electricity would leak out of the sockets. That's why we had to use these plug covers:

 

http://www.excitepmshop.co.uk/images/pf-JmOJpFQrkwY3_-OHDeBGtGtMf/Plug-Socket-Cover.jpg

 

So this is why my missus puts a bucket below the sockets in her house. I thought she was going mad.

I've always thought of it a bit like the situation at Calais with the Eurotunnel...

 

Currents accumulate at a terminal at one end of the circuit as their trip is 'ampered by a battery of biased resistance.

 

They wait patiently until who knows watt-hour, having volted fences on impulse, and need little coaxing to surge forward to try and jump aboard a bus (other electrical devices are available) with adequate capacity.

 

Most are re-fused.

 

Sadly, for those that lag behind it hertz, but they remain positive and are released without charge by the neutral authorities.

 

Maybe some bright sparks will disagree...

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