Always On Estimates update | June 2021

Thanks for the update, Justin. This idea (creating a list of estimated usage for Always On devices) has been growing on me. Having more devices already populated inside the app shows that you are still working on the idea, too.

A year ago, my post Getting Serious about Always On - #10 by jefflayman, requested that the Sense monitor itself be listed under Always On. Sense implemented this suggestion with app update v37. Thank you, Sense, for obliging me!

That post also mentions listing the power to run energy monitoring smart plugs. Update v37 allowed me to implement this request, too! I did so by making an Always On device named “Kasa” with location set to “Multiple” and estimated usage of 9 watts. It accounts for 15 energy monitoring smart plugs that are in use throughout the home at 0.6W each.

This example from my house illustrates a larger point. While individually negligible, devices with small usage can add up. DC power adapters are limited to 1 watt or less in standby mode by regulations in a few countries. Many manufacturers honor this limit routinely so their products can be sold everywhere. The specs on my new computer monitor, for example, say that standby usage is <0.4W. Yet with multiple power adapters in my house, I am curious how much they all contribute.

My current item list under Always On accounts for about 50% of the total. Have other users been able to identify more?

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