Clock radio power usage

Prudie | 22:28 Sat 12th Nov 2011 | How it Works

9 Answers

Does a radio alarm clock use more electricity if you have the radio on?

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AlBags

Yes .. But it would be a tiny tiny tiny weeny amount : )

Prudie

Question Author

OK, not enough to tell me off about then!

Buenchico

Yes, but any small radio uses only a very small amount of power anyway. Typical power consumption is only around 1W, so you'll get 1000 hours of use for the cost of 1 unit of electricity (around 20p). DAB radios use more power than AM/FM ones but the cost is still negligible.

Chris

AlBags

What? Leaving the radio on while you're out weeding the garden .. or fiddling by the bins? lol

No .. petty.
Hint: Sitting in the loo with light on for an hour reading paper would probably use more than the radio in 24hrs.
Use that on him next time .. if he does do that .. like blokes do!
: )

JonnyBoy12

I thought that it was 2 watts of power, Chris. Some of the very old models say the power is 5 watts but this would be when the radio is on full blast. Can anyone here be more specific about this power consumption?

Prudie

Question Author

haha AL, yes blokes do that, doesn't appeal to me at all.
I leave it on when I leave the bedroom, it turns off after an hour anyway.

AlBags

TTssssk!

Could have saved 160 mWh there!!

Rich325

Typical wattage of a radio is, say, 10 watts.
Average hours used each month, say, 12 hours a day x 30 days = 360 hours.
Power used = 360 hours x 10 watts = 3,600 watt hours = 3.6 kWh's
Cost of electricity is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh's).
Cost of 1 kWh is around 10p.

Using the Running Cost Calulator at
http://www.ukpower.co...ng_costs_electricity/

Cost to run the radio for 12 hours a day for a month = 36 pence.

Rich325

Anything which needs electricity to work uses power.
The actual clock (without the radio being on) uses power.
Switching on the radio uses a bit more power.
Since the amount of power used is very low. the difference is hard to judge.
But the answer is Yes.
See http://www.ukpower.co...ng_costs_electricity/ to work how how much a 10 watt radio costs.

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