GFCI LED's and LED displays

thehardway
thehardway Solar Expert Posts: 56 ✭✭✭✭
in Energy Use & Conservation #1
I purchased a bulk pack of GFCI's when I wired my house. I believe they are the Cooper Pro. They had LED indicator lights which I assumed would come on (orange) if the GFCI tripped as the old previous ones I had purchased did. Instead these LED's are on (green)all the time 24/7/365. I can't help but think they are using up power but on the other hand, replacing them probably would not pay off anytime soon. GFCI's especially 20A are not cheap. Wondering if there is an easy way to open them and reverse this so they don't light unless tripped. I also have a Bosch built in oven. It has a large orange LED display which stays lit all the time. Does anyone know if there is a way to turn it off? Trying to eliminate some of my phantom loads. How much power would turning these darn LED's off save me?
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: GFCI LED's and LED displays

    Don't worry about the power consumption of one little LED. Or even twenty of them. Not worth trying to remove/disable them.
    You waste more energy staying up late thinking of ways to save another Watt hour per year.
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #3
    Re: GFCI LED's and LED displays

    My green lights simply turn off when the GFI opens (Just push the test trip).

    In either case, those LEDs are not using much power at all... probably 50 mWatts or less. The math--Say you have 20 GFIs running 24x7:

    0.050 Watts per device * 20 units * 24 hours * 365 days a year = 8,760 Watt*Hours = 8.76 kWH per year

    Or about $0.90 to $2.70 per year, depending on the cost of power in your region. There is a possibility that the GFI electronics are using more power than the LED itself.

    So, if this is a concern for you--Try taking connecting a GFI to a Kill-a-Watt meter and see how much watts/kWH the unit takes (and log Power factor, VA, volts, amps, etc.).

    Then you will know how much they are really costing you.

    Note, you can use one GFI breaker/outlet for the entire string--You don't have to install GFI's in every outlet. That will save power and costs. And you can install the GFI breakers per circuit (which are not cheap either).

    In the end, LEDs, by themselves, do not consume much power at all... It is usually all the support electronics that do that. And, it is possible that the standby loads are very significant.

    You have devices that are never "off" even when you turn them off (digital TV receivers, DVRs, etc.). And you have devices that just did not do a good job of power supply design and take a fair amount of power when "off" (older TV's, stereos, computers, etc.).

    I still have an old stereo that would take 40 watts when "off". That was about 1/6th of my total power bill.

    Start with the big stuff--Power you use (electric ovens, computers, entertainment systems, heating/hot water, etc..) first. If you have a 1,000 kWH per month power bill (typical north American home), then less than 1 kWH per month for GFI LED's is not even on the radar at the moment.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: GFCI LED's and LED displays
    BB. wrote: »
    So, if this is a concern for you--Try taking connecting a GFI to a Kill-a-Watt meter and see how much watts/kWH the unit takes (and log Power factor, VA, volts, amps, etc.).

    The draw of a GFCI won't even register on a K-A-W; it's too low. Usually nothing less than 1 Watt will show up. The cordless phone bases I checked didn't show anything, nor did they run up an Watt hours over time. The meters just aren't designed to detect mA's.

    Of course there are differences in meters, but on the whole ... LED indicators aren't a problem.
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  • thehardway
    thehardway Solar Expert Posts: 56 ✭✭✭✭
    #5
    Re: GFCI LED's and LED displays

    Ok, thanks guys, I'll sleep a little easier tonight when i see all those little evil green annoying night lights around the house.

    They are wired one per string. Entertainment equipment is plugged into a power strip which is turned on/off as needed. All light bulbs are CFL or LED. I know I am using a ton of power (dual 5500w elements) heating hot water right now. 3-5 baths per day + dishwasher and laundry. Solar thermal system is almost ready for deployment so I will see how much that cuts it. All appliances are energy Star, using induction cooktop, High efficiency front load clothes washer. Cant seem to talk the wife into using a clothesline outdoors in the winter. Also we have to run a dehumidifier to keep humidity levels down which isn't helping. I built the house too tight.

    I have a Kill-a-Watt so I will check the GFCI outlets as you suggested just for grins and post back. Our highest usage was 1100Kwh last august in the middle of the heatwave before I had the minisplit unit in. We were using a temporary 9000btu window unit to stay cool and it wasn't very efficient.
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: GFCI LED's and LED displays

    You could always jerry-rig a GFCI through a multimeter just to see what the current draw is with no load on it. :D
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