After a series of recent power outages I have been thinking of bolting the stable door and getting a UPS. What I have been unable to find out is how much power they typically draw when batteries are fully charged and all attached devices switched off. Any experiences? Does it vary much with va rating?
Mine draws 0.5A when idling. I think its rating is 1KVA give or take.
Note that this is 60 Watts. That’s a lot.
My mondo 1,400 Watt UPS idles at 30 Watts, which I think is a bit much, but I put up with it. Clearly, these were not designed for low standby power consumption.
Many manufacturers of UPS units have started introducing greener UPS units. Drawing lower idle amps and/or actually shutting off some periphereals when the main unit (TV or PC) is off. A quick google search should direct you to some of the greener units. Most of these units have the potential to more than pay for the price difference in lower energy costs over the life of the unit.
To get you started here is an article from last year about APC: IT news, careers, business technology, reviews | Computerworld
I like to check www.treehugger.com for Green items. Unfortunately they have nothing on this issue.