Red Green wrote:
"Bill" wrote in
:


Wired doorbells have a transformer which is always on and always using
electricity. This is yet one more thing in the house which does this
like TV, microwave, remote control things, things with clocks, plug-in
phones, etc.

These things add up...

I replaced/rewired my switch so the transformer is only on when the
doorbell button is pressed! Thus the transformer is off most of the
time now.

I installed a regular electrical box at my front door, ran 14 ga.
romex from this box to the doorbell transformer, then got a nice brass
blank wall plate, drilled a hole in this plate, then installed a 120V
momentary push switch in the plate. Then wired this to switch on the
transformer when the button is pressed. Then connected the two wires
which were going to the old button so the doorbell would ring as soon
as it receives power from the transformer.





It's probably stamped right on it but I never looked. Any idea how many
watts it's uses in it's standby state?

This whole thread is about chasing the "little yellow hole in the snow."
It's trivial.

When the bell is not ringing, the current that is measured is largely
reactive or imaginary current. It is the current determined by the
transformer's magnetizing inductance. The only dissipation is some
small core heating and trivial wire losses. The true dissipation is far
less than what most are calculating by multiplying measured volts and
measured current.

Worry about something important...like preserving the US Constitution.

Boden