On Thursday, November 2, 2017 at 3:02:25 PM UTC-4, wrote:

Are you really as confused as you make out to be?

This may be as simple as a 'failure to communicate'. Here on this side of the pond we have the Energy Star system. Initially, any device could earn the rating if it performed the same function using less energy (some minimum-or-greater) differential than the average of all devices in its class. So, a Plasma TV was measured against only other Plasma TVs. And a clothes washer against other clothes washers of approximately the same type and size - and all these things *at the time of manufacture*. But comparing Macintosh apples (plasma TVs) to Gala apples (LCD tvs) to (back in the day) Granny Smith tvs (CRT devices) did not apply.

Stand-alone clothes dryers, by the way, cannot earn an Energy Star. Care to guess why?

Old-Style wall-warts were (are) transformers & diodes. Some have regulation and some do not. Most do not. But the transformers are substantial and pass the entire current used. Replace it with a switcher-supply and weight and cost drop, regulation is easy to achieve, and lo and behold, power consumption drops. Do that a billion times and it all adds up.

In the meantime, much as many sorts of regulations written against former times, the thoughtless propaganda mongers beat their drums on the evils of wall-warts, stand-by power-supplies and create the "legend of the vampire load" and the billions it costs *you* and *me* each day, the tons of coal burnt at their altars, mercury and so on and so forth. And they *WOULD* have us putting everything on a power-strip for full shut down after each use.

So, our flat-screens revert to "demo" settings - and so consume anywhere from 10% to as much as 30% more power thereby. Some savings! And, of course the nuisance value of resetting pre-sets, clocks, and and much more. Not to mention the energy and resources tied up in all those power-strips. Regulations in the year 2017 based on technological assumptions from 2005 or before are hardly meaningful.

If you are that worried about this energy stuff- get rid of _EVERY_ incandescent lamp in your domicile, immediately and without exception. There is a CFL or LED device that will serve very nearly every function both aesthetically and practically. It is only money, and it will pay back without creating any additional fuss or nonsense, once done. We are well on our way - the last three significant targets are the antique chandeliers (three large crystal units that came with the house) and the matching wall sconces. That That is 72 candelabra-base lamps in all. About half are 40-watt, the rest 25-watt.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA